Sodium Silicate And Mortises

[orlandofurioso]

A very trustworthy and experienced German pipe seller once told me he gave the mortises of his stummels a sodium silicate treating.
According to him it helped a lot to keep them clean and made possible cleaning easy-peasy.
Never heard of this practice before, but it somehow makes sense . Or does it not ?
Thoughts ? Opinions ? Emotions ?
Please share.

 

[kcghost]

Sounds like the carver got off on a tangent and somehow couldn't let go.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Sounds like the carver got off on a tangent and somehow couldn't let go.

I'm sorry; English is not my first language and I do not understand your meaning

 

[anotherbob]

makes sense. However feels like solving a problem that isn't worth solving.

 

[anotherbob]

I'm sorry; English is not my first language and I do not understand your meaning

I don't know either.

 

[orlandofurioso]

makes sense. However feels like solving a problem that isn't worth solving.

I catch your drift, but I'm not really sure it is a solution to a non-existing problem..
It is more of a "preventive care ".
Cleaning a dirty mortise can be a pain, a proper cleaning sometimes also alters the fit of the tenon.
Could a waterglass treatment ( when applied in layers ) make a loose tenon fit ?

 

[anotherbob]

I catch your drift, but I'm not really sure it is a solution to a non-existing problem..
It is more of a "preventive care ".
Cleaning a dirty mortise can be a pain, a proper cleaning sometimes also alters the fit of the tenon.
Could a waterglass treatment ( when applied in layers ) make a loose tenon fit ?

if you spend a few seconds swabbing out the mortise it won't get bad. I do it every second or third smoke depending on the pipe. A few don't get too bad (my Rattrays seems to have a magical protection against nasty shank).

 

[orlandofurioso]

if you spend a few seconds swabbing out the mortise it won't get bad. I do it every second or third smoke depending on the pipe. A few don't get too bad (my Rattrays seems to have a magical protection against nasty shank).

Sure; I was thinking refurbishing very dirty estates.

 

[anotherbob]

Sure; I was thinking refurbishing very dirty estates.

I would assume you'd want to clean them very well before applying the sodium sillystuff (just trying to be funny). But I guess it would just seal in the nastiness below the glass like layer.

 

[orlandofurioso]

I would assume you'd want to clean them very well before applying the sodium sillystuff (just trying to be funny). But I guess it would just seal in the nastiness below the glass like layer.

Very effective attempt to jocularity, but you make sense

 

[anotherbob]

Very effective attempt to jocularity, but you make sense

always nice to hear that.

 

[kcghost]

A very trustworthy and experienced German pipe seller once told me he gave the mortises of his stummels a sodium silicate treating.
According to him it helped a lot to keep them clean and made possible cleaning easy-peasy.

All I meant was the carver has an idea that he will not let go of that virtually no one else does.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

All I meant was the carver has an idea that he will not let go of that virtually no one else does.

I think some of the confusion comes from there being no mention of a carver; the initial post talks about a pipe seller using the sodium silicate coating in the mortise of pipes.

I imagine the glass-like coating might facilitate easier wiping of tars.

 

[MattRVA]

It’s definitely an interesting idea.

 

[sasquatch]

The mortise? I've seen guys treat a mortise with cyanoacrylate, but sodium silicate/waterglass I've never heard of. It's used as a chamber-coating ingredient pretty frequently, so maybe someone has carried it further....

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

It’s a mild adhesive, I wouldn’t put it in a mortise. That’s a good way to lock up a stem. Plus coating the inside of a mortise will reduce its inside diameter making it tighter. Seems like a bad idea to me.

 

[snagstangl]

Dam mortise, always burning out.

 

[kcghost]

I should make it clear to you I meant carver in the nominal sense. Carver, factory, seller, reseller, divine creator, machine, etc.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

How is coating the mortise with an abrasive-like substance make it any easier to clean than just leaving polished wood? I don't follow the logic.

 

[orlandofurioso]

How is coating the mortise with an abrasive-like substance make it any easier to clean than just leaving polished wood? I don't follow the logic.

Yes, this stuff burns your skin off. Yet the professionals celebrate it for its heat insulating capacities, hence the activated charcoal and waterglass chamber coatings etc. I so far did not feel much attracted to either.
However, I suppose waterglass dries to a glass hard, micron thin ,
inert and tasteless layer that might help cleaning out the mortise more easily. Unlike bare wood this is smooth and will not absorb dirt . Maybe it works for tightening a loose tenon, which is often about microns ?
A stem can lock up for many reasons ; dirt, shrinking of the briar etc.
Will probably try this on a crappy pipe.
The gent who suggested this is a reknown German pipe seller and restorer.
His work is top-notch.
Thank you all for partaking in discussing this odd topic.