Loose Stem - Broken Pipe?

[joeypinter]

Hi everyone, this is strange. Two of my pipes are acting weird. It seems that stem no longer fits the bowl. there are no cracks, I've really looked. It seems that the brier has expanded, after I smoke them for a bit the fit becomes tight like normal. does anyone have a clue??
*EDIT* - I amended your title so no one thought there was a true "broken pipe". I also put some capitals in your post so you are in accordance with #9 of THE RULES... -Jason/lordnoble

 

[philobeddoe]

I was happy to read that this post was about actual broken pipes, as Broken Pipe is a term used to refer to the death of a fellow smoker. As to your question you can try rubbing a little beeswax on the stem to tighten the fit or very carefully heat the base of the stem and push it into a table or some such to expand the tenon slightly. Try the former first and you might want to take your pipes to a repairman for the heat treatment, as you can really mess up your stem if you get too much heat.

 

[protestantpiper]

I've used a little clear nail polish on a stem before to tighten it up a bit. Just dab a little on and let it dry.

 

[rayje589]

I had one pipe that came with a loose stem. After one smoke it fits much more snug. I can't see any better excuse to smoke more.

 

[oldredbeard]

I agree with all that's been said and would add, never remove the stem from a pipe that is warm. I like to let mine completely dry before removing the stem, to keep from causing extra wear.

 

[pdmus]

I have 2 pipes with stems that eventually get "loose." I boil a bit of water in a pot, hold the stem by the bit and carefully dip the tenon, the part that fits into the bowl for about 20 sec. That swells the tenon up a bit and it fits tightly for a couple of months.