I have found that pipe repairs on the old meerschaum pipes can be very problematic. In the past (i.e.) 100+ years ago they used to thread the stem so that it screwed directly into the shank of the pipe. With 100+ years of brute force and ignorance this usually results in the shank threads getting stripped. Hence why when you buy a pipe on O'vey.com you find the stem and shank are like a proverbial 'string in a bucket' and have to be repaired. I have had the longer specimens shortened to overcome this issue although I would be interested to hear anyone else's experiences.