Got a new pipe with some heavy varnish/stain in the bowl. I don't want to smoke it without sanding back the stain and varnish. Can anyone see any major mishaps with this plan? I will just sand out the bowl till I am happey, then break the pipe in slowly... Any ideas? Any tips on breaking the pipe in?
New pipe bowl heavily varnished
- Thread starter stacen
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First thing that popped into my head was why? Has the finish bubbled or started to peel? Or maybe you just don't like the color and want to change it?
Varnish/lacquer does not guarantee that a pipe will smoke bad or hot,and removing it is no guarantee that the pipe will smoke better.There have been literally millions of varnished pipes made and are still being made. The majority are good smoking pipes.
Having said that,I don't like lacquer/varnish either! I smoke mainly "drug store" pipes,mostly estates bought on Ebag. I love restoring these old pipes but when I get one I leave the lacquer on-if it's in good shape. If not I remove it. I cannot tell ANY difference in the way they smoke.
Like Unclearthur said,don't be surprised at what you find under that finish.The reason for that finish is to hide fills and sanding marks etc. and to make it shine without a lot of sanding and buffing like the high dollar pipes get when they are made.
As far as break in,well most would disagree with the way I do it. I just fill it-to the rim- and smoke it. No problems yet!
Varnish/lacquer does not guarantee that a pipe will smoke bad or hot,and removing it is no guarantee that the pipe will smoke better.There have been literally millions of varnished pipes made and are still being made. The majority are good smoking pipes.
Having said that,I don't like lacquer/varnish either! I smoke mainly "drug store" pipes,mostly estates bought on Ebag. I love restoring these old pipes but when I get one I leave the lacquer on-if it's in good shape. If not I remove it. I cannot tell ANY difference in the way they smoke.
Like Unclearthur said,don't be surprised at what you find under that finish.The reason for that finish is to hide fills and sanding marks etc. and to make it shine without a lot of sanding and buffing like the high dollar pipes get when they are made.
As far as break in,well most would disagree with the way I do it. I just fill it-to the rim- and smoke it. No problems yet!
I believe he said the varnish/stain was IN the bowl. If you find fills on the interior, mix powdered activated charcol with yorgut and apply a thin coat to the interior. Allow it to dry completely before smoking the pipe.
Another fix is to mix grape jelly with some dry, powdered tobacco and apply it. Again, allow it to dry completely before smoking.
Another fix is to mix grape jelly with some dry, powdered tobacco and apply it. Again, allow it to dry completely before smoking.
Thanks for the replies gentlemen, I did not see any fills... my vision isn't the best though!!! I got the pipe mail order, and the pipe didn't recieve a "presmoked" type treatment. The stain/varnish was pretty pervasive inside the bowl and I didn;t want to smoke it till I had gotten rid of the varnish. I sanded the inside of the bowl back with some increasing grits of sand paper, then gave it all a good cleaning with some Gentleman Jack (had a glass as well!!) Just got finished a quarter bowl of some McClelland Best of Show. And the pipe really smoked great!! I appreciate the time you took to offer a reply, Cheers and enjoy your saturday!!
Guess I should have read the OP a little closer!! Some pipe companies must dip the pipes to stain and lacquer. I was recently gifted a new Brigham and I still get purple color out of the shank every time I clean it! Heard this is a problem with some Petes as well.
Bubba,smokes fine now. I did some modifications though. Didn't care to much for the wooden filters,they do work as far as absorbing moisture,but had a tendency to get stuck in the tube that holds them.I cut off that tube and opened up the tenon so that it will accept a Grabow filter.
[Only slightly off-topic.] 
ejames, I'd like to second your observations regarding the role of lacquer on pipe surfaces.
There is no end of debate in the forums regarding whether pipes can, or even should, breathe whatever it is
they're supposed to exhale or inhale. I imagine lacquer and carnauba wax are both impermeable to moisture.
ejames, I'd like to second your observations regarding the role of lacquer on pipe surfaces.
There is no end of debate in the forums regarding whether pipes can, or even should, breathe whatever it is
they're supposed to exhale or inhale. I imagine lacquer and carnauba wax are both impermeable to moisture.
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