Wood Expert needed

[maxpeters]

Any wood experts out there? I have a little Radice bulldog that I bought from Barry Levin about 20 years ago.

He used to send out packs of 4x6 photos of pipes he had to sell, and I saw this pipe in one of the photos and ordered it from him.

When it arrived I was curious about what the stem might be made from. I called Barry and asked him. He told me that he had the same question when he recieved the pipe, so he called Radice and asked. They told him they weren't sure, but that they had cut it from a bush that was growing in front of their house.

He asked if I wanted to return it, but I said no. I would keep it.
I have always wondered if Barry was just pulling my leg or not. It has recently developed a crack in the stem. If and when I have to replace it, I would like to get it replaced with the same kind of wood if possible. I just don't know what kind it is.

Any one out there have any idea?

 

[hobojoe]

A branch off of a Rose bush or rose bush tree. Just the way the stem pattern.

Dry heat might have caused the cracking.

Could be just remembering playing backyard football and encounters with rose bushes.

Joe2shoes

 

[pipeinhand]

Maybe Holly as white as it is.
Before you chuck it, get a piece of white hardwood, Poplar or Holly, and take a 200 grit sandpaper to it. Collect all the shaving and mix it with Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue. It is non toxic and will sand nice. Make sure you make a paste with as much sandings as the glue will take and still be moist enough to work into the crack. This glue has a long standing time so you should be able to work it in with a needle head fairly well. Let it sit for 2 days. Sands the entire thing with 600 grit, then darken it with strong tea. You will still see the crack but, you get to keep the original wood and have some fun making it smokeable again.
If that doesn't work, you can get a new stem turned from someone in Holly or waxwood, which starts out white but ages nicely.
My 2p. ::

 

[pentangle]

To my opinion a full lucite stem will give better look and a teflon/delrin tenon will ensure total safe to the shank

Maurizio

 

[ejames]

Why not have it banded?

 

[pentangle]

a band on a stem? Better change the stem with a new one with or without wood insert

 

[kf5eqv]

I don't think it's a rose. It looks like it had thorns alright, but the pattern is much to uniform for rose thorns.
Maybe Blackthorn?

 

[winton]

I am doubtful on the holly. The numerous pin knots are different than the holly I have used. No idea beyond what others have said. I like the idea of using sawdust. A turner would push the dust in the crack, coat with super glue, sand and then repeat if necessary.
Winton

 

[pawpaw]

i am thinking that may be crepe myrtle

 

[mluyckx]

Interesting question !
No crepe myrtles in southern Europe though, so that's out.
Common bushes used in Europe for landscaping or hedgerows are hawthorn, barberry or even gooseberry bushes. Other common thorny bushes there would be acacia and there's a lemon tree/bush that has thorns. If they just cut it off from something growing near by, I'm almost leaning towards Hawthorn
Have you considered contacting radice directly and sending it over there if you want a similar stem ? They might be able to do it.

 

[ohin3]

It's a beautiful stem but I wouldn't bother with taking super glue or any such chemical to it in order to save it. I agree with Mick. I would contact Radice and ask them to give you a price for putting a similar stem on it or replacing it with a stem of your material choice.

 

[acme]

I am not at all certain, but it might be Yew.

Yew can have that frequency of small knots like that. It also tends towards those oranges and the lighter shades of sapwood. It can be prone to cracking over time because of heat and moisture. It is a frequently used as an ornamental bush.

The only thing that really casts doubt for me is the reddish color. I don't think that I have seen that before inn Yew.
anthony

 

[ace57]

That is a neat looking pipe. Wish I could help but all I know about wood is they make nice houses and tooth pics out of it and it works good in camp fires.

 

[mluyckx]

Anthony

Might indeed be. My mom has a hedge in her yard made of yew (aka taxus as we call it) i'venever seen the wood of those bushes, so can't comment.

 

[maxpeters]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this pipe yet. I would like to keep the same stem because of the nomenclature on the bottom, and the Radice logo on the top.

I haven't contacted Radice yet. That's an option. I thought that maybe a U.S. repairman might be able to either repair it, or replace it if I knew what kind of wood it was.

I really hesitate sending it to Italy due to the reputation Italy's postal sevice has for "loosing" things. I'll have to figure out something soon though. This crack is getting worse everytime I smoke it, so for now it is going to be put aside.

 

[mluyckx]

Max, use UPS. It's what the reputable stores in Italy use as well. More expensive, but guaranteed arrival. Better than DHL. FedEx is not a good option in most of Europe. In Italy UPS partners with Planet Courrier. Works great. But I do understand. International shipments are always a bit more risky for damage / lost package.

 

[dimm]

I can definitely understand this. I have wood gathered over the years that I still use from time to time but I wouldn't remember what half of them are for the life of me. And in the end it's not really that important. If you can't get this pipe fixed by the manufacturer the woodglue+sawdust is a classic woodworking trick that is sure to work. Your basic yellow carpenter's glue is water based so I would suggest this over superglue or epoxy anyday. You can also get a waterproof wood glue like pipeinhand suggested. The upside is that moisture from the smoke won't degrade the paste over time. Good luck!

 

[acme]

Boy, I think I would avoid filling if there were a way around it.
I would guess that the joint at the crack has a tenon made of something unforgiving underneath it. The wood has shrunk and the tenon has not - that is what caused the crack.
If you can get that joint apart, then you can do a repair that will look good.
Once seperated, Dimm is correct about using yellow glue, I think. Put some glue in and squeeze the crack shut. Then you remove material from ther inside of the mortice in the wood, or material from the outside of the tenon, such that the joint can go back together without stress. Then you re-assemble with epoxy.
That will leave you with the task of smoothing a step between the wood and whatever that black ring is made out of. From the look of it, the shank has some variations in it anyway, so if you were careful not to touch the briar, and clean up the step only by removing material from the ring and cracked wood, you could probably make it look adequate.
That leaves you only with the problem of putting the finish back on. You will probably never be able to make that perfect, but every other solution, replacing the wood, filling, or repair is still going to run into that as a problem. The finish might fade in somewhat over time.
anthony