Middle Earth Ranger Forum

So a while back I bought a very cool looking, long-stemmed pipe from a gentleman at a local "geek convention." Even though I don't smoke, I've always loved pipes, and I've always wanted a really cool long-stemmed wooden one, like something out of the Lord of the Rings films.

Long story short, I bought it, never used it, then got it out to actually use it for the first time, and promptly broke it. Seems the bowl is made of genuine wood, but the stem was made from resin, plastic, or something of that nature (which I suspected when I bought it, but didn't really put me off, since it wasn't glaringly obvious). So when I got it out, I somehow accidentally snapped off the stem, leaving part of it stuck inside the end of the bowl.

What I'm wondering is, do any of you out there happen to have the skill to repair such damage, and to make me a new stem out of genuine wood? And if so, how much might you charge for your services? Below I have attached pictures of the pipe in its current state. Any help would be appreciated!

I could fix the one you have there so you would not even know it was broken. You have seen many of my pipes and they all start from the type of fixtures you have there. The "Dwarven fix" would be a very simple insert that would leave the functional pipe stem and stummel intact, while making the connector insert out of metal. While doing so, with pipe in hand, I may be able to replicate a wooden peice or get one to fit it from one of my parts vendors. PM me if you would like my help.
One of my favorite Rangers should not be without his pipe!

My first thought was to try needle-nose pliers and see if you could get any grip to gently remove the broken tenon. Replacement stems are fairly common.

A quick search returned this site, which has some good suggestions: drilling the broken tenon halfway, remove the bit from the chuck, then placing in the freezer.
Broken Stem Repair @ puff.com
Also, these repair shops, but I would suggest first your local smoke shop.
Professional Repair Shops

J. H. Lowe & Co. is extremely good, they are worth the money for parts and services. All DYI alternatives (including what I could do) will pale in comparrison.

Successfully getting the broken bit of stem out of the bowl would be the real trick.
As for a new stem, I'm a huge believer in river-cane (its uses know no bounds!). It looks great straight as a 'tavern pipe' stem, but I like to put a gentle curve in it for a more 'hobbity' look.

Thanks for the info, guys! And especially thanks to Ringulf for the kind words!

Boy... that's a lot of options. I'm not quite sure where to begin. Has anyone here used a pipe repair company like these before? Do any of you know of a ballpark price I might be looking at with them?

Otherwise, I'd love to have it done by someone here on the forum. All I really want is a stem of similar dimensions to my old one, with a nice gentle curve, but I would prefer that it be made of real wood, and that it not flatten out at the mouthpiece like this one does (looks too modern for my taste) - and naturally I'm looking for it to match the bowl as closely as possible, color-wise.

Ringulf - I'll shoot you a PM. Cheers!

this might be a super easy fix:

` Take the pipe to you're local hardware store.
` Find a screw or bolt that thread into the inner hole in the broken tenon. So, you want the shaft about the same diameter as the whole, and the threads enough to cut into and grab the broken piece.
` Use pliers, a vice or whatever to grab onto the screw/bolt and PULL.

once out, decide between getting a new stem like you have or making one from wood.