New Calabash, Super Loose Stem. Please Help!!

[tleek]

Hey guys, I have been away for a little while because I have been busy with other things, but i have kept those pipes smoking, got rid of a few to make room for more, including my most recent acquisition, a gourd calabash my b and m had been holding for me. It seems pretty old, but never smoked. It has a yellow stem, possibly amber, but probably some sort of plastic meant to look like amber.

Anyway, I was super excited to get it but brought it home to realize it has a pretty loose stem. It has fittings similar to a meerschaum, but rather than teflon they are metal. I figured i smoke a bowl to see if it would help, but now it is a lot worse. It barely even stay in.

Needless to say i am pretty upset and hope i can fix it.

Can anyone please help.

I'd post pictures but I don't have a camera.

 

[dshpipes]

Hmm... If it's acrylic, you might be able to gently expand the tenon by heating it up then inserting a small tapered drill bit into it. This works wonders with vulcanite, but I've never done it with acrylic. My understanding is that it should work just as well.

Anyone with more knowledge care to chime in?

 

[DoverPipes]

Beeswax.......

 

[TheSmokeamater]

Sounds as though it may be beyond the beeswax remedy... If your budget allows, send it to Walker Briar Works. Otherwise follow UberHuberMan's advice IF it is acrylic.

I am a little unclear however as to your stem attachment set up. You say the fittings are metal. Is this metal a screw-in fitting married to the amber/plastic material? If so, I am inclined to believe you have an amber stem. If it is a screw in fitting, in what way is it loose?

 

[tleek]

Sounds as though it may be beyond the beeswax remedy... If your budget allows, send it to Walker Briar Works. Otherwise follow UberHuberMan's advice IF it is acrylic.

I am a little unclear however as to your stem attachment set up. You say the fittings are metal. Is this metal a screw-in fitting married to the amber/plastic material? If so, I am inclined to believe you have an amber stem. If it is a screw in fitting, in what way is it loose?

Ya it is a metal screw in fitting similar to that in meerschaum pipes. the two metal pieces wont join together, the stem just slips right out.
Ya it may be amber, it is yellow orangeish, and it feels nothing like vulcanite in the mouth, and a kind of like lucite but not as hard, unless thats just in my head.

Yeah, i dont really have a large budget, but i just went ahead and made the drive back to the shop today to show the tobacconist, and he said he can most likely fix it, and if he cant hell install a new stem for me. I dont think he is going to charge me, because I only smoked about half a bowl in it before it became so loose.

I get to pick the pipe back up tuesday when i go to the shop for our monthly pipe club meeting.

thanks guys, i was so flustered about it yesterday i didn't realize i should probably leave it to a professional.

What i did get to smoke in it smoked great, nice and cool. hopefully it gets fixed up real nice.

 

[TheSmokeamater]

What i did get to smoke in it smoked great, nice and cool. hopefully it gets fixed up real nice.

If he replaces the stem make sure to get the original one back. You never know if you could use it on something else some day, or if anything else, it just seems a shame to divorce the original stem from the pipe forever.

I hope it gives you many enjoyable smokes through the years.

--Rich

 

[tleek]

Well I got the pipe back a while ago and it is awesome, he fixed the stem perfectly some how. Since it has such a large open area, it seems a little harder to draw the flame down when lighting, but it smokes great. Totally different than a briar or a meer in my opinion.

 

[TheSmokeamater]

Well I got the pipe back a while ago and it is awesome, he fixed the stem perfectly some how. Since it has such a large open area, it seems a little harder to draw the flame down when lighting, but it smokes great. Totally different than a briar or a meer in my opinion.

Hi tleek,

Glad to hear the calabash is up and running :cheers:

I have always wanted to try a smoke from one, but honestly the look does not appeal to me at all.

Many happy smokes.

---Rich