School me on Hand Cut Stems

[Briar Lee]

On another thread a Dunhill was displayed and a knowledgable response was given that included details about the shape of the stem not being up to the usual level of quality at Dunhill due to the era it was made.

This got me almost downhearted, and kind of feeling sorry for myself, since the majority of my pipes are factory smokers that probably have pre cast stems. But I got in a pipe a few days ago, a Marxman Benchmade, that might feature a hand cut stem.





There might be other ones I have with hand cut stems, such as some of my Pre War Kaywoodies and higher grade Webers.

Aside from seeing mould marks on the stems, is there any way to tell?

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ahi Ka]

You may find this of interest

How To Tell If A Stem Is Hand Cut? :: Pipe Talk

Is there a hard and fast rule to tell if a stem is hand cut? I notice many stems that I've been told are hand cut are much thinner and the buttons seems to "rounded" and smaller in some cases. Are there any tell tale signs that can help identify one? Specifically on some of the older English...

pipesmagazine.com

Don’t be disheartened. I have pipes with pre-moulded stems which are super comfortable and smoke well. I have others which are pre-moulded and then have been tweaked by hand.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you can't tell the difference, then...

 

[mingc]

If you can't tell the difference, then...

The difference would be in the quality of the rubber. As you know, the molded ones like to go green sooner. Some folks don't mind that and/or don't see it.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Much like a "hand made" pipe, its a spectrum. Some stems are molded, de-flashed, and stuck in a pipe. Some stems are cut from rod stock by a series of machines and largely hand fitted to the pipe. Some stem are tenoned on a lathe and completely shaped by hand. Is a stem cut from high quality rod stock on machines and finished by hand a hand made stem? Is a stem shaped by a poor craftsman completely by hand and ill fitting inherently better that a molded stem with a hydraulic fit? There are nice stems and bad ones, and they can cover the entire spectrum of manufacturing processes. I try not to get to hung up on things like "hand cut" stems.

 

[didimauw]

My Savinelli's are marked and advertised as handcut stems. They are very comfortable, and each one is a little different. My first commission, was also a hand cut stem, and I didn't care for it at all. Looked like a child with one eye did it. So hand cut doesn't always mean better. I suppose i like most factory made stems, because once I find one I like, I know it'll be consistent I'm every pipe. Like my Rossi's.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

As you know, the molded ones like to go green sooner

I wasn't aware. Seems like if they are vulcanizing the rubber as they cast them, that they would just use a proper recipe to begin with. I still would love to see how these are made. I have a vulcanizer in my shop, but I've never seen nor heard of vulcanized casted objects.

 

[mingc]

I wasn't aware. Seems like if they are vulcanizing the rubber as they cast them, that they would just use a proper recipe to begin with. I still would love to see how these are made. I have a vulcanizer in my shop, but I've never seen nor heard of vulcanized casted objects.

I don't know if the nature of the molding process results in an inferior product or whether it's a matter of cheaper inferior recipes.

 

[bullet08]

Never really thought about it. As long as it's comfortable, that works for me. Only had one stem that was really crappy. Acrylic stem on one of the Peterson St. Paddy's day pipe that keep slipping out from clench. I know that's a molded stem.

 

[Navy Chief]

If it is comfortable and smokes well, then who cares how it was made?

 

[bluegrassbrian]

One of the worst feeling stems I've ever encountered was on a $550 Becker.

With older molded stems I think the slot can be a good clue. They'll be smaller and difficult to pass a quality pipe cleaner.

Some folks prefer thicker or wider bits, while many look for slimmer stems that are filed down to the bare minimum behind the bit (me).
Comes down to mouth/teeth structure and smoking style. Many artisan carvers have a distinct reputation for their stem design. With a commissioned piece you can have input on one personalized to your tastes.

 

[lraisch]

I have only had a couple of pipes that had stems I found absolutely uncomfortable. One was a Charatan with a DC bit, and the other was an Armellini. I sold the Charatan and even had the Armellini reshaped with a thinner button by a noted pipe maker. I still didn't care for how that pipe smoked, although the stem was a little better, so I sold it as well. Since I've only ever sold about a half dozen pipes, I guess the stem is important to me.

Back in the Seventies, several of the Savinellis I bought had a lot of sulfur in the stems. Discoloration and an unpleasant sulfurous quality occurred with my Autograph and Nonpareil models. Eventually I found ways to deal with that and they are good smoking pipes. I believe those all have hand cut stems, due to their unusual shapes.

I guess I would prefer a stem with a good quality vulcanite whether it was hand cut or just finished correctly and not get hung up on nomenclature.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

One of the worst feeling stems I've ever encountered was on a $550 Becker.

My most favored bits are my Beckers. Quite unusual, and unfortunate bluegrassbrian. My Beckers are like razor thin.
I have only had one pipe that had a bit that I couldn't stand, and that was an ancient little KBB with an orlific bit. I tossed that stem and made a new one for it. I know that they are rare and some folks like them, but... it's like clenching a ballpoint pen.

 

[Zeno Marx]

There's a French company that has a British name that stamps their stems as "hand cut", and the stamping is always a bit cockeyed. I'm not sure how I feel about going through that trouble, then sloppily stamping it as such...but I'm bringing it up now, so I must feel some type a way about it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

here's a French company that has a British name that stamps their stems as "hand cut",

Well, by being off, it proves that a machine didn't stamp it.

 

[Briar Lee]

I just observed that early 7 pointed star Lees have beautifully chamfered, thin buttons.

Compare with stamped star Lee bottom left.

Two Early Lees top photo

Stamped star era bottom left, 7 pointed star (early) on right bottom photo.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

My most favored bits are my Beckers. Quite unusual, and unfortunate bluegrassbrian. My Beckers are like razor thin.
I have only had one pipe that had a bit that I couldn't stand, and that was an ancient little KBB with an orlific bit. I tossed that stem and made a new one for it. I know that they are rare and some folks like them, but... it's like clenching a ballpoint pen.

Suppose there's always one..
it was a Federico Becker btw. All the Paolos and Fritz pipes I've had were fine.

I often wonder about that pipe too. I sold it to Sante (Fishnbanjo), but I never saw it on eBay when his pipes were being sold.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Suppose there's always one..
it was a Federico Becker btw. All the Paolos and Fritz pipes I've had were fine.

I often wonder about that pipe too. I sold it to Sante (Fishnbanjo), but I never saw it on eBay when his pipes were being sold.

I keep looking at his pipes, but I haven’t seen any that have that classic Becker sexiness to them. His are just clanky and heavyhanded looking to my eye. I definitely don’t think they deserve his dad’s prices.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I don't know if the nature of the molding process results in an inferior product or whether it's a matter of cheaper inferior recipes.

The problem with premolds is that they are necessarily made of a material that could be termed "low grade". This is because they need to be at a thinner viscosity at heat to be able to be injected into the mold.

Best pre-made stems - pipemakersforum.com

 

[craig61a]

The problem with premolds is that they are necessarily made of a material that could be termed "low grade". This is because they need to be at a thinner viscosity at heat to be able to be injected into the mold.

Best pre-made stems - pipemakersforum.com

Not sure if I agree with that statement. There are all kinds of plastics that are injection molded, and I'm sure they don't have thin it down.