I usually happily ignore minor sand pits in my inexpensive smooth pipes, but I've got a Peterson Aran that's bugging me. It's got two small - pinhead size or smaller - but very noticeable pits right at 12 o'clock on the rim and the front of the bowl. I've had the pipe for years and smoked it often, but I noticed these in a recent cleaning and now I can't not notice them. I think at least one of the pits had been filled before but got knocked out over the years. The other might have been a ding from dropping the pipe at some point. The pipe has been well-smoked over the years and has already darkened significantly from its factory finish, so I'm not worried about future color changes making the fill more visible.
Any tips for how to go about doing this? I Googled and found a few comments, but it's sometimes hard to tell whether they're about adding a fill to a finished pipe or to filling it after carving before all the staining and sanding happens. The rest of the pipe's finish is quite nice, so I don't want to do anything requiring wholesale sanding and refinishing. I just want to touch up those spots. I've seen reports of using briar dust and superglue as well just using a typical wood putty from Home Depot. Other suggestions on materials? And then what about color matching? Would I want to use a real wood stain of some sort? Maybe just a touch of shoe polish or leather dye?
Any suggestions appreciated.
Any tips for how to go about doing this? I Googled and found a few comments, but it's sometimes hard to tell whether they're about adding a fill to a finished pipe or to filling it after carving before all the staining and sanding happens. The rest of the pipe's finish is quite nice, so I don't want to do anything requiring wholesale sanding and refinishing. I just want to touch up those spots. I've seen reports of using briar dust and superglue as well just using a typical wood putty from Home Depot. Other suggestions on materials? And then what about color matching? Would I want to use a real wood stain of some sort? Maybe just a touch of shoe polish or leather dye?
Any suggestions appreciated.