How do you keep the stem good looking

isteen · Mar 2, 2010

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?

sapo59 · Mar 2, 2010

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.

chuckw · Mar 2, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 2, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 2, 2010

Some before & afters on a Savinelli second estate I picked up on e-bay.

isteen · Mar 2, 2010

Some before & afters on a Savinelli second estate I picked up on e-bay.

Very nice job bytor

bytor · Mar 2, 2010

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.

python · Mar 2, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 2, 2010

Thanks Bob. One of these days I'll manage to get some more pics together to put in my album.

cortezattic · Mar 3, 2010

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!

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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: http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/mmr_pads.htm

Grit Comparison: http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/conversion.htm

General Info: http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/literature.htm#instructions
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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

test post...been having trouble posting a reply

bytor · Mar 3, 2010

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.

How do you keep the stem good looking

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