Broken tenon

[NeverBend]

So this happened....
I don't know how.



Is this something I can easily fix? I found an in-expensive vulcanite stem on the web that matches in shape and size. Are the tenons & mortises a standard size? Would I have to have the tenon turned to fit? This pipe is nothing special other than I liked it. It was an inexpensive pipe at my B & M, I think around $30, so I don't want to invest very much money into it. I know, I could probably just go buy another pipe for the price it might cost to have this one repaired. Being the "I can do it" person I am, I try to handle it myself, especially if I think I might save a little money; that's my justification anyway.

Hi Mark,

Bill (@Emperorzurg) and Matt (@Lostmason) both offer good ways to try and save the pipe. Personally, I never mess with tenons but obviously people do repair them.

Getting the tenon to fit AND stay snug but not tight when it's heated (repeatedly) is the trick. The briar and vulcanite of the stem expand and contract a little differently when heated.

I've seen Bills handiwork and he's certainly far beyond my skill level. Making a screw-in tenon replacement is a good way to go if you have the skill and if you don't get it the first time you can, inexpensively, do it again. As Bill mentions, getting the tenon to ride flush at the join is difficult but if you get the tenon to fit correctly you'll have made the pipe functional again.

Matt's mentioned buying a stem blank that's as large or (slightly) larger than the current one and that's important because you can't shim it if it's too small. Sand evenly and with a very fine grit (at least until you're used to working it). I imagine that the mortise bore is a standard size that and that may mean that you can find a size that needs only to have the flashing removed and polishing it.

Good Luck,

Regards,

Pete