Best Way to Remove Lacquer/Epoxy From Briar?

[trubka2]

I bought a BBB Own Make Virgin a while ago that was slathered in some sort of impermeable finish by a previous owner (visible in the pic below). I like the pipe, but want that nonsense gone, whatever it is. Wiping it down with isopropyl alcohol made it a bit tacky, but didn't take any off, so I gather it's probably not shellac. Steve Laug on Reborn Pipes recommends acetone as the next step if it's lacquer and, apparently, deep despair if it's epoxy. How do you all strip this crap off briar pipes? I thought I'd check if anybody has a secret weapon for this before going to town on it with acetone.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nothing wrong with acetone, I've used it on many pipes.

 

[trubka2]

Thanks, Embers. I was afraid it was too harsh, but then my wife reminded me that she used to use acetone on her fingernails. It took a couple hours and a lot of scrubbing, but all that lacquer eventually came off, and it turns out there was a pretty little pipe under all that stuff. Pretty beat up, but I like it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thanks, Embers. I was afraid it was too harsh, but then my wife reminded me that she used to use acetone on her fingernails. It took a couple hours and a lot of scrubbing, but all that lacquer eventually came off, and it turns out there was a pretty little pipe under all that stuff. Pretty beat up, but I like it.

View attachment 6225

Looks great! The good thing about acetone is that it removes the lacquer without removing the stain.?