I had a strange experience. I was in a pipe shop the other day and a pipe caught my eye. I decided I wanted to investigate purchasing it. I was examining it and it looked great. No fills on the inside of the bowl, well drilled and it had a 4 mm airhole (something I wanted to try) i asked permision from the gentleman helping me to take a draw from it. He said yes and when I did I got a bad taste in my mouth and the stem instantly "oxidized" for lack of a better term. I had not had an experience like this before. The gentleman helping me took the pipe out to his shop to buff it but the oxidation would not come off??? He also put some dunhill stem restorer on it and tried to rub it out but it did not work. Do any of the more experienced members here have any comments. I did not purchase the pipe and will not be in the area of the store for some time, the gentleman helping did say he would investigate and try to correct the issue. Intersted in peoples thoughts...
A Question About Vulcanite Stems
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I had the same thing happen when I bought my Peterson B5. It has a vulcanite stem and in the beginning it'd leave lip prints fairly easily. The first time I noted it was when my fiance grabbed it and put it in her mouth to check it out. Right away I noticed the lip print on the stem and freaked out because I figured her lipstick or whatever had stained the stem. Came to findout it wasn't her lipstick staining the stem or anything, just a lip print that in time went away. I never used anything like polish or anything on the stem, the lip print just went away in time on its own as I started to break the pipe in. I'm not too seasoned of a pipe smoker, but that's a similar experience I came across myself.
For some folks it seems that the sulfur in the vulcanite reacts by causing instant oxidation . It seems to vary with the manufacturer of the rubber compound.
I finish cleaning my pipe with a stem rub of olive oil. I've found that it preserves and seals the vulcanite. I prefer vulcanite stems. I also don't concern myself with stems much because I know they are always replaceable. I am always more concerned about the bowl and shank of a pipe. My suggestion is to enjoy the quality of the smoke your pipe delivers and don't worry too much about the stem.
I have seen it happen before but never to the depth that a quick buff wouldn't take it out. I'd chalk it up to a whole slew of variables like the way the vulcanite was made, the nature of your saliva, the temperature and humidity in the room, the way you looked at it, what you had for lunch last week, and any number of other things.
"Ah, sweet mystery of life". The guy who first wrote that must have been talking about vulcanite stems. :D
I have an older, inexpensive Savinelli (made for the balsa filters) that will oxidize just by looking at it! Well, that's probably an exaggeration, but one quick pop into the mouth and it comes out gray. None of my other vulcanite stem pipes behave like that, so I don't think it's my particular saliva chemistry. I like to smoke it (a nice little "driving" pipe) but when finished, I have to give it special attention with the Briar Pipe Wipe rag. A couple minutes of rubbing brings it back to gleaming blackness. I don't have a polishing wheel, so occasionally I hand-polish my vulcanite stems with a rag and Flitz metal polish (making sure I remove all the paste before smoking).
I have an older, inexpensive Savinelli (made for the balsa filters) that will oxidize just by looking at it! Well, that's probably an exaggeration, but one quick pop into the mouth and it comes out gray. None of my other vulcanite stem pipes behave like that, so I don't think it's my particular saliva chemistry. I like to smoke it (a nice little "driving" pipe) but when finished, I have to give it special attention with the Briar Pipe Wipe rag. A couple minutes of rubbing brings it back to gleaming blackness. I don't have a polishing wheel, so occasionally I hand-polish my vulcanite stems with a rag and Flitz metal polish (making sure I remove all the paste before smoking).
I had the same experience with the first Brigham I bought; I think that they actually end up sitting in the B&M for so long, the vulcanite begins to destabilize before we actually have an opportunity to cause the oxidization ourselves!
After trolling all sorts of forums for advice, what worked for me was picking up a pack of "micro-mesh pads", kind of like ultra-fine sand-paper...I bought a pack with 9 different grits for around $9.00...work from roughest to finest, by the time your done, the stem will gleam again. To keep the shine, I use Clapham's Beeswax Polish, it's soft enough to apply and buff out by hand, and the results are as good as carnuba and a buffer, plus it makes bowls shine.
After trolling all sorts of forums for advice, what worked for me was picking up a pack of "micro-mesh pads", kind of like ultra-fine sand-paper...I bought a pack with 9 different grits for around $9.00...work from roughest to finest, by the time your done, the stem will gleam again. To keep the shine, I use Clapham's Beeswax Polish, it's soft enough to apply and buff out by hand, and the results are as good as carnuba and a buffer, plus it makes bowls shine.
Just wait until Obsidian Stem Oil hits the market. It's great stuff that I have been using daily for several months now.
It is way better than Olive Oil, which is what I used to use.
It's a new product that will be introduced at the Chicago Pipe Show by our own member HauntedMyst.
It is way better than Olive Oil, which is what I used to use.
It's a new product that will be introduced at the Chicago Pipe Show by our own member HauntedMyst.
It is great stuff! I received a sample as well and have been using when I put my pipes up to rest. The stems look great and the oxidation has been virtually eliminated.
Way to go Haunted!
