To Polish Or Not to Polish

[irishjedi]

Was just wondering how many folks out there use polish their pipes? Is so, what are some good do's and don'ts of polishing. Thanks.

Mike

 

[salewis]

The only polish that I use is the Dunhill Polishing Cloth available from smokingpipes.com. This cloth is the safest way to put a sheen on your pipes and it lasts a long time.

 

[erichbaumer]

I use Obsidian on the stems, but that's it. Then again, I really prefer a matte look, so any estates I get are cleaned but otherwise left alone. A soft T-shirt and some elbow grease will remove any gunk from the outside of the bowl, and I've found this is enough for me. But if you like shiny pipes, YMMV.

 

[zekest]

How would a Silicone Gun & Reel Cloth, like the ones made by Hoppe's or KleenBore work?
They both state:

Removes and eliminates fingerprints.

Polishes metal and wood.

Treated to absorb dirt and other residue.
I trust them on my chrome plated Smith & Wesson, and the custom rosewood grips. They don't yellow with heat, etc.
Never before thought about using them on my pipes, so just wondering.

 

[captainsousie]

If they come to me as a grubby estate I will clean the outside but I do not polish any of my pipes. I will try a pipe wipe on one of my next orders though.

 

[foggymountain]

I never polish the briar. Wax will temporarily ruin the taste for my taster. To me the smoke comes first, not the look of the pipe. A little oil from your nose won't hurt. I use a lot of olive oil in my quasi-Mediterranean diet, and that is what the noseoil mostly is. Was surprised to find out that my ex-almost father in law did the same thing.

 

[mlyvers]

I will use a buffer only after doing a complete cleaning with everclear on the interior of stem,shank, reaming then doing a everclear and kosher salt. then I lightly buff with white diamond and carnuba.
take care.

mike.

 

[sablebrush52]

A little nose grease goes a long way. If I want to bring a high gloss to a bowl that has outstanding grain I'll use either Halcyon or Paragon waxes, available from Finepipes.com. They will provide a brilliant gloss without recourse to a buffing machine.

The trick is to use a very sparing amount, spreading it with your fingertips and then lightly and rapidly rubbing the bowl in the palms of your hands after it has started to set up. The polish on your hands rubs against the polish on the bowl to create a much more brilliant gloss than you will get using a soft cloth as directed. It also works on stems to retard oxidation.

 

[hfearly]

I do weekly polish with a soft cloth and Denicare, and a full clean every 6-8 weeks that includes buffing with a 4" Beall system and Carnauba. Nothing beats the look of a wonderful clean, maintained, well polished pipe.