Getting a Rubber Stem Back to Black

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georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
Wow, files on a finished stem? Thats, vicious! 8O
No viciousness involved. :lol:
The area that was filed was subsequently sanded, and the file itself was #3 cut and top quality (meaning it left a smooth surface).

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,260
108,369
I was just funnin' ya. :mrgreen: I use a fine file just in front of the button to remove oxidation, and sand the rest.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I was gifted with a fine freehand briar, a Thompson house pipe stamped West Germany, but the Vulcanite stem w/P-lip, just wouldn't stay polished. I could get it back to black, but it went all grainy gray oxidation after every smoke. Preferring fishtail bits anyway, I opted for a new tortoise shell acrylic stem with the same gentle bend, and it makes a magnificent pipe. Sometimes fighting the oxidation just isn't worth it to me.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,080
Carmel Valley, CA
Very fine instruction! Thanks again, George.
I have to admit I am of the quick and dirty school: hot water, detergent and the scrub side of a sponge. Wipe dry with some buffing involved, then a very thin coat of mineral oil. No, they are no where near a gorgeous as real work with carnauba buffing, but they look good to me. Also, I have only a few pipes with serious oxidation.

 
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