Pipe Varnish is Peeling

[Anraith Anthony Black]

I bought a Peterson in a music shop for €65 which happenened to be one that had clearly fallen a good 5 ft. from its stand in the glass display case but I just liked the shape. It had some cracking to the veneer elsewhere when i bought it, but it is an Irish Second which means they didn't charge full because of manufacturing errors. Either way I knew I didnt want to go big on my first pipe and I like its sense of character. I'm actually impressed the piece and have since bought two Missouri Meerschaum pipes but this one is by far my favourite because i can pack it like an Ape and its always got a great draw. I noticed today that some of the varnish began to peel - which I can only reckon was caused by smoking it too hot - and I dont want to use it until ive addressed the problem. Today while clenching I took it in my hand and it was almost too hot to hold. I was thinking of taking some P1200 sandpaper to it but i might keep the varnish on the rim because it seems to make cleaning it so much handier. Please let me know what you think I've done wrong and what I can do about it !

 

[captpat]

If it’s too hot to hold you‘re smoking too fast. Not sure of the final finish, you might try Alcohol or acetone to remove it, (sandpaper will also work) coat with paragon wax once the finish is removed.

 

[Anraith Anthony Black]

If it’s too hot to hold you‘re smoking too fast. Not sure of the final finish, you might try Alcohol or acetone to remove it, (sandpaper will also work) coat with paragon wax once the finish is removed.

Whats the deal with Paragon wax, I haven't heard of it. And do you reckon i should just treat the effected area or the whole pipe?

 

[Hillcrest]

Hi, You have several problems going on that need to be addressed. First, The varnish peeled or bubbled because a) you smoked too hot and b) that area of the pipe may have some porous wood which allows more heat to escape the wood in that spot. Others on this site with more experience can advise you on refinishing the pipe but i would make the following suggestions:
1) Slow down your smoking -- go from puffing to sipping.
2) Pack your tobacco a little looser - do not pack as much as possible - you want to allow a little room at the bottom for air flow. Pipe smoking is different from cigarrettes and cigars and the opposite rules apply.
3.) You should make some pipe mud to coat the inside of the pipe to help reduce the heat ... you can get instructions on this site or on youtube.
4.) A TINY bit of alcohol on a cloth to that bubble might reduce the condensation underneath the varnish but I would let the experts advise on this. I know it works to remove white spots under wax that has been heated from above like a table or chair.

Finally, Are you sure that is a Peterson ?? I haven't seen any that loo like that unless it is a Killarney second. Are you sure its briar ? More pictures would help. Good luck.

 

[Anraith Anthony Black]

@Hillcrest
Not sure if its a briar but feels like one and I'm quite certain its a factory reject of a Peterson. It has no "P" on it but they put it in the little green peterson bag shown. I've held Petersons in their shop on Grafton Street. I suppose its possible I'm mistaken - it just doesnt feel like a satisfying answer especially because of how happy I am with the design. It also doesnt normally get that hot I was just smoking some cheap Condor and forgot it burns way hotter than my aromatic blends. I virtually never puff as I use the "bellows" method from start to finish. Some cracking of the varnish shown in the pictures below. Couldn't recommend the tobacco though. No real taste, no real aroma, really strong tobbacco and I remember it burning very hot even when I was just learning and didnt pack with pressure or tamp at all.

Life is too short for bad tobacco anyways...

If i dab on a little alcohol to the area can i use it without further damage before i decide to wax it ?

 

[Hillcrest]

@Hillcrest
Not sure if its a briar but feels like one and I'm quite certain its a factory reject of a Peterson. It has no "P" on it but they put it in the little green peterson bag shown. I've held Petersons in their shop on Grafton Street. I suppose its possible I'm mistaken - it just doesnt feel like a satisfying answer especially because of how happy I am with the design. It also doesnt normally get that hot I was just smoking some cheap Condor and forgot it burns way hotter than my aromatic blends. I virtually never puff as I use the "bellows" method from start to finish. Some cracking of the varnish shown in the pictures below. Couldn't recommend the tobacco though. No real taste, no real aroma, really strong tobbacco and I remember it burning very hot even when I was just learning and didnt pack with pressure or tamp at all.

