Restoration advice please

[hiplainsdrifter]

Hey all-
I recently acquired a nice Comoy bulldog, a pipe that I have waited several years to find in my price range. It is in good shape overall with only a few deep toothmarks to complain about. I feel comfortable with de-oxidizing the stem as I have done that before. However, I would like to clean some of the cake off the rim and I am worried about ruining the finish. Please advise on the best technique. Also, what is the best tool to ream a tapered bowl like this?

 

[voorhees]

That is nice. You can put a small amount of water in a saucer and let the rim sit to loosen the lava on the rim. I can usually just scrap it away with my finger nail. If its harder than that, some 1200 wet sand paper used VERY gently will help.

I usually ream carefully with a pipe knife. I don't have a set of reamers.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hopefully that's just cake/schmutz/scorching and not charring. For the flat part of the rim, you can place the sandpaper voorhees mentions flat on a table, and carefully rotate the pipe. This should help in not rounding the edges of the rim.
I also ream with a pipe tool that has a blade with a blunt point. I do it slowly and bit by bit.
Please post back when you've cleaned her up! Sweet number!

 

[sablebrush52]

Spit, or cold coffee, and a rag does a good job of removing tar build up on the rim. Buy a Buttner type reamer for a conical chamber. That's what they're designed for.

 

[pagan]

For something that delicate Id suggest 2000, 3000 or finer sandpaper, get the cloth back type and use wet/damp and take your time to be very careful.
Congrads on the find.

 

[tuold]

Start with the least aggressive method possible. I use sablebrush52's method, sometimes soaking one of those green Scotchbrite pads with coffee, placing it on a flat surface and gently rotating the rim on it. After most of the crud is off you can switch to saliva soaked cotton makeup pads.
The rim is probably going to be a bit dull after all that but you can buff and wax it to finish.