Stem material

[torthur]

Hello Guys,

just wondering.
How to determine what kind of material was used to produce a stem?

I need to restore couple of them, and I guess that you need to use different methods depends on the material used.
Or this is incorrect, and you're using always the same workflow regardles if it's a acrylic, vulcanite or ebonite?

 

[mingc]

• Hard rubber aka vulcanite, ebonite, which can be black or other colors
• Acrylic and other plastics
• Animal horn
• Amber

 

[Chasing Embers]

Or this is incorrect, and you're using always the same workflow regardles if it's a acrylic, vulcanite or ebonite?

Vulcanite and ebonite are the same thing. Most of the cleanup is the same but you'll not find oxidation on acrylic and alcohol can sometimes cause micro-fracturing in acrylic. Rub the stem with you thumb until it's warm. If the stem smells like hot rubber, its ebonite/vulcanite/cumberland.

 

[STP]

You can usually tell the difference by how the stem feels on the teeth. Vulcanize/ebonite is softer, whereas acrylic/lucite is harder. Bone/horn tends to be somewhere in the middle. As far as restoring… don’t use alcohol on acrylic as is can cause micro fractures.

 

[torthur]

Vulcanite and ebonite are the same thing. Most of the cleanup is the same but you'll not find oxidation on acrylic and alcohol can sometimes cause micro-fracturing in acrylic. Rub the stem with you thumb until it's warm. If the stem smells like hot rubber, its ebonite/vulcanite/cumberland.

Thanks!

 

[OzPiper]

Vulcanite and ebonite are the same thing. Most of the cleanup is the same but you'll not find oxidation on acrylic and alcohol can sometimes cause micro-fracturing in acrylic. Rub the stem with you thumb until it's warm. If the stem smells like hot rubber, its ebonite/vulcanite/cumberland.

Cumberland can be both vulcanite and acrylic.

I should clarify - the original Cumberland is vulcanite
There is acrylic Cumberland-lookalike

 

[cigrmaster]

All my pipes except 2 are all vulcanite made with the high quality Germany stuff. The old sulfur filled vulcanite is crap and oxidizes if you look at it funny. It is a pain the ass and when people think of vulcanite they think of this stuff, not the high Quality German product that looks great when you use Obidisian on it regularly and you take good care of it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Cumberland can be both vulcanite and acrylic.

I should clarify - the original Cumberland is vulcanite
There is acrylic Cumberland-lookalike

Cumberland is a bit of a misnomer as well. The material was brindle on Dunhill's Cumberland line. You'll find it listed as "bowling ball" as well.