Will Italian Makers Ever Switch Back to Ebonite/Vulcanite Stems?

[briarblues]

Some makers consider the life of the mouthpiece, chewing through for example. Remember there is a hole inside the mouthpiece! The thinner the mouthpiece the less material over the hole. All makers are different with their selection of drill diameters, some use several different sizes. Depending how they want their draw to be. An open draw, bigger hole, calls for a thicker mouthpiece or a risk of eventual bite through or teeth marks on a very thin mouthpiece with the inner larger diameter. Not every maker takes this into consideration. Some just want a thin mouthpiece and do not consider the draw or the life of the mouthpiece, others, the draw and life are everything.

But, But, But ....... IF a stems air passage is an oval ( wider than tall ) you may achieve a very open draw without additional stem thickness ......

 

[Chasing Embers]

But, But, But ....... IF a stems air passage is an oval ( wider than tall ) you may achieve a very open draw without additional stem thickness ......

Or do a twin bore.

 

[Briarcutter]

But, But, But ....... IF a stems air passage is an oval ( wider than tall ) you may achieve a very open draw without additional stem thickness ......

Those are the folks that care about draw I was referring to. there's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Sig]

I much prefer Vulcanite to Acrylic.
But, if a pipe I like has Acrylic, I deal with it.
One reason I like older pipes....is they usually are made of Vulanite and are cut well.
Kind of the best of both worlds is my one pipe with a Delrin stem. It does not shine like Vulcanite/Ebonite, but it's comfortable and TOUGH.
It was made by Jan de Toit of Pietenpauw Pipes and was the first pipe he ever sold. I got it on ebay for $24 delivered to NY from South Africa.
It's a tiny pipe, with a horrible blast and a Delrin stem.....he was experimenting a bit.