Blog by Steve Laug

I started this process of correction with tried and true information and experience gained from working on older stems with metal tenons. I had developed a process and perfected it for my use in correcting an overturned stem by heating the tenon in the stem to loosen the glue. Once the glue is softened with the heat then the stem can be screwed on to the shank and turned to the proper position and left to cool. Care should be taken in aligning the stem and shank to the correct position. If it cools before it is straight, it can be reheated to align it correctly. I have used this procedure for a long time and it works perfectly each time I have used it. I am sure I will refine it but it works!

With that background and a couple of older stems on meerschaum and briar pipes with bone screw tenons that were overturned I put the following question out on the various online pipe forums that I am a part of.

“Does anyone know how to correct over turned bone tenons? I have a couple old timers that are over turned I am looking for a corrective…Help!”

I did not receive any response to my query so I decided to try the method I had used with metal tenons and see what happened. I chose a pipe to experiment with that would no be a loss if it did not work. The stem was made of Bakelite and the tenon was a bone screw. I put a cup of water in the microwave and stood the stem in it tenon down and set the timer for two minutes (time to boil a cup of water in my microwave). I took it out at a minute and gave it a try and it was better. I put it back in the water and let the two minutes finish. I then dried it off with a towel and turned it into the shank and was able to turn it until it was aligned. There was no damage done to the tenon or the stem in the process. The alignment on the stem was perfect and once the pipe cooled it remained aligned.

My two concerns with the use of the boiling water were first, would there be any integral damage to the bone tenon from the heat moving from the inside out and second, would the heat cause any damage to the Bakelite. I did not want it to become brittle from the boiling water process. I have learned on the metal screw tenons that I could put the entirety (stem and tenon) into the microwave with the water and leave it there through the heating cycle on the microwave. I had done the same with a Bakelite stem and metal tenon and it worked well to insert the stem and tenon while the water heated in the microwave. I decided to do that as well with the screw bone tenon and Bakelite stem. There does not seem to be any increased brittleness or crackling of the stem or bone – all is well.