Freehand Stem Issue

[verporchting]

Anybody else had an issue with moisture inside the stem on a Danish freehand pipe?

I’ve got a Preben Holm that has the typical fancy “bubble stem” for lack of a better term - you know, with a spherical part, a waistline, a diamond shaped part, etc.

I only have a couple of these pipes and none of them do anything like this one - it’s a damn water trap. The pipe gurgles like hell. When I run a pipe cleaner through the stem it seems moderately damp. With the stem removed there’s little evidence of moisture in the shank or draft hole. Blow through the stem and it’s like opening the faucet! There’s an amazing amount of moisture inside the stem. It absolutely must be hiding inside one of the fancy bubble or diamond shapes?? Is that even possible?

I would never have expected a stem airway to have varying diameters inside. Especially on a Preben Holm pipe.

Anybody seen this before??

 

[mingc]

Have you ever inserted a pipe cleaner to see where the moisture is? Push in it different lengths and see if it comes out wet. Of course, if you've sucked liquid all the way up the stem, then it'll be wet at the bit

I find that if a pipe gurgles, the moisture is typically in the space at the tenon/mortise junction. You can try drying out the tobacco more but I believe the issue is primarily mechanical. Moisture is an unavoidable by-product of combustion when organic material (i.e., stuff made up of, among other things, carbon and hydrogen, like tobacco) is burnt. I believe a well constructed pipe does not allow moisture to collect at that junction.

I doubt very much that the outside shape of the stem, except for the tenon, has anything to do with the actual shape of the airway.

 

[kcghost]

Never heard of this problem and I do own several Preben Holm from his good period.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nope

 

[verporchting]

This is definitely an issue where the moisture is in the stem and not in the mortise.

The pipe is well drilled and that’s not the problem. I have never blown through a stem and had moisture just spray out like that. The odd thing is that a pipe cleaner doesn’t come out just soaking wet if ran through from stem to bowl, just lightly damp. Not enough to account for gurgling at all. Remove the stem and insignificant moisture in the mortise or draft hole. Blow through the stem and holy shit, thar she blows!

I’m reasonably certain the stem is original and bears a crown stamping, but ... maybe it’s a weird replacement stem?

I like the pipe but may need a new stem. It just boggles the mind that a well known pipe maker would turn a stem with chambers inside it - if such thing is even possible? I honestly don’t know how it could even be done, maybe a vacuum formed stem? Certainly not drilled, right?? So weird.

I’m tempted to swap out a stem from another PB freehand that looks to have the same tenon diameter and try it out.

I am just baffled by what else could account for such a volume of moisture to be lurking in the stem....

 

[mingc]

I like the pipe but may need a new stem. It just boggles the mind that a well known pipe maker would turn a stem with chambers inside it - if such thing is even possible? I honestly don’t know how it could even be done, maybe a vacuum formed stem? Certainly not drilled, right?? So weird.

Weird indeed. A mis-drill perhaps? One that created a little chamber. Or there was perhaps a flaw in the material.

 

[verporchting]

Weird indeed. A mis-drill perhaps? One that created a little chamber. Or there was perhaps a flaw in the material.

Now that actually makes sense to me. Perhaps a flaw created a pocket or something. Hmmm.

 

[Toast]

I’m tempted to swap out a stem from another PB freehand that looks to have the same tenon diameter and try it out.

That sounds like a good experiment.

 

[saltedplug]

Maybe run this past sasquatch?

 

[verporchting]

Maybe run this past sasquatch?

Have I missed a similar post or issue with swapping out stems? I’d love to hear if I’m re-plowing a furrow....

 

[BROBS]

Have I missed a similar post or issue with swapping out stems? I’d love to hear if I’m re-plowing a furrow....

They sell replacement nording stems on eBay. Is it black acrylic or pearlescent? Vulcanite?

 

[F4RM3R]

I have a preben holm Harcourt D grade (highest grade I think) freehand. It was drilled very well, but still gathered moisture at the bottom of the bowl where it gets smaller. Nothing as bad as yours, but i drilled it out a bit(i think to 4mm) and flared out the tenon a little and it smokes much better now.

 

[verporchting]

They sell replacement nording stems on eBay. Is it black acrylic or pearlescent? Vulcanite?

Ebonite I believe. Very nice looking stem too. But it’s like a damn straw at a soda fountain. It’s just outrageous. At first I thought it was just me getting too impatient and smoking too hot, etc., but after 3-4 times blowing crazy amounts of moisture out the stem I thought WTF?! This isn’t my first rodeo and after 35 years smoking a pipe it just made zero sense to me how much moisture was happening with numerous blends and only in one pipe.

The more I think about it an internal flaw or a drill slip creating a pocket is the only thing that makes any sense. Don’t know why it never occurred to me but as always you guys have great insights and suggestions! I’ll try swapping stems and post my results.

 

[verporchting]

I have a preben holm Harcourt D grade (highest grade I think) freehand. It was drilled very well, but still gathered moisture at the bottom of the bowl where it gets smaller. Nothing as bad as yours, but i drilled it out a bit(i think to 4mm) and flared out the tenon a little and it smokes much better now.

I also have a lovely PH Harcourt that smokes beautifully (also a D grade I believe.) Danish Freehands aren’t normally my deal but some of them are just incredible and I’m pleased to have a couple!

 

[BROBS]

Ebonite I believe. Very nice looking stem too. But it’s like a damn straw at a soda fountain. It’s just outrageous. At first I thought it was just me getting too impatient and smoking too hot, etc., but after 3-4 times blowing crazy amounts of moisture out the stem I thought WTF?! This isn’t my first rodeo and after 35 years smoking a pipe it just made zero sense to me how much moisture was happening with numerous blends and only in one pipe.

The more I think about it an internal flaw or a drill slip creating a pocket is the only thing that makes any sense. Don’t know why it never occurred to me but as always you guys have great insights and suggestions! I’ll try swapping stems and post my results.

You can also straighten the stem with heat and redrill the airway if you have the skills

 

[F4RM3R]

I also have a lovely PH Harcourt that smokes beautifully (also a D grade I believe.) Danish Freehands aren’t normally my deal but some of them are just incredible and I’m pleased to have a couple!

Yes they are top notch pipes, but definitely not everyone's bag. I wouldn't normally buy them but i bought a few pipes from a guy and he threw in a couple beat up freehands for less than 10$ each, so i said why the hell not. Glad i did!

 

[craig61a]

The only thing I can think of is roughness inside the airway of the stem. That will cause the smoke to condense inside the stem. Polishing the inside is an option. Chucking a pipe cleaner that has 4F pumice and running it through the stem's airway will smooth it out, follow up with a finer rottenstone compound.

 

[cigrmaster]

The Danes are well known for drilling their shanks too tight. You want a shank dimension of 4.0-4.5. You may think it is drilled right but did you measure the inside shank dimensions. Another issue is a poorly made stem. Danes are not known to make very good stems either.

 

[jhowell]

I’m tempted to swap out a stem from another PB freehand that looks to have the same tenon diameter and try it out.

^^^ This! Great idea!

 

[verporchting]

Yes, I wondered about a rough interior or restricted airway but what puzzles me is why the pipe cleaners don’t come out soaking wet, but the more I think about it the problem must be something like this or a flaw or something. It just seems like if the cleaners aren’t coming out wet then you shouldn’t be able to blow moisture out but I’ve repeatedly done exactly that so regardless of what I think it’s happening anyway.