Help with cracked shank?

[Charl]

I tried my first pipe with an inlay of kudu horn (bit of a buggerup), ...



trying to fix this...



when this happened!



Anything I can do about it? Or should I have a barbecue with it?

Also, the epoxy I used doesn't give me the results I want. On the previous 2 inserts I tried, the epoxy didn't hold when I did the facing. Any ideas?

[Alan L]

No joy on the crack, sorry.

Horn and epoxy do not play well together. In fact, very little sticks to horn. I've had the best luck with superglue/cyanoacrylates, especially the ultra-thin ones. Just be sure you stain the wood first, as it will block stains. Or do what I do and put the horn insert on the stem instead, then no worries.

[Frank]

I'm not sure how much shank you have to work with, but you might be able to cut off the cracked piece and replace it with a shank extension.

[Charl]

Thanks Alan, will try the superglue next time.

Frank, the crack is about 10mm, suppose I could put a shank extension in. Bummer, though, . Except for the cracked shank and poor inlaywork, the rest of the pipe is perfect.