I went and did it !

[Haebar]

Y'all have seen the pic's of my 100 year old meer. Well truth be told, I rarely smoke it because it
is just a pain. Has a metal stinger and the drilling is weird. It's drilled thru the shank almost to the bowl,
but then they drilled from the bowl into the airway. They evidently couldn't get the angle into the bowl
from the shank. With the stinger I couldn't get a pipe cleaner to pass thru the stem and bit and the draw
was like sucking mud.

So tonight I took a drill bit after the shank and bowl. Opened it up to where I have a free flow of air,
no noticable resistance. I then took a bit and drilled the bit opening down to the bend in the stem.
Used a cutting disk in my dremel and removed the end of the stinger and took the drill bit to open it
to the bend from that direction. I noticed that while drilling out the remaining portion of the stinger
that the drill bit was pulling amber dust as we as metal filings. I believe I found the major issue
that was hampering the draw. I believe the set the stinger in hot and scooped the side of the stem
filling the stinger with amber. In any case, it now smokes perfectly, easy draw, clean flavors, and
is a cool pipe to bat !

How did you drill it out? Did you use a little electric drill or did you use a drill press? What size bit did you use? I need to do that to some of my pipes.

[Lostmason]

How did you drill it out? Did you use a little electric drill or did you use a drill press? What size bit did you use? I need to do that to some of my pipes.

Tab, I used a cutting disk in a drenel to remove the end of the stinger. Then I used an 1/8 bit in the dremel
to open the stem up. The goal was to open it up without expanding the threaded part of the stinger. I had to
go slow and watch my angle, since I was free handing it. I used the 1/8 bit in the shank kind of like a loose
reamer to carve out the gunk and opening a little. The scariest part was when I was working on the button
end. I had to watch my approach as much as my angle since the button has only a hole not a slot. And that
was about 2/3's of the bit. I drilled to the bend from both sides trying insure an unrestricted air flow. Also
I used an 11/32 bit like a router bit to adjust the draft opening, it had a small lip due to the way it was
originally drilled. All I did there was open the draft trough a little, I did notice that the first smoke was
gurgle free. With Nightcap that may not mean much, but for that pipe it is also a first. Good luck, go slow,
and let me know how it goes.