Hello guys. Just recently got into smoking pipes and am still in the process of learning the basics, let alone the more advanced stuff. Anyway, I need help! I have some old briar pipes that I inherited and the paint on the stems has been damaged (I believe someone tried to disinfect or clean them with alcohol and thus ruined the paint.) I need to repaint them to their original black color. How do I go about doing this? I have thought about consulting a local pipe store but I'm worried that they will charge me something I can not currently afford. The pipe stems are not fully damaged, but the paint has been thinned out around the mouthpiece. The original color is a deep black.
Need Help Repainting Pipe Stem!
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This is a picture of the aforementioned stems. Upon further inspection the dye might not be black, but more so a deep deep brown.
Not paint! Not dye! At least I hope no one has ever painted a stem. What you have is oxidation and there are a number of ways to remove it, with soaking in oxiclean or bleach, or scrubbing with BarKeepers Friend. In all cases the stem should be scrubbed with a micro mesh, dried and then apply a thin coat of mineral oil.
Stem material oxidizes because it's rubber mixed with sulfer and is prone to oxidation. It can be removed by many methods. I prefer sanding it all off with 800 grit sand paper and moving along though the grades of micromesh 3600 - 8000, followed but white buffing compound and finally carnuba wax. Also, the method includes some kind of oil applied to inhibit further oxidation. Mineral oil or chap stick work pretty well.
Does alcohol applied to the stem cause rapid oxidation to occur? I heard that this was damaged due to alcohol. I have now managed to scrape some of the oxidation off, and they look better already.
alcohol can cause oxidation, but so can sunlight and moisture. Soak them in some oxidclean with hot water then scrub off the oxidation with a Brillo pad. I use a powder called bar keepers friend next and a wet rag for getting the rest of the oxidation off. It takes time but they will come out black again.
There are a few threads on this site that deal with restoring vulcanite stems.
Here's my tried and successful method, that I've posted a few times. As I don't have a buffer, I use a piece of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to start, then Flitz Polish (non-abrasive, and FDA approved safe), and finish with Obsidian oil.
Here's my tried and successful method, that I've posted a few times. As I don't have a buffer, I use a piece of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to start, then Flitz Polish (non-abrasive, and FDA approved safe), and finish with Obsidian oil.
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