Greetings to all and sundry

I picked up this smaller 'Chelsea' straight briar in a clearing sale and have set out to tart it up and use it as it is lovely and light and has a bowl size I can enjoy. However, while I've been able to keep myself busy giving the stem a nice polish, I can't seem to dislodge the thing from the rest of the pipe. The stem section of the briar is fairly narrow, and being a fair count of years old, I'd say a bit on the brittle side too. I've tried gently twisting and all the general approaches, but was wondering if the brains trust had any miracle solutions to releasing a stuck stem? Any type of soak or cleaner that works? Not overly confident in what I can and can't put into a pipe without ruining it.

Many thanks in advance
Tom

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