My very first pipe restoration - Ebay Brigham Sportsman

[shikano53]

I just wanted to share my first restoration attempt. I can't really take credit for any of the information, that goes to all the folks on this forum who have done this numerous times.

A special thank you to Pruss (Pat)for being patient with all my inane and no doubt, foolish questions that I badgered him with. He's probably left the country or changed his forum name.

Anyway, I managed to buy a pipe off of Ebay - A Canadian made Brigham Sportsman.

It was to my eyes, in pretty rough shape.

All these pictures are before.



Here is what I used/did
Soaked the stem in 2 tablespoons of bleach and 2 cups of warm water for 2 hours.

While I was waiting for that I reamed out the bowl. Once I was satisfied with my reaming efforts with a Senior Reamer, I did a retort.
I then went to work on the stem. There was a tiny tooth indentation on the underside of the stem that I filled with a small amount of KB weld and let cure.

I then began the sanding polishing process.

I first sanded the build up of KB weld with some 250gr sandpaper and then went to work with the Micromesh starting with 1500 grit.

The small indentation that I repaired with the KB weld disappeared as I sanded it and feathered out the edges.

I worked my way all the way up to 12000 grit and then used Obsidian oil to polish it.
Here are the results.







Finally, after cleaning everything up with q tips, rubbing alcohol and I polished the smooth upper part with Paragon wax and the rusticated bottom part with Halcyon wax. All I had was a soft cloth and just buffed it by hand.
I think it looks good.

Will smoke a bowl of G.L. Pease Odyssey tonight and let you know how she smokes.
Anyway that's all I got.

Chris in RD AB

 

[danielplainview]

Your first resto? Well done sir. It cleaned up nicely.

 

[mcitinner1]

@ Shikano Good job guy, I like those Canadian Brighams too. What's the '53 in your avatar stand for? Age or birth year?

 

[shikano53]

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, I will be 62 years young in a week.

Happy puffing!

 

[mcitinner1]

I'll be damned...I'll be 62 on the 24th.

 

[georged]

For the carbon lava on the rim, use a tiny scraper.
Cut a piece from the side of a drywall / puttyknife blade like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Goldblatt-G24308-6-Inch-Flexible-Putty/dp/B007RLT8I0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1437002751&sr=8-11&keywords=putty+knife
...and dress the curved edge with a stone or 800 grit paper until it is dead square, like this:

The combination of 90-degree edge, thick(ish) flex-free blade, and curved working edge allow you to cut away practically anything smoothly, without digging or chatter. With a bit of practice you can strip virtually any finish without even touching the color coat underneath. Works like magic.
Here's the technique: With rounded edge down, hold the fat end between your index finger and thumb at (about) a 45-degree angle to the surface you want to cut, and a 30-degree angle from the direction of travel. Start with light pressure and increase until whatever you are trying to remove starts to shave off / peel away, then keep going until it's gone.
Renew the 90-degree edge every few minutes with a couple swipes down a sheet of 800 W/D attached to a smooth surface. (Putty knife blades are quite hard and tough, and hold an edge well.)

 

[jkrug]

Well done! That sweet ole Brigham cleaned up quite nicely. Enjoy. ::

 

[shikano53]

Georged,

Thank you for the information. That is awesome and I will do exactly that.

 

[gloucesterman]

First effort came out well indeed. Well done.

 

[shikano53]

Thank you all for the comments.

Mcitineer1,

Happy birthday!

You will be 62, two days ahead of me. :clap:

 

[pruss]

:clap:
Well done, Chris!
That sportsman cleaned up nicely and will be a hardworking burner for you, pal.
I'm glad you're happy with both the buying experience (eBay can be a fickle bastard), and your cleanup.
Please do let us know how it smokes.
-- Pat

 

[shikano53]

Thanks Pat

 

[shikano53]

Just smoked my first bowl

G.L. Pease Odyssey
Smokes great and my first bowl of Lat!

Really enjoyed it.
I think this will be my dedicated Lat pipe.

 

[fnord]

You brought that Brigham back to life, man. Well done.
But, before I'd lay a piece of steel to the top of that rim, grab a mess of paper towels and a hot cup of coffee. Soak the towels in coffee, apply on the inflicted areas and just see what you can dislodge.
Good luck,
Fnord

 

[shikano53]

Fnord,

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give it a try.

 

[shaintiques]

Coffee huh? That's a new one on me. I tend to use good old spit or a sharp flat bladed knife if the spit isn't working. Fine resto though. I like the shape of that bowl. Very nice!

 

[ejames]

Nice job!!

 

[shikano53]

How's this?

I just used spit and good old fashioned elbow grease.

 

[greyfoxactual]

Love seeing these restorations. Great work. Thanks for sharing!

 

[cortezattic]

Thanks so much for all the pix in this progress report resto. Nice work! :clap: