Before Attempting to Remove Oxidation

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I have noticed that one of my estate Dunhill which I had recently bought from a reputable online vendor has still some hidden oxidation left, so my sense says I have to face clean up procedure down the road, therefore I must ask if it is advisable to give the stem a half-hour blech bath before proceeding to micromesh pads, yet how I do avoid making damage to white spot stem logo. Thank You for your time & recommendations.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Cover it with petroleum jelly. One of many reasons why I gave up chemicals and abrasives for removing oxidation.

 

[seanv]

Depending on how much oxidation there is, you could skip the oxy bath and use a small amount of bar keepers friend and a magic eraser.... or toothpaste works well I hear.

 

[Civil War]

Be careful with the white dot on Dunhill pipes. I've had Oxy-clean damage the dot on a couple of Dunhills. Going forward I just clean and buff them mechanically (i.e, magic eraser or fine sand paper followed by buffing compound on a buffer). After cleaning oxidized stems I cover them with Carmex lip balm, keeps the oxide from forming in the first place. I wipe it off prior to smoking the pipe and then reapply it when I am done.

 

[Pierre1965]

I used resources like this forum and Youtube to get an idea of how to proceed. Before working on a pipe that I cared about I picked up a couple of "funky", bottom of the basket pipes form a local antique store and used them as training aides. They helped me figure out how to use the reamer, how long to soak, how much pressure to apply when sanding or buffing. They also helped me build confidence so when I brought a nice pipe to the work bench I knew I wasn't going to screw it up.

 

[sablebrush52]

Bleach will pit the Vulcanite. So unless your stem is really badly oxidized, do not use bleach and if you must use it dilute it by 50%. Most professional restorers avoid it. You can try Oxiclean. There are other, less destructive methods. Getting rid of the pitting takes a lot of work. I can spot a bleached stem on an estate in a nanosecond. The granular pattern of the pitting just defies polishing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Be careful with the white dot on Dunhill pipes. I've had Oxy-clean damage the dot on a couple of Dunhills. Going forward I just clean and buff them mechanically (i.e, magic eraser or fine sand paper followed by buffing compound on a buffer). After cleaning oxidized stems I cover them with Carmex lip balm, keeps the oxide from forming in the first place. I wipe it off prior to smoking the pipe and then reapply it when I am done.

A very thin coating of mineral oil on the stem, well wiped down will do the trick easier, and doesn't need more wiping prior to the smoke, and will last some time.

 

[BROBS]

I have noticed that one of my estate Dunhill which I had recently bought from a reputable online vendor has still some hidden oxidation left, so my sense says I have to face clean up procedure down the road, therefore I must ask if it is advisable to give the stem a half-hour blech bath before proceeding to micromesh pads, yet how I do avoid making damage to white spot stem logo. Thank You for your time & recommendations.

your best bet is to use only 91% alcohol then sand/buff IMO.
the white dot is acrylic rod.

 

[Pierre1965]

I have a couple of older Stanwell's and the white has faded; any recommendations for reapplying white to the emblem?

 

[BROBS]

I use a sharpie paint pen.. goop it in a bit.. wait for it to dry.. then scrape off excess with fingernail or blunted toothpick.

 

[Pierre1965]

I use a sharpie paint pen.. goop it in a bit.. wait for it to dry.. then scrape off excess with fingernail or blunted toothpick.

Great idea! Thanks.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Thank You all for your input,much appreciated?

 

[bent1]

your best bet is to use only 91% alcohol then sand/buff IMO.
the white dot is acrylic rod.

I do the same on oxidized stems. Additionally, I use a bristle pipe cleaner saturated with rubbing compound and work in the stem draft hole. Barkeepers friend could work also. This also works on acrylic stems (draft hole only).

NO. 7 White Polishing Compound - Walmart.com

Buy NO. 7 White Polishing Compound at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[hauntedmyst]

I have a couple of older Stanwell's and the white has faded; any recommendations for reapplying white to the emblem?

I've used a white wax pencil it fill them in.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Barkeepersfried&Toothpaste mix followed by white diamond and Carnauba on the wheel was sufficient this time around, only I'm a bit saddened by the fact that I had to do this again instead of those folks who were selling me the pipe at the first place,why they couldn't bring this process to the very end, the pipe in question was anything but cheap and the vendor was quite renowned and well known, sometimes this just happens in our business, been doing this road more than once,lol

 

[waznyf]

your best bet is to use only 91% alcohol then sand/buff IMO.
the white dot is acrylic rod.

This is exactly what we did when restoring pipes at the PipeRack.com

 

[ssjones]

I only use Oxyclean for very heavily oxidized pipes, and a very mild solution.

 

[jerryskid47]

If you use Oxyclean, is petroleum jelly recommended as it is for using bleach? Or is it mild enough to skip past that step?

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you use Oxyclean, is petroleum jelly recommended as it is for using bleach?

Absolutely. Use it to cover stem logos, the tenon, and to plug the airway. I've not found any reason to use bleach or other chemicals for a while though as they cause pitting in the vulcanite.

 

[craiginthecorn]

The definitive answer from georged, AKA George Dibos. It does involve a buffer, but micromesh followed by polish can serve as reasonable substitutes.