Broken tenon

So this happened.... :(
I don't know how.

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pskxoon7ff.jpg

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psfimcx202.jpg

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pshlfcsog0.jpg

Is this something I can easily fix? I found an in-expensive vulcanite stem on the web that matches in shape and size. Are the tenons & mortises a standard size? Would I have to have the tenon turned to fit? This pipe is nothing special other than I liked it. It was an inexpensive pipe at my B & M, I think around $30, so I don't want to invest very much money into it. I know, I could probably just go buy another pipe for the price it might cost to have this one repaired. Being the "I can do it" person I am, I try to handle it myself, especially if I think I might save a little money; that's my justification anyway.

Does the tenon screw into the shank or stem? Or does it push into one or the other ? If it pushes in try measuring the opening and you should be able to order a new bit. If it screws in I dunno..:eye:. if it is a push tenon you can remove the old one by carefully screwing a wood screw into it and pulling it out, then you could measure the diameter of the tenon.If you pick up a bit that the tenon is too big, I would use sand paper to reduce it until it fit.If it screws in you might try using a small flat blade screw driver to twist it out,and maybe superglue or gorilla glue to repair...?

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Originally Posted by Lostmason

Does the tenon screw into the shank or stem? Or does it push into one or the other ? If it pushes in try measuring the opening and you should be able to order a new bit. If it screws in I dunno..:eye:. if it is a push tenon you can remove the old one by carefully screwing a wood screw into it and pulling it out, then you could measure the diameter of the tenon.If you pick up a bit that the tenon is too big, I would use sand paper to reduce it until it fit.If it screws in you might try using a small flat blade screw driver to twist it out,and maybe superglue or gorilla glue to repair...?

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It is just a push in. I am confident I can remove the broken tenon from the mortise with a screw, like you said, or I have a screw extractor tool I can use. I would need to be careful that I don't crack or otherwise break the shank while doing so.
Any recommendations as where to order a replacement bit?

I have used Boswell's before to fix my pipes. They do a good job and are not all that expensive

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Originally Posted by Nature

It is just a push in... Any recommendations as where to order a replacement bit?

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Doesn't look like you need a new one. I'd just fix the one you have with a delrin insert.

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Originally Posted by Nature

It is just a push in. I am confident I can remove the broken tenon from the mortise with a screw, like you said, or I have a screw extractor tool I can use. I would need to be careful that I don't crack or otherwise break the shank while doing so.
Any recommendations as where to order a replacement bit?

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I would try the foreverstems they have several that would compliment that bowl nicely. That is if you find one that fits or is just a hair oversize and you can sand it down.

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Originally Posted by Emperor Zurg

Doesn't look like you need a new one. I'd just fix the one you have with a delrin insert.

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Where can I find the delrin insert?

edit: Googeled it,looks like one could pick up a small brass insert from lowes or home depot

I have delrin rod here all the time. I could send you a couple inches for the postage if you have a way to machine it.

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Originally Posted by Emperor Zurg

I have delrin rod here all the time. I could send you a couple inches for the postage if you have a way to machine it.

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I do not have use of a drill press or lathe to turn it. I could chuck it in a drill clamped in a vise and use a sharp chisel or file / sandpaper to get it to proper diameter.
Or, if the rod is only slightly larger diameter than the existing tenon, I could bore out the shank mortise and the current bit to fit. Then after cutting to length, glue the bored insert bridge into the stem?

If it were me fixing it, I'd drill/tap the stem and thread the end of the rod, then thread the delrin into the stem with some glue on the threads. That would make sure the insert never pulled out of the stem. Of course the big trick is getting it to line up perfectly since pipe mortise/tennons are seldom perfectly on center. With a threaded union you'd probably only need 1/4 to 3/8" engagement

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Originally Posted by Nature

So this happened.... :(
I don't know how.

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pskxoon7ff.jpg

Is this something I can easily fix? I found an in-expensive vulcanite stem on the web that matches in shape and size. Are the tenons & mortises a standard size? Would I have to have the tenon turned to fit? This pipe is nothing special other than I liked it. It was an inexpensive pipe at my B & M, I think around $30, so I don't want to invest very much money into it. I know, I could probably just go buy another pipe for the price it might cost to have this one repaired. Being the "I can do it" person I am, I try to handle it myself, especially if I think I might save a little money; that's my justification anyway.

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Hi Mark,

Bill (@Emperorzurg) and Matt (@Lostmason) both offer good ways to try and save the pipe. Personally, I never mess with tenons but obviously people do repair them.

