Broken Stem

[Arimathea]

Good day all,

Due to my own carelessness, I have unfortunately broken the stem of my first pipe. I am trying to find a replacement, but the company I bought from is a very small one, and I haven't gotten a reply from them yet to an email I sent.

I am learning, belatedly, that stems are not all similar and replacements are tough to find. I was hoping that this group would be able to point me in the right direction. The only replacements I am finding have a 9mm or 10mm tenon (I believe that is the correct word -- where the stem "plugs into" the bowl assembly). Measuring my broken stem, I found the tenon is exactly 5mm. An uninformed internet search hasn't let me to find any replacement stems of this size. Does anyone have any insight to share regarding replacing this?

 

[georged]

With the exception of cobs, stems are not interchangeable in a "plug and play" way. They must be fitted to stummels individually.

Getting a functional replacement isn't difficult, but you'll have to mail the stummel to a shop that does pipe-specific re-stems.

Getting a stem that matches the old one EXACTLY is a bit of a chore, and for assorted reasons can expensive. Unless the stummel is "collectable" grade, it's usually cheaper just to get a new pipe.

 

[nolan613]

The simple answer is to send it to a reputable repair shop and chalk the expense up to "educational tuition". If you have a slightly above average level of mechanical talent and the imagination to see something desirable in the pipe then let your imagination run wild. Pipe repair/modification is not rocket science.

 

[warren99]

The simple answer is to send it to a reputable repair shop and chalk the expense up to "educational tuition". If you have a slightly above average level of mechanical talent and the imagination to see something desirable in the pipe then let your imagination run wild. Pipe repair/modification is not rocket science.

I agree. If it's a simple tenon replacement, any reputable repair shop should be able to handle it for $25 (USD) or less.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I agree. If it's a simple tenon replacement, any reputable repair shop should be able to handle it for $25 (USD) or less.

Absolutely but results do vary, as we all are aware replacing tenon the way that the internal air passage and flush fitment to the mortise are not altered is not always that easy as it may seem us at first glance