churchwarden stems

becometheunknown · Post by **becometheunknown** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:11 pm

I've never made a churchwarden pipe before, but have always wanted to. However, the only stems I can find for sale are 8 inches long, and the idea in my head is for a pipe with a 12 or 14" long stem. Anybody have one or two of these they'd be willing to sell (I haven't got anything to trade), or know where I could get one?

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:42 pm

Something like that is going to be *very* difficult to come by. Molded stems that long just don't exist - I think Giudici is the only one making them still, and they only make 9-inch stems.

Making one would be possible, but incredbly difficult given the length. First you'd need a drill bit that long, then someplace to drill the rod stock. Keeping the stock straight and stable over 12" while simultaneously generating heat from drilling would be an interesting venture.

Not that I'm not saying it's not worth it, if it's what you want, but just be aware that you may have to pay dearly for one.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:24 pm

The first thing you might want to consider is the longest available pipe cleaner. It's difficult to drill long stems, but the length of available drill bits isn't such a problem. Because long bits tend to wander and because long pieces of stem material aren't usually perfectly straight, chucking a 12" piece of rubber isn't likely to a hole that is centered on both ends. What I wound up doing was starting the hole on both ends, then chucking the bit in the lathe and holding the stock and drilling a 1/16" hole from one end, then the other, meeting more or less in the middle. Then, I enlarged the hole from the tenon end with tapered bits, which cleaned up the meeting point of the two holes. Handholding the stock, I was able to guide the 1/16" bit so that it stayed mostly in the center.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:32 pm

You could always work REAL hard and make the pipe in 2 parts and epoxy them together with a tenon/mortise system. I saw a pipe like this recently on the internet. It was a shank though (it was 16" long, or there abouts).

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:44 am

bscofield wrote:You could always work REAL hard and make the pipe in 2 parts and epoxy them together with a tenon/mortise system. I saw a pipe like this recently on the internet. It was a shank though (it was 16" long, or there abouts).

Heh, heh, why only two? You could do six, or eight, or ten, and use alternating materials for a zebra or even a coral snake effect. That's not a bad idea, though.