For the Love of Seconds

[donjgiles]

There are a lot of beautiful, well made seconds out there to be had for a bargain.

Here are a few of mine that I have refreshed.

Comoy Everman

Sasieni Old England

Don

 

[olkofri]

What was originally 'wrong' with them?

 

[donjgiles]

I guess they were not up to the standards of Comoy and Sasieni at the time.
Don

 

[mikethompson]

Don, a very nice collection of pipes! I can't see why they would be seconds, but they look incredible. Great job on the photography as well.
Can we ask where you got them refinished?

 

[seanv]

You’re a great pipe restorer. Those pipes would look nice in my collection.

 

[mikethompson]

Ahh now I see, you did those yourself! Well I will add 'great resto work' to my above accolades.

 

[donjgiles]

Mike, I do them myself by hand. I try to be as gentle as possible in order to keep their historical patina, I think it keeps them honest.
Thank you Sean, there are so many beautiful pipes out there hiding under a layer of crud. I find it therapeutic.
Don

 

[aquadoc]

Do you mind sharing your process steps and materials. Beautiful job. Nice pipes. I like that matte look.

 

[elessar]

Those are some beauties! I like the lines on the Comoy's. It's a stem marking not seen very often. Very cool.

 

[donjgiles]

Sure...
I start by reaming with a PipNet set then move on to an oyster shucker to scrape out some of the cake.

I clean the outside of the stummel with Murphy's Oil Soap (I plug the bowl with a cotton ball) rinse really well with warm/hot water.

Soak the stems in warm/hot water and Oxiclean, remove crud with a magic eraser, then polish with micromesh pads. Coat with mineral oil and let them sit and absorb. Apply a coat of before and after restoration balm, let that sit for a while, finish with Paragon Wax.

The stummels get a light polish with the micromesh pads if needed, a good coat of before and after restoration balm, finish with Paragon or Halcyon Wax.

Internals are cleaned with Everclear, q-tips, bristle pipe cleaners, an ear wax removal set of tools (kinda gross but it really allows you to get the tars out of the shank)

Any pipe with bead lines get a gentle cleaning with a set of dental tools, to get all the crud out of the valleys. They are also great for getting tough residue out of the end of the stems, where they flair.

In the case of stubborn ghosts I use cotton a ball and Everclear soak and or a warm damp coffee grind treatment to pull out the funk.

Stems with bites get painted with a flame first to raise the indents, filled with black superglue if needed, then worked on gently with needle files and sanding pads. I do not like to remove material if at all possible.

To recolor the logos on the stems I stole an idea Ken Barnes mentioned in a thread about Upshall pipes ... white ons!

 

[upnorth1]

Beautiful pipes, beautiful work!

 

[donjgiles]

Thank you Sir.
Don

 

[trubka2]

Those turned out beautifully, Don. I really like the idea of the minimally invasive refurbish - keeping the patina, not removing a lot of material, etc. I'm just getting started with my skills, but that's the direction I want to go. It drives me nuts when people just go at them with a buffing wheel and overdo the wax. Great tip about the dental tools and ear picks. I've been using the pick from an old nutcracker set for that, but I could see the mirror coming in handy. Thanks for the post! Good inspiration for upping my game.

 

[mikethompson]

Don, very nice work. Thanks for talking us through the steps. Do you have any before shots?

 

[donjgiles]

You all are very welcome and thank you for the kind words.

Here are a few of the seller's images, for befores...

Don

 

[donjgiles]

 

[mso489]

Seconds indeed. But I'm glad the pipe makers thought so at the time. Couldn't ask for better, nor better restoration.

 

[trouttimes]

You have skills, Don.

 

[aquadoc]

Thank you for sharing your process!

 

[donjgiles]

Thank you trout!

You are welcome aqua.
Don