Tenon/Mortise Too Tight

[Merton]

I have a new radice billiard. When I opened the box I noticed a hair's breadth space between the stem and shank. I actually thought about returning it but decided it wasn't worth the hassle. The pipe smoked fine. However, the tenon is so tight in the mortise that it is a real problem removing the stem for cleaning. It makes the most awful sound and is a struggle to turn it even a little. It really feels like the shank cannot take the pressure. and will eventually crack. I have placed the pipe in the freezer and this helps a bit but I still can't remove the stem and it still is difficult to move at all. Any thoughts and, if I am able to get it out, what to do? I don't think the old graphite trick is like;y to fix this. Perhaps sanding the tenon?

 

[mingc]

How new? Before you do anything, let it acclimatize to your house for at least a week and see if the fit changes.

 

[verporchting]

Send it to the maker and ask them to tweak it is probably the safest bet.

 

[Old School 3319]

Send it to the maker and ask them to tweak it is probably the safest bet.

I agree if it’s that tight it will be a short lived pipe and snap. All of my pipes are cheap but if I ever paid good money for a pipe I would expect it to fit and able to clean

 

[troutface]

Sometimes just a bit of graphite on the tenon will be enough to fix it.

 

[sablebrush52]

How new? Before you do anything, let it acclimatize to your house for at least a week and see if the fit changes.

^^^^
This.

Pipe tenon/mortise fit can change, depending on the briar. Try leaving it alone for a week to see if it adjusts.
I have pipes where the fit is stable all the time and I have a few where the fit changes, usually with a change in temperature and humidity.

 

[cigrmaster]

Put the pipe in your freezer for 6 hours or so. Have some 400 sand piper ready and when you pull the pipe out of the freezer and it comes out with out much trouble just leave the parts separated. Keep them separated till the next day. Go wicked slow trying to put the pipe back together. If it catches at all and you think it is going to be tight as before. Take the 400 grit, put the tennon in rub the ten back and forth a few times and see if that is better. If it isn't just go slowly and try again. After a few times it should loosen up. I never had a problem doing this.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Beeswax.

Graphite with slowly score the surface of the tenon and sanding will remove too much material. With smoking and changes in the ambient humidity, the tenon and mortise will gradually adjust to themselves.

 

[craig61a]

Beeswax.

^1+

I've got 30 lbs of beeswax; I use it for making cast bullet lube... so it's available. Or sometimes I just put a stubborn tenon on the wheel and apply some carnuba.

 

[Merton]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[lraisch]

I agree with graphite as a solution. I used to have a tin of it which worked great for car door locks and such. Now I just use a pencil and rub the "lead" against the tenon until coated. You may have to repeat that once a year or so.

 

[Casual]

Too tight? Beeswax.

Too loose? Beeswax.

How does that work? None of your beeswax.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Too tight? Beeswax.

Too loose? Beeswax.

How does that work? None of your beeswax.

Too tight acts as a lubricant. Too loose, temporarily fills the gap between the tenon and mortise but can cause a tenon to slide out of a warm pipe. I would fix the tenon diameter on a loose stem as a permanent fix.

 

[saltedplug]

Pipe smokers are manic about disassembling their pipes for cleaning when in fact they're creating work for themselves that has no point. In general, leave the pipe alone! Beyond using cleaners there's really not much to do.

A potentate on another forum says that since pipes loose flavor after a thorough cleaning, the residue inside the pipe is valuable, and that thus he didn't plan on cleaning his pipes again until the airway closed.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Bees wax is the worst lubricant, IMO. Graphite is as smooth as talc. Just use a #2 pencil and draw on the tenon all the way around. This will make it easier to remove until the tenon acclimates to the mortice as Embers said.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

potentate on another forum says that since pipes loose flavor after a thorough cleaning, the residue inside the pipe is valuable, and that thus he didn't plan on cleaning his pipes again until the airway closed.

Sounds like a very stupid potentate. Not cleaning out the shank makes a pipe smell like shit. If that is the flavor someone wants from their smoke, more power to them, but get the hell away from me.

 

[mingc]

Sounds like a very stupid potentate. Not cleaning out the shank makes a pipe smell like shit. If that is the flavor someone wants from their smoke, more power to them, but get the hell away from me.

I'm convinced that folks in the old days enjoyed skank much more that we do. Partly because they had no choice. Indoor plumbing and all that sort of thing, you know.

 

[ChuckMijo]

If you let it accumulate for awhile and it’s still tight. A light sanding on the tenon will instantly resolve the issue. It’s honestly not rocket science. Go slow take a little at a time. You got this!!

 

[sandollars]

Beeswax.

Graphite with slowly score the surface of the tenon and sanding will remove too much material. With smoking and changes in the ambient humidity, the tenon and mortise will gradually adjust to themselves.

This ^^ Beeswax. It works both ways: Too tight and too loose. No lie!

 

[rajangan]

I use pencil.

In theory sanding would work but I've screwed it up before. I sanded it perfect, then over a year or something it became too loose.