Obsidian vs Mineral Oil on Stems

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boatme99

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 20, 2021
245
778
Somewhere in this vast universe
clean your stem with acetone to dissolve and remove the sulphur, then when it's dry apply an even coat of pensbury manor pen potion #9.
First: I've no experience with using acetone on pipe stems but i used it for a lot of things on boats.
Be careful! Acetone will melt most plastics. It may also permanently soften them causing them to pick up grit, so you end up with something always sticky and akin to a sanding bar!
 

mparker762

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2021
112
624
Houston, TX
First: I've no experience with using acetone on pipe stems but i used it for a lot of things on boats.
Be careful! Acetone will melt most plastics. It may also permanently soften them causing them to pick up grit, so you end up with something always sticky and akin to a sanding bar!

I put some on a white cotton shotgun patch and wiped down the stems, and what came off was the greenish-brown oxidation. as best as I could tell the stems were otherwise unaffected, there didn't appear to be any softening or pitting or other damage. Soaking them in acetone probably wouldn't be a good idea though. What I'm curious about - but haven't had a chance to test - is whether the pen potion step is even necessary. the next time I get an oxidized stem I think I'll just use the acetone patch and leave off the pen potion #9 step and see how it fares. it's possible that future oxidation will be greatly reduced since there isn't as much sulfur left at the surface (hence exposed to oxygen and water) to oxidize.
 

Aomalley27

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 8, 2021
763
1,696
Chicagoland area
I just find it amusing that the same people espousing that $300 for an 8 oz bag of ESO isn’t bad when you consider there’s 226 g in that 8 oz bag, and at 3 g a bowl that comes out to about $4/bowl which is cheaper than a cigar. Yet $8 for a bottle of obsidian (which will last 6 months-year depending upon the size of your pipe collection) is somehow “too expensive”(?????)
 

Aomalley27

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 8, 2021
763
1,696
Chicagoland area
I've been using the same bottle since 2012, it doesn't take that much.
I’ve over 80 pipes in my collection, and they all get used. I smoke about 2 bowls a day, though it spikes on the weekend /holidays/ vacation. So I use more than most would use I suppose (though there are plenty others on these forums with PAD so my estimate probably fits more pipers here than you’d think.
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
rotf

I've been up over 200 before throwing many of them out. I'm primarily not into anything but ebonite and cover the bottle mouth with my thumb before inverting it. I wipe all but a film from my thumb back into the bottle before applying the oil to a stem. I smoke a pipe five times+ per day and do a deep cleaning after each smoke applying oil to the stem after each smoke.
 

Aomalley27

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 8, 2021
763
1,696
Chicagoland area
rotf

I've been up over 200 before throwing many of them out. I'm primarily not into anything but ebonite and cover the bottle mouth with my thumb before inverting it. I wipe all but a film from my thumb back into the bottle before applying the oil to a stem. I smoke a pipe five times+ per day and do a deep cleaning after each smoke applying oil to the stem after each smoke.
Wow, you’re cheaper than me? in all seriousness, I invert bottle over my index finger wipe over top and massage to the back. Then do a second coat on back and massage to front. So even with my generous use I still get almost a year out of my little bottle. Same tightwads that claim this stuff is “expensive” are probably reusing pipe cleaners too?
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,348
Wow, you’re cheaper than me? in all seriousness, I invert bottle over my index finger wipe over top and massage to the back. Then do a second coat on back and massage to front. So even with my generous use I still get almost a year out of my little bottle. Same tightwads that claim this stuff is “expensive” are probably reusing pipe cleaners too?
Wiping a stem down with a jeweler's cloth after smoking helps too.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,678
29,396
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Obsidian oil is made and sold by member @hauntedmyst. The exact formula is a trade secret but he has said that it's made of food grade materials, does not contain mineral oil and does contain a UV protectant. I use it and like it. I apply it with a pipe cleaner and a little goes a long way. I use it after every smoke and I've still 2/3rds of a bottle left after over 2 years.
so it's his spit I take it?
 
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