Does Acrylic Last Longer?

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

I guess that because I enjoy both vulcanite and acrylic stems, I have no preference. But the again, I do not mind tooth marks either. I do, however, prefer the stem|bits on my pipes to be broad, and I much prefer stems with larger diameter channels.

 

[didimauw]

I find it odd that people think acrylic stems are uncomfortable. I'm a clencher, and much prefer acrylic. Vulcanite and abs plastic stems get chewed through by me very quickly. I like the fact that acrylic stems are harder, and take more abuse.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I find it odd that people think acrylic stems are uncomfortable.

Didi, when you get old, the nerves in your teeth get closer to the surface... or at least it feels that way, and running acrylic across your teeth can cause a pain, kind of like when you rub aluminum foil across your teeth. It is a nails on the chalkboard kind of pain.

Maybe it doesn't happen to all old men, but my dentist says that it is common.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

There is indeed more than one grade of Acrylic, as there is also more than one grade of Vulcanite, and there is a huge difference between craftsmen. I once had two Upshall long shank large bowl Lovat s that I acquired from Pete Siegel that had acrylic bits made by Rich Lewis. I don’t know what grade of Acrylic Rich used, but the overall mouth feel was better than any Upshall, which came from the factory with Vulcanite bits, I ever smoked. A fair number of Charatan collectors of my acquaintance had Rich make smoking bits out of acrylic for their high grades so that they could preserve the original bit. They seemed universally pleased. Early Ser Jacopo Coral Dots had remarkably comfortable acrylic bits for any pipe IMO. Discussions of generic materials only take you so far.

 

[mso489]

oldgeezer', good point. Unfortunately you can't audition new pipes unless you are going by previous pipes of that brand. But it is true, materials vary widely, so acrylic or Vulcanite (etc.) are just starting points.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't care all that much. I've taken to wrapping the end of the bit with friction tape to make it softer/easier to clinch and protect the bit from chatter. Kind of ruins the aesthetic charm of a beautifully made mouthpiece but it protects it and makes it easier to clinch. Since 99% of the time I'm smoking by myself with nobody else to see the pipe, doesn't matter.

 

[jeff540]

I only have one pipe with "good" vulcanite - a 1950s Dunhill. Boswell;s replaced the vulcanite stem in a Nording for custom lucite, which 100% improved the taste from unsmokable bitterness to a great sitter. I will be sending them my only Peterson as well, which oxidizes fast and tastes like a tire fire. Dunhill being the only exception, I won't smoke a vulcanite stem.

 

[mso489]

I'm intrigued that many factory pipes now come with acrylic stems, but it seems Vulcanite is still widely used on both moderately priced and up-market pipes. I'm glad I can smoke either, so it doesn't have to be a deal breaker when I see a pipe I like. I see too many pipes I like, I think.

 

[BROBS]

I only have one pipe with "good" vulcanite - a 1950s Dunhill. Boswell;s replaced the vulcanite stem in a Nording for custom lucite, which 100% improved the taste from unsmokable bitterness to a great sitter. I will be sending them my only Peterson as well, which oxidizes fast and tastes like a tire fire. Dunhill being the only exception, I won't smoke a vulcanite stem.

That's because you aren't maintaining it properly.....

 

[dcon]

I am a softy bit proponent. I put them on all of my pipes. After restoring quite a few estate pipes, I want to avoid any unnecessary wear. I find them comfortable clinching or not.

 

[jeff540]

That's because you aren't maintaining it properly.....

That may be true. Although the Dunhill gets same cleaning procedure, is smoked 10x as often, is older than I am, and shows nearly zero oxidation.

 

[JohnMosesBrowning]

Noob question:

ebonite = vulcanite and lucite = acrylic?

 

[hauntedmyst]

I use Obidisian on my vulcanite stems after every smoke and they stay nice looking.

Agreed. But I also use softy bit because I sometimes clench too tightly. They aren't the best but I'm getting used to them.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Noob question:

ebonite = vulcanite and lucite = acrylic?

Yes, exactly

 

[hauntedmyst]

There is indeed more than one grade of Acrylic, as there is also more than one grade of Vulcanite, and there is a huge difference between craftsmen. I once had two Upshall long shank large bowl Lovat s that I acquired from Pete Siegel that had acrylic bits made by Rich Lewis. I don’t know what grade of Acrylic Rich used, but the overall mouth feel was better than any Upshall, which came from the factory with Vulcanite bits, I ever smoked. A fair number of Charatan collectors of my acquaintance had Rich make smoking bits out of acrylic for their high grades so that they could preserve the original bit. They seemed universally pleased. Early Ser Jacopo Coral Dots had remarkably comfortable acrylic bits for any pipe IMO. Discussions of generic materials only take you so far.

Upshall bits are their weak points. Premade, low quality vulcanite. It's too bad really because they are completely out of line with the quality of the bowls - especially from the hayway days of the 80's and early 90's. FYI, Rich is one of the few, if not the only, repair guys in the USA who has the JU stamps from the factory.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

BTW, though I own no pipes with Vulcanite right now and probably won’t unless I come across a 1940’s era Castello or Coppo starts making them with Vulcanite, I have heard f

Upshall bits are their weak points. Premade, low quality vulcanite. It's too bad really because they are completely out of line with the quality of the bowls - especially from the hayway days of the 80's and early 90's. FYI, Rich is one of the few, if not the only, repair guys in the USA who has the JU stamps from the factory.

Understood. Rich was the authorized repair guy for all the Siegel’s (Marble Arch) lines.

 

[shanez]

So, we've determined that acrylic takes more abuse but doesn't necessarily last longer based on user habits and care?

 

[olkofri]

Woah, so the oxidation in vulcanite can result in bitter flavours? And here I was thinking that the only issue was an ugly-looking green mouthpiece. I'm starting to hate vulcanite now.

 

[BROBS]

That may be true. Although the Dunhill gets same cleaning procedure, is smoked 10x as often, is older than I am, and shows nearly zero oxidation.

I didn't mean to sound terse in my reply previously..
I just mean that sometimes even when you get a new pipe it can have some oxidation that isn't really noticeable.
I polish every stem of every pipe I get, whether new or not. You would be surprised by the amount of brown oxidation that can be removed from a brand new pipe.

I use this cloth:
and polish every stem with one after buffing with white rouge and then red. I take my fingernail or a toothpick and scrub down in the seam of the button.. that's where a lot of oxidation can be trapped.

I think a lot has to do with the level of polishing of the stem done at the factory.. a perfectly glass-like polished surface is much more difficult to oxidize.

I have a brand new Dunhill unsmoked from 1969 and the stem was so oxidized you would have never guessed it was once black. It seems the highly polished stems once they do oxidize, can be much harder to bring back. (Although I did it!)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Acrylic doesn't oxidize like vulcanite, but it does break down in time. Think about how clear acrylic stems yellow on those clear GBD pipes, even when they haven't been smoked yet. According to emcoplastics.com, acrylic will start to discolor in 10 years, although on black stems you won't notice. After 10 years it also slowly starts to become more brittle.

Back in college, I worked at the BMA, and would replace the UV acrylic sheets used by the museum here in ten year intervals, because they would start to show signs of slight yellowing. And, the old sheets were very easily broken in the process, whereas the new sheets were more springy and pliable to work with.

Yeh yeh, vulcanite is more maintenance, but in the long run, I think it vastly outlasts acrylic. I'm not sure how long the industry has been using acrylic stems, but it is not nearly as long as it has used vulcanite. It may be a few more decades for the material to deteriorate in stem form enough show visible signs of age.