I’d like to hear about the differences between them if anyone has used all three. Decatur, Paragon and Halcyon II.
Quest for a pipe polish
- Thread starter woodrow
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I’m going to have a go with that And see if I can get some. I’m wondering as you mentioned if there’s not a bunch of products that are similar to Paragon and Halcyon II, and there just named differently. There appears to be a shortage at almost all the etailor Guys. Smoking Pipes is out, Fine pipes don’t answer, 4 Noggins out too. Maybe Sam supplies all these folks. Renaissance and Conservators (Canadian) version are available. Might have to bite the bullet and buy a dremel. Paragon sourcing is slim as GH tobacco
It would appear from ebay comments that he recently moved and may not have unpacked his shop yet; ebay refunded my money so I went with Decatur. Frankly, I think a little mineral oil does the same thing but if you want shine you have to go with some kind of wax.I’m going to have a go with that And see if I can get some. I’m wondering as you mentioned if there’s not a bunch of products that are similar to Paragon and Halcyon II, and there just named differently. There appears to be a shortage at almost all the etailor Guys. Smoking Pipes is out, Fine pipes don’t answer, 4 Noggins out too. Maybe Sam supplies all these folks. Renaissance and Conservators (Canadian) version are available. Might have to bite the bullet and buy a dremel. Paragon sourcing is slim as GH tobacco
There is a youtube video comparing Paragon and Halycon II. I've only used Decatur and its a very soft wax. It does a nice job but did darken the pipe one shade darker. You only need a tiny bit so the 2 ounce jar will last a long time. I've also used the Burts Bees Beeswax chapstick and it also shines a pipe but wears off quickly without effecting pipe or color. Clear mineral oil (food grade) does a nice cleaning and refreshing job too. I thought I needed wax to replace some varnish I removed so I bought Decatur. It does a nice job on smooth pipes and I used the cloth afterwards to freshen up some rusticated pipes which I did not put wax directly on.
Do either of you have a recommendation for a cloth? Anything that you've tried that works better than another? I see that SP has Savinelli polishing cloths, but is it just a more expensive version of a generic brand you can get?
Good point on Decatur. Sometimes you want a polish that is just neutral and doesn’t change the color. Mineral oil darkens are well. Quite a bit actually. I’ve used it to darken some briars that were really light. Ive done some more reading in older threads, and it seems that Kiwi neutral shoe polish is a good replacement for Paragon. Not a lot of odour. Years ago I used beeswax only. Had a brush and rubbed a hunk of wax on it and buffed. It did the trick for protection.
As a previous poster mentioned Johnson Simonize and I think it’s a good point.
All these products have to pass the sniff test for me. Anything with a heavy petroleum smell I’ll take a hard pass. I’ll try some Kiwi until it’s up on eBay again.
Those are great for many applications but if I recall correctly its not for gold plate which it might remove if its cheap. --- there is a warning on the package i believe --- or at least on the brand I bought. Also it is actually coated with some dry type polish - its not just cloth.
It worked on my smooth pipes but not on the pipe for which I bought it. I have a pipe that I removed the varnish on as it bubbled from heat --- turns out the briar is so porous that the heat pours out of the grain and melts the wax so for now I am leaving it raw as it smokes cooler that way. But it has striations of part waxed part not waxed. I have to find something that will work or just leave it as is. I don't mind the look and non-pipers wouldn't notice but pipers would. In all other respects its actually a great pipe and good looking with nice grain. Decatur didn't darken the pipe that much ... I just noticed it was a slight shade darker ... it lightens over time and use as it goes matte again. I don't want to mislead you on it.
For those who have a bench motor:
Let us know if you receive it so we can re-order. Thank you.I've just ordered both from Fine Pipes.
I use MW from the jar on the buffer, with amazing good results .
Would recommend it without a doubt ,
Not a clue where to obtain a block, this end of the world.
Any advice on that is welcome.
Yeah sure.
No reason why I wouldn't receive the waxes, but sure, will let you know.
No matter, it works admirably on both smooth and sandblasted/rusticated pipes.
Polish out with a lint free cotton/woollen cloth. Easy as pie ..
Lasts longer than carnauba wax and is more warmth restistant than Paragon .
No fingerprints etc.
Excellent; that's what I am hoping for; this particular pipe is very porous at the top, not bad if you only load 2/3rds of a bowl but still requires sipping rather than smoking to avoid massive heat transfer.