New Guy Showing Off Pipe Restoration

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
Hi all, I am new here, my name is Frank and I recently discovered the adventures of estate pipe restauration.

This is one of the first estate pipes I bought in the last weeks and it cost me a bit more than I would pay for such a pipe today. Well, you live and learn...

It seems to be of no particular brand, at least I could find out who made it. The condition was quite good with not much cake to remove. Only the stem

was heavily oxidised.



All in all not really that much to do. So let´s start reaming and sanding the bowl from the inside.

Much better now.

Because I like my pipes REALLY clean I decided to leave the bowl in an alcohol bath for 24h. The all black finish was slightly boring either so it wouldn´t hurt if it would come off in the bath.

Meanwhile I went for sanding the stem and trying to get off the oxidation. This one was real stubborn! I prefer to sand as less as possible for not altering the shape of the stem and to leave

enough material for a future restauration. The sulphur had formed a kind of "glazed" surface on the stem and was a bitch to get off.


I did find the all black rusticated bowl not very appealing and so I decided to sand it over to highlight it. I did this before on a Savinelli Capri and liked the result very much.

Here´s after sanding and a thorough brushing with a brass wire brush:

I then stained the bowl in dark brown.

Meanwhile I had polished the stem on my bench buffer and so it was on to the bowl. After buffing with two wheels and two compounds I gave it a go with my new retort. Up to now I am not particular

happy with retorting and I found out that it is best done BEFORE restaining the bowl (ask my how I found out.....).

After a thorough clean I brushed the bowl with furniture wax and a shoe cleaning brush. This takes care of all the nooks and crannies that can´t be reached by the buffing wheel propperly.

After waxing the bowl with the soft furniture wax it received a coat of carnauba wax on the bench buffer.

And there you go: A second life for another neglected pipe! Hoorraaa! :D


Edit: Fixed the title/Al

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,011
Southwest Louisiana
You did a masterful job. Here's a tip if you ever do the salt and alcohol put pipe in a bed of rice, that way you can position it any way you want. Another tip, at drugstore the sell round cotton pads that women use for taking off fingernail polish or makeup , it's really good to keep alcohol off of bowl, just position it over bowl and push down in middle and cotton absorbs vapors. With salt don't fill to top of rim as alcohol will leach over sides, give yourself some room.First class job on that pipe. :clap:

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,011
Southwest Louisiana
AFBE3163-2429-454F-ACD3-EAE1D46F0F46-21475-000025413F677AB5_zpsfa199639.jpg
the cotton pad pushed down before retorting.

 

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
Thank you for the lead OC! In fact I use cotton wool instead of salt. I have those cotton pads as well but haven´t used the way you showed. Will do that when I retort the next pipe for sure! Thanks again!
@blueeyedogre: Thank you Sir! It´s quite a nosewarmer indeed. :)

 

forest7

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 8, 2014
190
2
That's a beautiful job you did. I'v learn a lot from what you did. Happy Smoking.

 

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
Thank you for your kind words Gentlemen! I feel honoured to receive that much praise from the pipe savants of this forum. I will keep on restoring pipes and show my work here if your are interested. Thank´s a lot!

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
postimg.cc
Nice job, I love the shape and rustification of that one!
When I see pictures of stems being sanded/cleaned off the pipe, that always worries me that the stem edges will be rounded off. You may have just had it off for the photos?

 

stvalentine

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2015
808
13
Northern Germany
I have to confess that I removed the stem from the pipe for sanding. I am just very careful when sanding. With the stem on the pipe I am more concerned to sand of the finish of the stem. Not that it would have mattered on this pipe as the finish was changed anyhow.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
postimg.cc
I make a stem/shank shield out of cast off plastic blister boxes. I cut them into squares/circles, then punch a tenon size hole With that between the shank and stem, it allows me to remove the oxidation without changing the flush fitment to the shank.
20141012_221452.jpg


 
Status
Not open for further replies.