Reconstruction of a Bit Through Busted up Stem
- Thread starter cwarmouth
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Yep, that's a tricky fix. I haven't done one that bad. I always worry about how long they will hold up? I assume you wouldn't clench a repair of that nature.
Thank you, guys. This is a classy forum (I like when a moderator comes on and corrects grammatical errors in a title like he did on this one) so I really appreciate your compliments. I did photo document the repair if someone comes along that wants to see how to repair one of their own.
I'm not going to sell the pipe so I am not too worried about that. If the repair fails I'll try again. This stem was so bad that if I get a little more time out of it I'll be happy. But it seems pretty durable. One good sign that gives me some hope is that I dropped the stem on a concrete floor yesterday while I was sanding it and nothing bad happened.
CW...that one was badly bitten, and the job looks very well done. Congrats.
SS asked how long such a repair would hold up. It really depends on several things:
- The integrity of the bond made between the patch material and the rubber/vulcanite surface
......Quality of bonder/glue used
......Size of the vulcanite surface area the patch was able to bond to
- Patch material used
- How thin the patched area is once sanded down & finished
- The overall size of the patch
- How serious you chomp down on the bit
I've experimented with patching missing stem chunks a number of different ways, as have some of you. I get very good results, and I've seen some excellent work by other guys both here and on other forums. I've patched at least a few hundred bits...and some of my earlier attempts did break down when the smoker clenched it to one degree or another. None to my knowledge have broken down recently, however...including this doozie of a bit repair on a rare Grabow Starfire churchwarden. This one has held up for a few years, and still looks very good as well.
SS asked how long such a repair would hold up. It really depends on several things:
- The integrity of the bond made between the patch material and the rubber/vulcanite surface
......Quality of bonder/glue used
......Size of the vulcanite surface area the patch was able to bond to
- Patch material used
- How thin the patched area is once sanded down & finished
- The overall size of the patch
- How serious you chomp down on the bit
I've experimented with patching missing stem chunks a number of different ways, as have some of you. I get very good results, and I've seen some excellent work by other guys both here and on other forums. I've patched at least a few hundred bits...and some of my earlier attempts did break down when the smoker clenched it to one degree or another. None to my knowledge have broken down recently, however...including this doozie of a bit repair on a rare Grabow Starfire churchwarden. This one has held up for a few years, and still looks very good as well.
Nice job on that stem and great contribution to the conversation, Joe.
Even at its best, this sort of repair is a compromise. A new stem is certainly more reliable, but original logos may be lost or it may not be economically feasible considering the value of the pipe. So, a patch might be the only solution even if it's not a perfect one.
This is the most intense patch and rebuild that I've done...
I didn't want to do it and only did so after the owner insisted and we made a "no fault" agreement. I just didn't have any faith in the integrity of a patch of that size. I was eventually able to talk him into letting me make a new stem to go along with the patched one though.
Even at its best, this sort of repair is a compromise. A new stem is certainly more reliable, but original logos may be lost or it may not be economically feasible considering the value of the pipe. So, a patch might be the only solution even if it's not a perfect one.
This is the most intense patch and rebuild that I've done...
I didn't want to do it and only did so after the owner insisted and we made a "no fault" agreement. I just didn't have any faith in the integrity of a patch of that size. I was eventually able to talk him into letting me make a new stem to go along with the patched one though.
OK, yes, we need to see your repair pictures.
Joeman, and others, what material do you use for the patch? I am using T-88 epoxy with their blackening agent for several repairs now. Also, one on an amber stem with the epoxy without blackening. Glue curing now...
I would like to learn more from you guys who have done a bunch of these.
Joeman, and others, what material do you use for the patch? I am using T-88 epoxy with their blackening agent for several repairs now. Also, one on an amber stem with the epoxy without blackening. Glue curing now...
I would like to learn more from you guys who have done a bunch of these.
I'm always amazed at these type of repairs!..........
Great job to all of you and thanks for posting up the pics............ :
:
Great job to all of you and thanks for posting up the pics............ :
:
George D posted this a while back, I've never tried the material he references.
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/patch-repairing-vulcanite-stems
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/patch-repairing-vulcanite-stems
Ken...I believe Anthony's go-to material for pipe stem patch repair is rubber-toughened super glue. (Anthony...please correct me if that's not still the case). As you can see...he gets fantastic results, and you've likely seen his work here in other threads.
My material of choice is activated charcoal powder and a better quality cyanoacrylate (very good super-glue). Others prefer other compounds. I can't count how many I've done over the last several years, but including all from small fills to complete button rebuild...must be 500 or more.
I concur with Anthony...even the best patch job on a stem remains secondary in quality to replacing the gnawed bit with a new one. But these repairs...when done very carefully...can provide a permanent solution in most cases.
I too would love to see some before/afters from others who've done a bit of this.
My material of choice is activated charcoal powder and a better quality cyanoacrylate (very good super-glue). Others prefer other compounds. I can't count how many I've done over the last several years, but including all from small fills to complete button rebuild...must be 500 or more.
I concur with Anthony...even the best patch job on a stem remains secondary in quality to replacing the gnawed bit with a new one. But these repairs...when done very carefully...can provide a permanent solution in most cases.
