Thanks gents! I wished the after pictures did it justice, but that stem turned out so well and as black as I could have ever imagined, it just didn't take to my pictures very well. Maybe I'll take it outside today for my lunch smoke and see if I can get some better shots. I do really enjoy this, and might have found something that's going to be hard for me to stop: cleaning and refurbishing estates.
@ssjones, thank you for that bit of info. I'll definitely try that next time before I ever touch a sanding sheet or pad. The ruts just looked too deep, like someone tried to pull it out of the mans teeth while he was clenching. The last one I cleaned, just had some chatter and a crack that I fixed with epoxy, thanks to another members help. I generally don't clench, myself. I enjoy holding my pipe, especially this kind. I might clench my cobs since I can replace those stems cheaply until I buy some forever stems for the ones I really like.
@seanv, if you need to ask me anything about how I do it, just shoot me a message anytime. I'll be happy to help. Just keep in mind what ssjones said and after cleaning one up, removing any oxidation that you see and have spots, try to heat it first to remove any impressions. That's what I will use first the next time I get one before I ever use sanding sheets or pads.
@smittyd, It WAS a bear to clean up. Felt like those divots/dimples were never going to come out. Now I know another way to try first though, so learning better means and methods is always a plus! Thank you!
@Cortez, like I said, I will likely take a few more shot of it in the sun when I take my lunch smoke to see if it shows up better. With the light in my living room and the flash on my phone, the black just sort of sucked all the light away. For $50 and a few sheets of sanding pads, it wasn't a bad deal at all. I was really happy with the purchase and outcome!
@ssjones, thank you for that bit of info. I'll definitely try that next time before I ever touch a sanding sheet or pad. The ruts just looked too deep, like someone tried to pull it out of the mans teeth while he was clenching. The last one I cleaned, just had some chatter and a crack that I fixed with epoxy, thanks to another members help. I generally don't clench, myself. I enjoy holding my pipe, especially this kind. I might clench my cobs since I can replace those stems cheaply until I buy some forever stems for the ones I really like.
@seanv, if you need to ask me anything about how I do it, just shoot me a message anytime. I'll be happy to help. Just keep in mind what ssjones said and after cleaning one up, removing any oxidation that you see and have spots, try to heat it first to remove any impressions. That's what I will use first the next time I get one before I ever use sanding sheets or pads.
@smittyd, It WAS a bear to clean up. Felt like those divots/dimples were never going to come out. Now I know another way to try first though, so learning better means and methods is always a plus! Thank you!
@Cortez, like I said, I will likely take a few more shot of it in the sun when I take my lunch smoke to see if it shows up better. With the light in my living room and the flash on my phone, the black just sort of sucked all the light away. For $50 and a few sheets of sanding pads, it wasn't a bad deal at all. I was really happy with the purchase and outcome!
