Brand New to Pipes and Already Learning Lessons

[lithicus]

I read that a lot of people suggest starting with corn cob. But, I really like the look of briar. Since I'm new and uncertain about tobacco pipes, I was hoping to try this hobby out with minimal expense. I was luckily able to get an estate Dr Grabow Grand Duke for super cheap. And, it seemed like it was in much better condition that I expected which was a nice surprise!

The stem needs the most work cleaning/restoration wise. Looking down the stem, I can see build up but I could easily pass a pipe cleaner through it. There are tooth marks near the bit I'd like to get fixed up. I put a pipe cleaner folded over once in the stem and stood it up in a tall shot glass with alcohol to help loosen everything up. I'm hoping to get the insides of the stem cleaned out before working on cleaning up the outside of the stem and dealing with the chatter near the bit. Will most likely use a combination of heat, super glue, and sanding. Just stuff I have around the house. I intended to hold off on any polishing as I don't own rouge or a wheel.

The bowl looked relatively clean. I thought I'd have to ream it, but the seller may have already done this for me. I see no carbon cake and it looks like it was more or less down to raw briar. It seemed like all I'd need to do is a salt and alcohol bath and some cleaning on the outside of the bowl with dawn soap since I don't have murphy's oil soap. Like the stem, I didn't want to bother with white rouge or carnauba wax since I don't yet have a wheel. Plus, when I saw how nice the finish on the bowl was, I thought I could avoid all of that. It looked so nice and I was so happy to start this journey!

I put a pipe cleaner folder over twice into the shank, filled the bowl with salt, and used a dropper to drop alcohol in the bowl without getting any on the outside or the rim. No troubles there. But, I must've put too much alcohol in the bowl and/or had the pipe resting at an unfortunate angle. I stepped away to make coffee and when I came back just a few minutes later I noticed alcohol pooling on my desk... it seems to have dripped out of the shank and ran down the bottom of the bowl. I think it's removed some of the stain as I had some color coming off on paper towels.

Trying to find the silver lining here... I guess I learned that you probably need to angle the bowl when doing a salt and alcohol bath so that it's resting more like a "V" and less like an "L". I assume that would prevent alcohol from running down the shank. I also probably should be more conservative with the amount of alcohol I put into the bowl in the future. Any advice in this area would be appreciated as I'm sure I'll have to do another salt and alcohol bath at some point in the future.

I'm not sure I have much choice but to just live with the unfortunate circumstances for the time being. I know it will function fine. I can see the argument that it would smoke the same, but my enjoyment will not be as much as it would be otherwise. Just a sore or wound that I caused. I'd hate to spend time and money correcting my mistake being so new to the hobby. Who's to say I won't make the same mistake again in the future and be back to square one? Probably best to get a few salt and alcohol baths and otherwise general experience under my belt before trying to make this bowl nice again...

I guess it's all just a learning experience and the reason I bought a cheap / throwaway pipe to start... I'm just a little disappointed because I liked how nice the briar looked when I opened the package. And, within an hour I had ruined the aesthetics. I'm sure it can be fixed, but not without more investment. I'm not just trying to trauma dump. I just don't know any pipe smokers and thought at least those here would understand my emotions lol

 

[lithicus]

FWIW, here are the paper towels. Less stain came off than I remember at the time. Probably because I was a bit panicked. You can also see how the finish was effected. Definitely not pretty...

 

[lithicus]

Just pulled the stem out of the oxiclean bath and it's now passing a pipe cleaner clean and dry. Just used a zippo to heat near the bit to try to raise the tooth marks. Will probably let it cool down and give it one more go with the lighter. Then, I'll get on to super glue / activated charcoal mix to fill in the dents and try to repair what couldn't be raised. Then I'll get to sanding!

I learned another lesson with the salt alcohol bath This morning, I wanted to empty out the bowl and remove the pipe cleaner so I could get fresh salt, alcohol, and a new pipe cleaner in there. Well... it wasn't completely dry I guess because I had a small amount of alcohol running out of the bowl and down the pipe. Luckily, it didn't seem to mar the stain/finish as badly as the pictures above. Either way, new salt, alcohol, and pipe cleaner is in there and I will be waiting probably close to 48 before trying to empty it. I want to make sure it is bone dry before emptying.