I too would love to see some before/afters from others who've done a bit of this.
Here are instructions based on how I did the stem in the original post. My way involves very specialized skills, expensive tools, a high IQ, and better than average looks. Most people could probably never handle this at home. You kind of have the be the Steph Curry or Aaron Rodgers of the pipe world to pull this off. You average folks should find another, less interesting hobby.
First, find the crappiest, busted up and oxidized stem you can find. Pay top dollar for it if necessary so that yours is the worst around.
Next, put on some Bach or Mozart. Or Pink Floyd. David Gilmour will work too. A 33 RPM LP will yield the best results but is not absolutely necessary. But you should probably just not expect the repair to last as long.
Sand the stem all around the area to be repaired, and clean the stem inside and out. It should be a bit rough to provide "tooth adhesion."
Make some sort of dam thingy to keep your repair compound out of the airway. I used an old employee ID card that I cut to fit this particular area. Wax it with something like lip balm or coconut oil or something of that nature. Put a lot on. This keeps the repair compound from sticking to the dam. I used Decatur Pipe Wax.
Mix up some JB Weld. It it will be grey so you have to mix something in it to make it black. I used West System graphite powder because I have a bunch of it from another hobby and I know that a tiny bit provides very black results. It also has good structural integrity and is scuff resistant. Mix it well. I thought about using epoxy and thickening it with the graphite but decided against it because more than 10% of the powder reduces the structural integrity, and JB Weld is essentially pre-thickened epoxy.
Slap it on liberally. Don't worry too much about shaping it at this point.
Put it down and try to forget about it for a couple hours. This is where the Bach or Pink Floyd comes in. Just chill a while.
After a bit, the goop starts to stiffen up and you can begin shaping it with a specialized, high-end titanium stem forming tool. Or a toothpick. With a little poking, and picking, and prodding, and rolling, you'll start to see it taking shape.
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Leave it be for several hours until it is fully hardened. Pull out your dam thingy. No, no, not your damn thingy, no-one wants to see that. The plastic thing you made to keep the goop out of the airway. If you lubricated it well, it'll pull right out. If you put it in dry, you're screwed. Take up knitting. Now you can begin to sand the repair to shape a bit more. I start with 220 Wet-or-Dry. Then mix a teeny-tiny amount of graphite powder (or pipe carbon dust, or whatever) into a couple drops of Super Glue. This is good for filling imperfections and low spots as well as sort of tying in the repair with the original vulcanite.
Flip it over and start on the other side.
After lots and lots of sanding with successively finer grit papers and polishing pads, and if you are talented, intelligent, good looking, and if God likes you, your stem will look like this.
Now you can pity the fool who takes the easy way out and just screws in another stem.
That's how she's done.
First, find the crappiest, busted up and oxidized stem you can find. Pay top dollar for it if necessary so that yours is the worst around.
Next, put on some Bach or Mozart. Or Pink Floyd. David Gilmour will work too. A 33 RPM LP will yield the best results but is not absolutely necessary. But you should probably just not expect the repair to last as long.
Sand the stem all around the area to be repaired, and clean the stem inside and out. It should be a bit rough to provide "tooth adhesion."
Make some sort of dam thingy to keep your repair compound out of the airway. I used an old employee ID card that I cut to fit this particular area. Wax it with something like lip balm or coconut oil or something of that nature. Put a lot on. This keeps the repair compound from sticking to the dam. I used Decatur Pipe Wax.
Mix up some JB Weld. It it will be grey so you have to mix something in it to make it black. I used West System graphite powder because I have a bunch of it from another hobby and I know that a tiny bit provides very black results. It also has good structural integrity and is scuff resistant. Mix it well. I thought about using epoxy and thickening it with the graphite but decided against it because more than 10% of the powder reduces the structural integrity, and JB Weld is essentially pre-thickened epoxy.
Slap it on liberally. Don't worry too much about shaping it at this point.
Put it down and try to forget about it for a couple hours. This is where the Bach or Pink Floyd comes in. Just chill a while.
After a bit, the goop starts to stiffen up and you can begin shaping it with a specialized, high-end titanium stem forming tool. Or a toothpick. With a little poking, and picking, and prodding, and rolling, you'll start to see it taking shape.
Leave it be for several hours until it is fully hardened. Pull out your dam thingy. No, no, not your damn thingy, no-one wants to see that. The plastic thing you made to keep the goop out of the airway. If you lubricated it well, it'll pull right out. If you put it in dry, you're screwed. Take up knitting. Now you can begin to sand the repair to shape a bit more. I start with 220 Wet-or-Dry. Then mix a teeny-tiny amount of graphite powder (or pipe carbon dust, or whatever) into a couple drops of Super Glue. This is good for filling imperfections and low spots as well as sort of tying in the repair with the original vulcanite.
Flip it over and start on the other side.
After lots and lots of sanding with successively finer grit papers and polishing pads, and if you are talented, intelligent, good looking, and if God likes you, your stem will look like this.
Now you can pity the fool who takes the easy way out and just screws in another stem.
That's how she's done.
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