Walker Briar Works' "Stem Restore Kit"

[photoman13]

Sorry I forgot to mention that I use either Bacardi 151 or isopropyl alcohol to clean the inside after it soaks in oxyclean and warm water. The oxyclean helps loosen it.
If you use the micromesh until you see no brown at all then it won't be a problem. At least it hasn't for me. I definitely wouldn't put bleach on something you put in your mouth but that's just me.

 

[nightmarejones]

My method for pipe restoration as thus far (which has worked for me with no ill affects) for the stem is as follows.
1.Soak stem in oxi-clean and hot water for 30-60 mins depending on severity of oxidation.
2.After soaking, rinse well under warm water
3.using alcohol (my preference is Isopropyl (70%-90%)dip bristled pipe cleaner(s) and work thoroughly inside of stem until they come out as white as they went in, then repeat with fluffy/standard pipe cleaners
4.Depending on severity of oxidation I rub with alcohol and either sand (400 grit)with a Dremel (using caution is an understatement, MAKE SURE you know your dremel skills and attachments)or scrub with a standard kitchen scouring pad then work my way up to 12k grade micro-mesh starting with #0000 steel wool

 

[photoman13]

First and last time I used a dremel I caught the stem on fire lol. If you have the skills go for it though. I need to get some higher grade micromesh. where do you buy yours nightmarejones?

 

[nightmarejones]

WOOOOWWW!!..lol..I melted a tiny spot on one with it using a supposed buffer but never on fire...The micro-mesh was from Stewart-Macdonald a guitar restoring company for $17.99 + tax for a total of 20 change with shipping and I got it in 3-4 days..Initially I was told of another place which I can't remember the name and it was $8 change from Canada but there was no shipping cost posted and it would take 3-6 weeks without any problems with customs..If there were then they were not responsible.

 

[nightmarejones]

Here is one that I used the Dremel on the whole pipe..also on the bowl to remove remnants of the finish then re-stained ..before..

Then after...

 

[photoman13]

You did a great job! I don't doubt it can be done just by me lol. I only go up to 3000 grit micromesh and it does a great job I bet the 12k does an amazing job.

 

[nightmarejones]

OH YEAH it does.. The stem on this one in the pic doesn't have any wax or anything on it...just the micro-mesh.Man I love that stuff!!!

 

[photoman13]

Wow that is pretty sweet. The walker briar works carnuba wax works great. Do you you it?

 

[nightmarejones]

I use Carnuba on the briar, not on the stem...anymore...I did for awhile and heard so many people saying how much they hated it.Being a pipe restorer and seller I didn't want someone to not buy my pipe because I put wax on the stem and I recently found that one I did apply wax to now has brown marks where tooth chatter would be, it's not oxidation or anything, just where my teeth have cut into/moved the wax around so that it looks like a bunch of Carnuba wax bunched up in scratch marks

 

[gmwolford]

I don't know what the difference in tripoli colors are?

I believe red is a rouge; tripoli is brown and can be used on wood, plastic, or metal. All the other colors are I believe recommended for metals only. And with elbow grease you can use tripoli by hand.

 

[photoman13]

I had that problem sometimes but after it is completely drys on it I heat it with a lighter making it a little thinner. I don't have that problem any more. Also helps to get the extra wax out of rusticated pipes.
Thanks greg!

 

[tomsmithusa]

I must say I am appreciative of the many suggestions of what’s worked for others. :worship: I’ve gone back and read this several times.
The Kit arrived, and about the fifth time through on one stem I am exhausting myself but there is progress. That was about a ‘medium bad’ stem. I am putting it aside until I can get some of the suggested materials.
It’s an Ashton with a wood & silver (?) accent dot embedded into the stem, so I am a bit hesitant to dip that one in bleach or Oxyclean, or, for that matter, get too aggressive with rubbing.

 

[tomsmithusa]

Well, I must say nightmarejones’ restoration is impressive.
After rereading this thread, I garnered a little more energy and took WalkerBriarWorks’s two more times, rinsing with warm water. After the first time I took 320-grit sandpaper, wet, and lightly went over some of the more oxidized places – especially the inside corner at the lip on the tip. (The 320-grit was scary and a finer grit would be better but that’s the finest I had on hand.)
I then waxed it with the carnuba wax provided in the Walker’s kit. The oxidation was only about a third as bad as nightmarejones pictured above. Here’s the picture of it, an Ashton pipe:

This was the big test: I smoked it. None of the oxidation re-appeared and as important to me, the awful taste accompanying the oxidation did not come back, either.
I have a very good pipe back.

 

[ghost]

Looks great!

 

[photoman13]

Great job tom!

 

[jchaplick]

I have it, its ok, I dont think I would recommend it though. It didnt do any miracles for me

 

[nsfisher]

I just recieved a message for Walker and my restore kit is in the mail.

 

[ejames]

Thanks for that and other comments which are faster than I can keep up. Pictures . . . mmm . . . Thanks, I would have forgotten the “pre-treatment picture.” I may have enough to experiment with the bleach-water soak. Although, I just read at WalkerBriarWorks.com full bleach is a No-No:

Although I don't the experience Mr. Walker has I would argue the point about using bleach to remove oxidation from stems. I have done several HUNDREDS of stems using bleach. Most all of the pipes in my rotation,and some have been there a long time, have been bleached. They haven't cracked,fell apart,exploded,went up in smoke or developed any sort of problem!! I'd like to know just how bleach is supposed to damage a stem.

I restored my father's old pipes that way to shiny glory. They had heavy oxidization like in the picture on his website for the before picture in the before and after. He told me straight up that his product would not work on such heavy oxidization and that I actually needed to sandpaper it and then apply his product. This method worked extremely well, very happy, I did not know that sandpaper can't remove the vulcanite, appaerently it can only remove the oxidization because the vulcanite was hard enough to resist the sandpaper. Very handy to know.

Vulcanite is not impervious to sandpaper. ANY abrasive,whether it's sandpaper,Micro-Mesh, or Red Rouge buffing compound WILL remove SOME vulcanite from a stem.How much is determined by how course it is and how long it's used.

 

[tomsmithusa]

Thank you all. It’s fun to share with people who appreciate it.
ejames – thanks for clarifying. I am looking forward to trying the 50-50, bleach-water solution and micromesh pads, too. The Walker Briar Works formula against this oxidation was incremental with each step. Suddenly at the seventh cleaning (with sand paper between six and seven), it was, “Ha! It’s all gone!”
Cleaning became easier when I stopped trying to hold the stem midair but place the stem on a cushioned gun-cleaning pad on the workbench. The labor time is probably the same but takes much less energy than trying to hold the stem in the air while rubbing it.
Yes, the 320-grit sandpaper clearly was eating into the vulcanite, or whatever Ashton uses.

 

[tomsmithusa]

Addendum:
I should have added that I have moved to Savinelli’s pipes as my sole source for new pipes some years ago, for several reasons, but one is that their stems never oxidize and have a good combination of hard and soft on the teeth.
I’d love to support, for example, North Carolina’s Dr. Grabow’s pipes, but their stems don’t have a good feel to them for me (and the briar quality seems low).