Brigham Mountaineer 384

[rishimak]

just bought this pipe and having some issues....i know u should never clean the vulcanite stem with water..so im ok there..
but..
when after putting the stem in mouth..the end part of stem which is in mouth gets grey..also i try polishing with denicare stem polish..wont remove it..whats wrong here?
can someone give me a 101 on vulcanite stems..i hate these

 

[brianlevine]

Hi, Is the pipe new or an estate? If it is new can you tell me who you bought it from?
Thanks,
Brian

 

[taerin]

Buy this: WBW Stem Restore Kit It'll get your stem shiny like new again. Vulcanite stems are much softer than acrylic (a hard glasslike plastic) so I prefer them. Ebonite stems are soft and they do not oxidize, but they are the most expensive and hard to find.
Anyway follow the directions on the oxidization remover (your stem is oxidized) and then polish it up with the wax so that it doesn't oxidize again. It's only $20 for the kit and it has free shipping, I've used it to restore a couple estate pipes so far with great sucess.

 

[captainprophesy]

Its oxidation... just get the stem repair kit that Eric recommended... or you can soak it in oxi-clean and water solution and rub it down with a magic eraser then some obsidian oil... but the easiest is the WBW Stem Restore Kit

 

[lordofthepiperings]

http://pipesmagazine.com/matchstickman/pipe-smoking/from-stem-to-stern-pipe-stem-restoration-with-no-buffing-wheel-or-power-tools/#comments
If it's an estate it's probably stem oxidation, which can be remedied in the manner described in the link written by one of our esteemed memebers. If not an estate, then I'd suggest letting Brian know where it was purchased new as he is the U.S. man for Brigham pipes he may be of some assistance.

 

[taerin]

Oxiclean is an oxigenated bleach, I would not use it on vulcanite stems as it degrades the material over time, Walker Briar Works will confirm this, which is one of the reasons he put out his kit in the first place. He says that every time he hears about someone using bleach, as a pipe maker, it makes him cringe because of all the damage being done to the vulcanite. I would also add to this that using highly toxic and harmful chemicals on something when you do not have to is never a good idea, even if the Walker Briar Works is incorrect about bleach usage.

 

[captainprophesy]

Very good heads up Eric... I personally have never used that method, but I know of many who have which is why I brought it up... WBW, as I mentioned, is still the easiest route to go.

 

[smeigs]

another great way to get rid of some oxidation is to soak it in Simple Green. This stuff works awesome and doesnt have the super strength of oxyclean. You can soak it over nite and it should be fine.

 

[nsfisher]

I use no chemicals what-so-ever. Start with 1000 grit wet paper and an ice-cream container with 2 inches of hot tap water. Keeping the stem and paper wet(submerging in the water then removing), just start rubbing untill entire stem is black. Change to clean water and 1500 grit paper and repeat process. Change to clean water and 3000 grit paper and repeat process. Change to clean water and micro-mesh and repeat process. Stem should be glassy, shiny. Apply your favourite gloss, polish, wax etc. Clean the inside of the stem first though. The entire process, unfortunately takes about 3 hours.

 

[taerin]

I've done that method myself, works like a charm! It is time consuming, but if the oxidization gets really in there, sanding is always the best and most right way to go here. If it just turned a little grey, chances are sanding required would be very minimal and it would not take 3 hours I restored my father's stems with 600/1,500 grit sandpaper and I can tell ya, at 1,500 the micromesh is so fine that it will come out looking like glass, no sanding scratches left behind at all.