Pipe Stems

[rsilverman7]

Every once in a while some traditional everyday pattern changes. For example, Shell gasoline and others were always about 10 cents more for higher octane grades, then it went to 12 cents and now the sky is the limit. Some service stations offer basic fuel for less and the higher octanes at 20 to 30 cents higher. And so it is with pipe stems.
In the not too distant past, there were military bits and all the others were fitted to the pipes in question. All of a sudden many pipe makers, and including those in the five-figure category, and putting on pre-made stems that simply push into a pre-existing hole rather than making one that is designed for the specific pipe in question.
After purchasing a pipe in the 400 dollar range with such a mouthpiece, which is really substandard, I refuse to purchase any pipe whose maker does not him or herself craft a mouthpiece for the pipe in question. What amazes me is the lack of complaints about what seems to be now a very popular option. And it raises the question about what we expect from those who craft our pipes and charge increasingly high prices for them?
Well, I know my answer. What about you?

 

[jefff]

I really like Castello pipes. I REALLY like the way they smoke. I am not a huge fan of the way they cut the stems. I know the bowls themselves are effectively hand made but the stems are a tad thick for my tastes. So I only smoke bent Castellos. I don't know if they buy them buy the crate or not.
On the other hand the one Peter Heeschen pipe I have has the PERFECT stem...but do does the one Bjarne Neilsen pipe I have...
When push comes to shove, I can wiggle a bit on the stem...not on the briar.

 

[georged]

I think you need to change where you shop, rsilverman7. :lol:
Unless you're assuming that all "stick" style stems are pre-made, in which case you're either mistaken or misinformed. Only beginning carvers and hobbyists go that route.
Post a few pics and prices and we'll get this sorted quickly, I think. :D

 

[rsilverman7]

Tell you what, georged, click onto Smokingpipes.com and you will likely see at the top of the page pipes by J Alan and Shekita. Tell me what you see. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that pipe maker after pipe maker are putting the same type of mouthpiece on their pipes. Obviously this does not pertain to a lot of crafters, but just look at the pipes on Smokingpipes.com and I think you will find what I am saying has validity.

 

[georged]

Hm. First you said "pre-made":

..and putting on pre-made stems that simply push into a pre-existing hole...

And now you say "type":

I find it absolutely amazing that pipe maker after pipe maker are putting the same type of mouthpiece on their pipes.

Those are vastly different things.
There are no molded stems on any of the pipes you asked me to check. I guarantee it. Several were of the same TYPE---meaning DESIGN---but that's typical for certain styles of pipes.
Again, I think you are trying to work through this using mistaken ideas and/or bad information.

 

[disinformatique]

Jeff Gracik and Constantin Shekita spend the same time hand crafting their stems as they do their stummels. That is the reason a J Alan pipe costs an upward of $800. You are sorely mistaken or someone has fed you wrong information.
Chris :puffpipe:

 

[sablebrush52]

How can you tell that a stem is molded as opposed to hand shaped from a profile photo? Just because it's not flush mounted, it doesn't mean that it's molded. I've seen J Alan pipes "in process" and all of those stems were being hand shaped.

 

[rsilverman7]

Gentlemen--I appreciate your reactions. Certainly, in spite to two rather different pipes that I purchased from the same craftsman, with totally exact cheap push-in stems, that is, not of the same quality as the pipe itself, and going by photos of similar products from other pipe makers, you are correct in saying that I do not have first-hand knowledge based on seeing the origins of the stems. And I apologize for such a broad claim.
I guess the question then is how it is that so many pipes more recently have push-in stems of pretty much the same design as compared with stems previously that were more reflective of the actual pipe being crafted. One can say that a hugh number of pipes these days have stems that are not of the same circumference of the pipe shank but have margins all around. Given the heat from my previous question, I am not going to pursue the question of where this new take on design came from.

 

[sablebrush52]

Styles vary. Almost all stems are "push in" stems. Some are shaped to be flush to the shank as with classical shapes or bamboo shanked pipes. Freehand pipes often have stems that aren't shaped to be flush to the shank. It's not a requirement or an indicator of quality. These stems may still be hand shaped and require a lot of skill to execute.
The niceties involve how the tenon fits into the mortise, the manner in which airway is shaped, whether the airway has been polished, the comfort of the stem where it enters one's mouth, the shape of the button and the shape of the slot. On cursory inspection, two stems may look similar, but upon close inspection the details may very greatly.
Exactly none of the artisan made pipes I've bought use molded stems. And the factory made pipes I've acquired, which were higher end, have hand made stems. Some stems are better shaped than others, but that's in the skill of the maker. I can't say that I've seen a trend toward affixing prefabricated stems onto pricey pipes. If any others are aware of this, I'd like to hear about it.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am totally anal about the stems on my pipes. I have 44 artisan made pipes with hand cut stems. Of those my favorite are my Rad Davis stems. They fit my teeth perfectly as I clench and the quality is second to none when it comes to the engineering of it. The button, the slot the fact that the inside is perfectly smooth so there is no turbulence are some reasons I love them.
My other artisan pipes also have great stems and I am splitting hairs by ranking them below Rad.
When it comes to factory made acrylic stems, they never used to bother me, as I never paid attention to a stem. Now they bug the ever living shit out of me. The only acrylic stems I still own are my Castello Collection Occhio Di Pernice Dublin and my first pipe I ever bought a Sav. I bought the Castello pipe knowing I was going to hate the stem as at one time I owned 8 or so Castello's but I bought it anyway. Reason being I had always wanted an Occhio because of the birdseye and I stole the thing on ebay . I don't smoke the Castello often even though the pipe smokes like a champ, because of the stem, and rarely if ever smoke the Sav.
Some of my best smoking pipes were Castello's and the hand made Winslows, but sold them all because of the stems. The buttons were ok on them, but they were not as thin as my artisan stems and with the acrylic made clenching uncomfortable.
My favorite factory stems are my Pre Trans Barlings because of the design and the vulcanite, followed by Upshall and Willmer both with vulcanite.
From what I see and buy in the artisan realm, most are very concerned with producing a very high quality stem. The lone artisan I see who does not use vulcanite is JT Cooke. He sells out his pipes withing 2 minutes everytime they are listed but have heard from people who own them, the stems are not that great.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Mark Tinsky uses stems that he designed to be mass produced. Nording told me last year that his goal was to have every one of his stems fit a category so that he can supply replacements stems to any pipe made from here on out. There are many pipe designers that are having their stems pre-made.