Life is too short for bad tobacco anyways...

If i dab on a little alcohol to the area can i use it without further damage before i decide to wax it ?

That sure looks like a second of a Peterson Killarney Bulldog ... nice find ! Good price ! You may be able to polish/buff those cracks out or at least minimize them with some mild compounding polish like you would on a car. I am not experienced enough to advise you on what to use. I would use a mild alcohol to try to compound them out but I would wait until a more experienced piper here advises you. The only varnished pipe I had, I had to strip because of excessive peeling. Try the search bar above and search for repairing varnish finish on pipe or something similar and see what threads come up.
I would think you can continue to smoke the pipe throughout. Its a Peterson so worth going slow and saving it.

 

[captpat]

Whats the deal with Paragon wax, I haven't heard of it. And do you reckon i should just treat the effected area or the whole pipe?

Paragon wax can be found at: Paragon™ Wax for the Pipe - $14.00 : Estate pipes, antique pipes, Dunhill, Danish pipes, Japanese pipes, Halcyon II, A Venue for Collectors of Fine Smoking Pipes and Accessories - https://www.finepipes.com/accessories/paragon-wax-for-the-pipe-1-oz Halcyon wax would work (though some say it's best for rusticated finishes) as will Renaissance wax. The wax is to protect the bare wood. If it were my pipe I wouldn't spot treat the problem area, I think that would make the pipe look weird. As an aside I've never had much luck with pipes that are coated with a glossy finish coat, don't know whether it's lacquer or shellac or something else -- they all eventually wear away.

 

[KaunThePiper]

So far as your finish, I personally would recommend a light sanding to get that coating off, and then use dewaxed shellac to recoat. You will get a very good shine with a few coats. Just remember to sand between coats lightly with 1500 grit. Then polish with carnauba or halcyon wax.
I also recommend scraping down to the wood with a good ream tool. Look at the interior wood for any grain burnout. You can recoat the interior of your bowl with a mixture of honey and organic activated charcoal powder... If you have a few 9mm charcoal filters you can dump them into a mortar and pestle and make it very fine. I use a leather dying swab to coat pipes bowl chambers I make. Don't forget to plug the hole in stem with a pipe cleaner first to prevent the mixture from backing up into your shank airway. It also helps to fill the chamber with the activated charcoal to the rim and let it sit for a few hours. This will absorb any excess honey moisture into the charcoal. When you dump it out, you should have a nice dry smokable bowl. You'll want to blow through that bowl into a trash can though, there will be excess powder.

 

[bullet08]

I would just smoke it as is. The area on the side where the finish is cracking could possibly lead to a burn out. That's a weak point. You could try pipe mud there to possibly delay the burn out. The rim has been treated badly with strong source of fire. The stem, if it's vulcanite, is getting oxidized and turning color. You could refinish it, but if that weak area decides to burn out, not much you can do.

 

[Anraith Anthony Black]

So far as your finish, I personally would recommend a light sanding to get that coating off, and then use dewaxed shellac to recoat. You will get a very good shine with a few coats. Just remember to sand between coats lightly with 1500 grit. Then polish with carnauba or halcyon wax.
I also recommend scraping down to the wood with a good ream tool. Look at the interior wood for any grain burnout. You can recoat the interior of your bowl with a mixture of honey and organic activated charcoal powder... If you have a few 9mm charcoal filters you can dump them into a mortar and pestle and make it very fine. I use a leather dying swab to coat pipes bowl chambers I make. Don't forget to plug the hole in stem with a pipe cleaner first to prevent the mixture from backing up into your shank airway. It also helps to fill the chamber with the activated charcoal to the rim and let it sit for a few hours. This will absorb any excess honey moisture into the charcoal. When you dump it out, you should have a nice dry smokable bowl. You'll want to blow through that bowl into a trash can though, there will be excess powder.

