Button Hole Stems?

[oldguyoldpipes]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

I have noticed that my turn-of-the-century pipes (early 1900s) seem to have button hole stems more than my pipes from decades since. Anyone know why the button stem pipes fell out of popularity or any pipe stem evolution theories/knowledge? The one thing I would say about smoking the button stem pipes is that the stem feels substantially thicker to clinch and it seems that all of my button stem pipes have very short stems. With that being said, they are easier to "chomp" down on while I am working and since I use rubber bits, I don't worry about damaging the stem itself.

 

[sablebrush52]

Orific bits ,what your refer to as "button hole", were the most common type of bit until the late 1920's. The move away from the orific bit to a semi-orific bit, also referred to as a slot, picked up steam in the teens and orific bits were gone by the 1930's. I can think of several reasons for this, one of which you mentioned, the thick rounded bite zone, which made the pipe unstable when clenched, the thought that a slot would spread out the smoke better across one's tongue, and the desire by smokers to have a thinner flat bite zone.
Manufacturers of that period were always looking at ways to improve their products. Just like the movement away from the orific bit, pipe makers looked for better ways to attach the stem to the shank. In the 19th and early 20th century, most makers employed a bone screw down tenon. It worked but was very fragile. So makers started using friction vulcanite tenons instead at the turn of the last century, and by the early 1920's bone tenons became a thing of the past.

 

[oldguyoldpipes]

Orific bits ,what your refer to as "button hole", were the most common type of bit until the late 1920's. The move away from the orific bit to a semi-orific bit, also referred to as a slot, picked up steam in the teens and orific bits were gone by the 1930's. I can think of several reasons for this, one of which you mentioned, the thick rounded bite zone, which made the pipe unstable when clenched, the thought that a slot would spread out the smoke better across one's tongue, and the desire by smokers to have a thinner flat bite zone.
Manufacturers of that period were always looking at ways to improve their products. Just like the movement away from the orific bit, pipe makers looked for better ways to attach the stem to the shank. In the 19th and early 20th century, most makers employed a bone screw down tenon. It worked but was very fragile. So makers started using friction vulcanite tenons instead at the turn of the last century, and by the early 1920's bone tenons became a thing of the past.

Thank You for the information. That's what I was looking for. I have several of these pipes and did not like the way they felt in my mouth, but I love the look (and history) of these early 1900s pipes. I recently found this Henri Comoy "shorty" and have been smoking it while I putter around in my garage. I have found that I like the way it clinches in the corner of my mouth. It's a short smoke because of the smaller bowl and lends itself well to short sips. Goes to show me (again) that each pipe has it's own personality.