ARP or RAP Cased Pipes?
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Is that always the case? I have about 40 Comoy's and almost all of them have this step. All of my Comoy's are high to ultra high grade from their golden era and they aren't molded stems.
The tenon is likely a second piece or the stem was made for a stinger or inner tube. The step is usually where the runner is attached in the molfing process. Any evidence that they're not molded? Even molded ones can be made of higher quality vulcanite much like the pipes of Mogens Johansen.
I don't think any of these Comoy's stems are molded. 3 piece C's, hand worked slots, concentric draft holes, and placement on what that company would have considered their very highest end pipes.
I could be wrong, but, in this case, I really don't think I am.
You'd be surprised what a skilled craftsman can do with prefabs. Bruce Weaver used them in his early years and after he was finished working you'd swear he hand cut them.
There is that. But I still think these are hand cut.
I also have pipes from other manufacturers that have a hand cut stamp on the stem, and appear to actually be hand cut, that have a step tenon.
Now those probably do have the separate tenons. The step isn't something done on a lathe.
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I'm going to show my ignorance here, what do you mean by a separate tenon?
Tenons that are made to screw into the stem and are held in place with something like epoxy. They're often made of delrin.
Okay, I understand what you're saying. These aren't replacement tenons.
Here's an example, note the beveled tenon base and funneled draught hole, the HAND CUT stamp is visible.
This is the stem from a quality British factory, made at least 50 years ago.
Here's an example, note the beveled tenon base and funneled draught hole, the HAND CUT stamp is visible.
This is the stem from a quality British factory, made at least 50 years ago.
Oh, I'm not referring to replacements, some are just made that way. The stem is handmade with a preformed tenon. The base bevel is also on mass produced stems like those of Savinelli.
That's why I mentioned Savinelli. Their stems are glued in with the same bevel. The prefab stems have that as well.
Okay, here we go. Stepped tenon and a different material than the stem plus a base bevel.
That's not a cut beveled tenon base like my example above, that is a molded curved base. The tenon I'm showing you is not an insert, it is contiguous and whole with the rest of the stem.
The statement that a stepped tenon is never cut on a lathe and always represents a molded stem is demonstrably incorrect.
Every tenon in the picture above reliably predates 1950 with the exception of the Sasieni stem which is family era. The Como stems are from pre-war Royal Comoys, blue riband's, and a specimen straight grain (that one is probably a 50-60s pipe). The saddle stem second down is a Barling's Make YOW with a registration stamp that dates it from 1949 or before. Every one of these stems is hand cut, and every one has a step tenon, and every one was make at the height of their respective companies production while being placed on what those companies would have considered their top of the line pipes. None of these stems above were designed for an insert or an adapter
Comoy's almost always had a stepped tenon on their 3 piece C era pipes. other companies, it really depended, but they do exist.