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ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,746
12,180
Maryland
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Thats too bad, a great blast for sure. It didn't look too bad here, but you can't unring that bell. Do those Vernon fitment stems stay tight over time? I've never seen one in person.

IMG_2400.png
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,980
50,073
Minnesota USA
Thats too bad, a great blast for sure. It didn't look too bad here, but you can't unring that bell. Do those Vernon fitment stems stay tight over time? I've never seen one in person.

View attachment 319951
I had to clean out the end of the “mortise” on the stem. There was some leftover goo in there. Once it was clean, the stem snapped smartly into place. No leaks as far as I could tell.

Cutting back the face of the stem shoulder would clean it up. However in this case you’d be ruining the alignment of the mechanism. A cutter with a pilot (like how a rifle barrel is counterbored) would work, and then material could be glued to the new face to make up for what was lost. A disc could be cut and aligned using pilot. Or, a threaded metal insert could be inserted into the stem. Such an arrangement could be adjusted so the prongs of the tenon mate up just right.

I don’t have full machine shop, nor the time and patience to accomplish such a feat…

As for the bowl/chamber, cementing and reshaping the inside of the chamber so that it would smoke well would be an option. I’ve done that to number pipes. But your fine work to make the thing useable devalues the piece significantly.

Now if you could get something on the cheap, it’s not really an issue. The Comoy’s 430 I recently did is a good example. A $40 pipe made into a very good smoker. But it’s not original, and drives the retail price way down.

I think I’ll smoke the Comoy’s today… I’ve given it a break for a week or so to dry out. Waterglass is pretty durable, but exposure to heat, moisture and smoking in a short period of time will cause it to degrade.
 
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craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,980
50,073
Minnesota USA
Bummer. A lot of pipes meet their end with a reamer.
A lot of people seem to feel the need to constantly ream their pipes.

There is a technique and some finesse to the process, along with common sense that just doesn’t register with some.

Most reamers have a bullnose bit. That ruins any tapered chamber, and the draft hole migrates to the rear of the chamber wall, leaving a soggy, smoldering pile of tobacco at the front of the chamber.
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,980
50,073
Minnesota USA
Well I figured I’d buy the thing just to see if it was something I would want to keep. I’ve been down this road before.

Over the years I’ve sent a number of pipes back due to condition issues where the price of the pipe wasn’t necessarily commensurate (In my opinion) with the condition. As long as the seller is straight up it’s not a big deal.
 
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