Polishing Rusticated/Sandblasted Pipes

[pipinho]

There is this one comoys pipe that just won't get a shiny polish in it. Any advice or suggestions?
Edit: Corrected capitalization per Rule #9, L.

 

[ejames]

What are you using? Rusticated and sandblasted pipes can be hard to shine up. Easiest thing I've found to use is Halcyon II pipe wax. I apply it with a tiny brush-a little goes a long way- work it into all the nooks and crannies. Let it dry for a while and then buff with a soft brush. A clean shoe brush or even a soft toothbrush will work. Finish up with a soft cotton cloth.

 

[pipinho]

i have an adjustable hand drill. Funny thing is that the rusticated parts won't be shiny but the non rusticated parts with the logo will look like a mirror. :SSs

 

[drwatson]

This is what I have been doing for years and it has never let me down, and always ended up with great showroom results.

Forget all that rub on stuff like Halcyon..Use regular old carnauba wax and a buffing wheel. Buff just like you would a smooth pipe, you can even be alittle more sloppy with the amount of wax. Now when you are done buffing, you will notice white residue in the nooks and crannies of the pipe. Heat these areas up with a lighter (torch lighter works great) do it small areas and just enough to watch the wax melt, and not burn any wood. Take a soft lint free cloth and hand polish the small area for a few seconds. The wood and wax will be slightly warm NOT HOT. And it will come to a nice shine. repeat this all over the pipe, again in small areas untill the whole pipe is done.

Oh make sure you remove stem before hand.

 

[ejames]

Hello pipinho

To do a proper job you will need a buffing wheel and be able to slow it down to 500 - 750 rpm. For most other pipe related buffing the wheel should be at 1725, but for non smooth pipes the 1725 is too fast for the buffs to do anything other than skim the surface.
As far as Halcyon II wax etc ..... honestly I dearly wish it would stop being used. If not used properly and correctly it gums up nomenclature and any grooves in a pipe and leaves a white residue which is a royal PITA to clean.
Hope this helps.

I've never had that problem with Halcyon II--Paragon-yes,but of course Paragon should not be used on a rusticated pipe. The trick with either one is to apply sparingly. I let the Halcyon dry a bit longer than recommended on the jar.

 

[pipinho]

btw what is rule number 9

 

[pipinho]

wow didnt know about that

 

[drwatson]

I'm thinking it's just a matter of time, B4 Evry1 is also using texting shortcuts from their smart phones when posting

I always wondered why they were so anal about caps, but that makes sense. Half the time I have no idea what people are saying when texting me. And btw whats +1 mean?

 

[gmwolford]

That's correct on the "+1"answer. See Here for more terminology and definitions.

 

[drwatson]

Thats what I assumed, but wasnt sure. I didnt see +1 there on that page though.

 

[pipinho]

I use an ipad and it's a pain to cap every word. I am trying though.

 

[mso489]

Back to the pipe polishing question, an alternative for those of us without a buffing wheel, I think a lot can

be done by hand without any polish or wax. Granted, I'm not after a new pipe look on some of my "old

friends," but I have brought vulcanite stems and smooth and rusticated bowls to a shine with a slightly

stiff new all-cotton cloth, with a little sizing still in it from the factory, like an inexpensive bandana, for

example. This gives just the slightest abrasive quality without "sanding" the pipe in the least. For us

non-pros, some of the waxes and polishes do have the problematical residue. It sounds a little

Puritanical, but sometimes elbow grease will suffice. Get the best results when you polish your pipe

soon after smoking while it's still warm. Do the standard cleaning (scoop bowl, blow out bowl, wipe

bowl, use pipe cleaner) then polish up the whole pipe with the cloth, as mentioned. As my folks old

interior painter used to say, it's not a miracle but it's a transformation.

 

[pruss]

Now when you are done buffing, you will notice white residue in the nooks and crannies of the pipe. Heat these areas up with a lighter (torch lighter works great) do it small areas and just enough to watch the wax melt, and not burn any wood. Take a soft lint free cloth and hand polish the small area for a few seconds

Thanks for this suggestion Doc. I have some partially rusticated pipes I'm going to try this out on tonight. I'll use a heat gun at the low temp setting (250F) and watch temps closely. Will post before and after photos after my attempt.
-- Pat

 

[pruss]

Hey there folks.
I used a modified version of drwatson's application of heat by using a heat gun set at the low temp setting (250F) and held about four inches away from the pipe. Once the residual wax was melted I took the pipe back to the buffing wheel and buffed it with an uncharged linen buffing wheel before finishing with a light hand polish with cotton cloth.
I think it worked out okay. What do you guys think?

 

[pipinho]

Looks amazing!!!