Refurb in Progress: Estate Lanza

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gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
My son picked this old pipe up at a flea market in Tennessee this last fall. I shared a YouTube video of it and another pipe when I reamed it out on another thread. It was nasty and heavily caked. He polished the stem and cleaned it up pretty nicely but didn't like the style after he'd had it a bit so we traded pipes: I got this he got an old Grabow Omega I'd restored. Anyway, I love the pipe but hate the varnished/Laquored finish so I decided to strip it. I used 0000 steel wool and Formby's Furniture Refinisher to take off the finish, with cotton balls soaked in alcohol wipes inbetween each application of the Formby's. Little if any of the stain was removed during this process, which made me happy. Here are before and after shots:
photo1-6.jpg

photo2-6.jpg

I've yet to decide how I'm going to proceed but the bowl rim needs some attention. I may top it and try using the briar dust to replace some of the fills; I don't want it rusticated.

 

mthanded

Can't Leave
Sep 15, 2012
361
0
I like the grain on that and thanks for posting these. I hope you'll continue to post the progress as you go. It's nice to see each stage as it happens.

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Learned something new today. I didn't know you could strip the lacquer and not remove the stain. That's very cool.
I appreciate the pix as well.

 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
Thanks guys, I hope to remember to take the photos as I go; learning how photobucket works with the iPhone to post is making it much easier.
Fnord, I got the stuff at a local Ace Hardware. Unless I bought the wrong things, I learned of it from TopD in another post but had t been able to find it. Here's a photo of the can:
photo-17.jpg


 

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
Learned something new today. I didn't know you could strip the lacquer and not remove the stain. That's very cool.
With some pipe removing the lacquer will change the color. That is because some have a tinted lacquer.I have a Brigham and a Kaywoodie that are a beautiful red with black contrast. Where the lacquer has chipped they both show brown. Some Grabows used a tinted lacquer

 

hfearly

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 11, 2012
822
2
Canada
Hi Greg good work so far, that finish came off nicely without too much damage. You could try steaming out the dings in the rim first before topping. I agree rustication would hide the beautiful grain. Maybe there is a sandblasting service in your area? From what I can tell from your pictures this might give an interesting ring blast like finish. If you decide to go with the briar dust superglue method to fill the picked out puttys you'll probably have to restain with a darker finish.
Keep us updated on how it goes.

 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
With some pipe removing the lacquer will change the color. That is because some have a tinted lacquer.I have a Brigham and a Kaywoodie that are a beautiful red with black contrast. Where the lacquer has chipped they both show brown. Some Grabows used a tinted lacquer
Well, I experienced this first hand today. And now I'm "red handed" too! I did a spur of the moment lacquer removal on an old estate Oxford today. About 30 seconds into the process I was covered in purplish red liquid. The pipe came out nicely, I'll post pics when I get back home and remember to take them. But this is a good warning to heed from ejames!

 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
Hfearly, thanks for the input. There's a fill just below the bowl I was hoping to get rid of by topping and maybe sloping it slightly, rounding it off really. I hadn't thought if the briar/super glue fill causing a need for restaining; thanks for mentioning that!
As far as I know there's no sandblasting service near by. I prefer smooth pipes anyway, to be honest, and plan on keeping this one, at least I do for now.

 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
I finally had a chance to work on this old pipe some this evening. It's coming along pretty well I think. I say coming along because I missed some of the fills I was trying to pick out and refill: some I totally missed, others I picked out and didn't get them filled! LOL
Diptic-2.jpg


 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
Here's another collage
photo-23.jpg

I'm figuring on keeping this one for myself so I didn't do a great job of protecting the nomenclature, though I should've.

 

gmwolford

Lifer
Jul 26, 2012
1,355
5
WV, USA
Thanks, Roth. It smoked hot from the varnish before; I expect that'll be cured now. Plan on it being my outside, knock around, for a while at least. :lol:

 
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