Pipes with Shellac/Varnish Finishes

[cortezattic]

Please keep us posted on your progress with this pipe.

 

[maxpeters]

I have two pipes that are as shiny as they were when I first bought them. One is a Hilson and the other is an Aldo Velani.

I don't know what they were finished in, or what type of coating they have on them, but they have always smoked great. They have never smoked hotter than normal, or wetter than normal.

On the other hand I have had some shiney drugstore pipes that I bought when I first started smoking a pipe that did smoke hot and wet, so I don't know.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I'd be interested in knowing what Ser Jacopo's are finished with. They seem to maintain their shine but smoke hotter than all of my other pipes.

 

[dudleydipstick]

Over the weekend, I plugged up the bowl and sanded the finish off the BC dress pipe that is pictured above. The coat of lacquer was even thicker than I expected.
I loaded it up yesterday with an aromatic, figuring that if I want to see if it'll still smoke hot, an aromatic would be ideal for testing.
The result of my efforts is a much cooler smoking pipe. I'm thoroughly convinced that those sorts of finishes serve to trap heat in the bowl. I've seen claims to the contrary, but knowing first hand is all it has taken to make me a believer.
A pipe I grew to despise and wanted to snap into two pieces is now a serviceable smoker I can live with.

 

[jonesing]

Wierd.
I was just reading this thread last night.
Your first hand experience is the most telling. So it seems to answer the question.
But I wonder if the type of finish could make a difference. The terms varnish,lacquer, shellac, and polyurethane are often used interchangeably but they aren't necessarily synonymous.
I expect one could write a dissertation on the subject (how exciting would that be??) But a key difference is that all of these use different resins in different solvents and different drying process and curing. Most notably polyurethane which is most commonly used today is really just liquid plastic while traditional lacquers and shellacs are based in resin made from bug poop.
So I expect the actual type of finish involved could make a difference.
If you back away and think about it a typical pipe bowl is what?.... a quarter inch thick if you're lucky? And this quarter inch of wood is exposed to a sustained fire for an hour or so.
It makes sense to me that air and moisture will be exchanged through it despite it being the "holy" briar. It's still wood.
So if you wrap that wood in plastic I could see there being problems. Maybe not so much if a different resin base is used. Shellac might breathe while poly won't etc.
Anyway, I dunno dude.
You 'spose I should sand the "varnish" off my cobs? :>)

 

[dudleydipstick]

But I wonder if the type of finish could make a difference. The terms varnish,lacquer, shellac, and polyurethane are often used interchangeably but they aren't necessarily synonymous.

I'll admit, I don't know the difference.
One factor could be the quality of finish used by Butz Choquin. This pipe doesn't scream "quality". Since the stem is clear, you can see where the funneling is asymmetrical and despite being a billiard, I still have to bend the tip of a pipe cleaner a little in order the reach the bowl.
I've got a Chacom that's decent, but isn't the greatest. The hand cut stem work shouldn't have made it past QC.
At one time, I had no prejudice against buying a French made pipe, but my experience with the 2 I have has made me pretty much rule out buying anything to come out of St. Claude.

 

[mluyckx]

Hi there,

A relatively new pipe smoker here (a little over a year) and after starting the hobby with cheaper basket pipes, I am slowly expanding my collection. I just picked up a BC calabash and my wife bought me a nice Peterson. Definitely heaven and earth compared with the basket pipes ;-)
To make a long story short, by local B&M has a Chacom Champs Elysees that I fell in love with. It looks great and felt nice in my hand. But I am little worried reading up on varnished pipes that this one my fall into this category. Here's a link to an on-line reseller.
http://www.eacarey.com/champs-elyssess-862.html
Any thoughts on this pipe or series would be appreciated.

 

[ejames]

Shellac,which is supposed to be a breathable material is being used by many artisan pipe makers. Check it out over at the pipe makers forum. Lacquer on a pipe I don't mind. Don't think I'd want one with polyurethane on it.