Although this bowl seems pretty clean, I might try the spent coffee grounds trick just to try to ensure my first ever smoke out of a pipe is fresh and "my own". I don't know what the previous owner smoked out of it. After the coffee grounds, I'd like to scrub the shank thoroughly as I know ghosting can stick around in this area. And then, I'd like to give the outside a toothbrush scrub with dawn since I don't have murphys and maybe some nail polish remover to try to get it back to a dull finish. Last step, I think, will be mixing some honey/water/charcoal to give the bowl a nice coat on the inside.

At that point, I'll probably smoke it without any polishing. Stem will be sanded to 2000 grit and I might take 2000 grit to the bowl as well. Probably a quick rub down with mineral oil. I don't think the finish will effect the smoke, but I will know it is clean.

I know I have some green rouge and I think some white rouge somewhere. Don't have any suitable wax yet. But, in the not so distant future, I may pick up a polishing wheel for my power drill and use that to apply green/white rouge to the bowl/stem. Hopefully, I can get some carnauba wax later and another wheel for my power drill and apply that to the bowl to get that nice glossy finish.

In the very distant future, I might strip this all back down, give the bowl an alcohol bath, and restain it to try to correct my big mistake pictured above. Just depends on how all of this turns out.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Up until a few years ago I still saw new Grabows at Rite Aid for $12.
I'm actually amazed at what they go for now..

P2002 – Dr. Grabow Grand Duke, Includes 6mm Filter | Phoenix Wholesale, INC

 

[lithicus]

Up until a few years ago I still saw new Grabows at Rite Aid for $12.
I'm actually amazed at what they go for now..

P2002 – Dr. Grabow Grand Duke, Includes 6mm Filter | Phoenix Wholesale, INC

haha yea... I considered buying one brand new, but a good enough deal popped up on a used one and I like tinkering. So, I pulled the trigger. Used the money I saved on tobacco

It's been a learning experience for sure, but the more I fiddle with this one the more comfortable I'll be the next time around. Might pick up a few new corncobs either way so I'm not smoking the same bowl day in and day out.

 

[mso489]

Some lower priced new pipes that are worth a look are Dr. Grabow and Kaywoodie at the Virginia Smoke Shop and Ropp and Rossi at smokingpipes.com, one of the sponsors here. I appreciate your initiative in restoring an estate pipe, but getting started it might be good to have a new briar ready to go, so you are focused on learning how to smoke it rather than rescuing it from its past life. There's plenty of time for that.

 

[lithicus]

I've never been great at picking up on taste and notes. I'm not sure I'd be able to detect ghosting if I had it. So, I would like to have at least one new pipe! If anything, so I know what's its like to get a clean smoke. I also would like to be able to rest my pipes and have some sort of a rotation. So, I'm sure more pipes will be in order! Thanks for your advice!

Tbh, I was on the fence about getting into this hobby. But, I kept getting more and more interested. The price I was offered on this pipe that I'm working on was what it took for me to say ehh what have I got to lose!

So far, mostly so good I just started putting some super glue onto the stem and might be able to get to sanding tonight. All that's really left is to let the bowl dry out from the salt and alcohol so I can empty it and then cleaning the outside thoroughly so I can refinish it at a later date. Almost there! Might be smoking by the middle/end of this week!

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Up until a few years ago I still saw new Grabows at Rite Aid for $12.
I'm actually amazed at what they go for now..

P2002 – Dr. Grabow Grand Duke, Includes 6mm Filter | Phoenix Wholesale, INC

Do they still sell tobacco products in drug stores down south? I believe most stores (Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS) had a self-imposed banned in Michigan a few years back.

I could be mistaken, since I avoid drug stores in general due to it taking about 30 minutes to get through checkout even when just buying a pack of batteries.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Do they still sell tobacco products in drug stores down south? I believe most stores (Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS) had a self-imposed banned in Michigan a few years back.

I could be mistaken, since I avoid drug stores in general due to it taking about 30 minutes to get through checkout even when just buying a pack of batteries.

CVS was company-wide - although they still sell alcohol.

Rite-Aid shut down in Louisville a few years ago. When they were doing closeout sales I noticed they had a rack of Dr Grabow for $6.99 each.

