The wife is gonna kill me

[johnbrownspipe]

So, I recently bought a nice Peterson bent bulldog from my local B&M. It was a little overpriced but I thought it okay since it was local and all. Pipe is great, love it. I'm getting ready for a trip and pack my clothes, hair clippers, and pipe backpack. I stop for the night at a hotel and enjoy said bowl, I think I smoked some Engine 99, let it cool then clean it. I wake up in the morning, hastily pack my things and I'm on the road again (28hr drive total). I left the damn stem at the hotel. I call the hotel to no avail, they haven't seen it. I check back again the next day to talk to someone else, hoping the other person overlooked it. No such luck, still not there. It's gone...
I contacted Peterson and they said they would re-fit a stem to it for 35 euro and 15 shipping. So now, after my wife finally calmed down from the initial purchase, I am going to have to spend another $70 and ship the darn thing to Dublin. Wait 6-8 weeks for turnaround and then be able to smoke my lovely new pipe again... I dread the day the bank statement get here
Expensive lesson in taking my time and making sure I have everything.... My dad is rolling over in his grave :roll:

 

[eaglewriter1]

^^ Well as long as it smokes well. Dont forget to add to your last will that this specific pipe is to be burried with you.

 

[ben88]

Buy the same model. Share the stem.

 

[aguineapig]

You can get a vulcanite P-lip blank for like 3-5 bucks. It's fun and good to learn how to fit those blanks. just another option.

 

[wolflarsen]

You can get a vulcanite P-lip blank for like 3-5 bucks.It's fun and good to learn how to fit those blanks.

Really? Where? That sounds like a fun little project I love to try.

 

[mikethompson]

Sounds like a good way to breathe life into a otherwise good pipe with a smashed up stem. Where do you get those?

 

[peckinpahhombre]

You did the right thing. You want an original Peterson stem that was made to match that exact pipe. Something similar happened to me with a fairly new Castello a couple years back - only the cause was me dropping the pipe. It landed on the stem and shattered it. I sent it off to Castello to be repaired. Pipe came back and was perfect. That cost me about US $100. Still, at least I was 100% happy with the pipe again.

 

[jaytex1969]

File a bit into the end of the shank and call it a nosewarmer...

 

[aguineapig]

Really? Where? That sounds like a fun little project I love to try.

Vermont freehand is one source. Ebay has some sometimes, that end up occasionally cheaper, but not p-lip right now.
https://vermontfreehand.com/vulcanite/
do the "Control + F" search for stems 433, 399, and 347. they are all different sizes and you'll want to bear in mind that you'll need enough tenon meat to fit the mortice.
I replace a lot of stems. Even though they don't look "perfect" with my buffing/sanding set up, they work fine and I can shape the button how I like em. It's also cheap to find estate pipes that are missing/broken stems and re-work them. if you have more time than money, like I do, it's a great way to do it.

 

[mso489]

Yup, you did the right thing; get the proper stem for the pipe. You may want to buy a bag of discount MM cobs to use for travel. If you accumulate pipes, you can always select more ordinary pipes for travel, until you get like me and consider your cobs distinct keepers too. All mine are bought or refitted with acrylic stems. But you may not want to take your briar or other treasures on the road. Besides which, lesser pipes have the habit of never getting lost or left behind; it's in their DNA.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I think this was a move.I have had few new stems made and fitted to my pipes,and the results did vary,there were good ones and rather mediocre ones.Of course, completely handmade and shaped would have been nice but in my case can't justify spending too much money if my pipe was the medium price range,

 

[johnbrownspipe]

lesser pipes have the habit of never getting lost or left behind

Seems about right. I do have most a supply of cobs I carry around, It's just nice to sit down with a briar at the end of the day. I'm always on the road so I would hardly ever get to enjoy one if I left all of them at home.

can't justify spending too much money if my pipe was the medium price range

This is what I struggled with the most. The cost of reshaping a new stem is half of what the pipe originally cost me. If it were a $300+ pipe I wouldn't have minded the $70 for a stem. I don't have any higher end pipes yet, just a couple basic big names.
I enjoy (enjoyed) the pipe quite a bit so I want it back. It's nothing too special I suppose, a Peterson Kenmare 80s, but it's one the wife picked out with me cuz she liked it and I did as well. She just didn't expect me to leave the store with it haha. So I suppose off to Dublin it'll go.
The stem was kinda oxidized from sitting in the shop for who knows how long and I had never buffed a stem and was just dealing with it. (would I need a dremel and a buffing wheel?) At least now I'll have a nice clean stem that I can keep from oxidizing in the first place.
I'll do my best to remember to post some pics of the pipe once it returns, I presume it'll be as smooth and well made as the day it left their shop the first time.