Sudden Loose Stem

[crawdad]

I have a pair of Parker's that I don't smoke often, one hardly at all. This last one had a snug fit with stem and stummel yet when I picked it out to check it the tenon slipped free of the mortise without any noticeable friction. It won't fall out but it makes me wonder if it will with a bowl of 'baccy.

Any help/suggestions?

 

[Chasing Embers]

 

[alaskanpiper]

Smoke it and then let it sit a day. Thats often enough to reset the rubber. If that doesn’t work follow the advice in the video embers posted.

 

[crawdad]

I'll try it, thanks. What makes either the mortise or tenon shrink/expand when I don't use it?

 

[alaskanpiper]

I'll try it, thanks. What makes either the mortise or tenon shrink/expand when I don't use it?

Any significant temperature changes can warp the rubber a bit. Heating it up and then letting it cool usually resets its “memory” back to its original form.

I’ve had a few estates show up with super loose stems. Smoking them and then letting them cool has worked every time so far.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'll try it, thanks. What makes either the mortise or tenon shrink/expand when I don't use it?

When briar dries it shrinks a bit. That makes the mortise opening bigger, not smaller, by fractions of a millimeter.

First step is to apply a few drops of water to the mortise and tenon, assemble, and wait overnight. If it's still too loose, smoking a few bowls should do it.

If that's not enough, applying a bit of beeswax will help.

If that still doesn't do it, then mess with re-forming the tenon.

 

[stokesdale]

I'll try it, thanks. What makes either the mortise or tenon shrink/expand when I don't use it?

I had the mortise on a Rossi actually warp out on me once; you can tell by removing the stem and holding it in profile up to the light...if the profile of the shank looks sort of funnel like around the shank face, then you have a warped mortise. I tried messing with the tenon like the video posted above, but that didn't work in this case...I ended up just throwing the pipe away.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If you leave the stem in the stummel, your chances for warping or other bad things is reduced greatly.

 

[mso489]

I have a Peterson Shannon B11 bent brandy that did that, and surprisingly, it healed itself. I smoked it carefully, and the heat tightened it up. It has been fine since.

 

[Papamique]

An old comoy I had also had this issue. I was about to heat and press the tenon but after smoking it tightened right up.

 

[Chasing Embers]

An old comoy I had also had this issue. I was about to heat and press the tenon but after smoking it tightened right up.

Why would you press it after heating it? That would deform the airway and cause moisture buildup.

 

[Papamique]

Why would you press it after heating it? That would deform the airway and cause moisture buildup.

Exactly.

 

[sablebrush52]

Different briar reacts differently to temperature, humidity, use, etc. Most of my pipes maintain the fit between tenon and mortise in a consistent way, day after day, year after year. But some of my pipes exhibit significant changes in the fit at different times of the year, fairly consistently year after year.

 

[Briar Baron]

Different briar reacts differently to temperature, humidity, use, etc. Most of my pipes maintain the fit between tenon and mortise in a consistent way, day after day, year after year. But some of my pipes exhibit significant changes in the fit at different times of the year, fairly consistently year after year.

I have had the exact same experience.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Exactly.

You can heat vulcanite and it will return to it's original dimensions because of the materials ability to hold shape memory. Pressing is unnecessary as heat alone will tighten the stem.

 

[Papamique]

You can heat vulcanite and it will return to it's original dimensions because of the materials ability to hold shape memory. Pressing is unnecessary as heat alone will tighten the stem.

This was not in reference to the video you posted. I was referring to an old hack where you heat the end of the tenon and press it squarely on a table to expand the end to fit tighter. Nothing I would necessarily endorse doing and am glad I didn’t need to do.

 

[bullet08]

Have two pipes that were not tight. After first smoke, problem is gone.