Dunhill Dress Stain Question.

[Dshift]

I am working on a Dunhill dress and I had to sand the top a bit and now match the stain... I don't have much experience with dunhill dress pipes - is the stain supposed to be opaque black translucent? I am not sure if the pipe is supposed to be like this or if it has lost some stain through the years...

 

[Briarcutter]

I know nothing but I believe it was jet black when new and no grain showing, but with time it wears.

 

[Dshift]

I know nothing but I believe it was jet black when new and no grain showing, but with time it wears.

I have already matched the current state of the stain, meybe a shade or two darker, but I feel a bit u sure if I should make it jet back again...

 

[Briarcutter]

View attachment 417800
I have already matched the current state of the stain, meybe a shade or two darker, but I feel a bit u sure if I should make it jet back again...

No, just match it. I wasn't suggesting you re-do it to jet black again. That jet black finish is a bit tricky to do right.

 

[Dshift]

I mean if I know that the pipe was originally jet black I will make it black again.

 

[sablebrush52]

View attachment 417800
I have already matched the current state of the stain, meybe a shade or two darker, but I feel a bit u sure if I should make it jet back again...

My personal preference is to minimize flaws while maintaining the effects of age.

 

[Dshift]

My personal preference is to minimize flaws while maintaining the effects of age.

I am bouncing between that and bringing the pipe as close to factory condition, if it doesn't mean material loss

 

[xrundog]

Looked at some images to refresh my memory. They do indeed come new black. I imagine the heat fades that pretty fast. The few secondary market pipes look a lot like yours.
I might polish it by hand with micromesh cloth and wax it. If you don’t like it, it’s easy enough to dye it later.

 

[daveinlax]

IMO the older Dress and Black Briar pipes seemed to have a brownish undertone and the newer Dress pipes seemed to have a purplish, eggplant undertone.

 

[forciori]

IMO the older Dress and Black Briar pipes seemed to have a brownish undertone and the newer Dress pipes seemed to have a purplish, eggplant undertone.

That's a very keen observation, Dave, and I think you're right.
The stain’s concentration is such that it presents as solid black, effectively veiling the grain from view in ordinary light. Yet, when held to a strong light, the underlying grain begins to emerge, revealing that the finish is not a true black at all, but a far more complex and layered color.

 

[Dshift]

I think I have decided to darken the stain just a little bit to simulate a lightly used dress- this should still give the new owner the opportunity to experience the grain reveal in a satisfying way, without feeling that his pipe is going too light for a dress dunhill

 

[Briarcutter]

I think I have decided to darken the stain just a little bit to simulate a lightly used dress- this should still give the new owner the opportunity to experience the grain reveal in a satisfying way, without feeling that his pipe is going too light for a dress dunhill

Just my opinion here. I'd be careful with this decision. some collectors like "as found" state with all the years of change to show. Polishing and removing crud would be fine with me but if I knew a pipe was re- stained I'd pass on it. This is just me, others may love the idea.

 

[Dshift]

Just my opinion here. I'd be careful with this decision. some collectors like "as found" state with all the years of change to show. Polishing and removing crud would be fine with me but if I knew a pipe was re- stained I'd pass on it. This is just me, others may love the idea.

I totally agree with that statement, also from what I have gathered most people here are of the same opinion. This being said, I am dealing with a completelly different audience here in good ol Deutschland... Here pristine condition is what people are mostly looking for. I like to thi k that I am slowly working on changing this.
With this pipe it's a bit different, since it needed work on the rim so there will be some restraining no matter what.
This part is a bit hard to explain, but I feel like I have to do what I think is best for "the pipe", so it could be perceived as something special and not just an estate dunhill in this case. If this means that a pipe is not for everyone, it's even better - it increases the chance of it being picked up by perfect match owner, who will cherish it more. It just depends on the pipe for me and how I feel about it. A dress, in my opinion, is one of the fanciest(not best) finishes a pipe could have and the whole "well used" looks just don't feel right, although I find it way more attractive for any other old pipe.
I know it's weird to think about pipes like this, but I just can't help it - I do a survice for the pipes and not the people.

 

[Briarcutter]

I totally agree with that statement, also from what I have gathered most people here are of the same opinion. This being said, I am dealing with a completelly different audience here in good ol Deutschland... Here pristine condition is what people are mostly looking for. I like to thi k that I am slowly working on changing this.
With this pipe it's a bit different, since it needed work on the rim so there will be some restraining no matter what.
This part is a bit hard to explain, but I feel like I have to do what I think is best for "the pipe", so it could be perceived as something special and not just an estate dunhill in this case. If this means that a pipe is not for everyone, it's even better - it increases the chance of it being picked up by perfect match owner, who will cherish it more. It just depends on the pipe for me and how I feel about it. A dress, in my opinion, is one of the fanciest(not best) finishes a pipe could have and the whole "well used" looks just don't feel right, although I find it way more attractive for any other old pipe.
I know it's weird to think about pipes like this, but I just can't help it - I do a survice for the pipes and not the people.

It's good to hear you are considering all angles, sounds like you know your clients very well!

 

[Dshift]

It's good to hear you are considering all angles, sounds like you know your clients very well!

Thank you, but as I said I do what I think it's best for the pipe and people are different enough so I am not worried about a good pipe staying homeless for long.
If someone is looking for a dolled up 100 years old pipe or a beat up 2024 pipe, I am the wrong place for that
Here is a really good example- this is one of my favorite restoration results on an old Pete from the 40s. Almost no material loss.

 

[Briarcutter]

Thank you, but as I said I do what I think it's best for the pipe and people are different enough so I am not worried about a good pipe staying homeless for long.
If someone is looking for a dolled up 100 years old pipe or a beat up 2024 pipe, I am the wrong place for that
Here is a really good example- this is one of my favorite restoration results on an old Pete from the 40s. Almost no material loss.
View attachment 417837View attachment 417838View attachment 417839View attachment 417840View attachment 417841View attachment 417842View attachment 417843View attachment 417844

I like the fact you didn't polish all the scratches from the silver. You did a nice silver clean up and you left all the "life" marks. Those give the piece character iMO. If it could only talk

 

[Dshift]

I like the fact you didn't polish all the scratches from the silver. You did a nice silver clean up and you left all the "life" marks. Those give the piece character iMO. If it could only talk

Exactly! If we are talking about commercial success though, this pipe is either unsellable here or it would sell for 40€.... In the meantime I won't trade this specific pipe for any blinged up savinelli giubileo or anything else of the sort... Hey I am not complaining - more great pipes for me

 

[xrundog]

Do the pipe the way you like it. No matter what you do somebody is going to have a problem with it.
A clean pipe with a nice stem and sharp stamps will usually do pretty well.

 

[Dshift]

The result:

 

[xrundog]

Looks good to me!