Vulcanite stem: terrible taste.

[Cavediver]

I picked up a couple of churchwarden style vulcanite stem blanks from a pipe making supplier, and have tried my hand at shaping / finishing a stem. The final results leave a lot to be desired in terms of design and symmetry, but it polished up well, bent reasonably well, and looks decent if you've got one eye closed. The big problem: the vulcanite tastes like the south end of a north bound cat.*

I've thoroughly cleaned it with water and pipe cleaners; I don't think it's going to get any better without a different treatment.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to reduce or remove that taste?



A big thanks to Hoosier for that lovely descriptor.

 

[duckie_44]

Hey....Cavediver......I seem to remember that" Absintheur's" answer to that question, was take the juice your going to use with the pipe. saturate a pipe cleaner, and leave it in the stem overnight....Also over time and use, the south end cat will go away ?

I have never done this....But worth a try?.....

duckie........

 

[Cavediver]

Well, it's a better plan that I had
I'll give it a shot this evening. Thanks!

 

[anavidfan]

I remember years ago when I tried my hand at Pipes that an Old Timer told be that Vulcanite was the best you could use other than genuine tortoiseshell.

He did mention that it had to break in. Vulcanite is a rare copper telluride mineral. The mineral has a metallic luster, and is a green or bronze-yellow shade. It has a hardness between 1 and 2 on the Mohs scale (between talc and gypsum). Its crystal structure is

For pipe use and use as an insulator and Jewellry, Vulcanite is melted and mixed with natural rubber.

It is porous so it will probably absorb the aroma of your juice in the method described by duckie.

With a real pipe the smoke would heat the stem releasing the bad taste and permeating it with the tobacco. I remember it took a few days to get the strong taste to go away and 2 weeks of smoking for it to be completely gone.

It is highly prized as it can take a lot of heat without cracking and burning your lips.

I felt unsure about the Vulcanite and started wondering if the info I posted was in reference to Vulcanite or Jet Stones, I was wrong so I edited my post, thanks.