The more you think about it, the more your brain will hurt

[LatakiaLover]

I can't figure out what I'm seeing with regard to this pipe's geometry.

It LOOKS like, somehow, the airway was drilled into the stem AFTER its tenon was cut. Which makes no sense at all.

But if not that, somehow the mortise was cut in a way that left an angled stem face---notice that the end of the shank isn't remotely square to the mortise. (Trying to imagine how that was accomplished will give you a bigger headache than the first possibility.)

[DocAitch]

I’ve had some premolded stems where the airway is not concentric to the outside of the stem and tenon, but I assumed that the airway was at least parallel to the axis of the stem and mortise.
I have also assumed that the tenon was cut by a device like a tenon cutter without the centering pilot.
But what do I know?
DocAitch

[Sasquatch]

#8x24 tap smokes cooler.


Just sayin.

[caskwith]

That's Italians for you.

[oklahoma red]

Are you going to attempt to rectify the issue or put it back together the way you got it?
If you are going to fix it be sure to post pics. Should be interesting.

[LatakiaLover]

I got the owner's go ahead to give the broken-off tenon a slide hammer yank. (It's acrylic & super stuck)

Since the direction of pull will be along the red line, and the (presumed) alignment of the mortise & tenon is the yellow arrow, this should be interesting.

I'm not sayin' that 90% of the time I run into this sort of shit it's on Italian pipes, but... OK, I am. (lazy bastids)

[Sasquatch]

It can't be laziness - manufacturing a pipe that strangely takes real effort.

I've long marvelled at how so many pipes are made with wacky drillings, bizarre mortises, strange angles.... and I wonder "How?" but the answer is, real legit factory-style pipe making equipment allows for some pretty spectacular silliness, in a way that bench-made pipes (focus being a lathe) cannot have. I guess.

[LatakiaLover]

It can't be laziness - manufacturing a pipe that strangely takes real effort.

I've long marvelled at how so many pipes are made with wacky drillings, bizarre mortises, strange angles.... and I wonder "How?" but the answer is, real legit factory-style pipe making equipment allows for some pretty spectacular silliness, in a way that bench-made pipes (focus being a lathe) cannot have. I guess.

Unless the silliness falls into the lathe-made-pipe's realm of screwup possibilities.

In the same stem fix batch as the Becker is a Bang "S" grade multi-thousand-dollar showpiece. Why? Because either Ulf or Per saw fit to give an 80 gram pipe a GROUP 1 SIZED .250" mortise & tenon...

At least I convinced the owner to let me enlarge the mortise and not just send it back into the world to break again the next time someone looks at it with too much eyeball pressure.

[JMG]

It can't be laziness - manufacturing a pipe that strangely takes real effort.

I've long marvelled at how so many pipes are made with wacky drillings, bizarre mortises, strange angles.... and I wonder "How?" but the answer is, real legit factory-style pipe making equipment allows for some pretty spectacular silliness, in a way that bench-made pipes (focus being a lathe) cannot have. I guess.

Unless the silliness falls into the lathe-made-pipe's realm of screwup possibilities.

In the same stem fix batch as the Becker is a Bang "S" grade multi-thousand-dollar showpiece. Why? Because either Ulf or Per saw fit to give an 80 gram pipe a GROUP 1 SIZED .250" mortise & tenon...

At least I convinced the owner to let me enlarge the mortise and not just send it back into the world to break again the next time someone looks at it with too much eyeball pressure.

That eyeball pressure will get you. My mom used to use that every time I did something wrong as a kid.

[oklahoma red]

I got the owner's go ahead to give the broken-off tenon a slide hammer yank. (It's acrylic & super stuck)

Since the direction of pull will be along the red line, and the (presumed) alignment of the mortise & tenon is the yellow arrow, this should be interesting.

I'm not sayin' that 90% of the time I run into this sort of shit it's on Italian pipes, but... OK, I am. (lazy bastids)

Ah so! Hence the tap to get a bite on the bugger to yank it out. I'll cross my fingers that you don't pull the whole shank off!!

[LatakiaLover]

I got the owner's go ahead to give the broken-off tenon a slide hammer yank. (It's acrylic & super stuck)

Since the direction of pull will be along the red line, and the (presumed) alignment of the mortise & tenon is the yellow arrow, this should be interesting.

I'm not sayin' that 90% of the time I run into this sort of shit it's on Italian pipes, but... OK, I am. (lazy bastids)

Ah so! Hence the tap to get a bite on the bugger to yank it out. I'll cross my fingers that you don't pull the whole shank off!!

I pull against a solid plate, so the worst that can happen is the shank merely cracks or explodes.

Also, I had the letter "S" on me brayne when typing because of "S. Bang"... the grade of the pipe is actually "B" (one click below the top)

[LatakiaLover]

OK. It's out & no shank damage.

Except to my mind... because seeing it apart doesn't explain how it GOT that way.

The airway in the body of the stem is straight, level, and aligned. The entry hole into the barrel is also CENTERED in both it and the tenon "base".

The snapped-off tenon's attachment area DOESN'T MATCH the stem's, though --- its hole is NOT centered. WTF?????????

And if that isn't enough crazy, the hole though it is at an angle, exactly how it seemed to be before removal.

Sas, I think we've entered your domain, here: paranormal philosophy

.

[LatakiaLover]

That eyeball pressure will get you. My mom used to use that every time I did something wrong as a kid.

Priceless!

[Sasquatch]

Wow. Yeah, that's what we in the business call "extra fucked". It's why we paranormal philosophers drink so goddam much.

[oklahoma red]

Do you think the tenon was originally an integral part of the stem or a separate piece that was drilled then glued in?

[LatakiaLover]

It looks like integral, but we'll know for sure later tonight when the stem gets drilled for a Delrin replacement.

[caskwith]

Hmmm that is really odd, even if it is a replacement/separate tenon.

[LatakiaLover]

Well, to complete the saga, here are the finished pics. (I still have no idea what was going on with that elbow in the airway)

.

[JMG]

The answer is obvious...the stem was shaped, bent, then drilled.

[Ratimus]

The answer is obvious...the stem was shaped, bent, then drilled.

What's good for the stummel is good for the stem.