D.I.Y. Stem Repair

[onepyrotec]

Question for the D.I.Y. guys/gals. For anyone who has repaired a hole in a stem, what did you use and did it end up matching when finished?
I did my first hole repair after a nasty bite through when I hit a bump while driving and clenching the pipe in my teeth. It is functional but does not quite match the stem finish. I used JB weld with some lamp black pigment added to the mix. It finished black but not as shiny as the stem. It shows grey in the pictures from the lighting/flash.
Has anyone ever used a clear epoxy or any epoxy that shined like a mirror when finished?
Picture 1 is with the JB weld goop drying

Picture 2 is after being shaped & sanded to 12,000 grit.

Picture 3 is after polishing with tripoli.

 

[jkenp]

Most use that black crazy glue. Amazon has it.

 

[onepyrotec]

Shows how much I pay attention, I didn't realize there IS a black crazy glue. How does it finish out?

 

[rebornbriar]

I use a black superglue which rubber strengthened, so the rubber in the glue seems to blend with the rubber on the stem. All in all though, you will never achieve a perfect match every time - and I think you did an excellent job.

 

[onepyrotec]

Thanks Alan, it won't hurt to have some superglue on hand. My father-in-law told me he has a bunch of pipes he will be sending me...so I'm sure there will be one or two more repairs to do. :lol:
I took an picture without all the glare that better represents the actual color of the JB weld with lampblack pigment. You can tell how shiny the stem is by seeing the reflection of my phone on it.

 

[iowamike]

what is this tripoi you speak of

 

[rcstan]

Tripoli is a red polishing compound used for stems, has a lower grit than the white Diamond compound.