On a related note, I went into a local shop last weekend (called 'Smokers Choice') that was in years gone by a pretty good tobacconist, but now sells more novelty items and suchlike. They still have a few Peterson pipes though, so went in to see if I could find something to treat myself with.
I found an old Peterson, I'm pretty sure that it's one of the Dublin models, but the stem was so badly oxidized that at first glance I thought it was a weird green and yellow 'marble effect' stem! Anyway, it was heavily discounted so I took it home and removed all the oxidization quite easily with very careful application of a Stanley knife and a soak in bleach. The stem is now black, but also very matt, rather than nice and shiny. I don't have a buffing wheel, so what would you recommend to put a nice shine back on the stem?
I found an old Peterson, I'm pretty sure that it's one of the Dublin models, but the stem was so badly oxidized that at first glance I thought it was a weird green and yellow 'marble effect' stem! Anyway, it was heavily discounted so I took it home and removed all the oxidization quite easily with very careful application of a Stanley knife and a soak in bleach. The stem is now black, but also very matt, rather than nice and shiny. I don't have a buffing wheel, so what would you recommend to put a nice shine back on the stem?
"I don't have a buffing wheel, so what would you recommend to put a nice shine back on the stem?"
There are lots of fine abrasive papers and cloths but, depending, try toothpaste and a wet paper towel first - very low tech - then wipe with a drop of olive oil. Works without electricity, same as the bleach.
There are lots of fine abrasive papers and cloths but, depending, try toothpaste and a wet paper towel first - very low tech - then wipe with a drop of olive oil. Works without electricity, same as the bleach.
With each cleaning, as a final step in the process, I always slather both pipe and stem with extra virgin olive oil. Amazing stuff. After a few minutes, I buff the whole thing with a cotton polishing cloth. It never fails to turn the mouthpiece a shiny black as well as leaving the briar in beautiful condition.
We use obsidian oil here at Smokingpipes.com. This stuff is great for preventive action. As far targeting oxidation that won't come out on the buffing wheel.... the vulcanite is spoiled deep. Soak the stem in Oxi Clean for 6 hours. It will bring all of the oxidization to the surface; then take it back to the buffing wheel. This is the absolute most effective way to correct this.
Olive oil will just create a shiny sheen helpful to mask the taste and look of an oxidized stem. The best course of action is to actually remove the oxidization.
Olive oil will just create a shiny sheen helpful to mask the taste and look of an oxidized stem. The best course of action is to actually remove the oxidization.
Yes, Vulcanite and it's variants require ongoing maintenance... For me,
a good cleaning with Everclear, a shank brush and Pipe cleaners, followed by
the use of a good bit polish, seems to work. For the first half dozen smokes,
the bit gets the clean and polish treatment. Thereafter, it seems that the polish
is only needed about every half dozen smokes or so. The trick is to keep on
top of things. Prevention is better than waiting for the oxidation to get bad.
a good cleaning with Everclear, a shank brush and Pipe cleaners, followed by
the use of a good bit polish, seems to work. For the first half dozen smokes,
the bit gets the clean and polish treatment. Thereafter, it seems that the polish
is only needed about every half dozen smokes or so. The trick is to keep on
top of things. Prevention is better than waiting for the oxidation to get bad.
Seakayak, like Kevin said just wait until Obsidian Stem Oil comes out! It works 10 times better than straight olive oil and it lasts 4 times as long. I got a sample as well and I can't get my stems to oxidize now!
Well I effed up. I brought my baby home, the one I've been patiently waiting for, my new Baronet Bruyere 510ex. I pulled the price tag off the stem, and there was still sticky adhesive left on it. And upon noticing the stem smelled like sh**, I pulled it out, and ran some water throught it.
I'm dumb, because the thing turned green and the Savinelli crown ran right off. I frantically searched the internet for what I had done and have learned the hard way not to do what I did. I now have it sitting in Olive Oil (not soaking, just rubbed it down with some ) and in a few minutes I will wipe it off and pray for the best.
I. am. an. idiot!! :crying:
Edit: Further explained and started new post in Pipe Maintenance
I'm dumb, because the thing turned green and the Savinelli crown ran right off. I frantically searched the internet for what I had done and have learned the hard way not to do what I did. I now have it sitting in Olive Oil (not soaking, just rubbed it down with some ) and in a few minutes I will wipe it off and pray for the best.
I. am. an. idiot!! :crying:
Edit: Further explained and started new post in Pipe Maintenance
I was going to start a thread on Obsidian Stem Oil. But when I did a yahoo search on Obsidian Stem Oil ingredients, this thread popped up in the search. What oil is used as a basis for Obsidian Stem Oil? I bought a pipe holder on ebay and it's coming with vintage pipes. They haven't arrived yet. I don't know what kind of pipes they are, or what the stems are made of, but I want to be prepared. It's the nurse in me. A good nurse will anticipate the need and be prepared for it. I just want to be prepared.
You may be able to ask, here's their website and the contact info is listed as info@obsidianpipe.com
Just out of curiosity do you want to know out of allergy concerns? (I was a chef and that's a regular question.)
Just out of curiosity do you want to know out of allergy concerns? (I was a chef and that's a regular question.)
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