Stems, Stems, Stems

[dirtybearpipes]

Anyone willing to give me a quick rundown on stems? Such as what are the common types of materials, and pros and cons of each. Thanks guys!

 

[ohin3]

Vulcanite or ebonite are both a form of vulcanized rubber. Soft but very prone to oxidation and discolouring.
acrylic or lucite are a hard plastic. A bit harder on the teeth, but do not oxidize and discolour like vulcanite.
cumberland is simply, correct me if I am wrong guys, a style of acrylic stem. Traditionally cumberland is a brown and dark brown sort of swirled look.

There are other exotic stems like amber and wooden stems and such, but they are not common.

 

[pstlpkr]

Phil, short, sweet, and to the point. +1

I don't think any corrections are called for.

One addition possibly... Lucite can come in any color or combination of colors.
::

 

[dirtybearpipes]

Awesome, thanks so much guys. My pipe must have a lucite stem then. Anybody know anything about wooden stems? Are they at all practical?

 

[dirtybearpipes]

Oh, I just notices that the picture ohin3 posted has a wooden stem. That's beautiful! Thanks ohin3! I wonder how they hold up...

 

[mp31guitar]

I believe that's a cumberland stem dirtybearpipes. :D I have seen some older kaywoodie's that had a briar stem.

 

[taerin]

Some pipes do have wooden stems, some cheap Ukraine pipes have wooden stems, I don't know if I would like that.

 

[bigvan]

Cumberland (also known as brindle) can be either vulcanite or lucite. I've heard some say that brindle is vulcanite and cumberland is lucite (and the other way around). Using the Dunhill pipe shown above as an example, this is definitely a vulcanite stem.

 

[misterlowercase]

My favorite type of stem is the "military mount"

...on the same theme, but slightly different is the "army mount" or "spigot"

Also, if you ever find yourself in need of a new stem or simply want to replace an existing stem with a different style, I highly recommend the good folk at PipeMakers Emporium ---] the stems are "raw" and require finishing, but the process is fairly straightforward and it's a handy way to develop your restoration skills...however, bear in mind that the first few tries may be frustrating, I've demolished & messed up quite a few brand-new raw stems on my way to get it "just right"...

= )

 

[pawpaw]

dont Doc G's use a diffrent plastic?(I am thinking it is ABS) MM Cobs have yet another type of plastic its kinda chewy

 

[nbpiper]

Now here is a stupid question, but is there a way to tell if you have a vulcanite or acrylic stem? I know I have one or two pipes with vulcanite stems, but a couple of others I'm not sure of and I don't really notice a difference when smoking them.

 

[bigvan]

Yes, Pawpaw, good point about Dr. Grabows. Definitely not vulcanite.
Cob stems, I believe, are made from some sort of cheese.

 

[misterlowercase]

An informative (and fun) read on this topic can be seen here:
Acrylic vs Ebonite a.k.a. Lucite vs Vulcanite

 

[ohin3]

@nbpiper: Lucite or acrylic will be hard and shiny where as vucanite, though hardened through the vulcanization process, is still rubber and will feel, look and behave as such. I have found that vulcanite tends to be a bit more rough to the touch than acrylic and more flexible. Acrylic or lucite is just hard plastic and will not bend at all under light pressure. Vulcanite, like rubber, will bend under pressure.

 

[pawpaw]

Cob stems, I believe, are made from some sort of cheese.

:rofl:

 

[ohin3]

That is not a wooden stem, but a cumberland stem. I have never owned or smoked a pipe with a wooden stem, but I would guess that they don't hold up well. You would have to varnish the hell out of them if they were to hold up to teeth and saliva and at that point you would have a urethane sheath over wood so you might as well just get a plastic stem.

 

[oldmooner]

When I first started smoking pipes, an amber stem was standard on most meerschaum pipes.

 

[jcg87]

I currently use a CZECH pipe due to various reasons, the main being I cannot find my regular briar pipe that was given to me from a colleague. As it stands right now, the metal screw in my stem has snapped from wear and tear. Could someone point me in the right direction to replacing the piece?

 

[kasbah]

I love love love amber, unfortunately these days it's rather expensive. I do have a Baltic amber chunk that I am saving for a project that is yet to be decided, maybe it will be a stem if there is a pipe I feel is deserving.

 

[orionpyoung]

@kasbah and rothnh, lets see these amber stemmed warlocks!