Burl Pipe Project

[jduke]

I am new to everything pipe smoking, but I am one who likes to jump head-first into things. Fortunately for me, there are people who are out there who can help (thanks in advance). I am making my very first pipe, and having done a ton of research, one question remains... How do you finish burl on a handmade pipe? Do you stain and polish with carnauba as you would the rest of the pipe? I have a nice plateau and am just wondering, if I ever get that stage of finishing, are there any other precautions to take?
-Joe

 

[ericthered]

I'm not a pipe carver, so I can't speak to the "how" of finishing the burl/plateau. From what I've seen, the majority of pipes with plateau have the plateau stained black, at least in the valleys between the bird's eye, to help it stand out from the rest of the pipe.
Oh, and welcome to the forums!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Burl... there is a forum where I think you'll get better answers from people who make these magical devices we call pipes. pipemakersforum.com (check on the url) They'll teach you all you'll need to know about painting the perfect grain, casting the stems, and molding and forming the briar into the perfect shape before it dries. We are mostly just pipe smokers who have no knowledge of these things. We just know that it takes magic to make them, so we only buy them from magical makers. ::

 

[zack24]

The biggest mistake I see is not getting all the bark out of the plateau area. You can use a brass brush, etc to remove it...10 seconds with a sandblaster is the preferred method, but probably not available.
Stain it, buff or sand off the raised areas to get some contrast, and wax...

 

[jduke]

Thank you very much for the help gentlemen, my eyes have been opened. I will definitely be looking through the pipe makers forums, but I intend to post pictures of progress later.