Importance of making pipes with the repairman in mind

[Tyler]

With George gone (I miss the troublemaker!), we don't have a repairman' regular participation. One thing George regularly did was point out things on pipes that cause a repairman grief later. Scottie's comment on a recent thread of a button being too thin to last later buffing a reminded me of that.

What are your thoughts on the repairman as you design and make pipes?

[Sasquatch]

Well you hear guys freak out if you drill an angled airway and then cap it in some way that would preclude using a straight drill later on to clear it, but to me, we're beyond the days of road-crew-chief-who-smokes-all-day-and-never-cleans-his-pipe. I mean, any ordinary care and the airway would never block up.

[Ocelot55]

Well you hear guys freak out if you drill an angled airway and then cap it in some way that would preclude using a straight drill later on to clear it, but to me, we're beyond the days of road-crew-chief-who-smokes-all-day-and-never-cleans-his-pipe. I mean, any ordinary care and the airway would never block up.

I think you'd be surprised. I've seen some artisan pipes come in to Smoker's Haven that were produced within the last 5 years that looked like they had been ridden hard and put up wet more than once, burnt to hell, caked up, and full of tar. I do try to keep longevity in mind when I make a pipe.

[sandahlpipe]

With George gone (I miss the troublemaker!), we don't have a repairman' regular participation. One thing George regularly did was point out things on pipes that cause a repairman grief later. Scottie's comment on a recent thread of a button being too thin to last later buffing a reminded me of that.

What are your thoughts on the repairman as you design and make pipes?

I think I need to start making my buttons bigger. other than that, I think I may line pencil shanks with SS tubing, but Scottie already has that market cornered.

[scotties22]

With George gone (I miss the troublemaker!), we don't have a repairman' regular participation. One thing George regularly did was point out things on pipes that cause a repairman grief later. Scottie's comment on a recent thread of a button being too thin to last later buffing a reminded me of that.

What are your thoughts on the repairman as you design and make pipes?

I think I need to start making my buttons bigger. other than that, I think I may line pencil shanks with SS tubing, but Scottie already has that market cornered.

Go jump in a lake

[scotties22]

This is where I think I have an advantage (that I take constant advantage of). Every time I see George at a meeting or talk to him on the phone we talk about repair work more than pipe making. And just to give credit where it is due the ss lined pencil shanks were actually his idea.

For the most part my stems are made to his specifications and I think it has served me well. Some of my finishing techniques are from him as well. He (or all repairmen) see on a daily basis what doesn't work/hold-up over time.

For the first year I knew George I asked all kinds of crazy questions about what he saw in his shop every day and how I could prevent some of those things. He would also point out things that I needed to change so my pipes won't ever end up on his bench........hopefully

I don't constantly think about the "repairman down the road" any more, but he did have a huge part in shaping me into the pipemaker that I am.

[wdteipen]

At the last Midwest Meetup at Smoker's Haven, George brought up that the notch that we put in the mortise on bents over time creates a "keyhole" in the tenon that can lock the stem in place and cause problems down the road. Problem is that not doing so severely limits design.

[Sasquatch]

I wonder if this would be the case with delrin? About 80% of my pipes are notched severely.

[Nate]

At the last Midwest Meetup at Smoker's Haven, George brought up that the notch that we put in the mortise on bents over time creates a "keyhole" in the tenon that can lock the stem in place and cause problems down the road. Problem is that not doing so severely limits design.

I'm not certain, but I think that only is an issue if the tenon actually comes into contact with the mortise floor. If proper gap is left I think that's no longer an issue. I could be remembering incorrectly however.

[Ocelot55]

I wonder if this would be the case with delrin? About 80% of my pipes are notched severely.

I asked George the same question. If memory serves correctly, I believe he said the use of delrin would, if not eliminate the issue, mitigate it to a great extent.

[JMG]

What "notch" are you guys talking about? Also, what is the proper gap between mortise floor and tenon?

[Nate]

What "notch" are you guys talking about? Also, what is the proper gap between mortise floor and tenon?

When you have a bent pipe, in order to drill some you have to 'notch' the airway as it is not on center. You want to leave a gap between the end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise for expansion/contraction.

[JMG]

Sorry, I'm a dummy...is the notch the divot left at the end of the mortise left by the drill bit because it was angled so much?

