Repairable!

[HawkeyeLinus]

I found an old Stanwell estate I wanted but this is the stem. On either side you can feel a slight "ridge" as you slide your finger over the darker part of the stem to where it really is discolored which is slightly "lower". No idea if this was some previous kind of repair or just worn out by someone's mouth over time, lol. I could have a stem made but was thinking of experimenting with bringing one back to life, but if the patient is beyond hope, don't want to waste my time. Any thoughts or ideas on whether to bother or how to restore it would be terrific and thanks!

 

[mingc]

It's hard to tell without a side-view pic whether there will be enough structurally sound material left after all the crud is removed. You'll also have to either try to lift up the tooth mark or fill it up.

 

[AJL67]

Was that stem make with that .. cliff effect or is that 90 yrs were of material worn down from clenching, certainly looks like it's missing a lot of material and a couple small chunks as well

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Was that stem make with that .. cliff effect or is that 90 yrs were of material worn down from clenching, certainly looks like it's missing a lot of material and a couple small chunks as well

It was not originally like that, it was "normal". Here's a side view!

 

[AJL67]

Agree with the comment of making sure there is enough material, that looks like it's going to be close and very thin if you get rid of the crud and issues, which I'm guessing would have to be fills regardless.

Maybe find a stem / have one made while you're trying to fix that one .. you know happy ending no matter what LOL

 

[mingc]

It was not originally like that, it was "normal". Here's a side view!View attachment 221006

Looks like it has been cleaned up earlier in its history so that the taper is no longer smooth. I guess the question is the value of your time. I personally would be tempted to sand the crud away with the full knowledge that the end result may not be pleasing. There's nothing to lose since you can always send it away for a new stem. But then again, I've a box of pipes with discolored stems that I've put aside for polishing but which only keeps growing because I've not worked on any of them for years.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Agree with the comment of making sure there is enough material, that looks like it's going to be close and very thin if you get rid of the crud and issues, which I'm guessing would have to be fills regardless.

Maybe find a stem / have one made while you're trying to fix that one .. you know happy ending no matter what LOL

I actually was excited to find another Stanwell (not exactly the same, but a shape 50) - unfortunately the stem on that didn't have the "threads" that this one has and didn't fit (should have asked for pics, lol, but it was cheap). No doubt can easily have one made, but looking at this one and never tackled one before so pretty clueless.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Looks it should clean up just fine to me. Just has some plaque build up on it.

 

[OzPiper]

At worst you will have converted that stem into a Charatan double-comfort lookalike

 

[mso489]

A replacement stem is the answer if the object is to smoke the pipe. If you do that, send the old stem with it so the repair person can work with that. You have the choice of material, probably Vulcanite or acrylic, and color. I went from a black to a tortoise shell and it improved the pipe's appearance.

However, if the challenge is the charm, see what you can do with what you have. That could be interesting and you'll learn a lot.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Woke up early this morning, sigh. I'd read one of the old blogs of @ssjones on Reborn Pipes and decided to spend a little bit of time while watching Columbo with some Barkeeper's Friend. For me (never fiddled around with this before) the revelation was the crackly gunk that had me nervous on both sides of the stem that felt like a "ridge" is now gone and the stem is back to smooth and seamless. I've let it dry out and it doesn't look nearly as intimidating as it did before and I think any concerns about previous repair and losing material have been rubbed away, lol.

The question now is what next? I've read and seen @Chasing Embers results with toothpaste, for example, and other ideas about what now appears to be "normal" oxidation. Attaching some pics of the results this morning. Any thoughts on what next would be much appreciated!

 

[ssjones]

Good job! And it looks like you didn't do any harm either. I wouldn't use that as a shop clencher pipe, but with careful use, it should hold up. Everytime oxidation is removed, you remove an incremental dimension and material from the stem. So, the clock ticks each time that occurs. I'm not that familiar with Stanwell pipes, but that design on the tenon is very interesting. It definitely was not removed/reinserted very much and that wear is considerably less than on the button end.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Good job! And it looks like you didn't do any harm either. I wouldn't use that as a shop clencher pipe, but with careful use, it should hold up. Everytime oxidation is removed, you remove an incremental dimension and material from the stem. So, the clock ticks each time that occurs. I'm not that familiar with Stanwell pipes, but that design on the tenon is very interesting. It definitely was not removed/reinserted very much and that wear is considerably less than on the button end.

Judging by the cake in the bowl of the pipe, lol, and correlating that to the stem probably not being removed often, I think you are correct! That’s been my hesitation sending for a new stem (and haven’t hesitated with other pipes for different reasons) - the threading is unique and if the current stem is salvageable it seemed like a good first stem project for me.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

The "threaded" tenon is actually a bushing that Stanwell used for a period of time in thier mortise. It should have remained in the pipe, but its easy enough to pull em off the tenon and glue em back into the mortise. Apply your glue to the inside of the mortise not the outside of the bushing.

Now all you need to do its go at the the bit with some 1000g wet dry sand paper and water, once all the green is gone step up to 2000g then polish. You can polish by many means, toothpaste, flitz, buffing wheel, etc.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

The "threaded" tenon is actually a bushing that Stanwell used for a period of time in thier mortise. It should have remained in the pipe, but its easy enough to pull em off the tenon and glue em back into the mortise. Apply your glue to the inside of the mortise not the outside of the bushing.

Now all you need to do its go at the the bit with some 1000g wet dry sand paper and water, once all the green is gone step up to 2000g then polish. You can polish by many means, toothpaste, flitz, buffing wheel, etc.

Thanks! It didn’t make sense to me that could keep going in and out of the pipe and not damage the wood the way it was designed - lol, now I get it! Glue suggestion???

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Thanks! It didn’t make sense to me that could keep going in and out of the pipe and not damage the wood the way it was designed - lol, now I get it! Glue suggestion???

I use loctite brand epoxy, but @georged might have a better suggestion. I would not try to use the stem to push the bushing in though, you will run the risk of gluing the stem into the bushing. Let the glue cure for at least 48 hours before inserting the stem.

 

[ssjones]

I use loctite brand epoxy, but @georged might have a better suggestion. I would not try to use the stem to push the bushing in though, you will run the risk of gluing the stem into the bushing. Let the glue cure for at least 48 hours before inserting the stem.

Ah, that makes sense! No clue that was a Stanwell thing. I guess if they don't come out, you would not know.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Ah, that makes sense! No clue that was a Stanwell thing. I guess if they don't come out, you would not know.

I've seen it most often on Stanwell's with oval or flat shanks. I suspect it was a reinforcement for pipes that had thin spots in the mortise.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I use loctite brand epoxy, but @georged might have a better suggestion. I would not try to use the stem to push the bushing in though, you will run the risk of gluing the stem into the bushing. Let the glue cure for at least 48 hours before inserting the stem.

The larger problem appears to be getting the stem free of the bushing! Any tips?

 

[TheIronMonkey]

The larger problem appears to be getting the stem free of the bushing! Any tips?

There could be some tobacco juice that has dried between the tenon of the stem and bushing. I wonder if a drop of alcohol might loosen up things a bit. I'd think gently gripping with pliers might be called for, but would defer to others with more experience.