Have a dilemma and figured I would throw it at the brain trust. Please note that I am not bashing the vendor here, it’s a genuine question as I know many of you have stems from this vendor.
I ordered three Foreverstems for Country Gent pipes. They arrived, beautiful. But they don’t fit. I even split the shank on one pipe being too forceful. Note that I have Foreverstems from Walker that fit flawlessly, no problems.
I emailed the vendor, who was quick to respond. He offered two solutions. First, he suggested that as pipe is smoked the wood shank loosens and that will help the stem to fit. Not an issue here as the pipes in question are between 5-7 years old and have been smoked throughout that time. Second suggestion was to insert a wet cotton ball into the shank, thereby encouraging the wood to flex or expand so the stem would fit. I am trying this as I type.
My question is: is this normal? Have any of you experienced this with Vermont Freehand stems and, if so, what did you do? Again, the Walker Foreverstems fit instantly with no issues so I’m wondering what the problem is here. Also wondering why not make the stems to fit out of the box, as Walker obviously had this part figured out.
Thoughts and suggestions from the peanut gallery, I mean, braintrust?
I ordered three Foreverstems for Country Gent pipes. They arrived, beautiful. But they don’t fit. I even split the shank on one pipe being too forceful. Note that I have Foreverstems from Walker that fit flawlessly, no problems.
I emailed the vendor, who was quick to respond. He offered two solutions. First, he suggested that as pipe is smoked the wood shank loosens and that will help the stem to fit. Not an issue here as the pipes in question are between 5-7 years old and have been smoked throughout that time. Second suggestion was to insert a wet cotton ball into the shank, thereby encouraging the wood to flex or expand so the stem would fit. I am trying this as I type.
My question is: is this normal? Have any of you experienced this with Vermont Freehand stems and, if so, what did you do? Again, the Walker Foreverstems fit instantly with no issues so I’m wondering what the problem is here. Also wondering why not make the stems to fit out of the box, as Walker obviously had this part figured out.
Thoughts and suggestions from the peanut gallery, I mean, braintrust?