Just used a magic eraser to get a ton of build up off the rim of an estate pipe my GF bought me (I watched a youtube video where someone recommended it- worked well for him)… while all the carbon buildup did come off with time, so did some of the stain- which is now a lighter brown than the rest of the pipe. Any tips???
Magic eraser issues
- Thread starter bbc417
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Don't do it agin...magic erasers are for oxidized stems...not the pipe itself..for carbon on the rim...use q-tips and saliva...
Depending on how hard you scrubbed, you may not have removed the stain but just removed the wax. When the wax is removed, the stain will appear lighter than the waxed portion of the pipe. A picture would be helpful for recommending a solution.
Listen to dave g - reading his posts/seeing what he can do I would trust a priceless pipe to him.
On my rims I use a blow torch to soften up the char and then go to town with some 80 grit sandpaper.
If you're going to top a pipe as Peck suggests, it's quicker using a bandsaw, freehand; it's just not right to use a guide or template. Then the 80 grit to soften the hard edges, then the blowtorch to darken the fresh cuts.
As others have said... Spit and finger is all you need.
and you can take THAT to your proctologist!
and you can take THAT to your proctologist!
Putting aside blow torches and ass doctors...
While I agree with Dave that it's possible you just removed wax, I think it's equally possible that you pulled stain with your magic eraser.
As others have mentioned, a magic eraser is an abrasive and will remove material. I have seen it posited on other forums that magic erasers generally work out to an equivalent of 3600 grit wet sandpaper... but that can vary widely depending on how wet the magic eraser is and how much elbow grease is used. For these reasons I only use magic erasers to remove oxidation from vulcanite stems, and for cleaning up acrylic stems.
I've found that the simplest way to remove smoke and tar build-up from the smooth rim of a pipe bowl is to stand the bowl rim down in distilled water for about two minutes. After standing just the rim in water I use a cotton lint-free cloth (like a kitchen towel or tea towel) to wipe away the tars and oils. Wash rinse and repeat until complete.
If you want to bring the top of the rim back to the same colour as the rest of your pipe you could do the following:
1) Wipe the exterior of the stummel down with 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove oils, stains, and wax
2) Using a VERY LIGHT tint of aniline dye mixed with 99% isopropyl alcohol, tint the pipe such that the rim top blends with the stummel.
3) Buff the pipe with a dunhill pipe wipe, or with a wheel and carnauba wax.
Matching stain colour is a bit tricky at first. I generally use Fiebing's light brown or dark brown starting with two drops of dye to one eye dropper of isopropyl alcohol.
You can, of course, leave the rim lighter colour than the rest of the pipe. This is an aesthetic choice. The rim will darken over time as you smoke the pipe. But it might be off-colour from the rest of the stummel for quite a while... or forever.
-- Pat
While I agree with Dave that it's possible you just removed wax, I think it's equally possible that you pulled stain with your magic eraser.
As others have mentioned, a magic eraser is an abrasive and will remove material. I have seen it posited on other forums that magic erasers generally work out to an equivalent of 3600 grit wet sandpaper... but that can vary widely depending on how wet the magic eraser is and how much elbow grease is used. For these reasons I only use magic erasers to remove oxidation from vulcanite stems, and for cleaning up acrylic stems.
I've found that the simplest way to remove smoke and tar build-up from the smooth rim of a pipe bowl is to stand the bowl rim down in distilled water for about two minutes. After standing just the rim in water I use a cotton lint-free cloth (like a kitchen towel or tea towel) to wipe away the tars and oils. Wash rinse and repeat until complete.
If you want to bring the top of the rim back to the same colour as the rest of your pipe you could do the following:
1) Wipe the exterior of the stummel down with 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove oils, stains, and wax
2) Using a VERY LIGHT tint of aniline dye mixed with 99% isopropyl alcohol, tint the pipe such that the rim top blends with the stummel.
3) Buff the pipe with a dunhill pipe wipe, or with a wheel and carnauba wax.
Matching stain colour is a bit tricky at first. I generally use Fiebing's light brown or dark brown starting with two drops of dye to one eye dropper of isopropyl alcohol.
You can, of course, leave the rim lighter colour than the rest of the pipe. This is an aesthetic choice. The rim will darken over time as you smoke the pipe. But it might be off-colour from the rest of the stummel for quite a while... or forever.
-- Pat
Pruss: Ever the voice of reason. However, if you had been the first to respond to the post the rest of us would have had nothing cogent to add. That in itself might be a good thing.
I would say that the warnings above are accurate. However I have used a Magic Eraser on a couple of very old Custombilt pipes I inherited from my father which were so well used that the "patia", so to speak - hand oils and other tarry leavings on the briar - had darkened to almost sheer black with no discernible grain showing. The cleaning pad made short work of cleaning the rim and the rest of the pipes to the point that the pipes now are greatly improved.
I did have to spend considerable effort reapplying surface oils back onto the pipes - countering somewhat that which I achieved. I do not regret the exercise.
I have not done this to a similarly aged vintage Barling's Make pipe I also inherited. I am not quite that crazy.
I did have to spend considerable effort reapplying surface oils back onto the pipes - countering somewhat that which I achieved. I do not regret the exercise.
I have not done this to a similarly aged vintage Barling's Make pipe I also inherited. I am not quite that crazy.
I'm glad that your process delivered good results for you. I have to think that a cotton makeup remover pad and isopropyl alcohol would have made shorter work of the oils and tars without removing material and leaving most of the original stain with only a need for adding wax.
YMMV
-- Pat
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