Missouri Meerschaum

[cmf234]

I have a Missouri meerschaum, and the mouth peice is very loose in the shank. any suggestions on how to make a tighter fit?

 

[thesmokindragon]

Wrap a pcs of electrical tape tightly around the tenon, should

do the trick ;-)

 

[papipeguy]

I have the same issue. Folks here have recommended bee's wax or even chapstik. You could also opt for a Forever Stem from Walker Briar Works which should fit the majority of MM cobs.
http://www.walkerbriarworks.com/html/_forever__stems.html

 

[ace57]

Just heat up the part of the stem that goes in the pipe hold it up and down and push it down on the table but do it just a small bit at a time and keep trying it in the pipe, go slow it will start to fit tighter.

 

[yohanan]

If it is a new cob, or one that hasn't been smoked in awhile, you need to smoke it. The moisture from smoking will cause the shank to swell, or if you think the stem is too loose to smoke the pipe, take a pipe cleaner moistened with water, and folded as many times as needed to fit in the shank and let it set there for awhile, and the shank will absorb the moisture and slightly swell. Any of the above suggestions will also work. ::

 

[zonomo]

Duct Tape?

 

[wildcat]

If it is a new cob, or one that hasn't been smoked in awhile, you need to smoke it.

Yup, or try beeswax.

 

[shawn]

Use the wife's clear nail polish and paint a layer around the tenon. That's if you have a wife.

 

[johnnyrebel]

I've always had good luck with beeswax and having a smoke in it, though its not always a perminant fix and may need to be done again if you remove the stem. Though the stems aren't expensive or rare anyhow for MM, so it wouldn't hurt to give the heat treatment a try.

 

[colorduke]

Nail polish always works for me.

 

[shikano53]

I used some nail polish; worked great!

I just ordered myself a Legend and a Diplomat

 

[jamesrsmithjr]

A little piece of paper.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

If you're really adventurous, the 5/16" Lucite stems from Pipemaker's Emporium are just about made to fit on the Missouri Meerschaum Cobs (Only the Cobs with Vulcanite and filtered bits, the regular un-filtered bits are slimmer).

Lucite Stem #491

5/16" X 4 1/2" Fancy

$4.75 each

Technically all you have to do is sand a few thousandths of an inch off the tenon.
The stem only comes with a 1/16" draft though so widening that is probably the biggest part of the operation. Drilling a 1/8" draft hole shouldn't be too hard.

The shank on the Cob, however, is actually 3/16". I have a tapered tip drill bit that's just 1/64" smaller, which should be ideal, but on my few lazy attempts I've only blown up the stems thus far, if you want the full classic MM draw it's going to be more difficult.

You also get to learn how hard it is cutting the slot in the button (the stems have a shallow slot by default, but I don't settle for anything less than an inch deep).

Note that the Vulcanite stems you can get from Missouri Meerschaum also have a much slimmer draft hole than the plastic stems, so you're not saving any time with those (unless you just want a pre-fit regular Vulcanite stem. I have a few, they're nice).

 

[blendtobac]

Actually, the method preferred by Phil Morgan of Missouri Meerschaum is to take a wet q-tip and swab out the mortise. The wood will absorb the moisture and swell up and the stem should fit fine. Plus, you're not making any permanent changes this way.
Russ

 

[shikano53]

My wife's nail polish did the trick just fine.

I did try the folded pipe cleaner soaked in water stuffed in the shank and it didn't really do much.
lol... It smokes awesome! I love my MM cob

Chris in RD AB

Home of the worlds best rot-gut rye whiskey on the planet.