Replacing a pipe stem

     This is a Wally Frank pipe that belonged to my uncle. I got it without a stem (or maybe I lost it.....) I had another pipe that also needed a stem, so I decided I should learn how to replace pipe stems rather then send them out for repair, which would have been the smart thing to do. 

     It ends up, you don't just order a new stem and slap it on; they have to be fitted to the pipe using a lathe, or a "pipe stem tenon turner". I happen to have a small Taig metal lathe which I got a few years ago for another project/obsession (after woodworking and before ceramics in the hobby timeline). With the help of Woody and Sasquatch from the Pipe Smokers Forum (a very nice and helpful group of folks), I got enough encouragement and advice to proceed.

     If you own a lathe, you probably know much more than I do. The first stem I tried went flying across the room, from the dining room table to the living room where my wife was sitting (I was not using a dead center and had the lathe running too fast). Remember safety first! I can't tell you not to try this at home, especially if you don't know what your doing, because that what I did, but if you hurt yourself I told you so!

Don't let this happen to you! I wasn't using that part of brain anyway, but you might!

Wally Frank pipe with the replacement stem blank. The first pencil mark (hard to see) is the end/beginning point for the new tenon, the second pencil mark is where the new shoulder will begin and the last mark is where the headstock jaws will grip the bit. 

I got the stem blanks from Tim West (owner of J. H. Lowe & Co.). Tim was very helpful on the phone and helped me pick the correct blanks, offered some advice on turning and fitting the stems, and even threw in a few old stems for me to practice on. I assumed that I didn't need to practice, but after the first good stem flew across the house and broke, I chucked up one of the practice stems Tim astutely sent. I needed two stems, but ordered three figuring there would be some mishaps along the way (I thank Woody for suggesting that I order extras).

The stem blanks are fairly smooth but have some mold lines that need to be sanded off.

I used a 3-jaw self-centering chuck to grip the bit end. The taper on the stem did not provide enough surface area for the jaws so I ended up wrapping some electrical tape on the bit end. This was not ideal, Woody and Sasquatch offered some better solutions to chucking up stems (my cat chucks of stems sometimes too) which I will try next time...

To get the new bit positioned I placed a drill bit in the tailstock chuck that had the same diameter as the airway, the tenon end could then be inserted onto the bit and held parallel to the lathe bed in the correct and advanced into the 3-jaw chuck.

Drill bit in tailstock chuck to align stem.

Getting ready to place the stem blank into the 3-jaw chuck of the headstock.

Drill bit used for alignment is removed after chucking the stem and replaced with a dead center on the tenon end.

Turning the stem shoulder.

Getting ready 'part' the stem.

First fitting of the stem, note that I misaligned the stem in the chuck so that the center line of the bit is below the center of the pipe shank.

At this point there was much filing and sanding to finish shaping the bit. This including trying to re-taper the bottom of the stem shoulder to match the top (had I properly centered the bit in the lathe it would have remained symmetric). After getting a rough fit I lightly sanded the pipe shank to make a smooth transition with the stem and finally gave the whole pipe a light sanding. I didn't get a picture, but sanding the pipe shank removed some of the wood stain so it was now time for a dye job.

Evidently leather dyes are the "recommend" pipe stains. One of my dogs who shall remain nameless to protect his identity (Jake) had chewed a bit off one of my shoes. Being cheap, and believing things should be fixed not trashed, I took the mauled shoe to our local cobbler. "let the cobbler stick to his last" hey, I should follow that advice. Actually I the shoe took it there over a year ago and have been feeling guilty about not picking it up; I'm glad he still had it. The urgent need for leather dye was the catalyst for geting back to the shop, thanks Jake! just don't chew anymore shoes! The repair and the leather dye were about the same price for a total of 10 and change.

Leather dye and repaired shoe (The repair was on the area where the "tongue" meets the opening).

The dye comes with a dauber, I just spread the dye around and wiped it off with a paper towel.

After applying the dye and giving it some time to dry I applied a coat of carnauba wax, All done! OK, the fit is not perfect and there are some slight asymmetries to the stem, but it was my first attempt...

Finished stem and pipe sitting next to the broken stem termed missile.

The second pipe I fitted a stem to is a Comoy's Guildhall Modern 603. There were some issues when bending the stem, I think I got it too hot and bubbled some of the vulcanite.... if you look at the bend you can see some pitting, hopefully it will sand out.

Guildhall Modern 603 by Comoy's, note the pitting at the bend.