I'll eventually be using either the candle or water method for the stem of the pipe I'm working on right now. Stem work scares the crap out of me for some reason. I don't want to mess it up.
Lucite stem bending ... the easy way
- Thread starter zanthal
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I've found alcohol flame works best. Pass stem through the flame back and forth- no need to spin. Take your time, wear gloves and bend it slowly. Acrylic goes from being pliable to not rather quick and if you force it to bend it will snap. Once you have the bend you want blow through the mouthpiece and that will cool it enough to set it.
It is also important to wet the pipe cleaner before you insert it into the stem to be bent so as to avoid the pipe cleaner getting stuck. I use a heat gun and bend many a stem, just have to go slow and gradually bend it, don't try to do it all at once. The key to many aspects of pipe making and restoration for that matter is patience.
I've used a heat gun, but lacking this tool I'd opt for Brads boiling water method.
TopD, I heard the same sound many years ago while on a free foot tour through Vietnam. Not my favorite memory.
If I use the boiling water method, how long should the stem sit in the boiling water? I'm also assuming once the water is boiling it should be removed from the burner?
Soaking the stem in water heated to boiling works great. For vulcanite 2-3 minutes is all it takes. Lucite takes longer. The 6 minute recommendation mentioned above sounds about right. Vulcanite stems will usually show some oxidation after being soaked in hot water, so they generally get buffed after bending.
I've also bent a stem over a candle, but the open flame method has its drawbacks. Aside from the bad smell, it's hard to evenly heat a longer stem, especially if the stem varies in thickness. Hot water, on the other hand, will make the whole stem pliable.
I do like bending stems around some kind of form. Anything cylindrical works fine--coffee mugs, saucepans, paint cans. For churchwardens, I usually use a garbage can lid.
I've also bent a stem over a candle, but the open flame method has its drawbacks. Aside from the bad smell, it's hard to evenly heat a longer stem, especially if the stem varies in thickness. Hot water, on the other hand, will make the whole stem pliable.
I do like bending stems around some kind of form. Anything cylindrical works fine--coffee mugs, saucepans, paint cans. For churchwardens, I usually use a garbage can lid.
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