My Walgreens around the corner still sells a few cigars (individually wrapped Cohiba among them), and a couple different pouches of Captain Black and SWR. Haven't seen any pipes in a couple years though.

 

[mikethompson]

Seems like you trying to both get flavors and learn to smoke a pipe *and* clean up and restore pipes at the same time. I'm not sure this is the best way to proceed, there is a learning curve for both. But do what works for you.

I've recently had to relearn everything about smoking a pipe. My advice to you is to go slow and don't overthink.

 

[lithicus]

Yea, I can see how this may not be advised. I'm not sure this changes things but I've smoked just about everything out of just about anything for 20 years or more. From cigarettes to cigars to pipes to an apple. Even lit a pipe once with a magnifying glass So, I am experienced with tobacco and even certain types of pipes/devices. Just never the smoked tobacco out of a pipe somehow I've also been restoring pocket knives, zippos, axes, and various tools for the last 2-3 years on top of always being a sort of handy man; working on garage doors, lawn mowers, and what not. So, I have a little experience with my hands as well; although it is mostly metal work. I certainly don't have quite as much experience with wood.

In all, I think this experience will certainly be my own. For better or worse! But, I find a certain satisfaction in that. The pipe I purchased wasn't in bad condition when I got it. So, this is turning into mostly a deep clean with just a little bit of repair on the stem. And while I don't expect to have too many surprises when it comes to smoking out of a pipe, I'm sure there will still be a bit of a learning curve with it as well despite my previous experiences.

I'll definitely keep everyone informed here on the deep clean / repair and eventual refinish. I'll likely post my first smoke and experiences with that side of things in another thread. But either way, it'll be fun contributing to this community!

 

[OzPiper]

I read that a lot of people suggest starting with corn cob. But, I really like the look of briar. Since I'm new and uncertain about tobacco pipes, I was hoping to try this hobby out with minimal expense. I was luckily able to get an estate Dr Grabow Grand Duke for super cheap. And, it seemed like it was in much better condition that I expected which was a nice surprise!


I put a pipe cleaner folder over twice into the shank, filled the bowl with salt, and used a dropper to drop alcohol in the bowl without getting any on the outside or the rim.

I guess it's all just a learning experience

Most of my pipes are estates.
A few arrived in a really pristine condition. Most I had to clean up myself
I bought a couple of cheap ones in pretty poor condition to practise on at the start.
I found the hints on Rebornpipes really helpful.

Re: alcohol treatments - I find it much easier using a cotton ball instead of salt - a whole less mess

If the stain is affected by alcohol, strip it all off.
Dry thoroughly and re-stain, if you like
I don't bother re-staining as I prefer lighter finishes.
I just apply briar balm or Paragon wax and polish with MicroMesh pads

I hope you continue to enjoy this hobby

 

[lithicus]

Most of my pipes are estates.
A few arrived in a really pristine condition. Most I had to clean up myself
I bought a couple of cheap ones in pretty poor condition to practise on at the start.
I found the hints on Rebornpipes really helpful.

Re: alcohol treatments - I find it much easier using a cotton ball instead of salt - a whole less mess

If the stain is affected by alcohol, strip it all off.
Dry thoroughly and re-stain, if you like
I don't bother re-staining as I prefer lighter finishes.
I just apply briar balm or Paragon wax and polish with MicroMesh pads

I hope you continue to enjoy this hobby

Thank you very much for the advice! Just because I'm on a tight budget, I think if I ever get a "nice" pipe it would likely be an estate that I clean up. I wouldn't do this until I have more experience with this kind of work. And, I'll definitely checkout rebornpipes!

I will also have to give the cotton balls a shot next time. If it improves upon my experience so far, I'll stick with cotton balls without question.

The more I mess around with this pipe, the more I think the stain was mostly unaffected. I think it just stripped the finish in most places. I'll know for certain when I strip the lacquer that I believe comes on these Grabow's from the factory. I have no intentions of restaining or even really giving the pipe a proper finish at this point. I'll just hand polish with cloth and mineral oil for now. But seeing as this was an experimental pipe to learn with, I'll likely fix any issues with the stain and polish with white rouge followed by carnauba wax at some point in the future.

