@strave19: correct - the whole thing was about $100 (tobacco not included :
: ). Regarding the compounds, I rarely use them unless it's for a major restoration job. For the most part I use the carnuba bar & wheel. At first I was thinking of using this setup until I "outgrew" it, and the plan was to upgrade to a more professional rig. However, I have not found a single area of performance and/or results that can be improved with a better setup. So rather than waste the money, I'm sticking with this one.
I would say that this setup has increased the value of my heard by at least $3,000.00! Here's how I get that number. One example is a Savinelli Autograph I bought on eBay a while back that I can easily sell for $250-$300 these days. It's a beautiful size 4 plateau-top freehand that I bought for $50 in true estate condition. The stem was oxidized badly and was pistachio green, the plateau top looked like gunk & cake spilling over the edge, and the exterior had no life to speak of. Well, after some restoration work one of my friends (a professional restorer/seller) said he could easily get $250-$300 on his eBay channel no problem. In fact, the pipe is so beautiful now, I got stopped several times at the Vegas pipe show last year and was given compliments on how attractive that pipe was.
I have multiple (30-40?) stories like this of restored pipes that I bought cheap and "saved" using nothing but the rig you see in the photo above (Ok, maybe a copper wire brush, some Everclear, etc).
