Polishing Dunhill Dress Finish

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eyewsee369

Lurker
Oct 9, 2018
42
90
53
N. Va
Hello,
Newbie w first post here.
Any advice on polishing a Dunhill dress that has lost its luster on the bowl and stem?

any recommendation on who can do this work as I do not want to mess it up.

thanks,
Jack
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
I'm not a Dunhill/White Spot owner, but as standard advice, I'd say don't have the pipe machine buffed. If you find a consummate Dunhill repair person, he or she will know just what to do to preserve the pipe. All others, I would avoid. Fine pipes are always turning up with the stamping buffed off the shank or bowl, or greatly diminished.
 

stogie37

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 24, 2012
673
3,489
Southport, North Carolina
I’ve used Halcyon II wax for years on my Dunhill Dress pipes and have been very pleased. Keep in mind that the Dunhill Dress finish is a deep ebony/Walnut Brown stain - not piano black lacquer. It has a satiny sheen, not a wet gloss, and over the years will reveal a little more of the deep browns and maybe even a little grain. Also, address your silver band with care - keeping silver polish off the stummel as best you can. Enjoy! They are beautiful, classy pipes with a rich heritage.
 

ChuckMijo

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 26, 2020
775
2,350
If I were in your shoes. I sent it to Walkers pipe repair . Have it gone over, cleaned and make any repairs. That’s a nice pipe not really one to practice on. And when it’s returned to you I promise you will be smiling ear to ear.
 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,439
11,344
Maryland
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The stem is oxidized, but that's a easy fix. The bowl can be buffed with White Diamond and then carnuba wax. Any reputable repair/restoration person could easily do that without damaging any nomenclature. That looks to be in very good condition.
 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,439
11,344
Maryland
postimg.cc
And, I've tried to damage nomeclature by machine buffing with White Diamond. A hard hit on the wheel did little if any damage to the Comoy's I experimented with. Repeated buffing would eventually take it's toll, but you would have to be pretty aggressive with repeated polishes. Tripoli will definitely damage the stamping/pipe dimensions. No one needs to buff with Tripoli.
 

eyewsee369

Lurker
Oct 9, 2018
42
90
53
N. Va
Followed piper123 ad used microcrystalline on it. Looks ok but the stem is still kinda dull. What do you think?
Smokes great btw.
 

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hauntedmyst

Lifer
Feb 1, 2010
4,006
20,751
Chicago
Other than to top needing to be cleaned up, it looks good. Read some threads on bringing back the stem and it will look great.
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,820
48,296
Minnesota USA
There are a few of my Vulcanite stems that have a slight greenish tinge when in the sunlight. Sometimes i'll remedy that, other times I'll just smoke them.

Some Vulcanite just seems to bleed oxidation more so than others.
 
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Humblepipe

Lifer
Sep 13, 2019
1,811
6,442
Guerneville, CA
To take care of restoring the stem manually, you can use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the stem to rid the oxidation. You will burn through quite a few of these pads to get the job done, but it is gentle enough on the stem. Then you can finish the stem up by polishing it with Micro MESH Sanding Pads. These supplies are pretty cheap on Amazon.
 
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eyewsee369

Lurker
Oct 9, 2018
42
90
53
N. Va
To take care of restoring the stem manually, you can use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the stem to rid the oxidation. You will burn through quite a few of these pads to get the job done, but it is gentle enough on the stem. Then you can finish the stem up by polishing it with Micro MESH Sanding Pads. These supplies are pretty cheap on Amazon.
I'll try that. Thanks.
 
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