Castello Repair Getting Done

[macaroni]

I snapped my tenon off in a great smoking large smooth Castello poker (don't usually prefer smooth or pots BUT this estate Castello fits my smoking habits PERFECTLY!).

I searched the threads and found this guy, Mike Myers at Walker Pipe Repair in Michigan.

Long story short, Mike has the busted pot in his queue. Cheap, too. (stifle yourself Friends--I know, "You get what you pay for!" LOL.

Here's his invoice on cost:
Castello Collection Poker Replace Tenon 22.00

I'm gonn fire it up in the fall when it comes in and have a ball! )

kindly,
mike

 

[Chasing Embers]

Mike does good work.?

 

[pipesandscotch]

I snapped my tenon off in a great smoking large smooth Castello poker (don't usually prefer smooth or pots BUT this estate Castello fits my smoking habits PERFECTLY!).

I searched the threads and found this guy, Mike Myers at Walker Pipe Repair in Michigan.

Long story short, Mike has the busted pot in his queue. Cheap, too. (stifle yourself Friends--I know, "You get what you pay for!" LOL.

Here's his invoice on cost:
Castello Collection Poker Replace Tenon 22.00

I'm gonn fire it up in the fall when it comes in and have a ball! )

kindly,
mike

Mike has one of my pipes at the moment. I've sent other pipes to him in the past. Excellent work!

 

[telescopes]

Glad to see it getting fixed. I got my head bit off suggesting in another thread that this type of fix is possible and not an overly big concern. I’ve had two pipes repaired with broken tenons.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Glad to see it getting fixed. I got my head bit off suggesting in another thread that this type of fix is possible and not an overly big concern. I’ve had two pipes repaired with broken tenons.

Yeah, some are adamant that tenon repairs are complex.

 

[mso489]

Walker is highly recommended. Repair work is often moderately priced, not because the skill is inexpensive, but because the pros have all of the knowhow and tools right at hand and can do a lifetime repair fairly quickly if the structure of the pipe is sound. I had a stem replaced on a gift estate pipe and am totally satisfied, and it picked up the appearance of the pipe 100%. I think you will be more than pleased.

 

[sablebrush52]

Glad to see it getting fixed. I got my head bit off suggesting in another thread that this type of fix is possible and not an overly big concern. I’ve had two pipes repaired with broken tenons.

Yeah, some are adamant that tenon repairs are complex.

It comes down to what works for you, what your standard is, and the nature of the project facing repair. It wasn't suggested that such repairs couldn't be done, but that they weren't necessarily simple to do, and this was from someone who is an absolute perfectionist in his approach to the work that he does. If it isn't perfect, completely invisible, and completely durable, it isn't good work. It's a very absolutist approach for which "good enough" doesn't exist.

For most of us, "good enough" is plenty good enough. And many repairs are straightforward, but to suggest that they all are is as wrong as to say that all repairs are difficult.

Tenon repairs can be incredibly complex with vintage pipes, because over the years the wood has shrunk and surfaces have warped ever so slightly, kind of like what happens to us over the years. Redrilling a mortise because it has gone ovoid due to shrinkage over decades (not uncommon) requires great precision. Truing up the end of the shank so the stem will fit without the slightest gap, while removing the least amount of material, requires precision. Getting that replacement tenon centered so that the stem is equally flush (or equally not flush) around the circumference requires precision. Invisibly reshaping the stem slightly so that it once again is flush to a shank that has changed dimensions over the years without touching the shank, takes precision. And from time to time we've seen pictures on this forum of botched stem related repairs, because they're not always simple, despite the belief that they are.

 

[telescopes]

It comes down to what works for you, what your standard is, and the nature of the project facing repair. It wasn't suggested that such repairs couldn't be done, but that they weren't necessarily simple to do, and this was from someone who is an absolute perfectionist in his approach to the work that he does. If it isn't perfect, completely invisible, and completely durable, it isn't good work. It's a very absolutist approach for which "good enough" doesn't exist.

For most of us, "good enough" is plenty good enough. And many repairs are straightforward, but to suggest that they all are is as wrong as to say that all repairs are difficult.

Tenon repairs can be incredibly complex with vintage pipes, because over the years the wood has shrunk and surfaces have warped ever so slightly, kind of like what happens to us over the years. Redrilling a mortise because it has gone ovoid due to shrinkage over decades (not uncommon) requires great precision. Truing up the end of the shank so the stem will fit without the slightest gap, while removing the least amount of material, requires precision. Getting that replacement tenon centered so that the stem is equally flush (or equally not flush) around the circumference requires precision. Invisibly reshaping the stem slightly so that it once again is flush to a shank that has changed dimensions over the years without touching the shank, takes precision. And from time to time we've seen pictures on this forum of botched stem related repairs, because they're not always simple, despite the belief that they are.

You are absolutely correct and I agree. If my pipe was an S. Eversson or a vintage pipe of real intrinsic and extrinsic value as well as historically significant to collectors, yes, I would be tied up in knots. Most of our pipes loose value once a repair has been rendered no matter how good the repair is. But we live with it because we like the pipe. I will amend my statement to this; tenon repairs are possible and there is a good chance you will be happy with the repair if your happiness isn’t dependent on perfection. How’s that?

