I screwed up BAD!

[austinxpipe]

I brought home a Baronet Bruyere today, and in my excitement to pick it up I didn't notice that the stem was oxidized (maybe). In fact, I didn't even really know what I was looking at until it was too late. Here's what happened.
Being new at this, i didn't realize nor know what it meant to have a Vulcanite stem.
I sat down in my man cave and peeled the price tag which had been on the stem. There was still adhesive on the stem, and small weird yellowish gross looking spots. I held the pipe in my mouth and nearly gagged at the smell. I removed the stem and ran it through some water in the kitchen (bad idea that I learned after the fact) hoping to remove the sticky garbage and the smell. Upon doing so, the little white Savinelli crown ran off and the stem turned a weird green color. I then searched the internet an read that Olive oil helps to restore Vulcanite. Now the stem looks slightly better, but still reeks, with no crown stamp.
I don't know what to do. Do I just accept that I made a very stupid beginners mistake and try to remove whatever smell is inside the stem and keep it? Or do I talk to my B&M and explain the situation? I'm good friends with the manager of the place now, and half of this situation is now on me. He was not on duty when I picked up the pipe so the associate probably not being a pipe guy didn't notice, and me being new didn't notice. I AM HELPLESS!
What should I do?!

 

[politicalmonster]

Don't sweat it, all is not lost.

There are plenty of posts on here from guys alot more experienced than I regarding pipe restoration, but I did restore one Ebay estate that had a good bit of oxidation and some serious ghosting smell. I used the oxyclean soak for the stem, and the salt/alcohol soak for the bowl. Lots of pipe cleaners, micromesh pads for the stem, and some carnauba wax, and it was good as new.

Just search on here for restoration or oxyclean. That should bring up plenty of posts with step by step instructions for cleaning it up.

-PM

 

[rickpal14]

The smell you are experiencing is the sulfur coming out of the vulcanite as it oxidizes. A Magic Eraser works very well on the oxidation. A proper buffing with carnauba wax would then seal the vulcanite. I would also recommend getting some pipe stem oil to keep it shiny!
Good luck and welcome!!
P.S. Search the site for much more in depth info on restoring as mentioned above. Great info to be found here!!

 

[pstlpkr]

Vulcanizing (the term giving Vulcanite its name) is a process of adding sulfur to rubber. Over time it emerges on the outside and is greenish/yellow not very appetizing, and can be removed.

We have a number of talented pipe refurbishers on here, they'll provide some tips.

So, to reiterate what Politicalmonster said:

Don't sweat it, all is not lost.

::

 

[ghost]

Words of advice- "You can do it!" Words of warning- "You may love it!"
I got hooked on cleaning estate pipes just from learning to work on my own oxidized stems. I'll echo the others, there's a ton of info on this site to help you...
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/search.php?search=stem+cleaning

 

[hfearly]

Aaah no worries, oxidized vulcanite stem is the EASIEST fixable problem you could have You will need oxyclean, toothpaste and a cotton cloth. Dump the stem in the oxyclean for about 30 minutes, take out rinse well, then pooth toothpaste (Colgate Whitening works really well) all over and scrub hard with your cloth. Repeat until no more discoloration. Then treat the stem with some olive oil, let it work in for about 20 minutes and polish off with a soft cloth. Stem as good as new
Oh and talk to your local B&M owner and tell him to stop selling oxidized vulcanite stems to new pipe smokers! Smells like a good discount on your next purchase!

 

[scurvydog]

Good advise above, I have had to do maintenance on my Baronet Bruyere after a year, but the crown rubbed off shortly after I broke it in. The crown will be a lost cause.

 

[nsfisher]

Hey mate, it will take a fair amount of work to remove that oxidation and make it new again. If you want, someone can explain it to you as there are many members on this site who do good work. If you like, and if you want to send me the stem(just the stem), I will give it a shot if you like. All you have to do it pay the postage.

 

[fnord]

Austin:
Our Canadian brother, Mr. Nsfisher, beat me to the punch, but I'll back his offer if you run into Canadian postage problems. He does great work and your stem will be shiny black in no time.
However, all of this would be good for you to learn as it falls under the umbrella of routine pipe maintenance. There is lots of good advice here on the forum with lots of people more than happy to share what works for them.
Don't be shy to ask.
Fnord

 

[austinxpipe]

Thank you all for the prompt responses. Johnnyxpipe also was helpful reassured me no major damage was done. Thanks for helping a n00b out!!

 

[taerin]

Yup, very common vulcanite issue, these stems also tend to be a lot softer, more natural feeling so many pipe smokers prefer them over acrylic which is harder (like glass) but requires no maintenance.

 

[freakiefrog]

Question on using the Oxiclean to remove the oxidation, do you need to coat the tenon and other area's with patrolum jelly to protect them from removing dimension of the tight fitting area's like one would with bleach? Thanks in advance for the responces.

 

[crk69]

@freakiefrog.... The Oxyclean forces the oxidation to the surface, and doesn't effect the dimensions of the tenon.. What you have to be carefull with is the polishing with micromesh after hitting it with magic eraser to remove the nasty stuff.. Go slow, gentle pressure and start with a low number and work to a higher number micromesh. Don't get over zealous on the scrubbing, and it doesn't really remove that much from the tenon and stem area. I use 6000, 8000, and 12000 grit micromesh in that order on my stems, and so far, you can't tell that I even used them on it. I also keep my micromesh wet, and rinse it often to prevent buildup.

 

[freakiefrog]

Thanks crk69. I've got a couple that I've neglected and they're in need of treating before I even think about getting them warm.

 

[mluyckx]

As many have said... all is not lost.
The link to the matchstickman article Roth gave above works wonders. If then you get you some MicroMesh to finish up the stem, they will come back to life and are like new before you know it.
In total, I will spend about two-three hours of elbow grease on a stem to get it from green to completely shiny new black.
And Obsidian is way better and lasts longer than Olive oil to keep your stems nice and shiny.
Good luck

 

[mluyckx]

Oh.. just caught this as well as I'm cleaning out my RSS feeds ;-)

do you need to coat the tenon and other area's with patrolum jelly to protect them

As crk said: Not for the dimensions. But you may want to cover up any logo with some petroleum jelly to protect it from being removed. It's happened to me :-(