Stem replacements

[Akoni808]

Aloha all,

I have a beloved Ropp, but it has a bone stem I am not a huge fan off. I was curious if it’s worth getting a stem replacement or if it would end up costing more than the pipe itself ?

 

[warren]

How much was the Ropp? I'd contact a pipe repairer.

 

[AroEnglish]

If you love it, then it’s worth it. You can have a blank fitted to it. If you want a hand cut stem then it would be more worth it to have a full pipe made (imo, of course).

 

[Akoni808]

How much was the Ropp? I'd contact a pipe repairer.

It was only around $76

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/Ropp/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=467550

Also edit to my post: I meant to say horn stem.

 

[OzPiper]

You could try Vermont Freehand Pipes to see if they have an "off the rack" stem that will fit - may not be a perfect fit
Or buy a cheap Made in China stem off Amazon or EBay if you are not fussed with a perfect fit

If that Ropp is "beloved" then there are quite a few who can cut you a new stem.
Just depends on how "beloved" that pipe is and how much you're prepared to pay

I had a Stanwell pipe since the mid-1970s. It had a horribly oxidised vulcanite stem.
I sent it to The Danish Pipe Shop for a new stem (acrylic)
Obviously I thought the cost of a new stem plus postage&handling from Oz was worth the expense.
And yes, they did a wonderful job.

 

[Akoni808]

You could try Vermont Freehand Pipes to see if they have an "off the rack" stem that will fit - may not be a perfect fit
Or buy a cheap Made in China stem off Amazon or EBay if you are not fussed with a perfect fit

If that Ropp is "beloved" then there are quite a few who can cut you a new stem.
Just depends on how "beloved" that pipe is and how much you're prepared to pay

I had a Stanwell pipe since the mid-1970s. It had a horribly oxidised vulcanite stem.
I sent it to The Danish Pipe Shop for a new stem (acrylic)
Obviously I thought the cost of a new stem plus postage&handling from Oz was worth the expense.
And yes, they did a wonderful job.

From the responses, sounds like it might not be that beloved

 

[OzPiper]

From the responses, sounds like it might not be that beloved

I love the look of horn - as a stem material and shank accent.
And also as knife scales/handles.
But they can get chewed up pretty quickly if you're a heavy clencher.
I have a few pipes with horn stems and use silicon bits on all of them

 

[Akoni808]

I love the look of horn - as a stem material and shank accent.
And also as knife scales/handles.
But they can get chewed up pretty quickly if you're a heavy clencher.
I have a few pipes with horn stems and use silicon bits on all of them

I love the look as well, and I like the material. The bit is just a little small and circular for my liking.

 

[Winnipeger]

For what it's worth, I had 2 Ropps that I loved...but I came to the same conclusion about the horn stems. They just weren't comfortable for me. I'm not much of a clencher, so it wasn't the horn stem getting chewed up that bothered me. They're just too chunky. I do think they're cool though.

Long story short: I traded them in to smokingpipes.com for store credit. No sense holding on to pipes if they're not just right. I've owned about 8 Ropps so far, and have held on to 3 of them. I almost regretted selling that stout pot with the horn stem as soon as I put it in the mail. But no sense getting sentimental over objects I say.
It was a nice piece of briar and a good smoker. But, ehh...it's just a pipe. I had the same thought as you though; maybe a replacement stem for it. But I decided, nah...not worth the trouble and expense. Better to hunt for something that's just right.

 

[Ahi Ka]

@Akoni808 just chuck that bent cob stem on it.

 

[Akoni808]

For what it's worth, I had 2 Ropps that I loved...but I came to the same conclusion about the horn stems. They just weren't comfortable for me. I'm not much of a clencher, so it wasn't the horn stem getting chewed up that bothered me. They're just too chunky. I do think they're cool though.

Long story short: I traded them in to smokingpipes.com for store credit. No sense holding on to pipes if they're not just right. I've owned about 8 Ropps so far, and have held on to 3 of them. I almost regretted selling that stout pot with the horn stem as soon as I put it in the mail. But no sense getting sentimental over objects I say.
View attachment 252495It was a nice piece of briar and a good smoker. But, ehh...it's just a pipe. I had the same thought as you though; maybe a replacement stem for it. But I decided, nah...not worth the trouble and expense. Better to hunt for something that's just right.

I feel the exact same about mines. I’d be sad to trade it in, but I haven’t been smoking it lately because of that.

@Akoni808 just chuck that bent cob stem on it.

It might be more comfortable

 

[AroEnglish]

I love the look of horn stem and don't mind how they feel clenched but they’re so narrow that it’s really unpleasant.

 

[Winnipeger]

I wish they would make these available with vulcanite stems.

Love the shape. I haven't quite found a replacement for this yet.

I got an old Ropp on ebay for $30 that I'm liking a lot though.
Also, the good news about trading in pipes you're not smoking is, if you have enough of them to trade in, of sufficient value, you can get something like this on store credit:

 

[AroEnglish]

I wish they would make these available with vulcanite stems.
View attachment 252571
Love the shape. I haven't quite found a replacement for this yet.

I got an old Ropp on ebay for $30 that I'm liking a lot though.
View attachment 252573Also, the good news about trading in pipes you're not smoking is, if you have enough of them to trade in, of sufficient value, you can get something like this on store credit:
View attachment 252574

Is that last pipe a Scottie?

 

[AroEnglish]

For what it's worth, I had 2 Ropps that I loved...but I came to the same conclusion about the horn stems. They just weren't comfortable for me. I'm not much of a clencher, so it wasn't the horn stem getting chewed up that bothered me. They're just too chunky. I do think they're cool though.

Long story short: I traded them in to smokingpipes.com for store credit. No sense holding on to pipes if they're not just right. I've owned about 8 Ropps so far, and have held on to 3 of them. I almost regretted selling that stout pot with the horn stem as soon as I put it in the mail. But no sense getting sentimental over objects I say.
View attachment 252495It was a nice piece of briar and a good smoker. But, ehh...it's just a pipe. I had the same thought as you though; maybe a replacement stem for it. But I decided, nah...not worth the trouble and expense. Better to hunt for something that's just right.

I wish they released this with acrylic, horn-style stems. Or black is good too.

 

[Winnipeger]

Is that last pipe a Scottie?

Yessir.

I wish they released this with acrylic, horn-style stems. Or black is good too.

I get that. To my knowledge, you'll never see a Ropp with an acrylic stem though, unless it's a replacement. I only like vulcanite stems personally. I wonder why different manufacturers choose to go one way or another. Like, I'll never buy a new Castello, but they sure make nice looking pipes. If you like acrylic there are a load if nice Italian pipes to choose from.

The horn stems on the Ropps are probably quite popular and draw in a lot of customers. (I'm guessing.) If they'd release any of those Vintage pipes without the horn stems though, I'd be all over them. I love the briar. Old Algerian stummels. Can't go wrong.

I did pick up this Mid-Century a couple of weeks ago. Great pipe once I opened up the airway just a little to help it pass a cleaner. Not exactly the Belge/Cutty shape I'm after, but I love the sinuousness of this Danish-style stummel-stem combo.

 

[Winnipeger]

Sorry if I'm turning this thread into an ad for Ropp. I'm generally a fan of their pipes. No affiliation though.

 

[Akoni808]

Sorry if I'm turning this thread into an ad for Ropp. I'm generally a fan of their pipes. No affiliation though.

It’s easy to, they make great pipes for the price point!

 

[Winnipeger]

they make great pipes for the price point!

Exactly.

 

[mso489]

If the pipe is a good smoker, I'd still spend the forty bucks or so to have a new stem cut to fit.