Band a cracked shank or replace with bamboo??

Inca · Post by **Inca** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:38 am

Hello Everyone,
I have been lingering on this site for a while and have been very greateful for all the information that has been gathered here to help all of us starting pipe makers get the right info for our hobby.
Now to the point, I have recently bought a W.O. Larson Pipe off of ebay and it has a cracked shank on it. I say that its probably 1/2" from tip of shank towards the bowl. Now I have been thinking about either banding the shank or cutting it off at the end of the crack and replacing it with bamboo.
I'm thinking that banding it would be the easiest way out, but what is the proper method of banding? Do I close the shank as it was and measure it with a pair of calipers then take and bore a piece of metal of my choice to the proper diameter of the outside of the shank then epoxy it on? What I dont get is that when you band it I know that it reinforces the shank and the crack wont spread, but wont the crack still be visible??
Now on the bamboo, its pretty much explained in great detail by Tyler lane how to go about that procedure. It just seems that if I dont get a bamboo of the proper diameter, I will have to sand the shank to the appropriate diameter to match the bamboo and also carve a new stem to match the bamboo, perhaps I can carve the factory stem to match.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:31 pm

Good questions. I've no answer, but some one should.

WBill · Post by **WBill** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:47 pm

My son bought a nice Stanwell off ebay for $15.00 because the shank had a small crack in it. He then brought it to me to repair for him.

What I did was to turn a piece of 6061 aluminum to fit in the shank long enough to reach the end of the crack. I turned the other end of the rod, which was about 1/2 inch long which stuck out of the shank, a little smaller in diameter than the shank and put a wood extension on it. The rod with the wood on it is now the mortise for the stem. I glued the rod in the end of the shank and clamped it over night. The crack can't be seen and the pipe has a nice extension on it now.

Bill