Comoys 409 Grand Slam

[paulfg]

I have just purchased this Grand slam and have a question for any one knowledgeable on Comoys.
I have never seen a grand Slam with this stinger is it original?
.I wish to remove it when I get the pipe to clean it well but I am not sure if it is screw in or push fit
Any idea on age.I am thinking post war upto 1970s What do you think

 

[niblicck]

My experience is somewhat limited to about 20 of the Grand Slams. All of them that had intact stingers with the leather washer is a threaded screw fit. The pipe will have on the bottom portion of the shank an asterisk with a number denoting the size of the stinger. Ex. it will have a *5 or *7. Many of these I've had to run bristle and regular pipe cleaner through to clean out and then slowly apply heat to loosen the tars to get them to unscrew. Key is soaking the stem with alcohol (I use Everclear 190 proof).

Treating it as an older type stinger that could be threaded and it was my pipe, I would turn it counter clockwise when trying to remove it just to be safe. Others here with more experience will hopefully know if its an original stinger or not and have more to offer to extract the stinger.

Great looking pipe and hope you enjoy it.

 

[sablebrush52]

The stinger looks correct to me.

 

[ssjones]

I can't quite make out the details of your stinger, but it looks distinctly different from the Grand Slam stingers that I've removed. It should be thread in, as in the picture. The leather washer on the end is replaceable,and the stamping on the shank portion should mark the size washer used.

The flat end in the middle takes a very small wrench or gently with a pair of pliars. IF it doesn't turn easily, soak the end in alcohol to loosen the grip of the build-up. It's aluminum, so it bends/breaks easily.

 

[paulfg]

I can't quite make out the details of your stinger, but it looks distinctly different from the Grand Slam stingers that I've removed. It should be thread in, as in the picture. The leather washer on the end is replaceable,and the stamping on the shank portion should mark the size washer used.

The flat end in the middle takes a very small wrench or gently with a pair of pliars. IF it doesn't turn easily, soak the end in alcohol to loosen the grip of the build-up. It's aluminum, so it bends/breaks easily.

The stinger you show is the type I have seen before Al,this one looks different and appears to not have a washer at the end

 

[ssjones]

The Grand Slam filter system was patented and there was only one. If yours doesn't have the replaceable leather washer, its not original to the pipe. I suspect it is a push in. If it is threaded, than that would raise my eyebrow.

Document: Comoy's Grand Slam patent -- Pipes: Logos & Markings -

www.pipephil.eu

 

[simong]

Hello Paul, don't forget to check for a tap! There might be one there in the tenon. Here's two Comoy's #64, the bottom one a grand slam with the threaded stinger & the top one an Everyman which has a 'tap' in the tenon. Something I didn't realise until I put my glasses on after 'a lot' of pulling.

 

[ssjones]

Right - "tap-in" is the same as push-in. Push in stingers came in a variety of shapes. I suspect someone put one of those in your Grand Slam (which were only thread-in)

 

[simong]

Right - "tap-in" is the same as push-in. Push in stingers came in a variety of shapes. I suspect someone put one of those in your Grand Slam (which were only thread-in)

No Mr. Jones, you've misunderstood me. My Grand Slam has a threaded stinger. A 'Tap' refers to the pin or stud that fixes the stinger to the tenon, which is what my Everyman has. Paul will know what I'm on about.

 

[ssjones]

No Mr. Jones, you've misunderstood me. My Grand Slam has a threaded stinger. A 'Tap' refers to the pin or stud that fixes the stinger to the tenon, which is what my Everyman has. Paul will know what I'm on about.

I must not understand. Show me what a "tap" looks like on the tenon end please. When I say "push-in" that means friction fit (as most aluminum stingers are).

 

[simong]

If you zoom in on the top one, you should see it! Where they've drilled through the tenon & inserted a tap/pin/stud to render the stinger fixed. Don't know how else I can explain it.

 

[ssjones]

Are you saying this hole is for a pin, that holds the stinger in place? If so, I've never seen a stinger like that before on any pipe. It's definitely not a Comoys practice. So the pin would pierce the tenon and go right thru the draft hole? That doesn't make much sense) Show me a picture of one disassembled please, that would be very curious (and a big impediment to smoking it).

 

[simong]

Are you saying this hole is for a pin, that holds the stinger in place? If so, I've never seen a stinger like that before on any pipe. It's definitely not a Comoys practice. So the pin would pierce the tenon and go right thru the draft hole? That doesn't make much sense) Show me a picture of one disassembled please,

That's exactly what I'm saying! How can I show you a photo of one disassembled? I'd have to drill it out! I'm surprised you've never come across a 'fixed' stinger before, they are about.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

Thanks for the explanation Simon. I've seen you mention this method before and admit to not understanding what you were on about....now I do.
Does seem a very strange design.

 

[paulfg]

The Grand Slam filter system was patented and there was only one. If yours doesn't have the replaceable leather washer, its not original to the pipe. I suspect it is a push in. If it is threaded, than that would raise my eyebrow.

Document: Comoy's Grand Slam patent -- Pipes: Logos & Markings -

www.pipephil.eu

Ok thanka Al,i wasnt sure if it was changed at anytime.Once I get the pipe I will try to remove it and see if the tenon thread has been damaged.
It doesnt really matter to me as the previous grand Slam i had I removed the stinger and only replaced it when I sold the pipe.
The stinger in the picture of my pipe seems to have alternate raised ridges on it,I am sure I have seen photographs of a similar one somewhere but cant remember where

 

[paulfg]

No Mr. Jones, you've misunderstood me. My Grand Slam has a threaded stinger. A 'Tap' refers to the pin or stud that fixes the stinger to the tenon, which is what my Everyman has. Paul will know what I'm on about.

Indeed I do Simon,I have never seen one like that though

 

[kcghost]

As you can see from the discussion above you just can't trust pipe makers to make pipes the same way all the time.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I was surprised noticing that even some older BBB.s came with removable aluminium tubes

 

[niblicck]

Are you saying this hole is for a pin, that holds the stinger in place? If so, I've never seen a stinger like that before on any pipe. It's definitely not a Comoys practice. So the pin would pierce the tenon and go right thru the draft hole? That doesn't make much sense) Show me a picture of one disassembled please, that would be very curious (and a big impediment to smoking it).

View attachment 62648

Let me try and word this a little bit better for understanding and please correct me if I'm wrong Simong.

The tube that is extending out from the stem's tenon is tapped with female threads.
The stinger has male threads to screw into tenon tube's female threads.

I remember around 3 yrs. ago getting a Everyman 3/4 bent billiard with a female insert but no stinger and at the time was thinking it was a broke off inner-tube. It was not allowing a pipe cleaner to pass while smoking in which I remedied by removing. Upon further inspection the threaded portion of the stinger was broken off into the female section flush with tenon.

 

[ssjones]

I just checked with Steve Laug, at Reborn Pipes (I also contribute there). He has a few blog entries on the various stingers used, but he too has never seen a stinger pinned to a tenon. Those kind of pins would have to be incrediby small. Even so, with a tenon inner diameter of a few mm's, any pin thru the tenon would be quite an obstruction. (I'd use a micro drill bit from an index as a pin punch to remove it) I'd have to see one broken down to believe this is even possible. I'm confident that the stinger in question is a friction fit.