Loose Tenon/Mortise Interface

[Beowoulf]

I have some pipes where the tenon/mortise connection is loose. I even had bowls completely fall off the mouthpiece onto my keyboard as I was smoking them. (What a mess!) Is there anyway to tighten things up? I have used bees' wax which helps to a point, but it gets soft as the pipe heats up. (I am a hot smoker.) If I brought them to a B&M, (Blatter & Blatter here in Montreal) could they fix it?

 

[seanv]

Gently heat the tenon for a few seconds with a lighter and then put the pipe back together. be careful not to apply too much heat

 

[lraisch]

Heating the tenon and pressing it against a hard surface to reshape it works (at least if it's a vulcanite tenon), but the method is imprecise and risks imparting a burned rubber taste if not done carefully. You might try a few coats of clear nail polish.

 

[sablebrush52]

I have some pipes where the tenon/mortise connection is loose. I even had bowls completely fall off the mouthpiece onto my keyboard as I was smoking them. (What a mess!) Is there anyway to tighten things up? I have used bees' wax which helps to a point, but it gets soft as the pipe heats up. (I am a hot smoker.) If I brought them to a B&M, (Blatter & Blatter here in Montreal) could they fix it?

Watch this:

 

[kcghost]

How many of these do you have?? It seems strange that you are accumulating these things. I've been smoking for 50 years and have at most two pipes that suffer from looseness. I, also tend to be a rather hot smoker.

 

[canucklehead]

Being in Canada, our comparatively dramatic seasonal weather fluctuations cause big shifts in humidity and temperatures. It may seem counterintuitive, but every winter (extreme cold and dry) my tenons are too tight, and every summer (hot and humid) my tenons are too loose. I would advise you to physically alter your pipes as little as possible.

For a loose stem, smoking it more helps, for a tight stem, smoking it more helps, and using a little graphite rubbed on with a pencil helps without changing the dimensions.

 

[Beowoulf]

I've got about 41 pipes in my rotation and have about 4 or 5 that are loose. I often smoke so hot that I have to hold the pipe by the shank. (And yes, I realize that that means I am smoking WAY too hot! I refer to myself as The Wabash Cannonball.)
Thanks for that video, sablebrush52. I will give it a try!

 

[Beowoulf]

@sablebrush52 I just tried the video technique on a Stanwell and a Ser Jacopo. To my amazement, it worked beautifully on both of them! (and let me tell you, I doubted the efficacy of both the technique and my ability to do it!)

 

[sablebrush52]

@sablebrush52 I just tried the video technique on a Stanwell and a Ser Jacopo. To my amazement, it worked beautifully on both of them! (and let me tell you, I doubted the efficacy of both the technique and my ability to do it!)

I wish I'd seen this video before I ruined a few tenons by following alternate suggestions, This is the correct way to restore the fit. I've used this several times and it has yet to fail even once, provided the tenon wasn't messed with before, or there's some kind of damage to the mortise area of the shank caused by some DIY "genius".