Hmmm, ok, well if that's what it is then I apologize, but still believe that it's repairable by a kitchen table guy.
Candidate for Banding?
- Thread starter captpat
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Definitely not shrink-wrap tight using a REPAIR band, though, which was---and has remained---my point since beginning of this thread.
Any attempt to use a wide, thin, flexible band on that pipe will end up a gappy---and probably wrinkled---mess.
The owner's best option is inletting the end of the shank and using a thick(ish), narrow ring, hoping for minimal troubles with stem fit (because the crack is so long it can't be closed with a band).
Ah, the difference between an artisan and guy in a shed. Both will get the job done but, only one will strive for perfection. The other? "good enough" is good enough. 
So the guy says it's like this. Then georged says no, it'a like this, with, of course, a detailed explanation to support his argument. My advice at this point is to keep your mouth shut and do what he says. He has decades of experience and has always thought the problem through three step ahead.
George you are really striving to get the guys to do it as you would do it (i,e. repair the pipe properly) and all they want to do is band the pipe and smoke it.
Whoever owns it can do whatever they like, of course. Indeed, a hose clamp will WORK just fine.
What I tried to do here is simply convey information for anyone who happens across the thread (which could be hundreds of people, now and in the future), so that if they find themselves in a similar situation they'll be able to make a good decision. An informed decision.
You know those YouTube video projects I've made dozens of? You'll notice that except for one unusual, rare case that required INTERNAL banding---an entirely different animal---I've stayed away from the subject entirely.
It was not an oversight. The reason is because shrink-wrap-tight banding---the only kind that a high grade pipe should have---requires more experience than any other area of repair. The "process" is a minefield of subtle gotchas where details will make or break a project. No two are alike enough to recommend a "recipe" procedure.
Any attempt to make a how-to video set covering the subject would generate more questions than it could answer because so little of it could be covered in categorical ways. i.e., "when you encounter this, do that" rarely applies.
Finally, to even get started, a consiserable inventory of sterling bands must be at hand. Many hundreds of dollars' worth.
No I elected to go with briar, morta seemed impersonal to me, if that makes sense. Nonetheless it is a good smoker which I why I stayed with the same shape.
For some perspective this pipe has no special attachment for me, nor is it of great value or uniqueness -- in fact, it's been replaced by a nearly identical model. I'm interested in seeing if it can be repaired enough to make it functional. It may not work in which case as was observed by @cosmicfolklore I'll at least have a spare stem.
George, thanks for your insight and advice.
I have a question for someone who knows this material, but first... I am not offering to band, nor have I ever on here, but I am curious as to whether morta is flexible enough to even use a compressions style band like a briar. As mentioned above, I am not familiar with the material. I suspect it is not just old oak, but mineralized. Would it be more likely to break under compression or shatter?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Good question.
The main problem with morta is its inconsistency. It's the primary reason carvers often abandon the stuff after a while.
The "original" wood which comes from a legally defined area in France (the same way champagne qualifies as real or not) is quite suitable for pipes from both a workability and smokability standpoint. According to French law, it cannot be exported in an unfinished form, but only as a finished product.
Swamp/bog oak from other parts of the world is just sparkling wine, though. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Whether or not its flexibility varies according to where it was harvested, I have no idea.
So, we're back to that being a good question.
Beuller? Beuller? Anyone? Anyone?
Damn, for some reason I was thinking that this stuff came from bogs in Northern Britain, but maybe it is just the word "bog" that took me there. I guess we would have to call those pipes "sparkling semi-petrified oak" instead.Good question.
The main problem with morta is its inconsistency. It's the primary reason carvers often abandon the stuff after a while.
The "original" wood which comes from a legally defined area in France (the same way champagne qualifies as real or not) is quite suitable for pipes from both a workability and smokability standpoint. According to French law, it cannot be exported in an unfinished form, but only as a finished product.
Swamp/bog oak from other parts of the world is just sparkling wine, though. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Whether or not its flexibility varies according to where it was harvested, I have no idea.
So, we're back to that being a good question.
Beuller? Beuller? Anyone? Anyone?
I've only made a couple of pipes out of Morta. From my brief encounter with it so far, it is brittle and full of the aforementioned minerals. It wears out sharp edges on cutting tools like most nothing else and leaves a nasty black dust that impregnates itself into your hands. I would say a band "should" work, but I would not use a super tight band that is "shrunk" fit "heated and pressed that is" for fear that it would implode the shank. Maybe, just maybe, a snug band that is epoxied and then pushed home, of course cleaning any squish out as it has started to set.
@cosmicfoklore asked the question that I was trying to get at in the OP, is Morta amenable to banding? The pipe is in the mail for repair, I guess we'll see how that works out.
Good, at least someone is giving it a whirl. In not knowing how this material responds to compression, I'd go ahead and prepare myself for hearing that it shattered or broke in the process. Hopefully not, but... Briar can take a pounding, and when putting on a compression band, I make the band a ring size smaller than the circumference and then use leather mallets to set the band, stretching it as it goes. On something that is supposed to be petrified, I would be terrified that the thing wouldn't react right. Honestly, I wouldn't touch it without first making you very aware of the risks.
Who did you send it to? If you don't mind sharing that.
I sent it to Walker Pipe Repair, his prices were reasonable though he won't get to it till November. I wouldn't be surprised either if he sent it back untouched after looking at it. Stay tuned for future updates.