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

this was from someone who is an absolute perfectionist in his approach to the work that he does

“A man can search far and wide, all the way from shame to glory, and back again, and he ain’t going to find nothing in this world that’s dead solid perfect.” Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma.

 

[telescopes]

I certainly respect and appreciate those who view the world from a perspective of quality and precision. I worked in the trenches of education from the heart of the inner city. Any thoughts of quality or precision as they pertained to theoretical standards of excellence went out the door. I became and I am a practitioner - a mechanic so to say. I work on what is before me and do so with the tools at hand. My goal is only to make what is in front of me work. The fact that I was successful beyond what most thought was possible certainly didn't help me embrace the standards of the theoretician. But then I didn't work in an Art Museum and I acknowledge the difference in goals that we have.

 

[tbradsim1]

Mike does very good work, you will be satisfied.

 

[sablebrush52]

“A man can search far and wide, all the way from shame to glory, and back again, and he ain’t going to find nothing in this world that’s dead solid perfect.” Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma.

It should have come from Baja California. Perfection doesn't exist, but perfectionism definitely does.

 

[sablebrush52]

I certainly respect and appreciate those who view the world from a perspective of quality and precision. I worked in the trenches of education from the heart of the inner city. Any thoughts of quality or precision as they pertained to theoretical standards of excellence went out the door. I became and I am a practitioner - a mechanic so to say. I work on what is before me and do so with the tools at hand. My goal is only to make what is in front of me work. The fact that I was successful beyond what most thought was possible certainly didn't help me embrace the standards of the theoretician. But then I didn't work in an Art Museum and I acknowledge the difference in goals that we have.

I do wonder how many fine canvases are held together with chewing gum.

I love Norman Rockwell's work. His was an extraordinary talent that provided memorable images while always making sure to leave room for the periodical's logo.
He never saw his work as permanent and he spoke about technical shortcuts he would take to get the image to the client on schedule, techniques that should have caused the paintings to "explode" or fall to pieces. That didn't matter as long as they held together long enough to be photographed for printing. The impermanence of the object didn't matter to Rockwell. He made many concessions, except for producing the exact effect that he wanted to convey.
J S Bach fully expected that all of his manuscripts would get tossed in the trash by his successor, or used for wrapping bottles (as many were) and yet he wrote works of great beauty and sheer genius. Almost all of us are faced with unfair limits, but we can still strive to do the best with what we have to work with. that's where the fun is. Otherwise we reduce what we do to a life long slog.

 

[telescopes]

I do wonder how many fine canvases are held together with chewing gum.

I love Norman Rockwell's work. His was an extraordinary talent that provided memorable images while always making sure to leave room for the periodical's logo.
He never saw his work as permanent and he spoke about technical shortcuts he would take to get the image to the client on schedule, techniques that should have caused the paintings to "explode" or fall to pieces. That didn't matter as long as they held together long enough to be photographed for printing. The impermanence of the object didn't matter to Rockwell. He made many concessions, except for producing the exact effect that he wanted to convey.
J S Bach fully expected that all of his manuscripts would get tossed in the trash by his successor, or used for wrapping bottles (as many were) and yet he wrote works of great beauty and sheer genius. Almost all of us are faced with unfair limits, but we can still strive to do the best with what we have to work with. that's where the fun is. Otherwise we reduce what we do to a life long slog.

Wonderfully stated.

 

[OzPiper]

I think for most of us, and I think applies to most of our pipes, we just want "a tobacco burning receptacle". We're not after perfection in most of our pipes - just good working order. And "near enough is good enough"

If on the other hand it is a piece like the museum quality pieces in Jesse's collection, then a restoration by our esteemed GeorgeD is de rigeur.

 

[craig61a]

Over the years I've got a number of estates that have had tenon repairs, and repaired a broken tenon myself.

To assume it's a simple operation is just plain understating the issue, in my opinion.

Getting the stem/shank in proper alignment takes some thought, planning, and skill.

They way that people obsess over their pipes on this forum most of the time, I find it odd that a tenon replacement could be considered as "good enough". Gaps, misalignment... most of the "repaired" estate pipes I've gotten over the years exhibit these issues.

I am fortunate that I have a local repair person who does very high quality work.

 

[telescopes]

A pipe repair person who can not properly repair a broken tenon should not be repairing pipes. So far everything I’ve gotten back has perfect alignment. Perhaps a proper listing of vetted pipe repair people is something that should be developed.

 

[timt]

I am fortunate that I have a local repair person who does very high quality work.

Are you talking about Lewis Pipe and Tobacco? Thinking about getting a new stem for one of my meers and he's not far away from me either. You recommend?

 

[mso489]

Ref. Norman Rockwell, I saw a good retrospective of his work, I think it was at MOMA in NYC. He was a master illustrator and often had nostalgia in his work, but when he veered from that, he did some powerful works on civil rights and around the cause of WWII, among other issues. Even his most nostalgic pieces had little tweaks of reality that made them more poignant. It was a fine gallery show and made its point without preaching.

 

[craig61a]

A pipe repair person who can not properly repair a broken tenon should not be repairing pipes.[\QUOTE]

Ya think...? Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and there are Facebook groups devoted to hackery and repeating urban rumors of pipe restoration...

Perhaps a proper listing of vetted pipe repair people is something that should be developed.

[\QUOTE]If you've spent some time here on the threads you'll know who's legit and who's not.