How much gap should there be between the mortise floor and tenon?

[jogilli]

What "notch" are you guys talking about? Also, what is the proper gap between mortise floor and tenon?

When you have a bent pipe, in order to drill some you have to 'notch' the airway as it is not on center. You want to leave a gap between the end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise for expansion/contraction.

I always find this comment interesting Nate... and although I always leave a ~1mm gap, that JT Cooke Video out there states just the opposite... flush and resting on the bottom.. no gap equals no nasty gooey buildup of tars.....always made me wonder why we as makers get our panties all tied in knots sometimes when younger makers do it something against the self established norm of our current understanding.. but not when the established guys (gals) do it... I've seen a lot of high grade artisan pipes that would be ripped to shreds by some of the folks on the forum.. anyway.. happy Columbus day boys and girls

back to Tylers question.. for me it would only be subconsciously..... most of my pipes (now) are Army Mount stems and as long as the mortise is cleaned out properly.. no big issues..

james

[d.huber]

If we made all of our pipes with a repairman in mind, wouldn't that make things boring for them?

[wdteipen]

What "notch" are you guys talking about? Also, what is the proper gap between mortise floor and tenon?

When you have a bent pipe, in order to drill some you have to 'notch' the airway as it is not on center. You want to leave a gap between the end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise for expansion/contraction.

I always find this comment interesting Nate... and although I always leave a ~1mm gap, that JT Cooke Video out there states just the opposite... flush and resting on the bottom.. no gap equals no nasty gooey buildup of tars.....always made me wonder why we as makers get our panties all tied in knots sometimes when younger makers do it something against the self established norm of our current understanding.. but not when the established guys (gals) do it... I've seen a lot of high grade artisan pipes that would be ripped to shreds by some of the folks on the forum.. anyway.. happy Columbus day boys and girls

back to Tylers question.. for me it would only be subconsciously..... most of my pipes (now) are Army Mount stems and as long as the mortise is cleaned out properly.. no big issues..

james

The gap is to account for expansion of the briar at the bottom of the mortise due to moisture. It may or may not even happen but if it does you will get a gap between the stem and shank. I typically leave anywhere from a couple hundredths to just under 1mm of a gap. I doubt it's even enough of a gap for gunk to work it's way into the mortise.

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

George also said at the meet up that the stem will only lock if the customer NEVER removes the stem for cleaning, and it would take a few years of this to make the tenon swell into the notch.

[pipedreamer]

It's not a problem, unless there is no maintenance done. I think about down the road , but unless they obsessively clean, which i've seen, no problem most of the time. Repairmen need love too!

[Nate]

]I always find this comment interesting Nate... and although I always leave a ~1mm gap, that JT Cooke Video out there states just the opposite... flush and resting on the bottom.. no gap equals no nasty gooey buildup of tars.....always made me wonder why we as makers get our panties all tied in knots sometimes when younger makers do it something against the self established norm of our current understanding.. but not when the established guys (gals) do it... I've seen a lot of high grade artisan pipes that would be ripped to shreds by some of the folks on the forum.. anyway.. happy Columbus day boys and girls

back to Tylers question.. for me it would only be subconsciously..... most of my pipes (now) are Army Mount stems and as long as the mortise is cleaned out properly.. no big issues..

james

The gap is to account for expansion of the briar at the bottom of the mortise due to moisture. It may or may not even happen but if it does you will get a gap between the stem and shank. I typically leave anywhere from a couple hundredths to just under 1mm of a gap. I doubt it's even enough of a gap for gunk to work it's way into the mortise.

Exactly what Wayne said. I have seen pipes w/o the gap, where a maker made them the same dimension, and the result is a gap between the stem and shank face. In my experience (which granted may be very limited) this happens every time when the tenon gap is not made. If a younger maker figures a way to do it, I'm all ears!

[Nate]

Sorry, I'm a dummy...is the notch the divot left at the end of the mortise left by the drill bit because it was angled so much?

How much gap should there be between the mortise floor and tenon?

The notch being referred to is inside the mortise. Because of drilling angles, the airway intersects the bottom (inside front) of the mortise, usually towards the top of the mortise, thus being off center. That will not work because the center of the stem's tenon is still in the center. Therefore one must 'ramp' or notch the airway to bring the airway back to center.

The gap should be small, something like .010".