Hi guys, im interested in re staining an estate pipe i have and the process involved , what is best type of stain/dye to use and what is best to avoid?
cheers
cheers
The recipe for the "laboratory stain" is recorded in the Industrial Magazine #5, page 280.This is "laboratory stain," used in impregnating slate table tops with black stain for science labs. It's a 2 part process consisting of 2 clear (actually translucent blueish) chemicals that give a deep opaque black. It's then sanded off (which is the real skill) and then stained over with virgin French stain. These are no longer produced and you have to have a special chemical license even to purchase them in Denmark. There are a few bottles of French stain floating around out there, and you can get ahold of the laboratory stain if you know the right people. My advice would be to try the Feibings leather dies.
Similar effect achieved with Tannic acid + vinegar:The term "BOILED" does not mean that YOU have to boil the oil. It is already done for you.
1St. Coat-------50% Boiled Linsead oil and 50% Turpentine.
Add a splash of Penatrol.
2nd. Coat-------2/3 Boiled Linsead oil and 1/3 Turpentine.
Add a splash of Penatrol.
3rd. Coat-------100% Boiled Linsead oil.
Add a splash of Penatrol.
Kurt Huhn also shared his even simpler method online:1. Sand to 220 on the wheel.
2. Wet the pipe. If there are still scratches, return to step 1 and repeat. If there are no scratches move on to step 3.
3. Sand with 400 on the wheel. This wheel should be soft and leave few to no facets.
4. After sanding on the wheel with 400, sand by hand with a worn out piece of 400 (or you could use 500).
5. Apply the dark stain until it's basically opaque.
5. Buff the dark stain off evenly using brown tripoli. If there are any remaining scratches, buff them out now.
6. Sand again using the same piece of worn out 400. You should be wearing a cotton glove on your non sanding hand or the sweat from your hand will reanimate the stain dust and put color back on the pipe. This is the most important step to achieve high contrast, so sand carefully and evenly.
7. Stain over the dark stain with a lighter stain (I usually use Yellow) and try to do it in one single pass. Do not overlap your strokes if you can avoid it or you'll lift the dark stain and create one uniform mottled color. You don't want that.
8. Take the same pipecleaner, dip it in a little shellac that's been cut with alcohol and apply a single coat of shellac to the pipe. You can let it set up and dry, or you can wipe it off. If you wipe it off, though, you'll lighten the color significantly.
9. With a different tripoli wheel that's very lightly charged with compound, buff the pipe lightly. You should not remove any color, here. It should just give the pipe a nice even shine.
10. Buff with white diamond.
11. Buff with wax at around 650 RPM's. If you buff at a higher speed with wax, you'll need to buff with a clean wheel afterwards to even the finish.
*Steps 8-11 must be done while wearing gloves or you'll never get a deep glossy finish.
A great tip concerning the use of Shellac comes from Trever Talbert himself:My method for contrast staining is very simple, and I think I learned it from someone else. Trever probably.
After rough shaping, apply stain.
Sand with 180 grit until all stain is gone, then apply stain.
Sand with 360, you will have some contrast, apply stain.
Sand with 500 until your contrast is where you want it, then stop.
Kurt the master himself describes applying shellac as:You should think of Shellac much more as a stain set than as a finish, FWIW. It just won't hold a gloss for a long time, because it's heat sensitive. The main thing it's good for is to help hold aniline stain on the pipe and keep it from bleeding off onto your hands so badly during early smokes - after all, aniline stain has no actual binder in it. It's just color. There's nothing to make it "stick" to the wood apart from absorption. Shellac wipes work because they share the same solvent with alcohol-soluble aniline and can blend and mix with it to provide the "stick" that the stain doesn't have on its own.
That should get you started Be creative and experiment, there are mind-blowing effects just waiting to be created!Normally, when using shellac on a smooth pipe, I apply the shellac to the entire stummel, give it a 7-count, and wipe it completely off. Remember, all you're doing here is setting the stain, boosting contrast, and providing the basis for a longer lasting shine.
You don't want to apply the shellac like you might apply it to a wood turning or a table top. That will end up with a thick coat of the stuff, and you'll have a finish that will bubble when the pipe gets hot from being smoked.
The process that I was taught:
- Sand, stain, and (if needed) sand again to provide your desired coloration.
- Using a pipe cleaner bent in half, apply the shellac quickly over the entire stummel.
- Wipe off almost immediately, you don't want it to set up at all.
- For wiping off, I usually start counting when I get halfway through applying the shellac, and wipe everything off when I hit 7 regardless of whether I finished before that. If I'm not finished applying, I wipe off anyway.
- Let it sit for a couple hours in a dry area to allow what's left on the pipe to cure. At this point, it won't be even a little bit shiny. In fact, it will look rather dull.
- Buff lightly and apply wax as normal.
It's important to remember that you're buffing *very* lightly, especially if using brown tripoli. Buffing too hard is counterproductive at this point.