School me on Keeping Briar Looking New

[Briar Lee]

I’ve ordered an 8 ounce bottle of grape seed oil and I hope it’s as much of an improvement over olive oil for the briar as obsidian oil was for vulcanite.

Harry Hosterman used olive oil and an old wool sock to polish bowl and stem of his Dr Grabow pipes he’d strip all the varnish from and use leather dye to make them pretty, before he fired one up the first time.

But if Harry had heard of obsidian oil for the stems he surely would have used that instead. Whatever is in that is magical, for vulcanite.

And Harry also showed me about 4/0 steel wool when the wool sock wasn’t gritty enough to clean the tops of the bowl.

I’ve got a full micro mesh polishing set in a galvanized box coming.

Harry always taught me everything has room for improvement, it’s just discovering something better than more than good enough is hard to do, you know?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Jeweler's cloth.

 

[Briar Lee]

Jeweler's cloth.

View attachment 104486

Thank you for the tip, I had no idea there was a “jeweler’s cloth”. For $8 I have a sheet of yellow and red coming from eBay.

The Lee pipes I love so much usually have a subdued finish on the briar.

It produces a sort of glow, and not a flashy shine.

The entire idea is to preserve that, you know?

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I’ve ordered an 8 ounce bottle of grape seed oil and I hope it’s as much of an improvement over olive oil for the briar as obsidian oil was for vulcanite.

Harry Hosterman used olive oil and an old wool sock to polish bowl and stem of his Dr Grabow pipes he’d strip all the varnish from and use leather dye to make them pretty, before he fired one up the first time.

But if Harry had heard of obsidian oil for the stems he surely would have used that instead. Whatever is in that is magical, for vulcanite.

And Harry also showed me about 4/0 steel wool when the wool sock wasn’t gritty enough to clean the tops of the bowl.

I’ve got a full micro mesh polishing set in a galvanized box coming.

Harry always taught me everything has room for improvement, it’s just discovering something better than more than good enough is hard to do, you know?

Before you use it, search on Google under - does Grapeseed oil go rancid ?
You may change your mind about using it.
Don't want to be a spoilsport, I just want you you to get the best results. and not use something that may affect the taste of the tobacco.

 

[telescopes]

I’ve ordered an 8 ounce bottle of grape seed oil and I hope it’s as much of an improvement over olive oil for the briar as obsidian oil was for vulcanite.

Harry Hosterman used olive oil and an old wool sock to polish bowl and stem of his Dr Grabow pipes he’d strip all the varnish from and use leather dye to make them pretty, before he fired one up the first time.

But if Harry had heard of obsidian oil for the stems he surely would have used that instead. Whatever is in that is magical, for vulcanite.

And Harry also showed me about 4/0 steel wool when the wool sock wasn’t gritty enough to clean the tops of the bowl.

I’ve got a full micro mesh polishing set in a galvanized box coming.

Harry always taught me everything has room for improvement, it’s just discovering something better than more than good enough is hard to do, you know?

It's true about olive oil going rancid, but I've found that when used on pipes, if buffed off and smoked regularly, no issues. That said, I really don’t use it except in an emergency situation such as going out in public where I might want a little shine.

 

[Briar Lee]

The buyer of a $25 Five Star Lee could only choose a natural finish.

I’ve never put olive oil on mine, nor have I buffed it. Like all Lees it’s a wonderful smoker, but with a subdued finish on the briar.


Even the lowly Pipe Maker brand (which I’m convinced are Lee production, perhaps on contract) often had obvious natural finishes.

That last Apple church warden Pipe Maker is slightly darker since I used olive oil, than it was when new.

It’s still an awesomely beautiful pipe, just not exactly the same color as new.

I polish the olive oil with a wool sock, and have no problems with it oxidizing or going rancid. It makes the grain pop, like on this natural finish Marxman Jumbo B, but it does darken briar.

Here’s how that Marxman was, in natural Algerian before:

 

[B.Lew]

Jeweler's cloth.

View attachment 104486

Do you use the jewelers cloth of the entire pipe? Briar and stem?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do you use the jewelers cloth of the entire pipe? Briar and stem?

