A Gifted Scantic - Clean Up [Pic Heavy]

d4k23 · Jan 25, 2019

I was gifted a pipe from a good forum member Mike Thompson, a Scantic estate made in Denmark. Had some oxidation and a lot of chatter on the stem. I am by no means an expert on refurb, but here is my attempt. Used Oxy-clean on the stem and then 9 rounds of micromesh to brighten it up and take the chatter down. Some vigorous hand polish on the bowl (I bought a drill buffer but haven't tried it on any of my pipes yet).
Would be up for suggestions on how to make the stem a little less chatter (maybe like new?).

And for the polish and clean up!

And if anyone was still curious, there were 227 pipe cleaners

cortezattic · Jan 25, 2019

Thanks for all the pix! That was a nice clean- up job. :clap:

Chasing Embers · Jan 25, 2019

Would be up for suggestions on how to make the stem a little less chatter (maybe like new?).

A heat gun is your friend there. Looks great!
https://youtu.be/-82QQeE2rtY

donjgiles · Jan 25, 2019

For the stem chatter, I would lightly sand with either a 440 grit sanding pad or medium fine grit sand paper.

I like sanding pads as they have a little give from the foam interior.

You will then need to run through the progression of Micromesh pads again.
Don

Chasing Embers · Jan 25, 2019

Thumb buffing a little plain white toothpaste on that stem will bring the shine up too.

jpmcwjr · Jan 25, 2019

If you just sand, you'll remove a lot of material. The heat gun sounds like a good first step, followed by sanding.
BTW, the contrast between two of the photos showing the stem, one clearly showing a lot of chatter, the other concealing it. You don't need PS, just clever lighting and shooting angles. (Not suggesting for a second that OP is up to that at all; just a fine illustration of what could be done- and is by a certain pipe shiner known to many)

scloyd · Jan 25, 2019

Nice clean up and nice pipe. I'm going to try the heat gun trick myself.

d4k23 · Jan 25, 2019

BTW, the contrast between two of the photos showing the stem, one clearly showing a lot of chatter, the other concealing it. You don't need PS, just clever lighting and shooting angles

Caught me jpmcwjr! I was trying to make the polishing look better, and the chatter look less, but here is the up close after the polish. Still much nicer to me than the before!
Top

Bottom

And thanks Embers for the heat gun video. At the end they suggest even a votive candle will work, which I have. I think it is definitely worth a try to get it smoothed out. And also didn't know about toothpaste trick. Will have to order some and try that as well.
And Don, I thought about coarser sand paper, but don't want to lose too much stem material.
Give me some time and I'll see if I can get this smoothed out a little more in the days to come. I have a little work to do right now but will be giving this pipe its 'first to me' smoke a little later today. Thanks guys for the input!
And thanks again Mike!! Very much appreciated!

donjgiles · Jan 25, 2019

And Don, I thought about coarser sand paper, but don't want to lose too much stem material.

I agree, sanding is always my last ditch effort. I always try the least aggressive approach possible. Heat works, just make sure you keep the stem moving and have a cool damp paper towel to wipe the stem on after each pass.
Looking forward to your progress!
Don

mikethompson · Jan 25, 2019

I'm glad the pipe finally made its way down to you! It looks great so far. I will have to look into the flame/heat trick for some of my stems as well.

d4k23 · Jan 26, 2019

Alright gents, I ignored my wife and ignored my kids yesterday, and took a flame to the stem on this Scantic. Wow!! Heat, micro-mesh pads, toothpaste, then pipe cloth. I need new micromesh pads, but made it work.
Going to post another thread about a different stem I did first, but this is a revelation. A bit labor intensive, but worth the outcome. She looks mostly new and smoked like a charm! Thanks for the input guys!!

donjgiles · Jan 26, 2019

Great job!

Beware, restoring estate pipes can become addicting. ☺
Don

mikethompson · Jan 26, 2019

I barely recognize it! Nice work.

d4k23 · Jan 26, 2019

After the time I put into this one and the Mountbatten, I went on Amazon and picked up a heat gun for 30 bucks. May make life a little easier!

judcasper · Jan 26, 2019

A heat gun is your friend there. Looks great!
https://youtu.be/-82QQeE2rtY

Wow!
Incidently, that Peterson Sports is gorgeous!

Chasing Embers · Jan 27, 2019

Great great job! :clap:

Chasing Embers · Jan 27, 2019

With the toothpaste I thumb buff until it's gone. After one or two applications like that, you can turn a dull stem into a black mirror. I haven't even used sandpaper, micromesh, or Magic Erasers on my past couple of restorations, but that's another story.

judcasper · Jan 27, 2019

A bit labor intensive, but worth the outcome. She looks mostly new and smoked like a charm! Thanks for the input guys!!

You've done an amazing job there. Like you say, as new!
May I perform a quick hijack and ask if these chatter-removal methods will work on any stem, regardless of material?

d4k23 · Jan 27, 2019

According to the video above, this works for all stems. I have a heat gun on the way and will try it out on the ones that need it.
Duane, how much toothpaste do you use? I used quite a bit and had to run it through the faucet to clean it off. Maybe just a pea size next time?

Chasing Embers · Jan 27, 2019

Like this. Only enough to cover the stem in a thin film. I then buff the stem with the side of my thumb until gone with no water required. I have an estate GBD coming in this week. May do a video of the restoration.

A Gifted Scantic - Clean Up [Pic Heavy]

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Can't Leave

Lifer

Captain of the Black Frigate

Lifer

Captain of the Black Frigate

Moderator

Lifer

Can't Leave

Lifer

Lifer

Can't Leave

Lifer

Lifer

Can't Leave

Can't Leave

Captain of the Black Frigate

Captain of the Black Frigate

Can't Leave

Can't Leave

Captain of the Black Frigate