oxidized stems?
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vulcanite does this (suppose to be softer and more enjoyable, but does have the oxidation problem, so for this reason I try to stay with lucite myself) they do make a polish that is suppose to slow it down...I also haved used old olive oil on my vulcanite stems which works well (just put a little on a paper towl, polish the stem with it and leave it on for about 10 minutes, then rub off) :
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Sulfur used in the hardening of the rubber rises to the surface so anything that will restrict its exposure will slow it down. I give mine a coat of carnuba every once in a while but I've heard the olive oil does a pretty darn good job and I've heard good things about this Obsidian Stem Oil.
I have tried the obsidian stem oil, makes em shine up pretty. The oxidation will return with use, of course, so it's a regular maintenance item. I find the olive oil makes the bit feel odd to the lips, like using an unpainted clay, for the first few puffs after lighting. Maybe that's just me.
I am an oddity; I prefer vulcanite. Just like rubbing out a flake, or cleaning out my pipes post-smoke, caring for the vulcanite has become part of my smoking ritual.
One huge bonus to Obsidian Stem Oil over olive-oil is UV blockers. I left a smoker sitting out on the patio one morning accidently, and when I came back the stem was still black and shiny. Of course, I am a proponent of a good carnuba buff every now and then as well, just for good measure.
One huge bonus to Obsidian Stem Oil over olive-oil is UV blockers. I left a smoker sitting out on the patio one morning accidently, and when I came back the stem was still black and shiny. Of course, I am a proponent of a good carnuba buff every now and then as well, just for good measure.
Haunted's oil is great stuff , but it will really work best from the start on a fresh stem that hasn't had any oxidation yet. Its a preventative, not a cure. However, once it has oxidixed it'll blacken them up just fine. Like others have said, its just a post smoke ritual to rub some one.
The olive oil will help in retarding the oxidation/sulfur migration only.
You need to remove the oxidation first!
That's another story all in it's own right, lot of threads on getting the thing back to black.
About as many different methods as there are pipers!
Personally, I use Micro-Mesh sanding pads, all 9 grits. Keep the pads and the stem wet while working on it.
Dry the stem in between grits to check your progress. A really bad stem will take me about 30 minutes but when done it looks like black glass. I protect and prolong the shine with either carnauba or Paragon.
These are the sanding pads I use, the 2"x2" set at the bottom of the page.
Micro-Mesh
You need to remove the oxidation first!
That's another story all in it's own right, lot of threads on getting the thing back to black.
About as many different methods as there are pipers!
Personally, I use Micro-Mesh sanding pads, all 9 grits. Keep the pads and the stem wet while working on it.
Dry the stem in between grits to check your progress. A really bad stem will take me about 30 minutes but when done it looks like black glass. I protect and prolong the shine with either carnauba or Paragon.
These are the sanding pads I use, the 2"x2" set at the bottom of the page.
Micro-Mesh
I've heard several folks recommend scrapping the stem prior to sanding.
I'm definitely going to give this a shot on the next one.
My Grabow, despite appearing lightly smoked had a grey oxidized stem. I soaked in Oxy-clean than sanded with micro-mesh and finally buffed with a plastic polish and carnuba finish. I've read the oxidation is not only on the outside of the stem, but on the inside as well, which could explain your bad taste. Soaking in oxy (or other) gets the oxidation out of the stem as well as the outside. Give that a try. I find with the plastic polish before carnuba, the oxidation doesn't come back.
Tells us more about this "plastic polish" of which you speak. Brand names, links...
And I have pooh-poohed the various soaks before. I never saw where the helped enough to be worth the effort.
Oxidation occurring in the airway, inside the stem. I hadn't considered that before.
So I guess I'll go back to using a soak, along with adding a good scraping to my routine.
And I have pooh-poohed the various soaks before. I never saw where the helped enough to be worth the effort.
Oxidation occurring in the airway, inside the stem. I hadn't considered that before.
So I guess I'll go back to using a soak, along with adding a good scraping to my routine.
So... if the INSIDE of the stem also oxidizes... Does that mean that I should dip a pipe cleaner in EVOO and hit the inside of the stem as well? And... it's not like you could sand or file the inside, but I suppose you could hit it with one of those wire brushes after a soak. And then coat with EVOO! :twisted: Thoughts?
You could do that spartan thought to be honest, it never dawned on me to do it. If I ever have a pipe taste bad from the inside its a sign that it needs a good cleaning. Someone once brought up the point of should they use Obsidian on the inside of the mouthpiece and after thinking about it, personally, I wouldn't do it because I don't want to mask a bad taste - I want to get rid of it and a good cleaning does that. I am admittedly one of those people who don't mind cleaning their pipes well. To some its a chore (understandably) but to me it part of the pipe smoking ritual.
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