Two Piece Kaywoodie 4 Hole Stinger-separable?

[Sobrbiker]

I’ve got an early Relief Grain with a medium 4 hole stinger.
Other than a Campus, this is my only Kaywoodie with an intact (rough but intact) stinger.
I was looking at mine today, and noticed that the threaded tenon and actual Drinkless stinger is a two piece assembly. I don’t know if this is usual or unusual.

Lee’s and Briarlees have removable stingers in their threaded tenons, and I like the more open draw.


Has anyone successfully separated the two without tearing the assembly out of the stem? I’d really like to remove it, but will probably leave it if cutting is the only way to go, as it’s an interesting late pre-war pipe probably.
Then again, I’m not a collector/reseller s it’s not a value consideration.

I can’t help thinking that (with the consideration of function a priority) if it is two piece, it would stil be better to remove it rather than cutting it and leaving part of the insert in.

You can see seam and tell they aren’t the same metal.

Interesting regardless…

 

[AJL67]

I'd be careful it looks like the threads there have been chewed up a little in the past and you don't want to screw it up till you can't screw it in.

I had one pipe with the same set up, i didn't plan on reselling it or anything so i just clipped the end off and left it at that.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

If it is two pieces it's not original, it's a repair. I have never seen a two piece KW stinger, I would take a seal pick and clean out that groove. CLipped stingers smoke worse than intact stingers in my opinion. I pitch clipped stinger pipes in the garbage unless they are rare.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

FWIW, clipping the stinger won't open up the draw either, the hole going through the threaded portion is the same size as the hole in the condenser body. Clipping them usually makes them gurgle worse, it moves the draft hole from top of the mortise to the center of the mortise where it's more susceptible to gurgling.

 

[AJL67]

FWIW, clipping the stinger won't open up the draw either, the hole going through the threaded portion is the same size as the hole in the condenser body. Clipping them usually makes them gurgle worse, it moves the draft hole from top of the mortise to the center of the mortise where it's more susceptible to gurgling.

Yes but easier to clean with a pipe cleaner, to be fair i always hated that pipe, not just for the stinger, it's around somewhere gathering dust. I'm also one of those people that goes through pipe cleaners like they are $2 for 50 of them, i used them constantly while i smoke, i will use the same one over and over, just let it sit and dry out then toss them at the end of the night ... jeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww

 

[Sobrbiker]

FWIW, clipping the stinger won't open up the draw either, the hole going through the threaded portion is the same size as the hole in the condenser body. Clipping them usually makes them gurgle worse, it moves the draft hole from top of the mortise to the center of the mortise where it's more susceptible to gurgling.

Who would repair a stinger? I guess if that’s a thing it makes dating this pipe completely wonky.

On a side note, I should probably send you an empty box with prepaid return label to be your new trash can

 

[peteguy]

Looks like a beat up aluminum stinger to me. Some rips and tears and maybe a repair with some jb weld or something to hide or hold a split.

 

[bayareabriar]

I’ve seen this before on several and have wondered the exact same thing on these ones that have a “separation” in that area of the stinger. I’ve seen at least 5 like that and another 20 where the stinger is missing at that spot and it seems machined and not broken off.

 

[MattRVA]

I’m definitely interested in this because I’ve never run across a two piece Kaywoodie stinger. Really strange.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Looks like a beat up aluminum stinger to me. Some rips and tears and maybe a repair with some jb weld or something to hide or hold a split.

Definitely not pristine, but it’s all aluminum. Looks like hell in the pic.

My big question was about the seam and obviously dissimilar metals at the thread/Drinkless device junction, and if anyone’s successfully separated the two rather than giving it the chop.

 

[crashthegrey]

I do not believe it is a seam. Just oxidized and worn differently where it was seated in the bushing.

 

[proteus]

Yes but easier to clean with a pipe cleaner, to be fair i always hated that pipe, not just for the stinger, it's around somewhere gathering dust. I'm also one of those people that goes through pipe cleaners like they are $2 for 50 of them, i used them constantly while i smoke, i will use the same one over and over, just let it sit and dry out then toss them at the end of the night ... jeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww

What does "jeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww" mean ?

