Staining a Pipe?

[photoman13]

Maybe that would work?

 

[cajunguy]

I've posted a link to these guys before, but I'll post it again so no searching is necessary:
Alpha Abrasives
They offer the cheapest micromesh kits I've seen. I use them daily. Very good quality and, if you keep maintain them, last a long time.

 

[photoman13]

Thanks for the link Cajunguy

 

[pentangle]

Sand with a 400 grit.Sand again with a 800 grit then stain with an alchol dark brown (better than black) then sand with a 1000/1200 grit .At finally stain with alchol mixed stain (about 40%yellow+40%orange+10%red+10%walnut).Carnauba with a speed around 1000 rpm will be the last step

Maurizio

 

[rakntur]

The advice so far has been good and diverse. I just wanted to add one thing: whatever you do, avoid polyurethane finishes of the type used for furniture, as they inhibit the wood's ability to breathe and therefore end up damaging a pipe because of the necessary heat in the process of smoking it. As a minimalist, in general I prefer to sand pipes thoroughly, then finish them with a simple coat or two of Halcyon II or other appropriate wax to bring out the wood's maximum natural luster, but right now I'm using the shoe polish technique to be finished with a waxing perhaps.

 

[deleon]

I use Fieblings leather dye, no one in my area sells a variety of colors so I order mine through ebay, even with shipping they're still cheaper. For you pipe restoration I think the british tan color would look great! I recently finished a Ben Wade pipe that I restored used the color mahogany as my first dark coat and then sanded it down with some 400 grit sandpaper and applied yellow as the second coat. The trick is to do only one stroke as you move around staining the pipe if not you'll start to get the two color to mix and it turns into a mess. then buff and wax and enjoy!