Opening the draft in a bent stem

[saltedplug]

I need to open the draft on a bent stem. I would use a candle for heat and go slowly. In so doing my concern is that something I would do would collapse the airway that exists. How much expertise is needed to accomplish this? This would be my first time trying to do this.
Thanks to all for any replies!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I keep reading about people using candles and heat guns to bend the stems. This seems utterly ridiculous to me. I've been making custom eye frames for years, and doing it that way seems an incredible risk in brazing or bubbling the surface and greatly increases the risk of collapsing the airway. It would be mush easier to just submerse the stem in heated water, bend, and stick into iced water to freeze the bend. Hot water will not damage the vulcanite nor acrylic. This is how professionals in other areas of working with rubbers and acrylics work. Plus, you don't run as much of a risk at collapsing the airway, because it too fills with water. But, by adding a soft copper wire while bending the stem about the size of the passageway, you insure you won't collapse it. Copper will bend with the stem and is easily removed.
Just my 2cents.

 

[zack24]

No sense in overthinking it- Stick a pipe cleaner in the hole, fan your lighter back and forth under the stem while rotating it for 30 seconds. Try to straighten- if it doesn't straighten, heat it some more. If you smell burning rubber, you overheated it.Flatten it out, stick it in water, and open that sucker up. If you destroy the stem, take the lighter, fire up a bowl of good flake tobacco and contemplate the error of your ways...(and don't ever try this on delrin tenons- they will burn in about 2 seconds...)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

...and with boiling water it is absolutely impossible to burn the rubber, lol. ::

 

[zack24]

...and with boiling water it is absolutely impossible to burn the rubber, lol.

But it's so much fun living on the edge of disaster....