Getting the tenon to fit AND stay snug but not tight when it's heated (repeatedly) is the trick. The briar and vulcanite of the stem expand and contract a little differently when heated.

I've seen Bills handiwork and he's certainly far beyond my skill level. Making a screw-in tenon replacement is a good way to go if you have the skill and if you don't get it the first time you can, inexpensively, do it again. As Bill mentions, getting the tenon to ride flush at the join is difficult but if you get the tenon to fit correctly you'll have made the pipe functional again.

Matt's mentioned buying a stem blank that's as large or (slightly) larger than the current one and that's important because you can't shim it if it's too small. Sand evenly and with a very fine grit (at least until you're used to working it). I imagine that the mortise bore is a standard size that and that may mean that you can find a size that needs only to have the flashing removed and polishing it.

Good Luck,

Regards,

Pete

There is a fix in the works…

Updates to come.
Stay tuned

My first step in repairing the tenon was removing the broken portion from the shank. This was easily accomplished by turning a screw into the draught hole and just pulling it out.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psvjbxdbo2.jpg

After some careful measurements were made, the Imperial Majesty @Emperor Zurg was commissioned to fabricate a replacement tenon insert. The result was beyond my expectations!
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psb7lvfyvh.jpg

Next, I drilled out the pipe bit using a 9/64" drill rotated by my fingertips. The vulcanite material was soft and grabbed the bit easily. I was afraid of using a power drill as it would have a tendency to grab and rip the entire bit. I had to go back and forth and found rotating the pipe bit around a stationary bit worked best.
I did run into a bit of a snag as the vulcanite shavings got pushed into the draught hole causing it to become plugged. A pipe cleaner wasn't able to remove, but a stiff piece of thin wire from a marking flag was able to dislodge the debris. I was very careful to only drill as deep as the tenon insert.
After the bit was hollowed out, I cut appropriate threads with a tap into the opening.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psbnxt7sgv.jpg


http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psxzbexudi.jpg

The insert fit perfectly!

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psitzpf1f5.jpg

Next was to fit the tenon to the shank. It was turned slightly on the the large side to ensure a tight fit. I used progressive grits of sandpaper from 220-1000 to slim the tenon down to fit.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psqgtqzdtv.jpg

I will permanently secure the tenon in the bit with a drop of cyanoacrylate adhesive on the threads, but other than that,
Good as new!

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psojbzqeuf.jpg

THANK YOU for your guidance and superb skills Bill!

Once the super glue cures, I will be happy to be able to smoke this pipe again!
In the end, it probably would have been much easier and more efficient to just send it out for repair or just chuck it, but that would not have left me with the satisfaction I received by doing it myself.

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Originally Posted by Nature

The insert fit perfectly!

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psitzpf1f5.jpg
I will permanently secure the tenon in the bit with a drop of cyanoacrylate adhesive on the threads, but other than that,
Good as new!

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psojbzqeuf.jpg

THANK YOU for your guidance and superb skills Bill!

Once the super glue cures, I will be happy to be able to smoke this pipe again!
In the end, it probably would have been much easier and more efficient to just send it out for repair or just chuck it, but that would not have left me with the satisfaction I received by doing it myself.

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Mark,

Thanks for a great post! This should be made into a STICKY thread (at least part of it) as a simple guide to replace a tenon.

Kudos to you and Bill (Imperial Majesty @Emperor Zurg) for the collaboration. Well done.

Pete

Wow, excellent job on the install! Turning the insert is more a matter of having the proper machinery and materials but getting the stem and shank to line up, and not cracking the vulcanite to pieces takes a lot of patience. You now belong to the "I wasted far more time on this pipe than it was worth" club. I also became a member with the Glass Sipper project: $10 cob + $40 in materials and an entire evening's work :p Still, it's satisfying to conquer a project like that.

Glad it worked out. Happy puffing! :pipe:

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Originally Posted by Emperor Zurg

Wow, excellent job on the install! Turning the insert is more a matter of having the proper machinery and materials but getting the stem and shank to line up, and not cracking the vulcanite to pieces takes a lot of patience. You now belong to the "I wasted far more time on this pipe than it was worth" club. I also became a member with the Glass Sipper project: $10 cob + $40 in materials and an entire evening's work :p Still, it's satisfying to conquer a project like that.

Glad it worked out. Happy puffing! :pipe:

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It is truly a prestigious club. My membership was awarded with the restoration of a cob left out in the weather for several months.
Welcome.
Now... where are the mods with the forum award for this achievement? :D

Impressive job for both of you, I would now list that as that pipe as an Emperor Nature Collectable. Pipes you fix yourself are always more enjoyable. Pride makes the smoke better.Great Job !

