Cleaning the Stem

[throbinson]

So, I finally got some stuff for cleaning the stems with. Bought a good motor for $10, buffing wheels, etc... took a while for the arbour to show up, and still no sign of the wax and micro-mesh pads just shipped.
I have the white diamond and started on a few stems and it's doing a decent job removing the oxidation off the old vulcanite stems, but wondered if a better method.
I soaked the stems in oxiclean which did a great job of bringing the oxidation/sulpher/etc to the surface, but then had to wait a few weeks for parts to show up so they dried out. I was going to buy another buff wheel and some brown tripoli, and use it before the white diamond on the heavily coated stems.
Before I did however, I thought, maybe I should resoak them for a short while (hour) and try the white diamond on them while the oxidation is still soft? or is it better to simply sand the stuff off? when wet or dry? Will buffing when the surface is soft cause issues?
Seen a lot of articles, but never noticed a mention if people remove the layer when it's still wet or when it's dry so, thought I'd see what methods you guys use first before spending more money.
So far though I'm liking the results using what I've learned off the site. Few pipes are coming out really nice... sadly the one pipe I wanted for myself, the stem popped off when buffing and after 3h I still haven't located where it went... go figure.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

As someone who buffs metals, stones, etc all day with these materials, keep in mind that you are removing a lot of material. It's not evident, if you're not paying attention, but you can easily give your stems and buttons a melted look and change the shape of the stem without realizing it. Just use a light touch, don't over-do it, and keep an eye on the changing form of the stem as you polish. Tripoli can remove so much metal in just a few seconds that stones will fall out, so what it can do to light and soft vulcanite is tenfold.

 

[ejames]

I'd throw the brown tripoli out the window, or in the trash or burn it. Quick way to ruin a stem. Wet sand to 800 grit and buff with the white diamond and it will shine like a new penny.

 

[goldsm]

This is what I do for clean stem.

1.Put stem into warm water with oxiclean(water 10: oxiclean 1) for about a day.

2.buff out with wet sand paper(at least 1200 grit or higher)and use shank blush for stem inside clean with alcohol.

3.Wash stem with cool water and wipe out with towel and pipe cleaner for inside stem.

4.buff with white diamond on motor.

5.polishing stem with carnauba wax (this step is for the protect from oxidation).

 

[danielplainview]

Ed, you use 800? After the bleach trick you showed me, I bleach, 2000 wet, light buff. Looks like black glass afterwards.

 

[torque]

There are a lot of white compounds out there that people refer to as "White Diamond". Most of it falls into the 600 to 800 grit range.
Bright White Polishing Compound
Keep in mind that 800 grit turning at ~1700 rpms is awfully aggressive. Dialux puts out a higher quality compound that will get you in the 1500 grit range, but that's still an area where you want to be cautious when turning at high speeds.
Dialux White Polishing Bar
Brown Tripoli is just an extremely aggressive compound and I agree with the guys that suggest you don't even consider using it. At 240 grit and turning ~1700 rpms, that stuff just eats shit up. It's no better than using a belt sander on your stem (I know, I know, I'm gonna take some flack for saying that).
Brown Tripoli
If you are going to use a buffing motor I suggest spending some time on Stuller.com and become familiar with what is available. KNOW what grit you are using, don't just take someone's word for it. Do your own research and buy quality compounds. You will get a much more consistent particle size buying a quality product than buying that cheap crap at your local harbor freight or Walmart, and you will be much happier with the results.

 

[throbinson]

So, wet sand not Tripoli, and are you wet sanding right after it comes out of the oxi? After it dries? Or makes no difference?
I have 120-3000 grit paper for cars. I also have the micro-mesh pads 1500-12000 coming, so saves me buying another wheel and compound.
So far, for the stems, I've soaked in oxi for 2h, give a quick scrub, then into some fresh oxi for another 22h. Then I'd put the stems in a pail of warm water while I use coarse pipe cleaners and a nylon brush to clean the insides. After which they go into a sonic cleaner for a while to help losen anything missed. I give a final scrub with vodka, then a brief soak in diluted rum to hopefully counter any off flavours.
At that point most just sat there a few weeks until I got the arbour and white diamond. Few I filed and sanded out light tooth marks. But, insides are as clean as I can make them I think, and hopefully sanitised.
Bowls are reamed, then given the salt/alcohol treatment (though may try cotton next time) then carefully reamed again, draft hole drilled out, then alcohol/pipe cleaner in the shank/draft hole.
Just now starting the final steps to make them shiny and new looking.

