Upshall Tip Please.

[mawnansmiff]

My recently purchased James Upshall pipe has the grade, name etc engraved onto the shank as opposed to being simply stamped which was the norm for later produced pipes. Due to being engraved the natural colour of the briar is exposed and looks great in contrast to the staining on the rest of the pipe.
My concern however is that over time, through handling this will slowly darken and start to blend in with the rest of the pipe. Particularly the grade letter in my case as it is pretty much where my thumb sits when smoking the pipe. I was wondering if I were to rub over the engraving with a block of beeswax to 'fill in' the engraved parts thereby maintaining the contrast.
Has anyone else done this I wonder? Can anyone suggest another method that would give me the same result.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[ssjones]

The engraved stamping does change color over time, I think that's part of the Upshall charm. While wax will protect the raw wood, it will of course also change the color. Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't!"
Thanks Al, I had a sneaky suspicion that there was little to nothing I could do :roll:
BTW, do you know when Barry Jones retired or stopped carving for JU?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[ssjones]

BTW, do you know when Barry Jones retired or stopped carving for JU?

That's a bit of a mystery. Ken B perhaps knows that answer.