Pipe stem loose after every smoke

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jeepnewbie

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 12, 2013
952
156
Byron
www.facebook.com
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.
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
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.
 

HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,580
40,853
Iowa
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

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 28, 2018
192
209
Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
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

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
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.