 

[throbinson]

I have the dialux white compound because I read somewhere it was really good to use. Small bars though, couldn't find a single large one like I've seen in how to videos but the two small bars should last a while.

 

[captpat]

Wet sand right after it come out of the oxi, I find soakin for 1-2 hours is sufficient YMMV

 

[danielplainview]

I don't use white diamond. I use 2000 grit after the stem is cleaned, a dab of carnauba paste, 30 seconds on a dry wheel. I'm on my phone so I can't post a pic. You can literally use the stem as a mirror in bright light afterwards.

 

[danielplainview]

 

[buroak]

I have so far eschewed the Oxiclean treatment, instead opting for 1500 grit 3M Wetordry papers as my starting point. I work at the sink with a constant, slow stream of cool water from the tap to rinse the stem and my abrasives. When the oxidation appears to be eliminated by the 1500 grit paper, I move through my polishing pads, usually stepping from 3000 to 6000 to 8000 to 12000 grits. My transitions up the polishing pad grits are pretty quick, the vast majority of my working time being spent with the 1500 grit papers. I then dry the stem and perform final polishing with Walker Briar Works Stem Deoxidizer/Cleaner on a lint-free paper towel. Once I rinse that compound off and dry the stem I apply carnauba wax and then hand buff the stem with a cotton cloth. My results are not as good as those achieved by danielplainview, but they do not require the use of a buffing wheel and motor. When I get more comfortable with the process I will invest in a motor-driven buffing set up and, I hope, get outcomes like those danielplainview has shown.

 

[buroak]

I may have been damning my own method by faint praise. I should note that the results I get are still better than what I have received from some reputable eBay restorer/resellers. Please do not think I am now overcompensating by bragging about my outcomes. My method owes almost entirely to the advice and shared wisdom of more seasoned forum members. My modifications to others' recommendations have been in the direction of a more conservative, beginner-safe approach to stem cleaning. I think I am now ready to make 800 or 1000 grit papers my starting point for wet sanding. A buffing wheel is still a way off...

 

[throbinson]

So, I took 7 of the non-acrylic stems I had, all of which were previously soaked in oxiclean for 24h...
- 1 hour re-soak in warm oxiclean

- Bit of filing to remove tooth marks on a few stems

- Wet sand with 3M sandpaper I had for car/guitar paint... did a quick sand with 400, then more with 600 and 800. Finished with 1500, then 2000, then for good measure a quick go over with a Mr Clean magic eraser
Definitely comes off easier/better when wet. Results were great. Tomorrow I'll give a quick run over with white diamond... getting annoyed that the carnauba wax is still a no show.

 

[literaryworkshop]

Not to complicate things too much, but some pipemakers use either brown or red tripoli, followed by white. I've had good success buffing with the red. The brown is more aggressive than the red. It's not useless if you're careful with it. Good materials are important, but successful buffing is also about technique. Use a very light touch on the buffing wheel, being especially careful around areas that have fine detail, such as saddles. Practice will teach you a lot.

 

[throbinson]

Well, I bought a couple more 8" wheels so now I have 2 stitched and 2 not. I'll use a stitched for the white, loose for the wax and the other loose as a final buff with nothing on it. I grabbed the extra stitched one and a small bar of the brown which on the chart was 1-step more aggressive than the white. I might not use it much or at all, but figured I'd grab it and have the option. Plus I plan to use the buffing for more than just pipes (motorcycle).
Wax is due to arrive this week, finally... so can finally get the stems finished. Right now cleaning the basement out because 1 stem came off when using the white diamond, and vanished. Truly bizarre... 3+ hours cleaning and still no sign of it. Buffer wheel is rotating downwards so, didn't catch and fly over me... but it simply vanished. This is made even more so annoying, by the fact that of the 18 pipes I got in the lot, it was the 1 pipe I wanted for myself. :S