 

[lithicus]

Small update, after taking some heat to the stem and waiting for it to cool, I added some super glue as-is to the areas not on the bit. There was one corner that looked like it accidentally hit a belt or something as the corner of the bit was kind of missing. I used charcoal mixed with super glue for this part to ensure the repair was black and not white/transparent.

I filed the stem to get the shape and then sanded the stem with 400/600/1000/2000. Applied mineral oil and wiped down between each sanding. Took a flame to it briefly and then once it cooled down a bit I hand rubbed mineral oil with cloth in an attempt to polish. It didn't come out great, but it came out good enough for me. It feels more like my own pipe now and I don't feel so gross holding the bit in my mouth.

Had a little hiccup during this portion of the repair though. That corner of the bit that was missing ended up with a tiny little burr of sorts that I noticed after I finished everything. I took some sandpaper to it to smooth it out and the whole repair to that portion of the stem popped off. I was happy it happened then and not later when it was in my mouth!!

I sanded it with 400 and started building layers of charcoal/super glue again. I'll let this cure overnight and go back to filing/sanding tomorrow.

I also hope to empty the salt from the bowl and put some coffee grounds in it after I make my morning coffee tomorrow. I'll let this dry for a few days before emptying it, and then I'll work on stripping the lacquer off of the outside of the bowl and giving it a mineral oil "polish".

 

[OzPiper]

There is always a learning curve.
I've never been good with my hands, so everything was daunting in the beginning
The step-by-step instructions and numerous before-and-after photos in Rebornpipes are really reassuring

It gets easier with each one that you do
Good luck going forward

 

[LeafErikson]

I would advise against an estate as a first pipe because you may be tasting a ghost and not know it.

 

[lithicus]

Yea, that is one thing I am a little worried about which is why I'm going a little overboard on the deep clean with 2 salt alcohol baths and a spent coffee grounds soak. The bowl and shank was honestly pretty clean and already taken down to raw briar. So, I'm hoping it won't be too much of a problem. I also have a complete inability to taste subtleties in food and what not. So, I'm not sure I'd pick up a ghost even if there were one What's done is done, but I think I'll enjoy my first smoke nevertheless!

I just dumped the salt and it was definitely dry this time. No alcohol spilling out of the bowl. Loaded it up with spent coffee grounds and letting that dry. Also, finished my second attempt at getting that corner of the bit repaired. This one seems much more solid.

Lastly, I forgot I had a polishing jewelers cloth. So, I rubbed the stem down with that. Still far from perfect, but good enough and it is certainly now my own.

I'll have a little more work to do on the bowl, but I'll post more pictures once everything is said and done!

 

[Green Hill piper]

Do they still sell tobacco products in drug stores down south? I believe most stores (Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS) had a self-imposed banned in Michigan a few years back.

I could be mistaken, since I avoid drug stores in general due to it taking about 30 minutes to get through checkout even when just buying a pack of batteries.

I live in western nc and Walgreens still has tobacco. CVS no, but the local gas stations round here have a small selection of OTC as well as the grocery stores. Food Lion is where I get all my prince Albert and half and half

 

[lithicus]

Well, I think I will be able to pack my first bowl today! Not sure which tobacco I will go with. I have 7 different blends to choose from. I'll probably hold off on the aromatics for now.

Last night, I emptied the spent coffee grounds. They were very well dry. I mixed some honey with activated charcoal and thinly coated the inside of the bowl. I used a paper towel to remove all but the thinnest layer of this coating. I mainly did this, in combination with salt/alcohol baths and spent coffee grounds, to remove any possible chance of ghosting; although I'm not sure if I could taste it if it were present.

This morning, I wiped the entire bowl down with nail polish remover and applied some mineral oil. Hand rubbed with a paper towel.

I'm happy to report that my first "mistake" from the first post in this thread didn't damage to the stain! Or, if it did, it is not bad enough for me to notice.

The biggest "repair" was to the stem. There were tooth marks but also a corner of the bit was missing / looked like it got hit by a sanding belt. This is most evident in the first picture below. I could've done a better job sanding the stem overall, but it's good enough for me.

 

[lithicus]

But, without further ado!
(No image filters, but found some pictures came out better with the flash on!)