 

[aussielass]

To strip my pipes I soak them in alcohol overnight - it will not touch polyeurathane but will dissolve Shellac super fast (it is what is actually mixed with Shellac Flakes when they initially apply it). Then I just hand sand with wet & dry to remove all old finish, only takes a couple of minutes per bowl.
So, do the majority of you just sand varnish or other finishes off prior to re-staining?

 

[mcarnevale]

Lacquer does allow wood to "breath". Being a guitar player, it's a hot topic as to what the guitars finished with. Lacquer being the choice for most "tone snobs" as it breaths vs polys that don't.

 

[lonestar]

A lot more pipemakers than you think use light coats of varnish in the finish.

Dunhill is definitely one of them.

 

[chopz]

yes, mcarnavale many if not most wood finishes allow the wood to change humidity levels. therefore they do "breathe."
i'd be willing to bet moisture and gaseous particles can pass more easily through a varnish or shellac than they could through the cake on one of my pipes. that stuff is dense, yo.

 

[buckeye]

The shellac pipe makers use is a flake shellac cut with wood gain alcohol.

i use it on my rustic pipes.They do not smoke hot.It is hard to buff a

rusticated pipe.

 

[instymp]

What is the best thing to get lacquer off? I want to do it to a red shiney Pete I have. 2 concerns, the metal band and getting the red out of the logo/sig/type that is stamped on the bottom of the stem.

Thank you.

 

[ejames]

I'm not too familiar with the finishes on Petes,have had only two. You may find though that if you remove the lacquer on that Pete,that it will no longer be a shiney Red ! On some lacquered pipes the lacquer is tinted,remove it and you remove the color! I had a Kaywoodie that was almost a "candy Apple" red,but had some spots where the lacquer was peeling-those spots were brown. Have a Brigham that is doing the same thing.

There's a variety of ways to remove remove lacquer. Sandpaper,acetone,alcohol,steel wool... Once you strip it it will need more work to get it shiney again,buffing maybe some sanding then buffing and maybe staining to get the color you want.

 

[shawn622]

I'm a painter by trade and my specialty is wood finishing. I know that linseed oil allows the wood to breathe, but not sure if it would be toxic if used on a pipe. There is a coating called Penofin that has a hardwood finish that supposedly allows wood to breathe. It is used on hardwood floors and such but again I don't know if it would be toxic or not. Here is a paragraph from there website:
Only Penofin’s Hardwood finisH can penetrate dense hardwoods that need nourishing and stabilizing. This unique formula

penetrates deep into the wood fibers and does not create a surface film. Unlike high-solid stains that simply coat the surface, Penofin’s

Hardwood Finish, using sustainably harvested Brazilian Rosewood Oil, is the choice of wood experts who know that wood penetration

is key to longevity and beauty. Penofin allows wood to breathe, important in working with exotic hardwoods such as mahogany,

teak, Ipe, Brazillian Redwood, and many other species. Only Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish can meet the needs of hardwood in fiber

protection, penetration, stabilizing, and nourishing.
Don't know if this matters really, but it is a little informative!!!

 

[whimsyt]

@rothnh

Some folks use a pipe wipe cloth (you can buy one or make your own).

Could you please share how one would go about making their own? I'm very interested.

 

[topd]

Believe it or not, I use old used (cleaned) cotton diapers... Very soft and broken in.

 

[ejames]

Borrowed this from another forum--

Po man's pipe-wipe can be improvised from a thick felt-type cloth sprayed, saturated, with Pledge, Old English, or similar spray furniture wax. And then dried in away from sunlight overnight. They work for about a year and then need to be 're-charged'.

Here's a "how-to" --

http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-make-pipe-wipe-cloth.html

 

[whimsyt]

Thanks, ejames! I wasn't sure if furniture polish had ingredients that would be safe for using on a pipe I'd be smoking. I'm going to go read that link now.
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I'm a Junior, I'm a junior!!!! wooo hooo!