Question For The People Who Own A Macqeen Pipe

[frennchy11]

Dont worry, this isnt me asking weather or not you would recommend one or not. I have the Wizard and I actually do like it but there are hariline cracks running down the length of the stem. this makes the draw way to open and I cant get much smoke. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have an easy way to fix it?

 

[undecagon]

Own one. Don't have that problem. Can you fill it with wood putty?

 

[spartan]

Sounds like the weather is wreaking havoc on your wood stem.
Got any pictures?
I couldn't imagine any fixes for a crack that runs the length of the stem that would look decent.

 

[bigvan]

So it has cracks down the stem preventing a decent draw... and yet you LIKE it?
You may be a bit too forgiving, Frenchy.

 

[frennchy11]

Hahaha well it would be a decent smoker if I could fix the stem. What would would guys think if i gave it a coat of wax? it should be enough to cover the cracks

 

[tokerpipes]

Does yours have the metal tube in the stem? I don't see how the stem cracking would effect the draw if its got the tube.

 

[taerin]

Have you tried scotch tape? If you rub it really hard, you can make it disapear :rofl:
If you still really like it, try filling it in with putty, sanding the stem down and re-staining it, just like you would when you repair any piece of wood.

 

[wayneteipen]

I bought a MacQueen wizard back when I first started pipe smoking. The draw is almost too open for a stem that long and ends up feeling like you're sucking on a garden hose. Are you sure you're loosing air through the stem? If yours is anything like the one I used to have, it may just be the size of the airway. MacQueen pipes get a lot of bad air time but they really are more of a novelty than a premium smoking instrument. Ya gotta know that going in. They're better for display and perhaps are mostly manufactured for that purpose. Nothing wrong with that. They really do look cool. It reminds me of a recent vacation I took with my wife and kids. We went to Universal Studios Orlando the Harry Potter themed area. My kids had to have a Harry Potter wand so I bought them one. I have to admit, they look really cool. My kids were disappointed that they couldn't make magic with them. I told them they had to be magic too not just the wand and to keep trying. :D

 

[dochudson]

maybe contact the MacQueen folks? I have the Ranger, I don't smoke it often but I've never had a problem with it.

 

[echopipe]

I have a few MacQueen pipes. Mine all smoke pretty good. Although i do not have a wizard. But my Ranger has cracked twice. Both tomes on the bowl..MacQueen will replace for free as far as i have heard. I lucked out and bought the Ranger through pipesandcigars and they quickly replaced it the first time. But the split/cracked happened in the first two weeks. When the replacement cracked it had been about 6 months. And i didnt bother trying to return it because i figured i would have to go to MacQueen directly. I had only smoked it like 3 times. It was just sitting on top of a book in los angeles. But they should not crack and if you can deal with the wait i would send it back. A replacement stem shouldnt take as long. My other two are just fine. Good luck!

 

[frennchy11]

Hahaha and i know that it is actually the small cracks that affect the draw because when I cover them with my hand the draw is perfect. I think I will just play around with it a bit and see what happens. Also when I blow into the stem I can see smoke come out of the cracks a little.

 

[echopipe]

Where wouls the wheather hurt pipes?

 

[pipeinhand]

I have a few old German pipes from my step-father that have wooden stems. There were cracks as you say in your post and this is how I fixed them. Get a nontoxic wood glue, Titebond is what I use, dab it on a Q-tip with the cotton broken off so you are using just the stick. Rub the glue into the crack, do this a few times. let it dry for a day then run a knife blade LIGHTY down the crack, you only want to indent the seam. Then get any wood sawdust, the finer the better, like oak, maple or poplar, do not use pine it will stain too fast. Then run the glue again 1 time and push the sawdust into the glue. Dry for 2 days and then sand only to take the extra glue off the stem and stain as dark as you want. The crack will disappear and no one will ever know. Presto, a good draw on the pipe.

 

[frennchy11]

Thanks Pipeinhand! I think I will give that a shot!