Solid rubber stems
- Thread starter dkaye201
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If it's a solid rubber stem, as opposed to vulcanized rubber, you need to be careful. Solvents that are fine for vulcanite can cause hard rubber to "ripple". Oxyclean bath is fine for cleaning and only very fine grit micro-mesh for polishing. The micro-mesh needs to be used with a very light touch and very slow so you don't build heat as this will ripple the rubber as well. I would stay away from alcohol or any other solvent when cleaning these. And yes, they are fine for smoking. I have a couple of hard rubber stems on some very old pipes and they smoke fine. Just need a little extra care when preforming maintenance.
I recently figured out the hard way that high proof Everclear is not a good choice for cleaning these hard rubber stems. I swabbed the inside of one and took a layer of the material right out with the pipe cleaner. The hole, unfortunately, has to be wider now. What is a good maintenance method for cleaning this type of stem after a smoke? I was thinking rum that is a lower proof but I figured I'd throw this out there before I destroyed the diameter of my stem even more.
I would stay away from anything that can "attack" regular rubber, because that's basically what it is. I would stick to soaks in mild detergents and avoid alcohols, chlorine, etc. Oxyclean is cool to use and works fairly well for dissolving tars. Just don'the let them build up till they clog and Oxyclean in warm water will give desirable results.
I'd use hot water to rinse/wash both the bowl and airway. Then dry with a pipe cleaner. This is a minority opinion, but there's not a shred of proof nor reason why water is harmful to briar pipes. Just an old saw. (I started a thread on the subject if interested)
@dkaye201
I know you like those old WDCs like I do. Be careful if you get any of the old "Lockmount" line. A lot of those have the solid rubber stems but they aren't stamped as such. Easy way to test those is simply drop them in a oxyclean bath. If it doesn't start oxidizing then it's a good bet it is solid rubber and not vulcanite.
I know you like those old WDCs like I do. Be careful if you get any of the old "Lockmount" line. A lot of those have the solid rubber stems but they aren't stamped as such. Easy way to test those is simply drop them in a oxyclean bath. If it doesn't start oxidizing then it's a good bet it is solid rubber and not vulcanite.
Hot water and oxiclean, I'll try that. Thank you jp and torque. Torque, thanks for the extra advice on polishing with micromesh. I'm sure I'll put that info to use sometime soon.
Another question; did pipe makers stop using solid rubber for stems altogether? If so, is it possible to categorize pipes with rubber stems into a round about specific time? An example of what I mean are Kaywoodie four hole stingers could be mid 1950's and earlier. Can we put a time stamp like this on pipes with rubber stems?
Another question; did pipe makers stop using solid rubber for stems altogether? If so, is it possible to categorize pipes with rubber stems into a round about specific time? An example of what I mean are Kaywoodie four hole stingers could be mid 1950's and earlier. Can we put a time stamp like this on pipes with rubber stems?
@fluffie666
Solid rubber stems aren't nearly as hard as vulcanite. Unless there is a flaw that needs to be worked out, I start with 4000 micro-mesh and go up from there. I find the lower (heavier) grits to be a little aggressive for that material. Hope that helps.
Solid rubber stems aren't nearly as hard as vulcanite. Unless there is a flaw that needs to be worked out, I start with 4000 micro-mesh and go up from there. I find the lower (heavier) grits to be a little aggressive for that material. Hope that helps.
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