Beginner to Restoration. HELP!

[flastateguy]

Hey guys,
I was just wondering if people could help me start learning how to restore pipes properly. I'm a poor college student, so I don't really have a lot of money to spend on brand new pipes. I bought a basket pipe that I've been using for a couple years now, but I'd really like to get some nicer estate pipes from sites like craigslist and ebay. The only problem is that I have no idea how to restore them to a beautiful and smokeable state.
If someone could please point me in the right direction for a list of tools, methods to restore, how to start restoring for a beginning pipe collector or any knowledge of the sort, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
- FL

 

[captainsousie]

Welcome to the forum. I found this instructable to be quite useful when I started restoring estate pipes. Click Me

 

[ghost]

Read this blog too... https://rebornpipes.wordpress.com/

 

[mluyckx]

Welcome to the forum indeed. There are a ton of links on this site and if you scour the posts, you'll find different tips, tricks and advice all over.
Here's some to get you started:

Video series from the Chicago Pipe & Tobacco show

Home Remedies by Chuck Gray
if you don't have access to a retort, just like most of us who are not chemistry majors, a Salt and Alcohol treatment is probably your best option.

And if you don't have a buffing wheel, which may very well be the case as a student, the oxyclean treatment process works really well on your stems.
And finally, there's a whole section on pipe repair where several different methods, tools and techniques are occasionally posted. You may want to peruse some of those threads
Hope this helps you going. It's an economical way to expand your pipe collection and I find great fun in doing restorations. Don't hesitate to ask more questions as you go along.

Good luck

 

[flastateguy]

Thank you guys so much! This is all great information! Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a nice estate pipe soon and start my journey into pipe collecting!

 

[wildcat]

Read this blog too... https://rebornpipes.wordpress.com/

+1

If I'm not being inspired or learning things from folks like ejames, I am reading reborn.
Also, great links Mick, thx.

 

[ssjones]

Welcome to the obsession. I learned early on restored estates were my entry to pipes I could otherwise have not afforded. I read everything Steve Laug posted about pipe restorations over on the SmokersForums.uk and now his Reborn Pipes blog. I post on the blog occasionally, as a guest author, "upshallfan".
I made a lot of mistakes on the way, but have learned not to make the same mistake twice. I still get burned occasionally, but usually recover:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/gbd-9438-prehistoric

 

[mattmars]

Not to derail or hijack this, but does anyone have some guidance on using a dremel for buffing srems and bowls? My dremel's lowest speed is 5000 rpm. I would use my corded drill but it doesn't do anything with the 4in wheel i have. I also don't have a buffing system for my bench grinder.

 

[ssjones]

You may likely do more damage than good with a high speed dremel. I'd recommend a pad arbor a variable speed hand drill versus the dremel. An arbor is a few bucks from lowes and it will hold 4" or bigger pads. I started with a drill arbor.

 

[captainsousie]

I too would skip the dremel and go with an arbor for a drill. I also got larger 6" un-stitched buffing wheels from my local Ace Hardware and they seem to work very well on my corded drill.

 

[rmbittner]

I am a long-time pipe smoker but an absolute beginner when it comes to this kind of restoration.
I really appreciated the link to the OxyClean solution for stem cleaning. But I have a question: What does this process do to stem nomenclature (the CP on a Charatan, C on a Comoy, etc.) or embedded badges (like the oval metal "GBD" found on that brand)?
Thanks!
Bob

 

[rmbittner]

rothnh wrote:

I remember reading here that some Vaseline (petroleum jelly) dabbed over the stem logo/badge will protect it while soaking.

Wow. Thanks! That would not have occurred to me in a hundred years.
Bob