Ep22 - How to repair vulcanite stems using heat 

Thanks, man, fixed one of my back-ups that had a couple holes in it!

THANKYOU!! I bought a couple of cheapies from ebay and during sterilising and cleaning after Id got them I thought I'd ruined them! I removed the stems and left them in a mug of hot water, Ive done this before with no ill effects but I got sidetracked and they were in there about 5 minutes.... when I removed them theyd both gone a kind of tan brown colour instead of the original black. Tried fine grit and buffing out with autosol and various car polishes but had no luck. Then tried this heat method over a larger candle and it worked a treat! Back to black :)

I have some longer stems that are slightly crooked from use and thought they'd have to stay that way. However now you've given me an idea of how to reshape them. As for my other oxidized stems I used some very fine sandpaper to smooth the oxidized areas that were rough. Once I got through that initial oxidized layer the underlying material was hard and the sandpaper stopped making progress and left a smooth surface. Afterwards I coated the stem with wax and they look great. Alternatively I could have polished them to a gloss before oiling/waxing them. However after watching this video I'm going to try this method first before the above procedure. Thanks for the video.

Ooh, that is a brave move. Here i learn something new. Thank you. Greetings,, Kitty.

Very interesting. I restore vintage fountain pens and many from the 1920s and earlier were made from hard rubber. Decades ago repairers used alcohol lamps for repairs. We now use hair dryers or heat guns. My heat gun is made specifically for pen repair and has adjustable settings. I have seen a similar method to yours to remove chew marks on pen barrels. Perhaps a hair dryer or heat gun will give a little more control with your method. Good luck and please keep sharing the results of your experiments.

Yes mate. Did it live with you on my new estate Barling Meerschaum. Teeth marks 50-70% gone. Needs 400-600 grit but good. Cheers.

real science, I love it!

Great job! A softer cloth is preferable. A shammy perhaps... Shammy cloth can be made from a variety of materials, including: Cotton: A cotton product that is a Northeastern classic Chamois leather: A porous leather traditionally made from the skin of the chamois, a type of European mountain goat. Today, it is most commonly made from sheep, goats, or deer hide. Chamois leather is soft, absorbent, and non-abrasive. Synthetic: A widely used chamois cloth that is super soft, absorbs quickly, and won't scratch sensitive surfaces Viscose rayon: A commercial grade, 100% non-woven material Shammy cloth has a smooth suede finish and is known for its absorbency.

Also heard you can put it in Bleach and it will pull the oxidation out. Just cant leave it in there to long . Love this video thank you for sharing this awesome technique! Love your channel!!

Thank you for this information. I have pipes that I have owned for over 50 years and none are that oxidized! Could that pipe have been in sunlight for a long period of time?

Thank you for sharing. Be well.

Thanks a lot

very interesting I must give that a try on a stem I have

Have exactly the same problem with an old Peterson Meerschaum with a nearly identical stem...had not heard of the application of heat but glad you noticed that there is several hundred degree difference between an "open flame," e.g., candle, and a butane flame. So, danca for the insight.

Thanx man but U either use a dying candil or a jet engine ? Is their something in between ?🤣🤣🤣🤣

In this video you enter into a realm I have not yet explored. It was so interesting to watch your efforts. It seems the torch lighter was a bit too strong, while the candle was under powered. Steve Laug on "Rebornpipes" talks about "painting" stems with flame. I think he uses normal Bic disposable lighters with soft fame. Perhaps a soft fame lighter adjusted for a high flame might be the middle ground you need. Of course, it is easy for me to speculate when you are using your pipe stems to test restoration methods. ;-)

Is it possible to repair a pipe on which the stem has snapped off, leaving the tip of the stem inside the arm to the bowl? A drill perhaps? A new insert through which smoke transfers? Great channel. Thank you. I've subscribed.

Will this method work on Lucite and Acrylic Stems too?

That's a Falcon pipe I've got the exact same pipe but my stem is broken. The remaining tenon is stuck in the stem housing, the bowl is ok just needs a new mouthpiece or I could turn a Aluminium drilled tenon and scew glued to the original stem to make it functional.

Did you try a Zippo pipe lighter rather than the mini flame thrower? That would be a less aggressive heat.

After heat setting fountain pen nibs that burnt rubber smell is just how hot ebonite smells

This is a very interesting method that I have never heard nor used before. Only heated stems for shaping them so far. Would have loved to see more on how it works on the bite marks as this a thing I still struggle very much with especially the really deep ones as you just cannot simply sand/polish it off. For ebonite stems I tend to use a chloride cleaner (Danklorix here in Germany, guess you will have something similar) in an ultra sonic cleaner. This gets off 99% of the sulphur as well as the residue within the stem. The remaining yellow stain are fairly easily cleaned with a magic eraser. The slightly rough stem I then polish at the machine to smooth it back up and we are pretty much done. This is also the most friendly method I know if you want to keep pipe marks intact though it does not always work...

A heat gun do you think will work the same?

Regarding your episode on fixing dents and dings with steam, do you think using an iron to steam the dents out would damage or lighten the finish/stain?

Why you don't use wet sand paper ? It's much more easier ....👍

I have an old Zulu shape pipe, the briar is flawless, but the stem is canted to one side and it drives me nuts! Would you recommend this method for straightening that stem?

I can confirm that heat removes teeth chatter. I have heard about using heat to “reset“ a stem. Never tried it, very interesting to watch you go through it. My only concern is using an open flame. I prefer to use a heat gun, because there is less of a chance to burn the rubber/ebonite

Would a heat gun work? It would lessen the risk of burning the vulcanite, but might not be hot enough to do any good. Hmm

Thank You for sharing much appreciated, now, how would you think if the old well known endless sanding using micromesh pads and sanding paper is better and safer option,? but based on my experience if oxidation /tooth marks are deep You're gonna take stem material out quite a bit if opting for sanding, Best Grets, Paul

I get that you’re essentially just burning off the oxidation but wouldn’t it make more sense to just use a buffing wheel and compound to that without risk of ruining the bit?…

don't use a cigar torch lighter use a regular Flame

Try with ash as abrasive over the palm of your hand and water. No filing, no heat. And those teeth marks, no one sees them.

Duh....

put the stem in ice water afterwords