Oil paint for briar staining

[frey]

Hi there.
First of all, great forums. Reading posts by some frequent posters here helped me to avoid a lot of newbie mistakes, choosing/packing/keeping lit etc., so I totally fell in love with pipe smoking after my first sorta properly smoked bowl.
Soooo I'm not sure if this had been asked before, but forum search has either yielded no results or I've totally missed what I was looking for. Anyway, the question is, can I use artist quality oil paint to stain my briar? I have a cheap-ass Lorenzo pipe that I bought for about 15 dollars and, just like with many cheap pipes it has a smooth lacquered finish. It smokes OK, I guess, although I'm new to pipe smoking. So I've decided to remove that finish, since so many posts has been written on the matter of briar not breathing or heating too much or resting too long in varnished pipes, and I would really like to try to paint my pipe in some different color, like some of those Petersons Irish Sea. Since I have no idea on how did they make that stain on their pipe and, being an artist, used to paint my pictures in oil, I thought that maybe oil paint could be used in such a way. I mean, it's basically pigment and some linseed oil, and I've read that this kind of oil is sometimes used on briar pipes. Can anybody tell whether it is a good idea or not?

 

[sfsteves]

Let me say from the outset that I'm no expert ... fact is, I've never stained a pipe with anything at all ...
That said, I'm not sure I understand the reason for re-inventing the wheel ... why search for alternatives rather than just using the product that is time tested and used by professionals?

 

[thedeep]

Use dye. Anything else is a big ???

 

[pio02]

Linseed oil, the most common oil used in oil paints, is flammable, even capable of spontaneous combustion. Personally, I wouldn't put it on anything I planned on getting an open flame near. There might still be other types of paint or dyes you can use. But in any case, you'll need to look up the toxicity of pigments. Cadmiums and cobalts, for instance, will make you very sick if you inhale them. Make sure you're not using anything toxic. Also, make sure the pigment doesn't react to heat.

 

[papipeguy]

I would think that using an oil paint might seal the briar and not allow it to breathe properly. The concern about certain pigments, curing agents and stabilizers used in oil paints is a real problem. I could also see the paint blistering from the heat so, in short, avoid paint and stay with the tried and true stains.

Good luck with your project.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Oil could be used as a stain, but as papipeguy said, the mixture of linseed and mineral spirits would seal the wood. Plus, linseed oil takes a very long time to dry. Artists sometimes waited over a year for thicker layers of paint to dry, with layers on the bottom taking decades. Each time you smoked it would drive vapors away from the paint, making your tobacco taste like drying oil paint.
The leather dyes are very cheap. You'll get enough to do hundreds of pipes for cheaper than a tube of quality oil paint. I would recommend sticking to tried and true dyes.
But, you might want to consider that whatever colors you use will change as the pipe is smoked. The Peterson greens become dark brown with heavy use (this has been discussed here). The yellows will brown. When I clean the silver off of bands, they typically have a thick layer of tobacco film, some as thick as tape adhesive. One of the reason that most use a more natural colored dye is for that reason. But, it's your pipe. Make it so that you'll enjoy it. Have fun!

 

[cortezattic]

This linked image will give you some ideas.

 

[foggymountain]

Most pigments, except the earth colors, are toxic.

 

[mso489]

Some laquer finishes that come on pipes do not impede smoking and should probably be left alone. I wouldn't

change the finish just for appearance sake unless it is causing a problem. Just trade or give away the pipe when

the time comes. However, if you are determined to modify the finish for your own reasons, which may be fine,

I'd just sand the pipe down to the briar and smoke the pipe until it "finishes itself" from smoking it. Usually briar

will take on a deep brown color that looks satisfactory or better. I think foggy has it right that paint pigments

are going to be toxic, and the toxicity will be amplified by repeatedly heating it. Just don't do that.

 

[cortezattic]

Toxic? I don't think this subset of the population is too worried about toxicity.

After all, nicotine is an alkaloid poison. :lol:

 

[mrfus]

I quote from Wikipedia under the subject "Oil Paint":
"Toxicity
Many of the historical pigments were dangerous, and many pigments still in popular use today are highly toxic. Some of the most poisonous pigments, such as Paris green (copper(II) acetoarsenite) and orpiment (arsenic sulfide), have fallen from use.
Many pigments still in use are toxic to some degree. Commonly used reds and yellows are produced using cadmium, and vermilion red uses natural or synthetic mercuric sulfide or cinnabar. Flake white and Cremnitz white are made with basic lead carbonate. Some intense blue colors, including cobalt blue and cerulean blue, are made with cobalt compounds. Some varieties of cobalt violet are made with cobalt arsenate."
And referring to Linseed oil (what is the most common vehicle for the Oil paint) you will find the next information about flammability:
"...The oxidation of linseed oil is an exothermic reaction, which accelerates as the temperature of the rags increases. When heat accumulation exceeds the rate of heat dissipation into the environment, the temperature increases and may eventually become hot enough to make the rags spontaneously combust."
This a news article from AbcNews about the subject, it's old (2010) but still a good note
Summer safety diy dangers-linseed oil

 

[mrdottle]

Yes, it’s always a nice thought to try to use what is on hand and save a few bucks, but it may not always be the best means to an end. I would use only an ALCOHOL BASED dye. These would be some leather dyes and analine dyes. The latter is what is commonly used to stain pipes. It comes in several colors or you can mix your own colors. Many web sites that sell guitar supplies sell analine dyes. PIMO also sells dyes. I picked some up several years ago and stripped and restained a couple of pipes. It worked very well and the pipes look great.
http://pipedia.org/wiki/Staining
http://www.reranch.com/dyes.htm
http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/andyecol.html

 

[blendtobac]

Beside all of the cautionary notes above, there's another reason not to use oils on bare briar. The oils will release their odor every time the pipe warms up, the same way beeswax does with a meerschaum, and since smell is a part of flavor, off-putting odor can ruin a good smoke.
Russ

 

[teufelhund]

I recommend leather dyes as well. I've seen some pretty interesting patterns and designs using different media to create barriers for dye and even sanding and staining over again to crete greater contrast within the grain. Best of luck to you. And welcome to the forums.