Seeking Guidance

[Harsh_Smoke]

I have purchase a new pipe with an unfinished briar bowl. Have been researching. My notion is to use an leather dye to stain the wood. After which I will apply spit coat of shellac and finish with a lacquer. Can anyone offer any insight, experience or opinions?
Thanks to all.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Dye with black leather dye (alcohol based.) Sand off the black. And then dye with your color of choice. Will make the grain pop. Shellac isn't necessary. Nor is lacquer. Instead work your way through the higher grits and then wax and buff.

 

[ssjones]

Right, stain, buff with White Diamond and then carnuba wax.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Also, what I've done in the past is in between coats of stain move through the higher grits. Stain, sand, stain etc, up to 12000 grit. It's time consuming but worth it. Also when you stain with the black, while it's still wet, put a lighter to it. It will catch fire. It sets the stain and it gets it into the grain. Hold it with a skewer so you don't flame your hand lol

 

[Sigmund]

Yep, any finish other than wax is a finish that can go bad on you.
With the leather dye Im assuming you mean the alcohol base ones.
Thats probably the best and also easiest to manage.

 

[Sig]

I personally would just smoke it, and definitely don't use lacquer or shellac....in my opinion.
Over time the pipe will take on its own color. Lacquer will seal up the briar, not allowing natural patina to form. This Savenelli Natural was completely bare when new, no coating or stain.

 

[Harsh_Smoke]

Dye with black leather dye (alcohol based.) Sand off the black. And then dye with your color of choice. Will make the grain pop. Shellac isn't necessary. Nor is lacquer. Instead work your way through the higher grits and then wax and buff.

Can I do this with any other dye color?

 

[ClassicKehler]

Can I do this with any other dye color?

The boldest contrast will come from black. If you contrast with a different colour it will be more subtle.

 

[Butter Side Down]

The boldest contrast will come from black. If you contrast with a different colour it will be more subtle.

+1

A lot of professional pipemakers will, if pressed, secretly admit that they use shellac (which pipe smokers claim to not like) to enhance the high shine of the finished pipe (which most pipe buyers seem to demand/expect). But it takes some practice to do it right, so it might be something to experiment with if you make more pipes, but as people have said, it definitely isn't necessary, especially for your initial foray into pipemaking.

 

[OzPiper]

I have purchase a new pipe with an unfinished briar bowl.
Can anyone offer any insight, experience or opinions?
Thanks to all.

I personally would just smoke it, and definitely don't use lacquer or shellac....in my opinion.
Over time the pipe will take on its own color. Lacquer will seal up the briar, not allowing natural patina to form. This Savenelli Natural was completely bare when new, no coating or stain.
View attachment 377052

^^^^^ This

I gifted a mate an unsmoked, unfinished briar some time back.
I was amazed at how much colour it took on after a couple of months of smoking
You can always buff it with some wood wax once it has coloured sufficiently

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

This pipe has a mirror finish which I achieved by sanding to up to 12000 grit in between coats of stain. You can clearly see reflection, most notably in the first photo, the reflection of my pinky finger. This was before waxing and buffing. No shellac was used. Also notice the reflection of white railing outside my apartment on right side of the pipe in second photo.