Better Meerschaum Inserts

[Chasing Embers]

It may be common with newer inserts, but upon replacing them in my favorite meerschaum, the draw is much more open and the fit of the tenon is much more snug. I bought a dozen of them for estate repairs but I'm going to go ahead and replace the inserts in all the pipes I have that have them.

 

[Chasing Embers]

An interesting thing I've noted is that there are minute variations in the lengths of the mortise inserts. Compare them with the original for fitting or there will be some stem misalignment. I've found that rubbing the threads of a new insert on a block of bees wax helps when inserting stubborn ones.

 

[jhowell]

On those 2-piece inserts, the mortis insert is nylon and the tenon insert is delrin - makes for tight, stable fit. I always drill out the tenon insert to 1/8" - gives me the perfect draw. I've had to trim the threaded end sometimes for the insert to properly fit. The important thing is to remember to always twist clockwise to remove the stem. I like the bees wax idea - stolen...

 

[Chasing Embers]

On those 2-piece inserts, the mortis insert is nylon and the tenon insert is delrin - makes for tight, stable fit.

The new ones are listed as Teflon. Quite a bit different feeling than those already in my pipes. The airway in the tenon is noticeably larger as well.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The important thing is to remember to always twist clockwise to remove the stem

That one I've known for years but was under the impression that the mortise pieces has a standardized length. I couldn't have been more wrong.

I like the bees wax idea - stolen...

Very welcome to it. It dawned on me while working on the one above as I didn't want to force it the last way in and risk cracking the shank. With the wax it went in with zero effort.

 

[jhowell]

The new ones are listed as Teflon. Quite a bit different feeling than those already in my pipes. The airway in the tenon is noticeably larger as well.

Look at the difference in color - if they were the same material, why use 2 different colors? Also the mortis adaptor material is softer than the tenon material (learned that while trimming the ends to fit)...

 

[didimauw]

Where did you get these? A lot of my meers have a pretty restricted draw, and a few have uneven plastic hanging off of them, causing turbulence. And that is harder to deal with than I thought.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Look at the difference in color - if they were the same material, why use 2 different colors? Also the mortis adaptor material is softer than the tenon material (learned that while trimming the ends to fit)...

Just saying that neither are listed as nylon or delrin. The new ones I received feel different than the stock ones in my other pipes and are also a different color than the originals.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Where did you get these?

Meerschaum Market

 

[originalnutcracker]

I found some on eBay a while back

 

[Chasing Embers]

I found some on eBay a while back

A bit more expensive there but they also have the black ones.