Pipe Stems Still Brown - Help!

[Chasing Embers]

Have you tried a heat gun instead of the flame?

Not personally. I like heating small areas at a time. It seems more scorching the outer most layer of the material is what is removing the oxidation versus the heat itself. I let the tip of the flame lick the vulcanite to leave a blackened streak then wipe it away to reveal unoxidized material.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

As others have stated, Oxy-Clean and bleach do more harm than good. Both cause pitting and propagate oxidation. All I use is 1000g followed by 1500g & finish with 2000g wet/dry sandpaper under running water. Then polish with a buffing wheel or Flitz on a soft rag. After I polish I use mineral oil or obsidian oil, leave it on the stem for 20 min at minimum then buff with a soft cloth.

Micro mesh is a waste of money, 2000g wet dry will get you as smooth as you need to be for final polishing. Micromesh pads can have a tendency to round over your shank transition, where as plain wet/dry on a backing board will not (when used properly).

 

[woodrow]

Elbow grease. This happens from time to time. Vulcanite sometimes is not the same from stem to stem. Briarville makes a good product, and I’ve had good luck with oxyclean. All depends upon the situation, but as mentioned you have to remove material. My steps in sanding …

If there’s a logo on the pipe, tape the portion off.
320 grit paper wet sanded.
600 grit wet sanded.
application of mineral oil, then view the stem in a bright light.
Then move to a set of Micromesh pads 1500 thru to 12,000.
After every set of three pads wipe with obsidian oil.

It’s not the easiest process but this has never failed.

 

[ShopPipesWizard]

Elbow grease. This happens from time to time. Vulcanite sometimes is not the same from stem to stem. Briarville makes a good product, and I’ve had good luck with oxyclean. All depends upon the situation, but as mentioned you have to remove material. My steps in sanding …

If there’s a logo on the pipe, tape the portion off.
320 grit paper wet sanded.
600 grit wet sanded.
application of mineral oil, then view the stem in a bright light.
Then move to a set of Micromesh pads 1500 thru to 12,000.
After every set of three pads wipe with obsidian oil.

It’s not the easiest process but this has never failed.

I think this is the key right here
"application of mineral oil, then view the stem in a bright light."

I use a bright led flashlight and look for any brown. Once you move to the micro mesh pad they are not aggressive enough to remove the brown oxidation.

You need to keep sanding with 600 grit and mineral oil till the stem has no brown

 

[woodsroad]

Pipe stem material is made black with dye. Dye fades over time, depending on the chemistry of the stem material, exposure to UV, etc.

You can restore that deep black (and remove a minimal amount of material) by immersing the stem in Fiebing's leather dye. I clean the stem with alcohol to remove any oils, then run a pipe cleaner through it and suspend it in a bottle of dye for at least 24 hours. The longer the better. Remove and let dry for a couple of days (depending on air temp, flow and humidity), buff and BINGO.