Is this what you mean?

 

[rsilverman7]

I wish I were as great a connoisseur as you are, cigrmaster. Unfortunately my expectations regarding pipe stems are not as particular as yours, and I clearly I don't mean that as a criticism.
If Cosmic is correct that "many pipe designers are having their stems pre-made," then that raises a set of issues I think.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Well, I particularly like Nordings and Tinsky's stems. And, the two make pipes that are cheap as hell. I think that as long as the pipe makers are designing really nice stems, and it saves me a hundred or so bucks on the pipe... so what? The main thing is whether one enjoys the stem. How it is made... does it make a difference?

 

[georged]

I make my living working with pipe stems, think about them many hours a day, and have for years.
And after reading this thread several times I still haven't the slightest idea what the OP is trying to say. :lol:

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I think there's a disconnect in the thread between seeing stems being sold on eBay and designers using pre-made stems made to their specs. Maybe? I'm not sure if the stems flooding the eBay market are finding their way into the artisan made pipe making field, and if George says they're not, then they probably aren't... unless you mean hobbyists selling first made pipes to their friends. But, then there are many designers that have found that having stems inject molded (or whatever process) to curb the expense of production. This is happening in every commercial "handmade" genre. The time saved by having stems mass produced transfers to a more affordable product for the consumer. But, the stems on eBay don't compare to stems that have been designed by Tinsky or Nording or whoemver the designer is that is taking the time to make sure they meet their specs for comfort and style. IMO.

Is this a close summation of the thread so far?

 

[georged]

But, then there are many designers that have found that having stems inject molded (or whatever process) to curb the expense of production.

This is where the conversation goes sideways.
It is simply not the case. I know all the current-day suppliers who make molded stems, and recognize their shapes on sight. No "artisan" carver uses them, or could hide it if they did. (Mike Butera uses partially pre-shaped acrylic blanks but that's quite a different thing.)
As for contracting a stem producer to mold "designer" shapes, each would cost many thousands of dollars AND you'd have to buy thousands of them.
The only thing close to mass-produced, non-molded stems are what Todd Johnson uses. They are cut with a CNC machine (think 21st century fraising).
So... who are these "many designers" you speak of, Cosmic? Are you thinking of Dagner and similar contract-batch "self branded" stuff here, maybe? If so, those are basically kit pipes made in Italy. Not Jeff Gracik-class production at all.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Umm... so you mean to say that no artisan pipemakers use premade stems? Despite what they've told people? So, they're liars? Ummm, maybe, weirder things have happened, but that's a mouthfull for someone putting their street creds as a repairman on the line.

But, you are also wrong on pricing and quantity. Getting parts made, especially in plastics, is cheap as hell. Look in the back of any Crafts in America magazine. And, on e you pit yourself out there in the field, the Chinese and Indian manufacturors will start pounding at your door with all sorts of deals.
Look, I'm just a pipe smoker that hangs out at a Briary, maybe a few shows, but for the most part, I have no dog in the pipemaking industry fight. I'm a consumer and a potential customer of yours offering some free advice. I wouldn't give an absolute over the whole industry unless I was absolutely damn sure. Maybe ask Mark Tinsky and Nording. I got nothing to prove. I'm just a guy who buys the stuff they make. However, I'm not sure why they'd bold face lie me about something that doesn't work in thier handmade interest. And, I misunderstood something, then I'm just a customer that misunderstood something. I got no credibility in this industry to lose.

If I'm wrong, I'm just a customer that was wrong, but forgive me if I just don't take your word for it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Drats, it took me just a tad too long to correct my typos.

 

[georged]

I think the disconnect is what qualifies as an "artisan" pipe. The OP specifically mentioned Jeff Gracik and Shekita as examples of the class of pipe he was referring to---so that's what I'VE been talking about---and now you're working Mark Tinsky and Nording into it.
So. Either name the Gracik and Shekita-class carvers you think are using molded stems (if indeed you do); or let's agree that some unknown number of pipe brands and makers who produce merchandise BELOW a certain quality/price point use them and be done with this.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha ha, I've never heard of any of them people. So Nording and Tinsky are in a lower class?