Loose Stem

[Indygrap]

I recently bought an Amphora X-tra 815 on eBay. It had some undisclosed issues(got a full refund) & the seller let me keep the pipe. There’s some pretty significant cracking on the back side exterior of the bowl & the stem is extremely loose. Any tricks for tightening the stem? (Not sure if it’s the original or one that was “close enough”) Does anyone have a method for filling the cracks?
I’m new to pipes so I don’t have a lot of tools or gear specifically dedicated to refurbishing.

 

[paulfg]

it has been stated many times on here that one trick is to put beeswax on the tenon ,this will tighten a loose stem or help a tight one.I think the wax may need redoing occasionally.
Another way is to build the tenon up with nail varnish.
BUT first ,if it is a vulcanite stem try heating the tenon gently which will allow the rubber to reset,it has a memory and will return to its original size/shape.
If all else fails you can heat the tenon and insert something into the hole to expand the tenon slightly,go gently though

these are the tricks I have used/read,others may have others or disagree
As for the crack briar dust mixed with super glue to fill it

try searching here I am sure there are threads in the pipe repair & maintenance section covering this

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Now granted, I did this on a MM Dagner Cob, but it worked. You can boil some water and take a q-tip, dip it in the water and swab the inside of the tenon, then insert the stem and let it sit for about an hour. Might take 3-4 times doing it, When I got my Dagner, it was so loose, I could hold it by the stem and when I tilted it downwards, the pipe would fall right off. Now it's nice and snug.

 

[SBC]

I once found a nail just a hair too tight for the air hole, then heated up the tenon (over a candle IIRC), then forced the nail in, expanding the tenon.

In this case, it worked well; but, in hindsight, it was risky.

 

[camaguey]

If not too loose , beeswax work for me. Otherwise , the old trick of heating the tenon and push.

 

[lraisch]

That does not look like the correct stem for the pipe. While the beeswax, nail polish and heating the tenon techniques might help, I think the cracks make it a lost cause.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Now granted, I did this on a MM Dagner Cob, but it worked. You can boil some water and take a q-tip, dip it in the water and swab the inside of the tenon, then insert the stem and let it sit for about an hour. Might take 3-4 times doing it, When I got my Dagner, it was so loose, I could hold it by the stem and when I tilted it downwards, the pipe would fall right off. Now it's nice and snug.

...inside of the mortise/shank...

 

[MattRVA]

Now granted, I did this on a MM Dagner Cob, but it worked. You can boil some water and take a q-tip, dip it in the water and swab the inside of the tenon, then insert the stem and let it sit for about an hour. Might take 3-4 times doing it, When I got my Dagner, it was so loose, I could hold it by the stem and when I tilted it downwards, the pipe would fall right off. Now it's nice and snug.

This worked for me, although I’ve had pipes with loose stems that corrected themselves over time.

 

[Indygrap]

I don’t really have high hopes for it but hey, free pipe so what’s to lose? Thanks y’all!

 

[JEdwards]

@Indygrap sid you manage to get the stem to fit a little better? If so, which approach worked?

 

[bullet08]

Smoke few times. Tenon expand some times, or is it the mortise? You can also heat the tenon. Beeswax also works. All depends on what's on hand.

 

[Indygrap]

@Indygrap sid you manage to get the stem to fit a little better? If so, which approach worked?

I haven’t really fooled with it much. I think I’ll try some bees wax first but it needs a good scrubbin’ before that. I’ll update after it’s cleaned out.

 

[Indygrap]

Smoke few times. Tenon expand some times, or is it the mortise? You can also heat the tenon. Beeswax also works. All depends on what's on hand.

I think it’s the tenon because it doesn’t appear to be the original stem. The pipe is in pretty rough shape so I’m going to clean it up first. I’m intrigued by using bees wax. I would’ve thought it would make it easier to remove the stem. Will it actually help it fit tighter?

 

[sablebrush52]

I recently bought an Amphora X-tra 815 on eBay. It had some undisclosed issues(got a full refund) & the seller let me keep the pipe. There’s some pretty significant cracking on the back side exterior of the bowl & the stem is extremely loose. Any tricks for tightening the stem? (Not sure if it’s the original or one that was “close enough”) Does anyone have a method for filling the cracks?
I’m new to pipes so I don’t have a lot of tools or gear specifically dedicated to refurbishing.

 

[bullet08]

I think it’s the tenon because it doesn’t appear to be the original stem. The pipe is in pretty rough shape so I’m going to clean it up first. I’m intrigued by using bees wax. I would’ve thought it would make it easier to remove the stem. Will it actually help it fit tighter?

Beeswax is tacky. It works differently than candle or other wax. At the same time, it won't gunk up. It has been used for instrument joints forever. My bagpipes are basically held in place by beeswax coated hemp twines.

 

[burleybreath]

Call me depraved, but after tightening the stem, I would smoke that pipe, as is, just to see if or when the bowl burns out.

 

[Indygrap]

Call me depraved, but after tightening the stem, I would smoke that pipe, as is, just to see if or when the bowl burns out.

Oh I plan on it. I’m just curious to see how deep those cracks are.

 

[Indygrap]

Update on the loose stem. I did the heat treatment with a nail & that worked fine. Turns out that the cracks on the back side go all the way through to the bowl. Glad I complained to the seller to get my money back.
I’m pretty handy when it comes to fixing things so if anyone has any tricks for fixing the cracks, I’ll give them a try. Otherwise it’s spare parts/fire wood. Sucks too. I like the look & feel of this pipe.

 

[Buffalo]

Being that it is most likely a lost cause, I'd suggest this: Ream the chamber and sand to bare wood. From the outside of the bowl, apply thinned wood glue (wood glue and water) to the cracks, then allow to dry. From the chamber side, mix up some bowl coating, I prefer to use activated charcoal and honey, thinned with water to make a paint. Paint several layers to the inside of the bowl, allowing it to dry overnight between each coat. Then try smoking it. Smoke it slow and cool several times. You're looking just to heat the bowl coating enough to start it bonding to the briar.

I'd stay away from using CA glue on the cracks, as it could be heated/burned by the tobacco in the chamber and I'd venture to say that the fumes from burning CA glue are at the very least taint your tobacco and who knows what they could do to your health.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do and how it goes!

 

[Indygrap]

Being that it is most likely a lost cause, I'd suggest this: Ream the chamber and sand to bare wood. From the outside of the bowl, apply thinned wood glue (wood glue and water) to the cracks, then allow to dry. From the chamber side, mix up some bowl coating, I prefer to use activated charcoal and honey, thinned with water to make a paint. Paint several layers to the inside of the bowl, allowing it to dry overnight between each coat. Then try smoking it. Smoke it slow and cool several times. You're looking just to heat the bowl coating enough to start it bonding to the briar.

I'd stay away from using CA glue on the cracks, as it could be heated/burned by the tobacco in the chamber and I'd venture to say that the fumes from burning CA glue are at the very least taint your tobacco and who knows what they could do to your health.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do and how it goes!

Awesome thank you! I’ve read about using CA glue on cracks on the stem & even that kinda sketches me out so I wasn’t even considering using it on the bowl. I’m still pretty bummed about it. Really like the pipe but cest La vie. I’ll do what I can for it. I’ve been looking for a project
Thanks again to everyone that offered up advice!