I was thinking of using acetone to strip off the coating mainly because I wish it wasnt a shiny finish in the first place. This might cause more risk of burnout because i can see the laquer or whatever it is holding smoke from escaping the tiny hole. the hole also does follow the grain of the woood. I tried rubbing a little alcohol for a long time and nothing happened even a little. i wouldnt be too sad if the pipe eventually irreparably died on me but id like to try things out before i commit to buying a new one - because I did jump into this one dead blind on what i might want out of it. Do you think I could hazard using it with no finish or if i might be better off removing the finish some other way ?

 

[drayve85]

The finish could be part of the problem of getting too hot! I know my two Killarney get really hot if I don’t keep tabs on it, and that’s with watching my cadence. If I were you, I’d sand off that finish, get it down to briar, then like others have said, wax it. If that one spot decides to start burning out, I’d retire the pipe, and put it on the mantle or something. Keep it as a sentimental object. Your first good pipe!

 

[kcghost]

At a minimum you need to slow your pace down and probably don't pack you pipe so tightly.

 

[Smoke Wagon]

I have a Peterson Killarney 106 that looks more reddish stained than coated with varnish. Do they have different “Killarney “ finishes on this line?

 

[Lees65GTO]

So far as your finish, I personally would recommend a light sanding to get that coating off, and then use dewaxed shellac to recoat. You will get a very good shine with a few coats. Just remember to sand between coats lightly with 1500 grit. Then polish with carnauba or halcyon wax.
I also recommend scraping down to the wood with a good ream tool. Look at the interior wood for any grain burnout. You can recoat the interior of your bowl with a mixture of honey and organic activated charcoal powder... If you have a few 9mm charcoal filters you can dump them into a mortar and pestle and make it very fine. I use a leather dying swab to coat pipes bowl chambers I make. Don't forget to plug the hole in stem with a pipe cleaner first to prevent the mixture from backing up into your shank airway. It also helps to fill the chamber with the activated charcoal to the rim and let it sit for a few hours. This will absorb any excess honey moisture into the charcoal. When you dump it out, you should have a nice dry smokable bowl. You'll want to blow through that bowl into a trash can though, there will be excess powder.

Ditto what KaunThePiper said. Many years ago when I first started smoking a pipe a tobacconist told me that varnish makes a pipe look good but I should remove any varnish coating on a pipe (using very fine grit sandpaper) so it can breath and I should get a better smoke.

 

[nolan613]

A matter of economics, intermediate sanding and varnish/lacquer is cheaper than finer sanding and wax finish.

 

[KaunThePiper]

I was thinking of using acetone to strip off the coating mainly because I wish it wasnt a shiny finish in the first place. This might cause more risk of burnout because i can see the laquer or whatever it is holding smoke from escaping the tiny hole. the hole also does follow the grain of the woood. I tried rubbing a little alcohol for a long time and nothing happened even a little. i wouldnt be too sad if the pipe eventually irreparably died on me but id like to try things out before i commit to buying a new one - because I did jump into this one dead blind on what i might want out of it. Do you think I could hazard using it with no finish or if i might be better off removing the finish some other way ?

Well don't use acetone... It's just too easy.to pollute the pipe. Just sand away. A little work will payout.

 

[greysmoke]

Very nice. I’ve had as many as a dozen Irish Seconds at a time. They smoke as well as most any other Pete. More often they’re sold as seconds because the flaws in the briar required more putty than Peterson could tolerate. And they do have more tolerance for the stuff than many. I once had a Second made of putty held together by scraps of briar. It was stamped Irish Bents. It was a P-lip, where all Irish Seconds I’ve seen are fishtails. I’ve had one or two where I couldn’t tell why it was marked down. Maybe a drilling issue I couldn’t see. No matter. They’re good pipes. (Savinelli also made an unfinished seconds line, although I haven’t seen one in years.)

 

[Sinzalot]

I'd get sanding all that varnish off and keep it off my friend. It'll probably look stunning afterwards. Best of luck