Putting Shine to Briar
- Thread starter PipeGarGuy
- Start date
You can use a buffer with carnauba, hand buff with Renaissance wax, or use a jeweler's cloth. I use a jeweler's cloth.
Very nice shine!
I've had that one for nearly 9 years and is just as shiny as new. Jeweler's cloths are just a wipe down with no cleanup.
One of my recently purchased estates had paint on it. The only thing that worked to take it off was alcohol which also dulled the finish. I’m unsure which process to use to restore the finish to its original shine.
Carnauba or Renaissance.
How much do you want it to shine?
The highest gloss probably is a hard poly or varnish finish. The disadvantage of that (besides an assault on tradition) is a hard glossy finish shows every ding and scratch, and cannot be touched up.
Using wax on polished briar can also result in a high gloss, but one that is more forgiving of tiny dings and dents. It also does not last, and must be renewed often, but wax is cheap.
I try and keep an obsessive number of pipes shining.
I do have beeswax, and use it on my glossiest pipes.
But by far and away the easiest, quickest, and I think most attractive glow on briar is obtained from:
Using 4/0 grade steel wool, paper towels, and 190 proof Everclear to remove all little dings and dirt.
Then just as little grapeseed oil as I can apply using a paper towel.
A $10 12 ounce bottle of grapeseed oil will likely last a lifetime.
A bag of 4/0 steel wool costs $6 and lasts me a year.
Every pipe I show off here, gets a grapeseed oil glow. It’s not a shine.
If you want, you can shine it up with wax.
The highest gloss probably is a hard poly or varnish finish. The disadvantage of that (besides an assault on tradition) is a hard glossy finish shows every ding and scratch, and cannot be touched up.
Using wax on polished briar can also result in a high gloss, but one that is more forgiving of tiny dings and dents. It also does not last, and must be renewed often, but wax is cheap.
I try and keep an obsessive number of pipes shining.
I do have beeswax, and use it on my glossiest pipes.
But by far and away the easiest, quickest, and I think most attractive glow on briar is obtained from:
Using 4/0 grade steel wool, paper towels, and 190 proof Everclear to remove all little dings and dirt.
Then just as little grapeseed oil as I can apply using a paper towel.
A $10 12 ounce bottle of grapeseed oil will likely last a lifetime.
GRAPESEED OIL ORGANIC 100% PURE CARRIER COLD PRESSED 12 OZ | eBay
ORGANIC GRAPESEED OIL, COLD PRESSED. Ingredients: Grapeseed oil, 100% Pure with NO additives or carriers added. It is noted to be especially effective to help the skin around the eyes. It's commonly used in stretch mark preparations.
www.ebay.com
A bag of 4/0 steel wool costs $6 and lasts me a year.
#4/0 12 Pad Steel Wool, Super Fine Grade 7445057153140 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for #4/0 12 Pad Steel Wool, Super Fine Grade at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
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Every pipe I show off here, gets a grapeseed oil glow. It’s not a shine.
If you want, you can shine it up with wax.
I used Renaissance and was thrilled with the results. Use a little bit all over the pipe and set it aside to dry to a whitish paste then rub it in with your hands and wipe with a soft cloth. It comes out like highly polished museum quality finish. The jeweler's cloth is excellent for maintenance on pipes whose finish hasn't been damaged by alcohol or acetone.
Just be damn sure when you use a buffing wheel not to buff over the nomenclature.
Here’s a 1920’s Comoy Sunrise I just picked up. I use Before and After Balm.
I’ll get better pics later.
I’ll get better pics later.
More or less same as @Chasing Embers . I heard good things about Howard Feed-N-Wax before on the forum. But haven't heard anything recently. Have two bottles of it, but never used it myself, and I don't think I can drink it.
It’s far easier to keep one shiny than it is to make one shiny again. I keep my pipes shined with a Decatur pipe cloth. But shining a dull pipe starts with getting it clean, an old toothbrush with a drop of dawn dish soap and some water will clean up a dirty pipe pretty well. A drop of mineral oil and good buffing with a soft cloth will go a long way to shining up an old pipe once it’s clean. You can also use any number of wax’s, renaissance, bees wax, paragon, etc. if you’re not comfortable with a buffing wheel practice on junk pipes first, you can over buff or pitch one across the room real quick if you don’t know what your doing. These two were just cleaned up and hand buffed with mineral oil. They were both pretty crusty.
I looked at jeweler's cloths on Amazon but can't determine what substance they have on them. They seem to have a cleanser or fine grit to remove tarnish from metal, like a silver polishing cloth. Do you happen to know what they have on them? Do they wax as well as clean and polish?
Jeweler's Rouge is all I've ever known the cleaning side to have. The other side has a wax to prevent oxidation. They're safe for flatware.
Thanks. I assume you use both sides. Regardless, your pipes looks amazing.
The stummel on this one was cleaned with a damp paper towel and shined up with a jeweler's.
Thanks! Both sides for sure. I fold the cloth four times and buff as you would a shoe with a brush.
The best way to shine a briar is to not shine it. As long as the inside is clean and the taste isn’t affected I’m a happy camper.
I removed the hard coat from this one, I'm assuming it was some sort of lacquer, with acetone. No stain damage and polished it with a jeweler's cloth. I've had it since 1991.