 

[Sobrbiker]

I do not believe it is a seam. Just oxidized and worn differently where it was seated in the bushing.

I know that you’re one of the most dialed in guys around when it comes to all things KBB/Kaywoodie, and I have the utmost respect for that. That being said, this definitely seems to be a seam:

Not knowing the machining processes, and I believe I’ve read that the stinger manufacturing at different times was done by different outsourced vendors (I could be mistaken on that) I guess without destructive investigation I’ll never know. Perhaps the line is from a fixture clamping the completed threaded half in the setup that did the ball/taper or vice-versa.

I’m not sure if I’m going to continue down the stinger removal path, or keep it. It’s definitely been diddled and buggered with by previous owners, and is chipped up, chunked out, plier squished, and marred a bunch, but all the other functional parts of this pipe are in great shape for a less than $20 (shipped) eBay score, and I thoroughly enjoy it either way.

I’ll probably keep it like this and maybe try to clean up the edges and ridges, and modify it later if/when another, better condition of the same era intact example falls in my path.

Meanwhile, I think it needs another bowlful of something ran through it, cause I’m enjoying it today as it is!

 

[crashthegrey]

I know that you’re one of the most dialed in guys around when it comes to all things KBB/Kaywoodie, and I have the utmost respect for that. That being said, this definitely seems to be a seam:View attachment 234515

Not knowing the machining processes, and I believe I’ve read that the stinger manufacturing at different times was done by different outsourced vendors (I could be mistaken on that) I guess without destructive investigation I’ll never know. Perhaps the line is from a fixture clamping the completed threaded half in the setup that did the ball/taper or vice-versa.

I’m not sure if I’m going to continue down the stinger removal path, or keep it. It’s definitely been diddled and buggered with by previous owners, and is chipped up, chunked out, plier squished, and marred a bunch, but all the other functional parts of this pipe are in great shape for a less than $20 (shipped) eBay score, and I thoroughly enjoy it either way.

I’ll probably keep it like this and maybe try to clean up the edges and ridges, and modify it later if/when another, better condition of the same era intact example falls in my path.

Meanwhile, I think it needs another bowlful of something ran through it, cause I’m enjoying it today as it is!
View attachment 234520

They were made by different people. This could have been a batch that was ultimately rejected later. Weird. I'll have to look through some now and see if I missed this on any of mine. Thanks for the second picture.

 

[Sobrbiker]

They were made by different people. This could have been a batch that was ultimately rejected later. Weird. I'll have to look through some now and see if I missed this on any of mine. Thanks for the second picture.

Its from the 4 hole period of just stamping “Drinkless” and nothing else on stinger.
pipphil.eu’s “patent” pics have one or two that seem to have a seam too, and others that just have line that looks more like a machining mark. (and those examples are in WAY better shape than mine).

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

That does not look like two pieces to me, it just looks like it was poorly machined. Given the way the draft hole is machined into those it would be nearly impossible to make one in two pieces, it would have interrupted threads and lining everything up would take some pretty tricky math and a highly skilled machinist. I suspect it was just a radial cut made by a poorly aligned cutting tool during manufacturing.

 

[Sobrbiker]

That does not look like two pieces to me, it just looks like it was poorly machined. Given the way the draft hole is machined into those it would be nearly impossible to make one in two pieces, it would have interrupted threads and lining everything up would take some pretty tricky math and a highly skilled machinist. I suspect it was just a radial cut made by a poorly aligned cutting tool during manufacturing.

If two pieces, I was thinking press and crimp but you’re probably correct. The complete lack of two-piece evidence with the multitude of clipped, cut, and ground stingers out there leads me to believe you are.

But the preponderance of pondering is mildly amusing and good distraction from the numbing effect the last 20 days of 110*+ weather has had.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

It's one piece.

 

[peteguy]

I do not believe it is a seam. Just oxidized and worn differently where it was seated in the bushing.

Yup. I have seen some tears in them that look very similar.

Sobrbiker - that looks like a seam!​

 

[peteguy]

Just to be clear. Red looks like a tear and what I thought you were referring too. Yellow looks like JB weld or gunk. Purple is going south fast.