Estate pipe purchase - contains purple dye

[mrivney]

I bought a 'new' pipe at the Nov. 2010 Vegas pipe show. (My first piep show and I had a good time.)

The fellar who sold it to me said it was a Lorenzo. There is no stamping. He said it was up in the attic of the warehouse. Anyways, it's a nice pipe. However, it had purple coloring (I suppose a dye) in it. Everywhere. In the stem and in the stummel (the bowl to be specific). I used the retort process to clean it out. Lots of purple everclear was the result.

I've read, online, that the purple dye is used for restoration.

If it's a new pipe (ie unused) then why would it have purple dye? Maybe the purple dye is also used during the creation/manufacturing process?

Any insights, info, suggestions appreciated.

Note: after the retort, there was still some purple dye near the top of the bowl (since the cotton inserted into the top of bowl prevents the everclear from doing its job). So I just used a lighter to burn it off.

Thanking in advance, Mike

 

[pstlpkr]

Welcome aboard Mike.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a purple pipe, save maybe one of those "painted" pipes.

A picture would be a big help.
Once again... Welcome to the fraternity!

 

[mrivney]

Lawrence,

Sorry, wasn't clear about where the purple was. It was inside the pipe. I read online that it's used by some restorers who sell estate briars. I've searched the internet and could only find this one reference. Just curious as to what it is.

Regards, Mike

 

[python]

I have never heard of purple coloring used on restored pipes. That doesn't mean that it isn't true, it just means that I've never heard of it.
Some pipe manufacturers dip the entire briar part of the pipe into the stain because it applies it faster. The purple coloring could just be some type of base in the stain of the pipe even though it is not a purple colored pipe.
I have a pipe that appears to be stained a brown color, but every time that I clean it, the cleaners that used on the shank have bright red dye on them. I have owned the pipe for about 5 years and that red coloring still shows up. It also shows up after a smoke. It seems that whenever there is moisture that red stain starts "leaking".

 

[unclearthur]

Maybe the pipe was owned by someone who did the hair of little old ladies ? :roll:

 

[winton]

I know of several red woods that bleed the red color. Perhaps the stem of the pipe was made of one of these woods. The only purple wood I know is purpleheart and it does not bleed the color. I would be leary of dye in the smoking area.
Winton

 

[thomc80]

Yeah my new Savinelli pipe bleeds a little reddish purple colored dye when i run a pipe cleaner through the shank. May be a similar color stain to mine.

 

[chuckw]

Whew, I thuoght for a minute you'd bought an NOS Peterson. The dye is probably from dip staining the pipe with the stem attached. I had a Pete Sherlock Holmes that had been dip stained and had stain in the stem just as you described.

 

[searock]

Sorry to say, but.... If the manufacturer did not think enough of the pipe to even mark it, how much care do you think he put into quality control?

 

[mrivney]

Searock,

The pipe was sold as is. The story was that the warehouse was closed and it was 'up in the attic' and thus cleared out. Maybe it hadn't been quite all the way through the production process.

I didn't put much value on the seller's claim that it was a Lorenzo. But it's a decent looking and working pipe. And the stem does not match up evenly with the shank when it comes to 'leveling' the stem. I paid $20 for it. If I could figure out how to post a picture of it I would.

Regards, Mike

 

[searock]

As long as you like it that's all that counts... A little work with find sandpaper can flush the stem.