Great job Mark, you have done some fine handiwork there! And the same to you, Bill!

That's a clean fix. I've got a blown up stem I need to get Zurg's advice on.

http://i.imgur.com/6NE3DT4.png

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Originally Posted by Alligator Gar

That's a clean fix. I've got a blown up stem I need to get Zurg's advice on.

http://i.imgur.com/6NE3DT4.png

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i am certainly not an expert. That shank looks to me like it may need a collar or band.

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Originally Posted by Alligator Gar

That's a clean fix. I've got a blown up stem I need to get Zurg's advice on.

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Can you wiggle that insert out of the shank or is it stuck fast with corrosion?

It comes out.

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Originally Posted by Alligator Gar

It comes out.

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It looks to me like the corrosion burst the wood. Plan 'A' for me would be as follows...

- pull out the insert and clean out all the corrosion from the shank bore and off the aluminum
- see if the burst shank starts to close up just squeezing with fingers. If not, the wood is going to have to be moistened
- Assuming it needed moistening I would stuff a wick of cloth into the shank and keep that damp for a day or two then see how things move
- Once the wood was a bit pliable I'd put a few non-marring hose clamps around the shank and slowly tighten them up until the gap was mostly closed
- If necessary, I'd drill or whittle or grind out the wood until the insert would slip in
- Once the wood dried back out in its new, mostly closed up position I'd embed the insert into the wood with epoxy and tighten the clamps the last little bit so some epoxy flowed into the crack and glued the wood back together as everything closed up. I'd probably use JB weld simply because we have that here. That would be the tricky part as you'd have to be sure the airway didn't get plugged but ideally you'd also want any voids completely filled with epoxy. You also NEED to get that insert in there straight, which may mean you'd have to screw it back on the tenon and temporarily reassemble the tenon to the stem to use as a guide in setting the insert, taking care not to slop the epoxy into the joint and glue everything together permanently. Yes, this would be the tricky part :D More so if the insert has a lot of room to wiggle after all the prep work - less so if it still fits in the hole decently.

You're in luck because the shank is finished in black where the crack is. Any epoxy showing in the crack could be sanded out and refinished to match and you'd probably be none the wiser it was repaired once the job was done. Then of course the only remaining part of the fix would be to saw that stinger off just past the thread and reattach the screw tenon to the bit in the proper orientation.

Here's a pic of the clamps I'm thinking about. They might need to be lined with electrical tape or masking tape for a little extra protection.

http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/555/555-16045.jpg

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Originally Posted by Emperor Zurg

It looks to me like the corrosion burst the wood. Plan 'A' for me would be as follows...

- pull out the insert and clean out all the corrosion from the shank bore and off the aluminum
- see if the burst shank starts to close up just squeezing with fingers. If not, the wood is going to have to be moistened
- Assuming it needed moistening I would stuff a wick of cloth into the shank and keep that damp for a day or two then see how things move
- Once the wood was a bit pliable I'd put a few non-marring hose clamps around the shank and slowly tighten them up until the gap was mostly closed
- If necessary, I'd drill or whittle or grind out the wood until the insert would slip in
- Once the wood dried back out in its new, mostly closed up position I'd embed the insert into the wood with epoxy and tighten the clamps the last little bit so some epoxy flowed into the crack and glued the wood back together as everything closed up. I'd probably use JB weld simply because we have that here. That would be the tricky part as you'd have to be sure the airway didn't get plugged but ideally you'd also want any voids completely filled with epoxy. You also NEED to get that insert in there straight, which may mean you'd have to screw it back on the tenon and temporarily reassemble the tenon to the stem to use as a guide in setting the insert, taking care not to slop the epoxy into the joint and glue everything together permanently. Yes, this would be the tricky part :D More so if the insert has a lot of room to wiggle after all the prep work - less so if it still fits in the hole decently.

You're in luck because the shank is finished in black where the crack is. Any epoxy showing in the crack could be sanded out and refinished to match and you'd probably be none the wiser it was repaired once the job was done. Then of course the only remaining part of the fix would be to saw that stinger off just past the thread and reattach the screw tenon to the bit in the proper orientation.

Here's a pic of the clamps I'm thinking about. They might need to be lined with electrical tape or masking tape for a little extra protection.

http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/555/555-16045.jpg

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Great step by step. I like your idea of holding off on the glue until the end rather that gluing the crack and then gluing the tenon. I'll post results.