I have a tendency to be a really hands-on type of guy ad I figure the quickest way to learn if you're going to enjoy something is to dive right in. I grabbed this one in the hopes that it's restorable ONLY because of the ding in the side (see second pic). I know my way around a set of jewelers files and am all too familiar with cramped fingers from stepping sandpaper from a fairly coarse grit through 2000 grit for a fine polish before buffing. Hard wood is hard wood any way you look at it and the closer it is to polished before your first coat of finisher the happier I know I'll be. I've read most of the articles on a couple different sites about refinishing pipes as a whole and I think I have a pretty good handle on it. I'm really looking forward to getting the grain to show again and from the posts I've seen on this forum I'm sure that if I have any questions someone with some knowledge (and I've noticed there are a few of you) will pipe up. Well, enough of my blabbing on.. here she is....