So I am planning to gift this pipe I recently picked up to my Dad for Father's Day after deep contemplation. He remarked just how much he liked it the other day when I showed it to him. So I've been steadily cleaning it up to take it from this:
To this over the past week:
I cleaned it up using liberal amounts of Murphy oil soap, a little water and a tooth brush on the outside. Then I ran hot water through it for a long time and used probably the equivalent of about 30 pipe cleaners, reaming the bowl with one doubled up many, many times. Then I passed a pipe cleaner through and through it using some alcohol and then ran more cleaners through until it was clean.
Then I set to work with some 220 grit sandpaper to remove the imprfections in the stem and I plan to get some micromesh sanding pads this week to sand it down a little finer. I discovered that after the hot water treatment, some brown patches began to appear and I recognized it instantly as oxidation. I did some searching and discovered that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can do a pretty fantastic job at removing the oxidized patches so I set to work removing all of them that I could see. I didn't have any obsidian oil on hand, but I did have some butcher's block conditioner that contains mineral oil, vitamin E, carnauba wax and beeswax. I slathered the entire bowl with it in a good thick coat, and applied some to the stem, then wrapped it in a cloth to let it sit for a bit.
After a second coat, letting it sit, then buffing it to death, I noticed that the stem has an actual crack in it starting at the button and then going down the stem a short way. This stem screws into the shank, so my theory is that it got tight and some fella decided to use a little bit too much force and it cracked at the tip...
I can't get the best picture of it, but it's in the area on the stem where you can tell a small "chunk" is missing. The crack is on both sides of the opening and slightly slanted so I think someone turned it too hard and it cracked. Is there something I can do about it, or is that pretty much it for the stem?
Also, I noticed the vulcanite has a pretty good smell to it when it's sanded and some of that smell is still lingering in the pipe and you can taste it a bit when you try to draw on it. Is there a way to eliminate that? I'm trying to not have to get a new stem, but if I have to, I have to.
To this over the past week:
I cleaned it up using liberal amounts of Murphy oil soap, a little water and a tooth brush on the outside. Then I ran hot water through it for a long time and used probably the equivalent of about 30 pipe cleaners, reaming the bowl with one doubled up many, many times. Then I passed a pipe cleaner through and through it using some alcohol and then ran more cleaners through until it was clean.
Then I set to work with some 220 grit sandpaper to remove the imprfections in the stem and I plan to get some micromesh sanding pads this week to sand it down a little finer. I discovered that after the hot water treatment, some brown patches began to appear and I recognized it instantly as oxidation. I did some searching and discovered that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can do a pretty fantastic job at removing the oxidized patches so I set to work removing all of them that I could see. I didn't have any obsidian oil on hand, but I did have some butcher's block conditioner that contains mineral oil, vitamin E, carnauba wax and beeswax. I slathered the entire bowl with it in a good thick coat, and applied some to the stem, then wrapped it in a cloth to let it sit for a bit.
After a second coat, letting it sit, then buffing it to death, I noticed that the stem has an actual crack in it starting at the button and then going down the stem a short way. This stem screws into the shank, so my theory is that it got tight and some fella decided to use a little bit too much force and it cracked at the tip...
I can't get the best picture of it, but it's in the area on the stem where you can tell a small "chunk" is missing. The crack is on both sides of the opening and slightly slanted so I think someone turned it too hard and it cracked. Is there something I can do about it, or is that pretty much it for the stem?
Also, I noticed the vulcanite has a pretty good smell to it when it's sanded and some of that smell is still lingering in the pipe and you can taste it a bit when you try to draw on it. Is there a way to eliminate that? I'm trying to not have to get a new stem, but if I have to, I have to.
