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neverbend

neverbend

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2014
230
5
How many times times have you seen a lovely vintage pipe that has been buffed so hard that the nomenclature is nothing more than a ghost that you need a magnifying glass to see, just to make the pipe 'shiny'.
Yeah, I'm speaking about eBay but the practice is more widespread than that. When I see a high gloss shine on a vintage pipe I know it's been abused.
Your turn...

 
ssjones

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,409
11,298
Maryland
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That's tough lesson to learn, from which there is no turning back, sadly learned from experience. I give my stampings a wide berth with the wheel and just hand wax that area.

 
neverbend

neverbend

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2014
230
5
That's tough lesson to learn, from which there is no turning back, sadly learned from experience. I give my stampings a wide berth with the wheel and just hand wax that area.
Click to expand...
but they were your pipes, not pipes disfigured to make them sell better so that the new owner has damaged goods (that can't be reclaimed).
Heck, everyone who ever restored a pipe made this mistake but these people are simply doing it mindlessly (or worse, intentionally). I saw a Barling a few weeks ago that was heavily polished and the left number was buffed off so the seller used that (only 3 numbers) to represent the pipe as a Pre-Transition (Family Era).

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,747
45,289
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
In the wrong hands, a buffer can be a weapon of mass destruction. In knowledgeable hands, a buffer is a very good tool. As a onetime manufacturing jeweler who also did quite a lot of restoration on antique pieces, some over 250 years old, I learned that buffing is a delicate craft, a buffer to be used only when necessary and with discretion. There are other options that may be preferable in some circumstances.
Buffing out nomenclature is a sign of ignorance and ineptitude. Pipes that have been reduced to shiny lumps are a travesty. I don't buy buffed down pipes and I don't need a buffer just to put a brilliant shine on a pipe. There are some very good products available that do a perfectly fine job. It just takes a little more work.

 
ssjones

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,409
11,298
Maryland
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That's one reason that I would rather buy unrestored pipes and do it myself. That last Sasieni Ashford was advertised as "cleaned and sanitized" and was nothing of the sort. Someone used some pretty rough grade paper to remove teeth marks on the stem, but fortunately didn't go too deep and I was able to get them out.
I also hate to hear the work "tripoli" used in restorations. That's code for nomenclature erasure.
A rough jewel is being delivered today. While it needs a lot of work, thankfully the all-important nomenclature is in great shape.

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
Pipes that have been reduced to shiny lumps are a travesty. I don't buy buffed down pipes and I don't need a buffer just to put a brilliant shine on a pipe. There are some very good products available that do a perfectly fine job. It just takes a little more work.
Click to expand...
I totally agree.
I'm usually satisfied with what I can do by hand, but sometimes wish I had the chops to do better, at this point I've realized I need to send problem (for me to clean) pipes off to a professional, which I've resisted cuz ya gotta pay money 'n stuff, but it'll probably be worth it in the long run --- I have a Finlays pipe which needs a new tenon and a good cleaning, and I'm gonna send it out --- even though it's only a $5 pipe and doesn't really have any market value, I'm a sucker for nomenclature and this one is an old "Knobby" with a great blast that I feel I need to save --- sometimes I feel like an idiot and question my logic, but hey, it makes me happy!

:)
When I first started collecting I didn't know what caused excessive worn nomenclature and just thought it was natural wear, but quickly learned what was up and mostly avoid such pipes.
I greatly dislike overbuffed "jellybean" stem buttons that have lost their crispness too, it detracts from the smoking experience.

 
ejames

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
While I agree buffing should be done only when needed and then done properly I think that many times those faint stamping are not the result of over buffing but are the result of poor stamping. They are only lightly stamped when made. I have come across many pipes,especially,it seems to me, some of the older English pipes that are unrestored but in excellent condition that have very weak stampings. It seems to me that not all weak stamping are the result of some idiot over buffing a pipe.
Al, I agree, Brown Tripoli is something that should not be in a lot of peoples tool box, and in most cases is totally unnecessary--on bowls or stems.

