First Attempt

[seth]

I got my first lot of ebay pipes in the mail today, also my castleford reamer and my rouge. My wax should be here tomorrow. I started with the cheapest, crappiest looking of the lot, this Straus. I figure if I screw it up I'm not out much but a little time. I already soaked the stem and went through round 1 of buffing it out. Here is a pic (hopefully) of it in it's original state, then another while the bowl is soaking.

The curved stem is a bit harder to work with than I had anticipated.

 

[seth]

You can see the stem at roughly the 2 o'clock position in the background.

 

[thbg]

You can't beat the "salt and booze" method for cleaning up pipes. I think you will find it works out great. Good luck.

 

[bbauer]

Cleaning up pipes is my new favorite hobby. I buy an estate lot of pipes every couple of weeks now just so that i can have something to tinker with and fix up. hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

 

[seth]

This is my first batch, but I can see how it could creep up on a person. My ebay finger is itching madly.

 

[spartan]

I like the "I'm A Sailor... I Piss Exellence" chair. lol
Good luck on the refurb, looks like she'll clean up nicely. Looks like another pipe that was smoked a bit then forgot about and then the stem started to turn because it wasn't cared for. She's a beauty though.

 

[igloo]

Straus is a good pipe and getting harder to find . That is also one of my favorite shapes .It will be perfect for reading .

 

[smokindawg]

And the good thing about doing ebay lots......... buy em cheap, clean em up and turn em around. If you do well, Pipes can be a self supporting hobby.
I've never done the salt and alcohol and only did the salt and cotton ball a few times before buying my pipe retort. I'd not go back to not having it. Saves a lot of pipe cleaners too.

 

[pipeinhand]

I can't wait to see the finished product. I like the shape of this one.

 

[seth]

Where can a retort be bought? I saw one in a video, looks like it would save both materials and time.

 

[seth]

@ Spartan: Thanks! I hadn't realized I caught that in the pic. The Parachute Riggers made that for me at work. Nothing screams class like a gift from a group of Sailors.

 

[smokindawg]

I bought mine on ebay and there is usually always a listing for them there in a kit specifically for cleaning pipes. But if you do get one, you'll have to start using something a bit cheaper than the alcohol your now using. A retort can use a lot of it, especially on a real dirty one.

 

[jchaplick]

Cant wait to see the finished product

 

[seth]

Ive been hitting ebay for a week looking for one, haven't had any luck so far. Are there any online places that sell them straight out?

 

[nwgibson85]

Please explain to me the materials being used in the second picture. I have recently received some pipes from my Grandfather, and they are in disrepair to say the least.
I Have a dremel, and am rather adept at using it for all sorts of tasks. That pic with the "salt and Booze" please tell me more.

 

[seth]

Gibson85,

After reaming out the bowl and cleaning the stem, one method to further clean them is to plug the stem with pipe cleaners, fill the bowl with coarse (non iodized) salt, then saturate the salt with alcohol (Everclear in my case)and let sit for a day. I just started doing refurbs, but I will say the above salt was a nasty brown this morning, so it's at least somewhat effective. I gather the alcohol leeches the oils etc from the bowl into the salt as it evaporates. I redid it again to see where I'll be at tomorrow morning. Im definitely looking into the retort as smokin' stated, but I'm using this method in the interim. I actually saw the link somewhere on this site regarding the alcohol and salt treatments. Thats about all I speak about it, as this is my first attempt at a refurb.

 

[shaintiques]

I use a retort sometimes but you have to be very very careful as the hot alcohol can eat the finish off of a pipe

 

[banjobob]

What the heck is a retort???

Banjo

 

[pstlpkr]

Here you go Banjo!

Welcome to the site!
Pipe Retort

 

[nwgibson85]

Lawrence you are super helpful... While I do not have what I need for a pipe retort, the Youtube channel that guy has is perfect for restoration tidbits. Thank you sir.
Also quick question not related to anything on this thread. How do I get my avatar to show up when I post?? I have tried a few different pics and nothing shows up.