Yep

 

[hauntedmyst]

Do you use the jewelers cloth of the entire pipe? Briar and stem?

Yep

Keep in mind embers is a wizard with basic tools and is able to keep his pipes better than most people with buffers, etc so don’t be surprised if you can’t achieve the same results.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Keep in mind embers is a wizard with basic tools and is able to keep his pipes better than most people with buffers, etc so don’t be surprised if you can’t achieve the same results.

While true, a jeweler's cloth does work magic.?

 

[B.Lew]

While true, a jeweler's cloth does work magic.?

I haven’t tried it yet. My thought is that it could leave small abrasions in a smooth finished pipe.
your photos of the three pipes you shared look like high end pipes so…. you wouldn’t polish with the clothe if it were to damage the finish.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I haven’t tried it yet. My thought is that it could leave small abrasions in a smooth finished pipe.
your photos of the three pipes you shared look like high end pipes so…. you wouldn’t polish with the clothe if it were to damage the finish.

Yep, all three are Weavers.

 

[Briar Lee]

Today an eight ounce bottle of grape seed oil arrived, and i put it to work.

It seems thinner and less messy than olive oil, and overall a better polishing oil.

Briar is porous enough to soak up the oil just a bit. Then a rag buffs it to an oiled shine.

Grape seed oil seems to dry quicker than olive oil, as well.

I learn something new every day here about pipe smoking.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

I break a walnut or pecan nut in half and rub the 'fleshy' part over the briar. It's surprising the amount of oil that comes out of a nut. I then leave it to soak in then give it a hand buff with a duster. If the pipe is really dull I'll repeat two or three times.
The Sasieni below was brought back to life using this method. The missus says I should start rubbing myself with nut oil!

 

[karam]

I am Greek, as such I was brought up hearing that olive oil, specifically Greek olive oil, is the best panacea on the planet. I use thatthe in my homemade pipes and it does make them look very nice. Usually add a few drops on a paper towel, wipe the whole stummel with it, then remove as much of the oil as possible with a cloth.

When I did some wood and metal working as a hobby I used "boiled" linseed oil, but word of caution: I understand there is edible boiled linseed oil and not actually boiled, the second stuff is supposed to be very toxic. The "drying" part refers to the oil plasticising and making the wood impermeable to moisture, but if I am not mistaken this is achieved wth the addition of metals to the oil, rather than actual boiling. I may be off, didn't research it much, olive oil works fine for me.
Having said that, linseed oil does give a very pleasant, warm orange hue to wood.

 

[OzPiper]

Today an eight ounce bottle of grape seed oil arrived, and i put it to work.

It seems thinner and less messy than olive oil, and overall a better polishing oil.

Briar is porous enough to soak up the oil just a bit. Then a rag buffs it to an oiled shine.

Grape seed oil seems to dry quicker than olive oil, as well.

I learn something new every day here about pipe smoking.

Thanks for the tip.

That was the advice I got with my Japanese pine chopping board.
I suppose a product like Boos Board wax/cream will work as well.

I use camellia oil on my Japanese knife blades. Again I suppose grapeseed oil will work equally well, but using camellia oil seems traditional, so I follow suit.

 

[ShaneWisconsin]

I break a walnut or pecan nut in half and rub the 'fleshy' part over the briar. It's surprising the amount of oil that comes out of a nut. I then leave it to soak in then give it a hand buff with a duster. If the pipe is really dull I'll repeat two or three times.
The Sasieni below was brought back to life using this method. The missus says I should start rubbing myself with nut oil!

wonderful solution!

 

[Pipeoff]

Just a bit of nose grease for me. Shines the pipe right up and I have a, so far, endless supply of it.

I have used this method for years, rub on a pair of jeans, great natural shine.

 

[pauls456]

For smooths, Paragon wax works exactly as expected. For blasts or rusticated, olive oil is just fine.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Mineral oil is superior to plant based oils. I will not go rancid, and a tiny drop goes a very long way.

However, the Howard blend, mentioned up thread, is better than all the above, as it contains some carnauba and orange extracts. Here's a pile of pipes just after they've dried after they've been hot water flushed and the rims scrubbed: