Does Staining Prevent Darkening?
- Thread starter tmgaus51
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Dead wood darkens. It rots as any dead vegetable material does. A coat of varnish may keep it from picking up oils and dead skin from your hands and, smoke and dirt in the air. Something that inhibits UV may slow the progression. To reiterate, it is dead wood, it will darken unless you lock it away somewhere, protected from air, UV, dirt, etc.
Finished/stain pipes will darken. You will not notice it as much do to the staining unlike natural pipes. Obviously pipes that are stained dark brown or black will most likely go unnoticed, but a lite color stain will darken over time and will be noticeable to the pipe smoker.
My Savinelli 645 bent apple short pipe has definitely darkened over the past 7 years. It's not a bad look, but it does add character to the pipe.
My Savinelli 645 bent apple short pipe has definitely darkened over the past 7 years. It's not a bad look, but it does add character to the pipe.
Varnish, shellac, varathane, etc. will inhibit darkening, but not prevent it.
Do you have a specific situation in mind?
Do you have a specific situation in mind?
Darkening of pipes is more about impurities collecting on the outside surface than anything else. Lighter natural colored pipes show these impurities more readily and unprotected (untreated) pipes allow those impurities to penetrate the grain. Stripping and reapplying the wax coating will often restore a pipe to near its original color.
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