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[VAN DELL JORDAN <vdjor AT yahoo.com>]

question one, does anyone have any experience with
growing tobacco?   I am a pipe smoker, fortunately
never got hooked so I only smoke when I choose to and
so always enjoy.  Someday would like to try growing
some.  If anyone here has any experience I thought it
might be a good starting place for my research.

question two, this for the chemists.  I have a problem
with biting through pipe stems.  So have many pipes
with no stems.
I don't even know of a place to buy a new pipe stem..
at least off line.  Even a couple of decades ago they
were quite expensive, so I want to try making some.
I think the usual material was hard rubber, though
I've seen a couple of stronger ones made with, I
believe, Lucite.
I have a manual on casting hard rubber though don't
know if the sources listed are still valid , and maybe
there is something stronger.  
Main question is, does anyone know of materials that
would be readily available and hopefully not too
difficult to work?
I've repaired with an epoxy .. didn't taste to great
and might have been poisonous.  Wondering about
casting resin, and epoxies, and other possibilities I
might not be aware of??????
Van Dell