Telling Stems Apart?

[withnail]

I'm sure this question must have been asked before, but I haven't been able to find it. So, could someone please give me an answer or link to a previous thread?
:arrow: How can you tell what a stem is made from? Are there any pointers that distinguish one material from another on a pipe with an unknown origin?
Cheers

 

[philip]

I remember we compared Lucite and Vulcanite stems in this thread , but I'm not sure that answers your question very well on how to identify them.

 

[tobakenist]

Lucite more plastic'y, harder feel to the teeth and is usually coloured, some are black and the best way to tell is to tap it against your teeth, Vulcanite feels softer, lucite doesn't oxidise and doesn't discolour. There are other stem materials out there, black nylon is a cheap molded type but are good on the teeth and can be bent without snapping. I much prefer Vulcanite for the feel but have quite a few pipes withe lucite and the only thing I can say is they are harder, easier to maintain though. I can't stand softy's but if you use them Lucite would be a good option.

 

[puffy]

I was told this years ago by an old time pipe smoker.Look at the lip end of a stem.If it's Vulcanite you will see a cut out rectangle where the stem has been drilled.If it's Lucite you will see a round drill hole in the center of that rectangle.Of course this may or may not be true all the time.

 

[tobakenist]

Nope all my lucites are slotted at the mouth end, got some amber stemed pipes with just a hole.

 

[schmitzbitz]

Aye, the Occular bits favoured pre-WWI and by some contemporary makers throw this off. My preferred method is to take a dental pick, make a thin scratch where button meets stem, which I then wet down. If this scratch oxidizes, I know I'm dealing with vulcanized rubber products, if it doesn't, then I'm looking at Lucite (or ABS in some lower-end pipes).

 

[ichbinmuede]

I can't seem to find the thread but it was mentioned that tapping your fingernail on lucite will yield a higher pitched tone than tapping vulcanite. So far that has proved true on all the pipes that I've tested it on.

 

[bigvan]

I really don't think there's a correlation between the shape of the draft hole and the material of the bit, Puffy. At least not now-a-days.
Now there are exceptions to all these rules, but in general:

Vulcanite is usually black or brindle.

If it's multi-colored, it's lucite.

If the pipe was made in Italy, the bit is probably lucite.

If the pipe was made in England or Ireland it's probably vulcanite (an exception to this rule is Peterson's Rosslaire pipes. Those yellow bits are acrylic).
If I think of more I'll post them as well.