Try this method to clean a stem, i posted already in another thread. It works fine.
If you’re into adventures you can heat up acetic acid in a heat resistant tumbler or an Erlenmeyer flask in a microwave or a flame until it boils, let it boil for a short time.
At 100 degrees Celsius the water will evaporate, at 110 degrees the steam will be pure acetic acid. Put the stem with the tenon downwards into the steam dangling from a pipe cleaner at the tenon. The steam will immediately solve the oxidation. Repeat if it doesn’t work well enough for the first time.
The greenish brown so called oxidation on vulcanite stems Is just expelled sulfur from the gum sulfur mixture, which vulcanite/ ebonite consists of. Pure acetic acid is able to solve sulfur, just like water solves sugar. Diluted acid can’t do that, therefore you have to heat up the acid you can buy. You can get acetic acid in 60 percentage solution for cleaning or photography purposes.
I tried it several times on estates. The drawback is bent stems may straighten because of the heat. Just bend them again, be sure you have drawn the angle of the bent on a piece of paper. The other drawback is all stamping paints will surely vanish. But you get a clean black stem without working on it to much. With some polishing it will shine again.
And be careful not to inhale the steam it’s better to take the steaming tumbler outside or to heat it up in the yard anyway. Don’t take your best pipe for a first try.
before:
After:
www.pipephil.eu
one is going to be very interesting!
