There are a couple of ways to attach the bamboo to the stummel- most common is stainless steel. In this case, I used delrin roughed up, and glued with a 5 minute epoxy overnight- seems to be an extremely strong joint. After everything sets up, I do the drilling of the airway in the lathe. Shaping is an enormous pain- I take it to a 1/16" oversize with a french wheel and then work the stem down to meet the bamboo with a fine grit 1/2" sanding drum. If you've been watching the progression over the past few weeks, I keep trying to build on some skills I already had and add a new technique on every pipe. Next time, I'll add an accent ring of ebonite at the beginning and end of the bamboo...On the subject of the SEM material- it's all I use- just love the way it machines...and the lack of a burning smell when I machine it tells me that it has a low sulphur content compared to the other ebonite on the market- I also love the green and the briar color as well...
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