What Would You Do With This Broken Castello

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GlassMan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 13, 2020
105
245
Tempe
Hey all. Been MIA for a long while. Very busy with work. Was never a big poster, but an avid smoker. On family vacation with like a million in laws. Absolutely horrible day. Went out front to enjoy a bowl and some quiet before bed. Looked up at the stars. Newest pipe (castello 55) slipped out of my clench and landed on concrete. Dented the bowl, broke the stem off at the tenon. Great way to end a shit day. What would you do if it was your pipe? This will be my first repair. Super sad. 3D90816F-E8EA-4EE2-8E72-94E4946D7B1D.jpeg
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,250
108,355
$100 for a replacement stem.

Pipa Castello Via Fossano 44 /22063 Cantu Italy


Tenon replacement $26.

 
Aug 1, 2012
4,587
5,131
Hey all. Been MIA for a long while. Very busy with work. Was never a big poster, but an avid smoker. On family vacation with like a million in laws. Absolutely horrible day. Went out front to enjoy a bowl and some quiet before bed. Looked up at the stars. Newest pipe (castello 55) slipped out of my clench and landed on concrete. Dented the bowl, broke the stem off at the tenon. Great way to end a shit day. What would you do if it was your pipe? This will be my first repair. Super sad. View attachment 90225
Hard luck there. If I was joking I would say it's dead...send it to me and I'll struggle through and get 'er running right with a new tenon. Otherwise, I'd say embers has as close to a good answer as you might get.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Sorry this happened, especially as 55s aren't inexpensive, and yours is probably one of your cherished pipes.
 

Bluemonter

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 29, 2021
161
456
I'd go with the least expensive option first.... Insert a drill bit slightly smaller then the tenon and wiggle it out from the shank. Maybe even a 1/4" flat head screwdriver, to ease or spin it out......gently.
Apply crazy glue to the stem and tenon.

When in doubt, Mac Gyver it out...
(as long as you don't create more damage?)
 

BrokenRecord

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 26, 2020
192
659
PNW, US
I would probably shed a tear. After the anger and sadness wore off, I would send it to a repairman for a replacement tenon. We had one member here send in a Castello to the factory for a stem replacement and it was no where near perfection.
 
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georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
I'd go with the least expensive option first.... Insert a drill bit slightly smaller then the tenon and wiggle it out from the shank. Maybe even a 1/4" flat head screwdriver, to ease or spin it out......gently.
Apply crazy glue to the stem and tenon.

When in doubt, Mac Gyver it out...
(as long as you don't create more damage?)

Absolutely not a good solution NOR a proper way to go about solving any problem of a similar kind. (Because damage only becomes known after the fact, and there's no rewind button.)

--------

Regarding the new tenon or new stem question, neither solution is simple. A new stem because making stems for existing stummels is MUCH more labor intensive than making them originally, and jacking the stummel in the process is not uncommon (again, there is no rewind button). Even the original makers have trouble with this. I've seen Castello (as well as others) put out some embarassingly bad repairs over the years.

Replacing tenons is straightforward in concept, but fiendishly difficult to do well. Sloppy work is more common than good work, by far. "Functional repair" is usually the standard, not "invisible" repair.

Prime Castellos fall into the zone between tobacco access device and valuable collectable, so the direction to take in this case isn't clear. If you just want to smoke the pipe again and don't care how it LOOKS, that's one thing; if returning it to original form/condition is a requirement, shop around carefully.
 
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