How do they do it?

[chlogeo3]

I understand the technique of pipe making but I still can not figure out how the they make the stems.
Forrest

 

[unclearthur]

Most factory vulcanite stems are molded and then finished with the pipe. For hand made stems you drill a blank rod and hand shape. Clear as mud I know. Check out the pipemakers forum.

 

[admin]

We may have some videos coming on that in the near future, after the new year.
Don't hold me to it, but I have a ton of unedited video from visiting pipe makers in Denmark. I think most of it shows the wooden part of the pipe being made, but we should have some stem footage in there somewhere.
I'll see what I can do for January.

 

[searock]

Cheap pipes have a moulded stem as stated above. On a high grade hand made pipe with a lucite stem you start with a stem blank. These come in verious thicknesses and lengths. They have the rough shape of a stem but are much fatter. First the tendon is turned to the right diameter with a lathe or tendon cutting tool, then the body of the stem is cut with the lathe to the right size. To do a really nice stem the next step is to shape the mouthpiece with various hand files. Finally a little sanding and a final buffing with a cutting red rouge and then a finer white rouge. If the stem is to be bent there are a couple of methods, I used to use a candle to heat the stem and do the bend by hand and eye.
In my experience making a nice stem takes as much skill as making the rest of the pipe. And to get it to fit really flush is an art in itself.

 

[chlogeo3]

Thanks guys (-:

 

[unclearthur]

Thanks for going through all that Searock. I wasn't up to a long explanation having been up all night with a wonky back.