Original Stain... Or Not?

[torthur]

Good morning y'all.

Just wondering.
What is your approach when restoring a pipe?

Do you try to maintain the original painting at any cost, or do you change the pipes dramatically to your liking?

I am thinking here of pipes for personal use, not for sale.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've never changed the stain.

 

[mikethompson]

I've always approached cleaning a pipe as trying to maintain as much 'original' as possible. If the stain was badly damaged, it wouldn't hurt to change the stain on it, especially if it's just for personal use.

 

[JimPM]

I generally try to keep the color in the same original ballpark but I have re-colored a couple when I thought the pre-existing stain didn't favor proper grain reveal

 

[torthur]

Thanks for the replies.

I was afraid I would get a ban for changing the color
I'll play around with cheaper estate ones. I'll let you know.

 

[UB 40]

Thanks for the replies.

I was afraid I would get a ban for changing the color
I'll play around with cheaper estate ones. I'll let you know.

As long as it is a cheap pipe I don’t care a lot of the original stain. Once I stained a walnut coloured bowl with not to interesting grain into a deep contrast Bordeaux/ black. It’s my much nicer now.

Another one I sanded down the bowl completely. Once I got rid of the nitro lacquer, that was getting blind and loose It appeared to be really nice. An almost straight grain showed up under the coat. I just left it like that after polishing. It darkened after a few months to a deep reddish brown hue. I completed the look with a small copper band, that fits nicely to the redhead with the smoky nylon stem.



For me it’s part of the show, to alter pipes to my liking. On the other hand the skills in handling a possible defect on a pipe is growing. Soon you will get a drill to clear up an airway to rescue a poor draught. You soon are getting into drilling your own pipes.

Some famous pipe makers began there way just mending pipes.
Okay, i don’t own any 19th century’s pipes at all.

 

[sablebrush52]

If it's not a "collectible" pipe, go and knock yourself out! If you care about market value on a collectible pipe, then "restoration" should be done as discreetly as possible.

 

[torthur]

For me it’s part of the show, to alter pipes to my liking.

Thank you!

If it's not a "collectible" pipe, go and knock yourself out! If you care about market value on a collectible pipe, then "restoration" should be done as discreetly as possible.

Agreed. Fair point. But I'm still confused. What is collectible? How to determine one?
What about my newly gathered vauen? Can I play with it?

 

[mingc]

What is collectible? How to determine one?

For me, anything over, say, $100 when cleaned up.

 

[UB 40]

Thank you!


Agreed. Fair point. But I'm still confused. What is collectible? How to determine one?
What about my newly gathered vauen? Can I play with it?

View attachment 174611

I would play with it. Get off the cake, the lava from the rim, the green sulfur from the stem, clean the airways with isopropyl alcohol, clean the bowl outside with some wood cleaner and then take a look at the bowl and decide on staining or not. Maybe it turns out nice, once cleaned up. Then polish it pit some wax back on the bowl. A Vauen is not so bad, but a factory pipe, not a real collectible.

And be careful with the meerschaum inlay don’t scrape to hard, sometimes those Tend to break.

 

[torthur]

Another question about this pipe. Maybe someone will be able to help.

I've a little the top just to see (from curiosity).
Have you ever encountered something like this (this yellow part)?

Where can I find more information about this piece?

 

[crashthegrey]

You do you. I tend to not change the look unless it is a drastic clean up, which it seems that you have some of that on your hands.

 

[crashthegrey]

Another question about this pipe. Maybe someone will be able to help.

I've a little the top just to see (from curiosity).
Have you ever encountered something like this (this yellow part)?

Where can I find more information about this piece?

View attachment 174613
View attachment 174615View attachment 174616

That looks to be a meerschaum lined bowl. Careful how you clean that, no reaming, just gently remove that cake.

 

[torthur]

You do you. I tend to not change the look unless it is a drastic clean up, which it seems that you have some of that on your hands.

Only on one pipe I've sanded the stain (cheap one). We'll see how she'll turn out.

 

[verporchting]

Yup, I agree with @crashedthegrey that sure looks like a meerschaum lining. Go gently lest you break it out in pieces.

 

[torthur]

Go gently lest you break it out in pieces.

She the last one in my restoration adventures. Got 5 cheapos, that I can train with.

 

[sablebrush52]

Thank you!


Agreed. Fair point. But I'm still confused. What is collectible? How to determine one?
What about my newly gathered vauen? Can I play with it?

View attachment 174611

High end Scandinavian, where prices are well into 4 to 5 figures per pipe, vintage Britwood, well known artisanal pipes are collectible and flaunting the rules will cause a steep drop in value. Most American factory made pipes are fair game. Learn the scene.

 

[mso489]

Mostly I like to keep pipes in the same general format, design and finish, as when new, but sometimes you can take a frumpy pipe and give it a whole new life by adding your own element. I was gifted with a freehand Thompson (Cigar) pipe with a Vulcanite stem that just wouldn't hold a polish; you could almost watch it oxidize. I had the stem replaced with a tortoise shell acrylic stem, and it was a whole new day. It made the pipe look new.

Likewise, I refitted an MM cob with an orange swirl Forever stem and it gives it a snazzy look, plays against the rustic rural cob associations.

Stay true to the collector pipes, but when you revamp a pipe for personal use, let your spirit free.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I ran into this recently but just fixed the scuff.

 

[verporchting]

Looks good!