------------------
------------------
-----------------
I would really like to have the stem on my pipes to look nice, black and clean.
These days they are black with a touch of brown/grey.
I polished them gently with toothpaste (that gave pipe smoking a brand new taste) and oiling them up with regular cooking oil afterwards. They looked like a million bucks for a day, and now the look pretty worn out again.
What do you do to maintain the stem...or the pipe in general?
I would suggest this compound and carnauba wax at http://www.walkerbriarworks.com/html/kit_history.html.
Hope this helps or perhaps you can find something similar locally. Once you de-oxidize the stem you must seal it. It will keep it looking good longer.
Herself bought a dozen cotton diapers to use as rags. I snatched two of them yo use as hand buffing rags. I folded them and then sprayed the surface with Pledge. I let it dry and sprayed it again and once again let it dry. That leaves just the wax and lem on oil. When I finish a pipe, I wipe the entire pipe with the rag.
I tried the compound and wax from walker briar works also. I didn't find the compound all that useful, but I was trying to restore some pretty gnarly stems from estate purchases. The wax is pretty nice and does a pretty good job of maintaining the stem.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does a pretty good job of removing oxidation, but again, not really tough stuff. It is great to getting right into the corner of the lip though.
Micro-mesh sanding pads work very well, but you have to be careful. They are hobbyist sanding pads that go to extremely fine grit. With a little patience, you can have the stem nearly shining prior to waxing. They will removing stampings/logos from the stems if you get careless.
I have also used the micro-mesh pads to restore the briar itself. Works well for removing varnish from a smooth pipe or for cleaning up the rim a bit. Again...need to be a bit careful.
Some before & afters on a Savinelli second estate I picked up on e-bay.
Some before & afters on a Savinelli second estate I picked up on e-bay.
Very nice job bytor
Thanks Steen. The second pic was after I had spent a fair amount of time trying to remove the oxidation with the de-oxidizing compound. It did actually remove a fair amount of oxidation, but I don't think it would have ever finished the job on this pipe. The Micro-mesh pads are what really did all the work on the stem.
Nice job on that pipe Bytor!
I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil on my stems and pipes. It works for me and I've had no problems.
Thanks Bob. One of these days I'll manage to get some more pics together to put in my album.
Bytor,
Thanks for posting your results. Do you have a recommended source for the micro-mesh pads; and do they come in various grit sizes?
IOW, what do I look for?
Chuckw,
I really like that idea about letting the Lemon Pledge dry on the rag. I suspect the commercially available pipe-wipes are about the same thing!
Here are a few links to the Micro-mesh sanding pads that use. I ended up buying the 2" x 2" soft pad multi-pack. I can't remember if I actually purchased from this website or not though.
Micro-mesh Pads
Grit comparison
General Info
As far as which grits to purchase...it depends on what finish you want to reach. I generally start with the 1800 unless it seems to be taking excessive time, then I will go down to the 1500. I generally do not bother going higher than 4000, have when I want to really get a nice finish.
Some type of wax (pledge, carnauba, etc) is still required if you want a high-gloss finish.
If you want nice clean stems,and you are someone with a good sized pipe collection, invest in a buffer. Its the best pipe accessory I've ever purchased.
Hey guys try Miracle Cloth - you can get them pretty cheap on ebay - the seller does a great job getting them out to you. They have 100% coconut oil in the cloth which is non toxic. I usually go through 1 a month - but I have beautiful shiny pipes and stems.
I haven't had a lot of success removing oxidation using a buffer, but it is great to have for a final polish and applying carnauba wax.
I have a large collection and have to agree that a buffer is the best way to go. Compounds are available from J.H. Lowe. Owned by Tim West at reasonable prices. http://www.jhlowe.com/
Uncle Arthur
Tom's Natural toothpaste.
bakeing soda works , everclear aolchol works , pipe stem polish works
Hey Bytor - thanks for the link on the micro mesh. I was looking all over for that stuff.
bakeing soda works
Now I'm curious - how/where do you use baking soda?
You must log in to post.
Back To Top | Back to Forum Home Page
Members Online Now
carlosviet, topd, schmitzbitz, laozhishu, nsfisher
| Pipe Manufacturer & Retailer Spotlight | Pipe News | Pipe of the Week | Pipe Smoking Thoughts | Put that in Your Pipe |
Wine | About
Us | Contact
Us | Links
| Privacy
Policy | Terms &
Conditions | Advertising
| Site Map |
| Join the Forum |
| Getting Published on PipesMagazine.com |
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2009 - 2012 Right Click Media, LLC
We use the SafeSurf Rating System to signify that PipesMagazine.com is for adults only
