Making an Invisible Shank Repair on a 1960s Sixten Ivarsson

Sixten Ivarsson was one of the Danish pipe makers at the forefront of the Danish Fancy craze that hit North America in the 1960s and 1970s and though he passed away in 2001, his legacy as a pipe maker still looms large in the industry today. Ivarsson’s impact on the world of pipes really cannot be understated, so it was a real treat for me to be able to work on an original 1960s Ivarsson pipe.

The pipe in question was sent to me by a gentleman in Montreal, Canada. He had purchased the pipe new in the 1960s and it has been his treasured smoking companion for the last six decades. According to the pipe’s steward, the shank had cracked at one point, so he had it repaired at Blatter Pipes in Montreal where the damaged briar had been cut off and new briar spliced to the end of the shank.

Blatter did an excellent job of matching the sandblasted finish to the original pipe and the repair held for several decades, but eventually the shank cracked a second time. This time, Blatter installed a shank band but the pipe’s steward wished to maintain the original look of the pipe and contacted me about repair options.

After a bit of back and forth, it was decided that the pipe would be sent to me for an internal shank repair. This technique renders an external shank band superfluous and restores the original look of the pipe.

Here is what the pipe looked like when it arrived at DadsPipes. It had clearly been well cared for and used regularly. There was a fair bit of carbon cake in the chamber and some “spillover” of carbon deposits filled the nooks and crannies of the sandblasted rim. The shank was smaller than I had first thought, perhaps 1/16th of an inch over 3/8″ in diameter with a flat bottom, giving the shank a “bread loaf” cross-section.

This shot shows the end of the stainless steel tubing used to graft the new briar to the original shank during the first shank repair. The new crack is visible at the 10 o’clock position in the shank face’s upper left corner.

The original Vulcanite stem was in exceptional condition for a 60 year old pipe. I ran a few pipe cleaners through it to clear the airway, then set it aside.

I reamed the chamber of old cake and tidied up the chamber walls with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Underneath it all, the briar was in excellent condition.

A few pipe cleaners dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol removed a small amount of tar from the shank and airway. With the internals sorted, I scrubbed the briar clean on the exterior using a toothbrush and some Murphy’s Oil Soap.

Then it was time to dive into the repair. To make room for the internal splint, I needed to enlarge the shank mortise. I worked my way up through a number of drill bits, slowly opening the mortise to the required diameter. You’ll note that I left the shank band in place for this; doing this without some sort of mechanical support for the shank is a recipe for disaster as the thinner the shank walls get, the easier it is for the drill bit to crack them. In the absence of a shank band, a padded pipe clamp works well.

Eventually the mortise was the right size to accept a section of brass tubing that would reinforce the briar and hold the shank crack securely closed. This pic shows me test fitting the tubing in the shank. So far, so good!

Unfortunately, the sandblast finish was a bit too deep in one spot on the right side of the shank, causing a small blowout. You can see the brass shining through the hole here. While unfortunate, this damage would be patched up invisibly later in the process.

Brass tubing alone would not make for a good mortise as the brass is inflexible and sizing the stem tenon just right for a secure hold would be very tricky. To overcome this limitation, I lined the brass with Delrin. Delrin had a bit of “give” to it, which would improve the stem fit and ease of future use considerably.

To create this two-ply shank insert, I first turned a section of Delrin rod to size to create an easy slip fit inside the brass tubing.

To ensure the slippery Delrin bonds well to the brass, I cut a series of small notches around the outside of the plug. This creates a strong mechanical bond when a bit of two-part epoxy is used to glue the Delrin into the tubing.

This shot shows the epoxy mixed with some black colouring to ensure the glue is not visible afterwards.

I allowed the epoxy to cure overnight, then cut the splint to length and drilled it out to accept the stem tenon. Note the small bevel on the front end of the splint. This allows it to seat fully into the drilled mortise.

A quick dry fit told me the splint was shaped correctly, so I used a bit more epoxy to bond it permanently into the shank.

After the epoxy cured I could safely remove the shank band and patch the hole in the side of the shank with CA glue mixed with briar dust. After the patch had cured, I removed the excess material and textured the repair to match the surrounding briar.

A bit of touch-up on the stain blended the repairs into the shank and I was then ready to refit the stem. The shank mortise was now smaller than original due to the space required for the splint, and reducing the stem’s tenon to match the new mortise would have left it very susceptible to breakage, so I cut off the original tenon and made a new one from Delrin, which is stronger than Vulcanite.

Installing a new tenon also let me adjust the stem fit to the shank face for a nice, light-tight fit. I glued the new tenon into the stem with more epoxy. This pic shows the pipe with the new tenon gluing up. A bit of masking tape holds the stem in position while the epoxy cures.

When I came back to the pipe the following day, the epoxy had cured, so I removed the tape and took a minute to chase the airway with a drill bit to remove any excess glue. A wipe of mineral oil refreshed the finish and added some moisture back into the briar.

All that was left to do now was to take the finished pipe to the buffer for a quick polishing and a few light coats of Carnauba wax to add shine and protect the revived finish.

This 1960s Sixten Ivarsson pipe is clean, fresh and back to its original look after its time on the bench. The internal splint has sealed and reinforced the cracked briar shank and should last the pipe’s steward for many years to come. This technique can be a delicate operation, but with sufficient care and planning, the end result is an invisible repair that maintains the pipe’s factory look.

I hope you enjoyed this very different approach to dealing with a cracked shank. It can be an important tool in the repairer’s repertoire.

Until next time, Happy Piping! Here’s the finished pipe.