pipemakersforum.com

In regards to acrylic and vulcanite who sells the best pre-made stems? and their pricing. I bought some in the past which IMO were very poor quality (especially the vulcanite).

Kola

Tim West @ jhlowe.com or
pipemakers.org (Pipe makers emporium) if you can turn tenons or use delrin

I bought a military vulcanite for PE. It was very thin lowgrade vulcanite and it felt almost like soft plastic. It also had the molded seams which I had to sand and polish off. Are PE's acrylics stems the same way?

I also got a similar stem from a briar kit purchase from one of the well known carvers which looked and felt identical to the PE stem.

I do not mind paying more for a nice quality stem but I surely do not want to waste money on toy material.

Kola

I've used thousands of PME's vulcanite stems and they all come pretty much as you described, I've only had a couple of acrylics from them and they were ready to go push fits.

Quality wise there are a whole range of factors affecting a moulded stem which will have an effect on the end product, mainly to do with the raw material and things being to hot or cold.

If the problem is that you don't have the tools to finish a stem that's a different matter.

David.

The problem with premolds is that they are necessarily made of a material that could be termed "low grade". This is because they need to be at a thinner viscosity at heat to be able to be injected into the mold.

All premolds have seam flashing on them, all premolds need serious modification, and all premolds are of lower quality material.

This is why a lot of full-timers hand cut stems from rod stock. The rod form ebonite is a far superior material. There is no such thing as a "high grade premold stem".

KurtHuhn wrote:There is no such thing as a "high grade premold stem".

Indeed!

If you want to get the best you can get! Get a good rod supplier!

I've had no problems with guidici from jh lowe. Really no problems. Still premolds, and still inferior, but no problems.

Pia Pipes


looks nice