I got this for 12 American dollars, a push stem Woodie, made during the war, I suspect:
It was the dirtiest pipe that I've had the privilege to work on. There was a thick layer of cake in it and cake in the draft hole. I still have to remove all of the oxidation off the stem. And I can still smell what I think was Sir Walter Raleigh in the bowl even after reaming and a hot water rinse. The alcohol dipped pipe cleaner came out of the stem for the first time completely black.
I've also had to top it because the previous owner had bashed the top left repeatedly until it was about 1/8" shorter on the left side than the right.
The question I face now is how to stain the top. I think it'd be a fool's errand to try to match the color on the other parts of the bowl, so I'm thinking of staining it completely black or leaving it natural.
If I stain the top black, can I use a black Sharpie? Or should I look for Fiebing's dye? Should I bother sanding after the dye job? Can I get it completely opaque, like a black dress pipe?
If I leave it natural, is there anything I should put on it besides the Renaissance wax I was planning to apply to the whole thing?
Any advice would be appreciated.
It was the dirtiest pipe that I've had the privilege to work on. There was a thick layer of cake in it and cake in the draft hole. I still have to remove all of the oxidation off the stem. And I can still smell what I think was Sir Walter Raleigh in the bowl even after reaming and a hot water rinse. The alcohol dipped pipe cleaner came out of the stem for the first time completely black.
I've also had to top it because the previous owner had bashed the top left repeatedly until it was about 1/8" shorter on the left side than the right.
The question I face now is how to stain the top. I think it'd be a fool's errand to try to match the color on the other parts of the bowl, so I'm thinking of staining it completely black or leaving it natural.
If I stain the top black, can I use a black Sharpie? Or should I look for Fiebing's dye? Should I bother sanding after the dye job? Can I get it completely opaque, like a black dress pipe?
If I leave it natural, is there anything I should put on it besides the Renaissance wax I was planning to apply to the whole thing?
Any advice would be appreciated.