 
neverbend

neverbend

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2014
230
5
...I think that many times those faint stamping are not the result of over buffing but are the result of poor stamping. They are only lightly stamped when made.
Click to expand...
Pipes are very carefully marked. Mistakes do happen but impressing the stamp is serious business to pipe makers who need their merchandise to be clearly identifiable. I believe what you've seen are pipes that were previously buffed and that had gotten dull over time.
Stamps do wear down with heavy use and the nomenclature becomes less sharp so they're replaced (thus the changes in nomenclature that some collectors believe signals changes in the company's product). Older English pipes were uniformly hand stamped and mistakes weren't tolerated because you (usually) got only one chance at it.
It takes a lot of buffing to wear off the nomenclature of a pipe.

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
The worst nomenclature I have is on this old warhorse,

it remains unidentified, but it reminds me of a Dunhill...

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...it's very dirty too!

 
ejames

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
Pipes are very carefully marked. Mistakes do happen but impressing the stamp is serious business to pipe makers who need their merchandise to be clearly identifiable. I believe what you've seen are pipes that were previously buffed and that had gotten dull over time.
Click to expand...
I don't think so. It's not that hard to tell if a pipe has been over buffed.Usually,not only will the stamping sometimes be weak, but the rest of the surface of the pipe will have a wavy appearance and feel caused by the buffer removing the softer wood. That applies to stems as well,over buff and you may end up with a wavy surface.

 
gregprince

gregprince

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 29, 2014
276
0
Thank you, gentlemen. Shout it from the rooftops. I have way too many over buffed pipes with weak stamping, including a wonderful old Dunhill bulldog with the date stamp buffed off. Whoever said that a fine vintage pipe is improved with a high gloss finish? I would much rather buy a pipe in need of cleaning than one that has been ruined on the buffing wheel. I prefer that my vintage pipes look like vintage pipes rather than high gloss lumps with their value destroyed by a fool on a wheel.

 
neverbend

neverbend

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2014
230
5
The bane of my existance! Pipes that have been buffed so hard that the stem and shanks do not match... I have yet to find a method to "revitalize" nomenclature.
Click to expand...
Sums up the problem and there is no way to restore nomenclature.
...It's not that hard to tell if a pipe has been over buffed.Usually,not only will the stamping sometimes be weak, but the rest of the surface of the pipe will have a wavy appearance and feel caused by the buffer removing the softer wood. That applies to stems as well,over buff and you may end up with a wavy surface.
Click to expand...
Edsel from Murfreesboro?
You're correct that a wavy look/feel indicates poor handling. Can be any one or more of incorrect wheels (size, prep, material), buffer speed and torque, pressure against the wheel, cutting material (tripoli, white diamond and rouge that are all incorrect for wood but widely used). The condition the pipe and nomenclature (specifically) is the accumulated result of all buffing, handling and work, (etc.), since the pipe left the factory.
As you say, stems too accumulate wear, directly wear (teeth) or through buffing, etc., and the current condition is the sum of all use (and abuse). Bar compounds are acceptable for use with stems.
Never, I mean never buff a pipe unless the stem in inserted! I mean NEVER!!! Even with a gentle touch you can and will round the ends of both shank and stem and they will not sit flush.
Click to expand...
Stem inserted completely flush and accurately oriented because even the slimmest gap or ridge will round.
Pipe cleaning takes a very gentle touch. Tripoli will strip a finish or re shape a stem. It must be used sparingly. No matter if Tripoli, white diamond, or carnauba. The buffing wheels alone need to be used with a gentle touch. ...If you are serious about learning how to refurbish pipes, buy a mess of cheap briars...beyond redemption and practise.
Click to expand...
Good idea and before working take a moment to consider pipe and the impact of your intended work.

1 - Materials

a - Origin of briar. Do you know the properties of the briar's native soil? (hardness)

b - Hand cut or injection stem, vulcanite or acrylics.

2 - Finish

3 - Current condition

a - Understand what work was previously done.

b - Will you do more harm than good?

4 - What materials will you use

 
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