Oxidation Help
- Thread starter dctune
- Start date
@Fralphog posted recently on using "Flitz" on an old pipe stem with amazing results.
Check it out.
Check it out.
I favor micro-mesh pads or sticks, the ones that come in sets of 9 that go from 1500 to 12,000 grit. Then finish with Novus plastic polish no. 2 fine scratch remover. Then Obsidian oil and a layer of Paragon wax.
The draft hole tends not to be oxidized because it is protected from light which seems to be the main culprit for vulcanite oxidation. If it is a problem, I'd try liquid abrasive applied with a pipe cleaner, e.g., toothpaste, Novus no. 3 and 2, etc.
The draft hole tends not to be oxidized because it is protected from light which seems to be the main culprit for vulcanite oxidation. If it is a problem, I'd try liquid abrasive applied with a pipe cleaner, e.g., toothpaste, Novus no. 3 and 2, etc.
Vulcanite? Untouched?
I have 30+ year old pipes that sat in a drawer for most of those 30 years, and the vulcanite stems did have green cast to them. The acrylic stems were still black.
Depends a lot on the quality of the vulcanite.
I was annoyed when a new (less than 18mth year old) higher grade Peterson stem showed oxidised patches when it had been kept all its life in a closed cupboard.
To add insult to injury, after polishing with nothing more abrasive than toothpaste, a couple of pits appeared.
Quality of Petes really pisses me off.
All vulcanite will oxidize after some time, no mater what the quality.
And I’m fairly certain that the OP’s stem is probably Acrylic and just scuffed up from use, so all the suggested oils, preparations, and the dust of the Grand Wazoo are of no use…
Yep. Gifted to me in 1992 by a high school teacher upon graduation. All I've done to it is wipe it with a cloth and oil it after smoking. It is regularly used though.
Jessie's 1872 Barling Magnum.
1872 Barling Magnum :: British Pipes
I'd pretty much stopped buying pipes but was willing to add something if it was a really special item. Last week Ken Barnes contacted me about this pipe and offered it to me at an exceptional price. While he could have made more money on it, Ken preferred it to go to someone who would truly...
pipesmagazine.com
Well, oiling it would prevent oxygen from attacking the surface.
I use an industrial sandblaster with Tungsten particles at 3,000 PSI. When I get done, there is no oxidation at all. Oh sure, their is very little stem left but the oxidation is GONE!!
1+ You'll either end up burning the vulcanite, or melting the acrylic.
Not that it couldn't be done properly. It just takes some experience and judicious use of the Dremel tool, which a lot of people don't have.
Pahhh...
When I'm in a hurry I switch on the ol' 4x36 belt sander with a 60 grit belt...
I’ll probably just put on a pair of corduroys and twerk on it. That should get it.
It is possible to wear grooves in the airway at the end of bit doing this...Sure, and I use pipecleaners for churchwardens, put one end in a vice or to some fixed thing, thread the stem onto it, and work it back and forth like a middle school boy, working off some frustration. Really work it, work it.
Then rinse and use a clean pipecleaner to mop up.
Well that would be really over doing it. And, of course you’d want to keep it straight on the pipecleaner.
What would you suggest?
Just use a minute (really teeny-tiny) version of a shotgun cleaning kit, a touch of Hoppes, and Bob's yer uncle.