Drilling assistance - to do or not to do

[ArleighBerg]

I just bought a nice Ben Wade rusticated bent bulldog. It feels great and smokes great. However, being the relative newbie I am, I didn't think of checking with a pipe cleaner before buying at a shop. Because of the bent, the drilling on the mortise of the shank sits a little higher than and out of line of the center hole of the stem tenon. Is ther any reason I shouldn't drill out the mortise with a small hole that aligns with the stem better?

 

[monbla256]

I just bought a nice Ben Wade rusticated bent bulldog. It feels great and smokes great. However, being the relative newbie I am, I didn't think of checking with a pipe cleaner before buying at a shop. Because of the bent, the drilling on the mortise of the shank sits a little higher than and out of line of the center hole of the stem tenon. Is ther any reason I shouldn't drill out the mortise with a small hole that aligns with the stem better?

That's not all that unusual for a bent bulldog ( or many other 1/4 to full bent pipes ) . Many of mine do that and all I do is put a small kink at the end of the clnr that is going into the stem and work it around till it clears and push it home. If the pipe smokes well, has a good draw and was mine I wouldn't do anything to it. "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it"

 

[shootist51]

I just bought a nice Ben Wade rusticated bent bulldog. It feels great and smokes great. However, being the relative newbie I am, I didn't think of checking with a pipe cleaner before buying at a shop. Because of the bent, the drilling on the mortise of the shank sits a little higher than and out of line of the center hole of the stem tenon. Is ther any reason I shouldn't drill out the mortise with a small hole that aligns with the stem better?

That's not all that unusual for a bent bulldog ( or many other 1/4 to full bent pipes ) . Many of mine do that and all I do is put a small kink at the end of the clnr that is going into the stem and work it around till it clears and push it home. If the pipe smokes well, has a good draw and was mine I wouldn't do anything to it. "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it"

What he said!

 

[asmoke]

Don't go drilling unless you are trying to solve a specific problem. Drilling can end in tears... and that's just awkward for everybody

 

[dshpipes]

Don't go drilling unless you are trying to solve a specific problem. Drilling can end in tears... and that's just awkward for everybody

I'll second that. What I think is much safer and just as likely to give you a positive result would be to ramp the airway in the shank so that it matches up more accurately with the airway in the stem. You can do this easily with some cheap needle files.

 

[Dutch]

The only thing worse than drilling out a pipe and screwing it up, is contemplating suicide because you have done so. :no:

 

[Buckshot]

Have you tried rotating the pipe cleaner as you feed it through? I have several pipes that restrict the cleaner until I rotate the cleaner, and then it continues on through to the bowl. :cheers:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

You can do this easily with some cheap needle files.

I have several pipes that restrict the cleaner until I rotate the cleaner, and then it continues on through to the bowl.

These. I've done both. Messing with drills is begging for disaster--a pipe version of removing the fly from you arm with a hammer.

Try the files if you insist on mucking with the airway, on one particular pipe I managed to smooth down the edge the pipe cleaner was catching on just enough that just a little bend and a wiggle of the pipe cleaner was all it took to get from button to bowl.

8)