When I received this pipe I expected a simple clean-up and polish. No apparent damage to the stem or rim is a good sign.
First step is to clean it up. My practice is to take it to the sink, give it a few squirts of full-strength AWESOME, and scrub it with a soft toothbrush--inside and out. Sometimes this will just remove the dirt and smoke. Other times it will take off the wax and any stain. If that happens, it's no big deal. I will just sand away, apply stain if necessary and polish it up. I took this snapshot seconds after hitting the pipe with detergent. You can see how quickly AWESOME does it's thing. It's particularly good with stems. A few squirts and some 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper will take the oxidation away quickly. (I'm not "selling" AWESOME. It works and can be found at the local DOLLARTREE store for (now) $1.25 U.S.)
The result of this procedure was revealing. First of all, there was a LOT of stain on this pipe. After a thorough cleaning, a stummel will normally be "wood-colored". This fella looks like he was soaked in stain for awhile. It's very dark, and not that greyish "really old briar" color. Why? Lots of fills. Lots and lots of little fills. Sheeesh!
Okay then. Time to start sanding. And sanding. Starting with 220-grit, I should have cut right through. Nope. After rough sanding I switched to this Dremel wheel that is like a stiff 3M pad to check my progress.
And here's what I started seeing. Fills and flaws.
More sanding. Time now to fill the fills. Here's an example. A dab of superglue and briar dust. Wipe it smooth and hit it with an accelerator spray. By this time I'm losing interest and pretty much ready to toss this pipe in the trash.
The accelerator turns the patch white, and the superglue does not take stain very well. I went with the mahogany dye and polished it up. Tripoli compound and a yellow 1-inch polishing wheel brings the shine to the stem and removes the excess dye from the stummel. Then Diamond Dust compound and a different yellow wheel followed by Carnauba wax with a white polishing wheel. Here's a hint: I load up the waxing wheel and run the Dremel at a high speed. When it hits the pipe, it flashes wet and then turns thick and hazy. The pipe gets a thorough coating, sealing every little pore and protecting the pipe. The wax is on so thickly, that it cannot be just wiped off. I used a "puff-ball" Dremel attachment and buff out the wax. What wax does not get picked up by the fabric of the "puff- ball" melts onto the surface, leaving a very glassy feel.
Here's that fill:
I can't say this pipe was worth the effort. Sometimes they're just like that.
First step is to clean it up. My practice is to take it to the sink, give it a few squirts of full-strength AWESOME, and scrub it with a soft toothbrush--inside and out. Sometimes this will just remove the dirt and smoke. Other times it will take off the wax and any stain. If that happens, it's no big deal. I will just sand away, apply stain if necessary and polish it up. I took this snapshot seconds after hitting the pipe with detergent. You can see how quickly AWESOME does it's thing. It's particularly good with stems. A few squirts and some 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper will take the oxidation away quickly. (I'm not "selling" AWESOME. It works and can be found at the local DOLLARTREE store for (now) $1.25 U.S.)
The result of this procedure was revealing. First of all, there was a LOT of stain on this pipe. After a thorough cleaning, a stummel will normally be "wood-colored". This fella looks like he was soaked in stain for awhile. It's very dark, and not that greyish "really old briar" color. Why? Lots of fills. Lots and lots of little fills. Sheeesh!
Okay then. Time to start sanding. And sanding. Starting with 220-grit, I should have cut right through. Nope. After rough sanding I switched to this Dremel wheel that is like a stiff 3M pad to check my progress.
And here's what I started seeing. Fills and flaws.
More sanding. Time now to fill the fills. Here's an example. A dab of superglue and briar dust. Wipe it smooth and hit it with an accelerator spray. By this time I'm losing interest and pretty much ready to toss this pipe in the trash.
The accelerator turns the patch white, and the superglue does not take stain very well. I went with the mahogany dye and polished it up. Tripoli compound and a yellow 1-inch polishing wheel brings the shine to the stem and removes the excess dye from the stummel. Then Diamond Dust compound and a different yellow wheel followed by Carnauba wax with a white polishing wheel. Here's a hint: I load up the waxing wheel and run the Dremel at a high speed. When it hits the pipe, it flashes wet and then turns thick and hazy. The pipe gets a thorough coating, sealing every little pore and protecting the pipe. The wax is on so thickly, that it cannot be just wiped off. I used a "puff-ball" Dremel attachment and buff out the wax. What wax does not get picked up by the fabric of the "puff- ball" melts onto the surface, leaving a very glassy feel.
Here's that fill:
I can't say this pipe was worth the effort. Sometimes they're just like that.
