Dealing With Tar Build-Up?

[mephistopheles]

Hello all,
Let's say you come into an estate pipe that is in pretty rough condition. It has tar build-up all over it. How do you deal with this?
Is tar build-up in places other than the inside of the bowl or top of the rim a sign of a hole? For example, on the outside and bottom of the pipe.
Does alcohol actually dissolve tar?

 

[huntertrw]

mephistopheles:
I find that 190-proof Everclear (applied with a rag) to be an effective solvent, and does a good job of removing tar (and dirt and grime) on the exterior of briar pipes. Just be careful, as Everclear is EXTREMELY flammable!

 

[pitchfork]

On the bottom (i.e. heel) of the pipe? 8O
Alcohol works, but so does water (if you give it enough time to soften the tar). Also, water will do less damage to the stain, generally speaking.

 

[mephistopheles]

This is what I'm dealing with...

 

[pitchfork]

WOW. Good luck!

 

[huntertrw]

mephistopheles:
From the images which you posted above, the use of Everclear on the exterior of this pipe is not going to make it any worse!

 

[billypm]

Yikes. Post again in a couple of years and tell us how it's progressing!!

 

[pitchfork]

From the images which you posted above, the use of Everclear on the exterior of this pipe is not going to make it any worse!

Just dip it. There really isn't any finish left to worry about!

 

[kf4bsb]

Check out my post in this forum titled "My Lastest Restoration" that I just posted yesterday for a pipe i just worked on in

a similar state to the his one. You can also see the pics I took along the way during the restoration at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153413038633275.1073741829.540763274&type=1&l=2c1b40027a.
For a pipe in that bad of shape, I would start with a reaming of the bowl and then go at it with a toothbrush and some Murphy's Oil Soap. Use warm to hot water, and you should be able to work all of that tar, along with most of any finish that might be left, right off.
If there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask.
Wes

Rebuiltbriars.com

 

[mephistopheles]

Haha! I take it that isn't normal then? How does that even happen? :lol:

 

[kf4bsb]

I forgot to mention, use a soft bristled toothbrush and get one that has the rubber pad is n the back of the head to clean your toung with. When you have stubborn char and tar that will not come off, especially around the rim, flip the toothbrush over and rub the tar with the rubber side. It will pull that tar right off and not hurt the wood.

 

[mephistopheles]

Thank you for the information, guys. Much appreciated.
Any other tips or screams of horor are welcome. :D

 

[mso489]

I guess you have to clean the briar first to see what you have under there, but it looks like the shaping of

the pipe has been worn down so that you will end up sanding it down besides. But I guess you start out

with water and/or Everclear and see how deep the problem goes. If it is solid briar under there, it might

make a good looking pipe, but you'll have to bring it a long way back.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I use saliva on a soft cloth. Saliva enzymes break down the tar, and don't damage the finish.

 

[mephistopheles]

I wanted to update this thread as I've recently had a conversation about it. It's been about a month since the original post and since I've done any work on it.
I managed to pull off all the tar and grime from the outside of the bowl exposing bare wood. I also managed to ream out the inside of the bowl pretty well by slowly chipping away the cake with a knife and wiping it down with a paper towel. I don't have a reamer so I can't get everything out right now.
The pipe seems to be pretty well pitted. Even the stem... The white dot on the stem actually dissolved when I let it sit in Oxiclean and it revealed what looks to be a manufacturer made hole(?).
I'm not really sure what to do in order to move forward with the project as this is my first restoration. As you can see in the pictures below the only stain left on the bowl is in the shape of a kind of loopy looking heart. A friend recently talked to me about how pipes are living things and how they are "imbued with the positivity and lives of all those that have come into contact with 'em." I think he's right and that makes me want to keep working on this project.
I don't have the materials (waxes, polishes, etc.) to finish up the stem but I think I can do something with the bowl yet. I'm just not sure what... I thought about sanding it down but didn't know if that was okay to do given that the pipe still has markings/serial numbers on it.
Anyway, here are my results after a few hours of work. I should mention that I spent the majority of that time staring at it while it was soaking in alcohol baths.
I keep the pipe inside a Zip-lock baggie, inside of a box because it smells terribly despite my efforts.



Look at that heart! The pipe loves me see! :crazy: :D



Not sure what to do about these pits...



Here are some markings/serial numbers, etc.



The stem... You can see how it looks rough textured and has that hole.


Any thoughts, gentlemen?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You did all of that for a Grabow? Very cool!! I wouldn't sand it at all. I love the way this looks, as it is. Just sand and polish that stem and fire it up. I wouldn't worry about the pits at all. They make it look very cool, like a cross between a sandblast and a rustication.

 

[torque]

Personally I would do a salt & alcohol treatment as an integrity check, just to see if there is any seepage from those cracks. If not then I would hit it with a surface sand of micromesh and restain as is. All that "weathering" might give it some pretty cool looking character.

 

[ericthered]

In spite of it's flaws, which appear countless, based on the before pics it looks like this was a good smoker for it's previous owner. Great job getting it to it's current state! It'll be interesting to see the state of the bowl once you ream it back. The only other time I've seen briar that porous was in this thread.
Does the hole in the stem open into the airway? Even if it does it could be filled with epoxy/superglue, a pipe cleaner coated with petroleum jelly inserted into the airway should prevent the filling medium from blocking the airway. The pitting on the stem can be taken care of with A LOT of micromesh sanding, or a couple minutes at a buffing wheel, whichever you have available. If you haven't yet, take a look at http://rebornpipes.com/. Lots of good pipe restoration how-tos there.

 

[pipebaum81]

I keep the pipe inside a Zip-lock baggie, inside of a box because it smells terribly despite my efforts.

This is tremendous. Shows how much you care about making this pipe right again. You have a good heart, mephistopheles!

 

[ivapewithfire]

All of those flaws you see in the wood look like maybe they were filled and the treatment just dissolved it.
If you look at your original pictures, there are "black" areas on the pipe that correspond with the flaw patterns on the pipe.
They look purely cosmetic. I own a pipe with much deeper flaws than what you see there (Crack-A-ToaCrack-a-toa).
Here is a shot:

You can try to re-do the fills. If you did a contrast stain and used dark filler material, you wouldn't notice them much because the flaws run with the grain.
Personally, I'd stain and polish it up leaving the flaws there. It's like a little natural rustication .
Either way, looks like you are gaining valuable refurb experience.