Caked Rim Cleaning

[Briarcutter]

probably launch pipes all over the room

When it happens, it stops your heart!!! A friend was over years ago, i was waxing his pipe, he said he wanted to do it, I hesitated, he insisted, we both picked up the pieces.I've did it myself more times than I care to remember.

 

[ssjones]

Curious-is the scotch-brite as shown what you go with for a rusticated rim like the SeaRock the OP asked about?

As routine maintenance I usually spit on a rag, preferably while pipe is warm (or soak a little spit on while warm after dumping and rub it on my jeans).
Since no spermacetti is handy I usually buff with nose wax.

Someday I’ll maybe have a buffer, but I’d probably launch pipes all over the room and like @Chasing Embers mentioned I try the least invasive possible to get job done.

A worn piece of scotch brite is particularly useful for sandblasted or rusticated bowl tops.

If you have a buffer, and you are launching pipes all over the room, they are wired wrong and spinning in the wrong direction. Properly setup, the buffing wheel spins toward the person holding the pipe. You can catch a pipe and it will throw it to the floor, but definitely not across the room. Having said that, throwing a pipe to the floor isn't particularly kind to the pipe either. But you have to be doing something pretty stupid with the wheel for that result. (like holding the pipe on top of the wheel)

Wax of course is not invasive, with a loose cotton buff. Buffers are invasive when the wrong compounds are used. For pipes, I only use white diamond. With a loose wheel, I could lean into nomenclature pretty hard and not damage it. Sewn wheels with an abrasive compound like Tripoli can be very damaging. I personally so no use for Tripoli for restoring pipes. I have a bar somewhere, but never used it on a pipe. I used to polish metal as a side gig, tripoli is left over from those jobs (aluminum, stainless car/motorcycle trim and parts)

 

[jpmcwjr]

Here's a "quick and dirty" way to dress up the rim and whole pipe. The first photo is after a hot water flush, a light scour of the rims, and rinsing off the entire pipe with hot water.

You may note that the rims aren't all just fine, as it wasn't my mission to remove all lava/cake.



The second photo is of the same pipes (plus one that snuck in), after treating with mineral oil. The hot water did not cause the stem oxidation; it wa already there. The mineral oil gave me results I like. (I don't like extra shiny stems. Don't dislike them, either.)




Well, it's quick but not dirty. Hard to get pipes cleaner than these.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Hard to get pipes cleaner than these.

Only if you don't have a lighter and a damp paper towel.

 

[beef]

There is some impressive work being shown in this thread. I made good progress on mine last night. I need to try ream it again tonight. Its a chimney pipe, so its a bit tougher than I had imagined.

 

[Briarcutter]

There is some impressive work being shown in this thread. I made good progress on mine last night. I need to try ream it again tonight. Its a chimney pipe, so its a bit tougher than I had imagined.

Some heat works with reaming as well if it is a very heavily caked piece.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Only if you don't have a lighter and a damp paper towel.

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I said cleaner, not shinier!

Your work in shining stems is outstanding, but I have no interest in extra shiny stems.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I said cleaner

Oxidation is dirty.

 

[sablebrush52]

Preventative maintenance is the best. I wipe my stems down immediately after use.

 

[beef]

Only if you don't have a lighter and a damp paper towel.

View attachment 340708View attachment 340709

You used just heat on these teeth marks? Is this acrylic or vulcanite?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Oxidation is dirty.

I call sophistry!

 

[Chasing Embers]

You used just heat on these teeth marks?

That is correct.

Is this acrylic or vulcanite?

Vulcanite

The stem originally looked like this.



Then this.