Matte Or Shiny Vulcanite Stems?

[Chasing Embers]

A back and forth between John (jpmcwjr) and I made me wonder about how you prefer your vulcanite/ebonite/Cumberland stems, matte or shiny. Personally I like to thumb buff them with toothpaste after each smoke to a mirror finish before oiling them and placing them back on the rack.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I guess I'd prefer shiny to matte but the extra work to make them so is what sways me. And it's really "very shiny, mirror like", to just "mildly shiny'.

 

[warren]

After all these years I just like them clean and not foul tasting. I give 'em a buff during Sunday cleanings but, that's about it.

 

[dare66]

I got a pipe off eBay that was oxidized so I soaked it in oxyclean and it is now a black matte. I wasn't sure how to shine it up but I also didn't mind the matte look either.

 

[lightmybriar]

I’m not happy unless I can see a reflection of my goofy face in my stems. I’ve been refurbishing pipes for five years, so I’m relatively new to it, but my process is to sand, then buff with white compound, then finish with carnauba (a ten dollar buffing kit from Home Depot, attached to my hand drill, unsafely held upright between my knees 8O ). None of my stems over these five years have ever oxidized again, and have required no “touch-ups” or any further attention. I do admit to being a very pipe-friendly smoker, and I don’t even like chatter on my stems, and I’m guessing that also has something to do with my stems holding up so nicely?

 

[bassbug]

Shiny is for chrome on cars...pipes and stems should be matte.

 

[trubka2]

I prefer mine greenish brown and slightly fuzzy. Failing that, matte is where it's at.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This is interesting. Of all the ghosting, reaming, breaking in, lighting, packing, etc. threads, I don't think this has been brought up. Buffing with toothpaste only takes a couple of minutes. Were it a lot of work, I'd likely not do it myself.

 

[ashdigger]

I use a rouge cloth (thank you Cosmic) and a dash of mineral oil.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Boots and pipe stems must be shiny as mirror, and preferably with no tooth mark chatter present.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

If I can see my reflection well enough to trim my nasal hairs, I'm happy.