Broken Tenons. Repair or Replace Stem?

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jaygreen55

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 29, 2015
171
176
Unfortunately I have 6 pipes with broken tenons thanks to an adventurous cat who knocked them off my shelf. In the past all my pipes had generic vulcanite stems so I just replaced them with new ones. Four of this batch either have stem inserts or insignias
that I would hate to lose. Does repairing the tenons affect the smoking characteristics of a pipe? I'd like to here anyone's experience with this type of repair
 
Dec 10, 2013
2,316
2,942
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
I'm sorry, don't blame the cat.
When the repair is performed properly, I'd say no.
There are at least two ways ; have the tenon replaced or if no ebonite is lost glue it and reinforce the
tenon with a thin metal tube. I did once on an unsmoked James Upshall apple I dropped on a wooden floor :(
It worked out fine. Higher graded Comoy's pipes had a aluminium tenon reinforcement as such.
 

Mr_houston

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 30, 2020
538
4,562
Texas
I broke a tenon off a Tinsky panel that I really like. I sent it to Mark Tinsky to fix. In case it was to need a new stem, I wanted his logo on it.

He drilled out and replaced the tenon. I assume in his professional opinion, that was the proper fix.
 

warren99

Lifer
Aug 16, 2010
1,943
23,275
California
I’ve sent several pipes of different makes to Mark Tinsky with broken tenons. He does an excellent job of replacing the tenon at a fair price and returns the pipe very quickly, cleaned and polished.
 

hyperstar

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 10, 2022
226
568
Formosa, Taiwan
I sticked my broken tenon with 24 hours epoxy AB glue. And placed it in a cup, preventing any movement. So that the glue didn't drip.
Then I put the cup near my dehumidifier. I wasn't sure if it helps the glue harden better, but the outcome is good.

(Remember wearing disposable gloves throughout the process.)
 

LotusEater

Lifer
Apr 16, 2021
4,083
55,923
Kansas City Missouri
I’ve had good successes gluing broken tenons but depending on the quality of the pipes and the nature of the breaks you might want a professional to repair yours.

*Edit*
gluing the tenon has not seemed to effect how they smoke
 
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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,065
Carmel Valley, CA
I’ve had good successes gluing broken tenons but depending on the quality of the pipes and the nature of the breaks you might want a professional to repair yours.
Could you please say a bit more, such as specific glues used, and how you kept the tenon in proper alignment when it was drying....?
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,831
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Unfortunately I have 6 pipes with broken tenons thanks to an adventurous cat who knocked them off my shelf. In the past all my pipes had generic vulcanite stems so I just replaced them with new ones. Four of this batch either have stem inserts or insignias
that I would hate to lose. Does repairing the tenons affect the smoking characteristics of a pipe? I'd like to here anyone's experience with this type of repair
The tenon can be replaced, and if done properly, will be invisible. I'd use George Dibos if I wanted to be assured it was as seamless as possible, but others can do a good job of it as well.
 

LotusEater

Lifer
Apr 16, 2021
4,083
55,923
Kansas City Missouri
Could you please say a bit more, such as specific glues used, and how you kept the tenon in proper alignment when it was drying....?
I inserted a pipe cleaner coated with petroleum jelly trough the broken tenon and stem and applied glue to the break and firmly pressed the bits together. I have used different types of glue for this purpose and don’t recall which worked best. The key is to find one that will bond rubber (for vulcanite stems) and that has an initial set up time that will allow for minor adjustments to be made. After the recommended curing time I sand off any excess glue and that’s it.

I have two pipes that get smoked regularly that have been repaired this way - both reg. era Stanwells with a few dings. If they were better pipes I wouldn’t have tried this.
 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,810
3,566
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
A new tenon cut or purchased to fit the mortise will not hurt the smoking properties. If glued in with 5 minute epoxy or the like, and wiped clean, the only glue is outside of the path of smoke and how many pipes are initially made. In fact, this may be an opportunity to make it smoke better. Depending on how inexpensive these pipes were, the tenon may not have been funneled. If you put a chamfered edge it will benefit the airway and potentially smoke better than it used to.
 
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