Ebay Dunhill Disappointment

[Pipercat]

If it is just oxidation, and needing a good cleaning, and you got a good deal, I would keep it.

Could be worse, I bought a Vauen anniversary that was described as in "exquisit" condition, that was completely burned out into the shank, unusable and unrepairable. EBay made good on the money back guarantee. I at least have a nice wall hanger as it does look nice on the outside, lol.

 

[sablebrush52]

I recently won a Dunhill Group 4 Tanshell from the 60s. In the listing the seller said the pipe was in mint condition, but I could tell there was a little oxidation on the stem. I messaged the seller and he said it was barely noticable. The pipe arrived today and there's a lot more oxidation than expected, also the stem comes off of the shank very easily...not like a normal Dunhill. To top it all off the pipe reeks of lane 1Q or Captain Black. Definitely not what I had in mind when purchasing this pipe. Should I try to send it back or am I making a big deal out of nothing?

Contact the seller and contact eBay if the seller refuses to accept a return. You can file a dispute with eBay. eBay is very buyer friendly, so the seller will likely be forced to accept the return and refund you your money.

 

[tobakenist]

Some Dunhill's stems oxidize easily, some don't, some can't because they are not vulcanite, if you don't know this, don't buy one. I have quite a few in my collection, all were presents but I can say, they don't smoke better than other pipes, tonight I smoked a 80's BBB with Balkan Flake, better than my Dunhill's.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Photos would be interesting, if not helpful.

 

[damacene]

I decided to keep it and do a deep clean, I just love the blast and really have a soft spot for tanshells. Last night I soaked the stem in a deoxidizing solution and it had pretty good results.

I wasn't as offended by the oxidation as I was the loose stem and calling a Dunhill you smoked a metric ton of Captain Black in as "lightly used, mint condition." I would have been less bothered if it reeked of old Condor or Ennerdale. That would have been at least fitting to its dignity. But I'm over it and am just going to do a deep clean on the bowl and smoke as much burley and Latakia as it takes to exorcise the spirit of Captain Black.

Also, I'm attempting to do the loose stem fix that Embers posted.

Here's a side by side after the de-ox solution with my group 3 Tanshell from the same decade.

 

[xrundog]

Yeah that’s a nice pipe. I hope you can minimize the aro.

 

[Sig]

There are a few ways to tighten a stem....from very non-invasive, like @Chasing Embers said, to very invasive like heating the stem and shoving a dowel or drill bit in the hole to "hog it out".
Ive done both and more with varying success. The drill bit hogging has lasted over a decade on a couple pipes, but must be done EXTREMELY carefully and ONLY as a last resort.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Just smoking it carefully is the first step. If after three or so smokes, no joy, add some beeswax to the tenon. If still no joy.....post back please.