First Attempt at Staining an Estate Pipe - KBB/Kaywoodie Drinkless

[pruss]

Hey there friends. So this sweet little straight Dublin came to me in a mixed lot of estates. The pipe had been restored previously, as evidenced by the poor reaming job (out of round) and fading nomenclature. It was also a pipe that was desperate for a re-stain as it had been cleaned too many times.
Following the descriptions from many of Steve Laug's posts on his wonderful blog http://rebornpipes.wordpress.com/ I decided to clean this little beauty up. I apologize for not having any "before" pictures. But here is the result of:
1) Cleaning the bowl

2) Salt and alcohol

3) Deoxidize the stem

4) Shank and stem clean

5) Sand and buff

6) Retort

7) Stain and polish
I think she's a handsome little smoker.
Pipe Marks: KBB - Kaywoodie - Drinkless - Synchrostem - Pat App For - Aged Briar - 7708:

 

[papipeguy]

Very nice job. Enjoy.

 

[ssjones]

That came out great! What a nice billiard. That Cloverleaf logo is a bit raised, right? If so, I love that, makes cleaning and saving the logo a lot easier.

 

[smokeybear]

Nicely done sir

 

[tbradsim1]

What a nice looking pipe and restro job, really great!

 

[voorhees]

Nice Kaywoodie! My first pipe was an estate Kaywoodie, one of my best smokers.

 

[pruss]

Thanks for the comments gents. They are greatly appreciated.
I love this little pipe. Based on the research I've done online, this little burner was produced between 1929 and 1931. It's pretty cool to have refreshed it and made it ready for another 90 or so years.
-- Pat

 

[numbersix]

Excellent work - I never would have guessed it was a re-stain.

 

[irwinmetro]

Well done! What was your process for the staining process?

 

[pruss]

Well done! What was your process for the staining process?

Thanks!
I used acetone on a cotton ball to remove the existing stain almost entirely. I then sanded the bowl and shank (excluding the area around the nomenclature) up to about 1500 grit. I then applied the dye using Fiebings Light Brown leather dye and the applicator that came with the box, and after applying an even coat torched the dye to fix it on the pipe. I let the pipe stand for 24 hours, then using a cotton ball with acetone I went over the pipe to even out the stain and clean up the steal cap on the stummel. Lastly I buffed with white diamond and then carnauba before hand polishing.
Steve Laug's blog Reborn Briar (linked above) is a great resource for folks like me who dabble in resto work. I highly encourage loading a bowl, grabbing a coffee, and reading every single article there.
-- Pat

 

[irwinmetro]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing. I've got a couple REALLY terribly abused estates coming my way soon. I'll be jumping into the the restore with both feet, so I quite appreciate seeing other member's work.
It seems counter-intuitive to apply stain, then apply acetone afterwards. But obviously it works well. When you refer to white diamond, is it on of these products? http://www.whitediamondamerica.com/

 

[pruss]

It seems counter-intuitive to apply stain, then apply acetone afterwards

I hear you. Using acetone and a cotton ball or q-tip allows for lightening of the stain levels to enhance the grain, and also affords the chance to thin out areas where more stain may have been absorbed.
The "white diamond" I am referring to is this: http://www.amazon.com/White-Diamond-Rouge-Polishing-Compound/dp/B001Q4ZTPK
I use the following Tripoli, White Diamond and Carnauba Wax in varying amounts/applications in my restorations. The kit that I sourced came from here: http://www.bealltool.com/products/buffing/buffer.php
Hope that helps.
-- Pat

 

[irwinmetro]

Thanks Pat, that does help. I'm hoping that a quick trip to Rona will be enough for the supplies I need, it's agonizing enough waiting for the pipes to arrive, I hope I can avoid ordering online.

 

[pruss]

I originally bought some Fiebing's Mahogany but it is too dark.

Hey Sam. I bought the Dark Brown, Light Brown and Ox Blood. I used the dark brown on another pipe (I'll post it later tonight) and it was really dark. I actually got the sanding pads back out to take it down a bit on the smooth parts of the pipe. I went back over the pipe with light brown, and will smooth it out after with acetone. It's amazing how dark some of these stains are. Cutting with alcohol was my next thought. I can't wait to see how your contrast stain comes out. I have a Butz Choquin pot I want to try that with, so I look forward to seeing your results.

I hope I can avoid ordering online.

Totally avoidable my friend. Head to Lee Valley. They have the Beall Buffing system and micromesh sanding pads, and about a 100 million other things that you REALLY want, but may not need. 8O
http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/page.aspx?p=47397
Cheers,
-- Pat

 

[brdavidson]

Wow, that is one fine looking pipe my friend! Your work is getting so good now, it's a treat to see you return them to their original glory.