Hi All. Just a quick question. I recieved a Country Gent in my latest 4noggins order and have found that the mouth piece is very loose in the stem. Should I expect it to tighten after a couple of bowls or should I contact Rich?
Mic
The stems are pretty cheap. Mine has always been a bit loose. Soma may recommend puting bee's wax on the tenon or Chapstick. Another option is a Forever Stem, which can be used on any cob.
The easy permanent fix is just to heat up the end of the stem in water or over a lighter and then press it on a tabletop, you won't see a differince, but it will widen out the end of the stem and it will be a tight fit forever. If you acidentally overdo it, just sand it a bit to get it to fit again.
You can also use a Q-Tip to apply some water to the inside of the tenon. That will cause the wood to swell up a bit which will tighten up the stem.
Russ
I usually use clean nail polish. There's another option. And, before someone asks, I've never noticed a taste or a smell. Two reasons for that, though: 1) I might like it or 2) I might not be that sensitive (to the smell / taste, obviously I'm sensitive because I wear nail polish on my pipe).
A further suggestion would be to check out the videos at Aristocob.com. Scott has a video on how to fix a too loose or too tight stem. He also has a lot of interesting video info about cobs on the site.