A K&P Restoration for Mike

[ssjones]

I've found with repairs, don't take the stem shine to the highest grade as you normally would. The glue repair is always shinier than the vulcanite. Scuff it up little with 1000 or so, than buff lightly to blend it in. That usually does a decent job blending the reflective nature of the two materials.

 

[unkleyoda]

Very nice.

 

[cwarmouth]

I've found with repairs, don't take the stem shine to the highest grade as you normally would. The glue repair is always shinier than the vulcanite. Scuff it up little with 1000 or so, than buff lightly to blend it in. That usually does a decent job blending the reflective nature of the two materials.

Excellent point. Thanks for making that suggestion. It's so hard not to go shiny though! Mike, I'll throw a piece of 1000 grit paper in the box when I ship it back. Feel free to knock the shine down if the visibility of the repair drives you nuts.

 

[cwarmouth]

Isn't it true that it seems no matter how big or how small the project, there is always something that comes up that throws a wrench into the works? Ugh. After I applied the contrast dye I noticed this blem. I'm not sure if it is a crack or a void. I'm fearing the former but hoping for the latter. If it is a crack, the best option would to be to drill a hole at both ends and fill the crack and holes with epoxy. That would definitely cause an aesthetic issue though. Instead I decided to mix up some West System, System 3 epoxy and mix some wood flower in it and just fill it. This epoxy is really strong stuff so the repair ought to out-last the pipe. But Mike, watch this area to make sure. Let me know if you ever see a crack develop.

 

[mikethompson]

Carl, I seem to remember a part of the bowl having a small part that was lighter than the rest. Could this have been some sort of factory fill? The epoxy sounds like a solid fix to me.
Its coming along great Carl, thanks again for taking this on and sharing your progress.

 

[danielplainview]

Looking good. Keep us posted. Can’t wait to see the grand finale.

 

[cwarmouth]

Thank you for all the kind comments and words of advice guys! It is very encouraging and helpful.
Mike, I don't see any other fills on this pipe, so I bet you are right. That fill ain't lighter than the rest anymore. It matches pretty well.
I finally got some wax on this baby. Mike, I know you were hoping for a honey-caramel color. I did what I could by taking it down to the bare briar, but these older pipes typically darken up the second the wax hits them. This one was no exception. I hope that it meets with your approval anyway.
Here are some pics taken in natural light. This is on a piece of patio furniture on my front porch, so it is what photographers might call open shade. Lit by morning sun, but not directly. It does look darker in the house at night when it is dark outside and the contrast is a bit less pronounced. Still much better than before though.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1727/28650753178_2dc8e56d68_z.jpg[/img
[img]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1750/41621966405_aeafbacf0e_z.jpg

 

[elpfeife]

It is now a fine looking pipe. Good job!

 

[mikethompson]

Wow Carl!
I can't believe that's the same pipe! I love the contrast on the bowl. Yes, I had envisioned a lighter swirl type look, but I appreciate that the old pipe had different plans. Almost as if I sat down with it, outlined what I wanted, and then after a brief pause, it said "well here is what I want to look like, and I'm a lot older than you!"
I can't wait to fire it up!

 

[fnord]

"...it said "well here is what I want to look like, and I'm a lot older than you!"
Best response ever. That beauty had a mind of its own.
Lovely work there and, BTW, what a swell avatar. (Chuck Colson never shirked his duty as one of the fall guys and post-prison, God bless him, had one tremendous second act.)
Really well done.
Fnord

 

[cwarmouth]

Thank you, gentlemen. Glad you like it, Mike. I'm going to hit it with some wax and buffing one more time and then I'll get this baby headed back home.
Yes Fnord, I agree. I had the chance to hear Colson speak in person twice (besides being a Breakpoint fan). Really good.

 

[mikethompson]

Thanks Carl!

I'm going to pick out something nice to break it in with.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Excellent! Both the work and the photos. Thank you.

 

[mikethompson]

I've come back to this thread repeatedly throughout the day just to look at the finished pictures.

 

[unkleyoda]

Very nice!
I think that flaw you found was there beforehand. If you zoom in on the 'sanded' photos, I can see it.
(Oh, and the stem is in upside-down in the last pictures.)

 

[mikethompson]

Well just a little update:
I was hoping to fire up this old lady for Fathers Day with some nice Virginia/Perique blend, but that will have to wait. I'd post some more pictures, but they wouldn't do justice to Carl's work.