Pipe stem loose after every smoke

[jpmcwjr]

Adhesion.

 

[kcghost]

Welcome from KC!! I wish you'd fill out where you are located when you signed up.

 

[Briar Lee]

Adhesion.

Thanks.

Have all Dunhills been push stems?

 

[jeepnewbie]

One great tool I use is a stem tightening set. Heating up the tenon alone didn’t do that much for me. I would heat them up push them against the work table and let them cool so they didn’t put extra pressure on the shank. Good luck.

 

[Chasing Embers]

One great tool I use is a stem tightening set. Heating up the tenon alone didn’t do that much for me. I would heat them up push them against the work table and let them cool so they didn’t put extra pressure on the shank. Good luck.

Good way to split tenons if you're not careful with those.

 

[jeepnewbie]

Good way to split tenons if you're not careful with those.

Yes, if you don’t properly heat the tenon up. The ones I use have a very small angle on them. I have yet to ever see a split tenon. All of the repairs I have made were tenons broken off in the shanks, or tenons too loose.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I had estate pipe come that was pretty loose. The suggestion I got from the respected restorer was to swab the inside of the top of the joint where the tenon fits with just a tiny bit of water from a damp Q tip. Let it sit and it swelled just enough and tightened right up.

That pipe was a little dehydrated from shipping in really cold weather. Maybe that would help yours as well from time to time, just a thought.

 

[woodrow]

Beeswax does the trick everytime. Stems loosen in the cold and dry weather and tighten a bit in high heat and humidity. Grab a chunk of beeswax, rub on tenon and insert the pipe. Then do it again. The wax usually builds up. Straight unperfumed candle wax does the same thing. Beeswax is always available on Amazon. You can also rub your chunk into a soft brush, brush onto the pipe, then polish. I don’t have anything motorized.

 

[sablebrush52]

How does beeswax help a loose tenon?

That’s a new trick I’ve not learned yet.

I've tried it. It's never worked for me.

This is one weird problem to have. Assuming that you're heating the tenon correctly, the shape memory in the vulcanite will restore the tenon to its original dimensions, and it should hold that shape, not apparently lose it in the course of one smoke. I've never heard of this one before.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've tried it. It's never worked for me.

Same

 

[OzPiper]

Beeswax does the trick everytime. Grab a chunk of beeswax, rub on tenon and insert the pipe. Then do it again. The wax usually builds up. Straight unperfumed candle wax does the same thing. Beeswax is always available on Amazon.

Works for me every time.