What Pipe Finishes Are Dissolved by Water?

[stanwebber]

i'm working on a monstrosity of a pipe. it's the largest (and ugliest) briar pipe i own and the bowl interior is a total mess. given the size there's a ton of briar to work with so i'm enlarging the bore with sandpaper wrapped around deep mechanic sockets. i'm also curious to see how large you can go with the bore size without causing detriments to the smoke. as it stands now i'm enlarging the diameter to just over 15/16in at the rim. the pipe is junk--the only reason i've given it a second look is the size and the unique vulcanite shank extension (if polishing stems wasn't distasteful enough, now i get to polish a shank butted up against a briar finish). gotta say the p-lip bit also lives up to its reputation of being just awful.
well, after a session of enlarging the bore diameter, everything was covered in briar dust. the pipe is a half rustication so to get the briar dust out of the crevices i gave it a quick rinse under the sink faucet, avoiding the bowl interior, and blotted dry with a paper towel. whoah! the finish was actually (one of the few things) in good shape before i started, but now almost the entirety of the finish was deposited on the paper towel or down the sink drain. you can see flakes of what was the full, unmarred finish in the image below.

i can't say i'm really all that upset. i expect what i'm attempting is just further destroying the pipe, but this and another incident does make me curious. some time back i got a lane limited oom-paul rusticated bowl sans any stem. the rustication was quite attractive, but the finish was utterly filthy--like axle grease was on it. i used a toothbrush and some furniture soap to clean it up and by the time i was done i had removed the entirety of the dark finish and was down to bare briar. at that point i lost interest as the effort of re-stemming and re-finishing was more than i wanted to take on...maybe i'll get back to it one day (by all rights i should be spending time on that pipe instead of this ugly cuss).
suffice to ask, "what the hell kind of finish is completely dissolved by soap or even just water alone?"

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I've not heard of a pipe finish that would come off like that with just water..... maybe you should buy bottled water 8O

 

[bassbug]

I think the thing never actually had a finish on it, just a whole lot of dirt that came off with the soap and scrubbing.

 

[aldecaker]

Where the hell do you live? Chernobyl?

 

[Chasing Embers]

That was the Wicked Pipe of the West.

 

[mcitinner1]

Not being unfriendly Stan, but since you just ignored my friendly nudge, please read the rules about capitalization.

 

[stanwebber]

sorry, i don't capitalize and since that's against the rules i'll just go ahead and leave and enjoy my hobby elsewhere. come to think of it i sort of recall this same thing happening when i first signed up in 2013. it looks like i haven't posted since, until now. sorry to annoy you, i should have remembered to stay away.

 

[georged]

sorry, i don't capitalize and since that's against the rules i'll just go ahead and leave and enjoy my hobby elsewhere. come to think of it i sort of recall this same thing happening when i first signed up in 2013. it looks like i haven't posted since, until now. sorry to annoy you, i should have remembered to stay away.

That's what the world needs. More men of conviction! Manly men who won't be pushed around and aren't afraid to take a stand, especially when critically important issues are involved.
Give in to the evil capitalize-ists and the next thing you know... global nuclear war. Amirite?
You go, grrrl :roll:

 

[bassbug]

That's gonna leave a mark

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm amazed no one has complained about the blatant lack of capitalization in the multiple "Keep it Smokey" threads. Just sayin'

 

[georged]

I'm amazed no one has complained about the blatant lack of capitalization in the multiple "Keep it Smokey" threads. Just sayin'

I'd guess that's because sometimes passion is so strong that everyone recognizes it, and in those instances it outweighs form.

 

[Chasing Embers]

And causes clutter.

 

[mcitinner1]

I never noticed any intentional improper grammar in Banjo's posts.

 

[saintpeter]

smh

 

[rigmedic1]

Getting back to the original question, I am not sure. I dropped a lit Kaywoodie right smack into a full cup of Earl Grey, and some of the finish came off of that pipe as well. I let it dry, polished it, and applied a coating of Paragon wax. I imagine a lot of pipe stains were water based, especially lower end factory pipes.

 

[jpmcwjr]

No real finish comes off in water that wouldn't also rub off.
Sad to see someone wad up due to proper grammar.

 

[igloo]

Murphy's wood oil soap can dissolve the wax and attack the finish and hot water only helps . I use vodka and not a lot of it to clean up old estate pipes . A small Qtip dipped in olive oil is more than enough to refresh the lost finish. I like to let it dry for a day or so then wipe of the excess. Follow up with the wax of your choice.

 

[nevadablue]

I was hoping to see the refinished pipe displayed here...

 

[igloo]

I think he will get there he already managed to strip the finish. No use stopping now it is going to look fantastic when finished.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Aniline dyes are water and alcohol soluble. The question is, what to do with your pipe. I say, stain it. You could even sand it back to the briar and start fresh. I do that with some frequency with estate pipes -- even some pretty nice ones. With smooth pipes, I sometimes go to bare briar and wet sand using camellia oil, up to 1200 grit, then, after removing the excess oils and allowing it to dry a bit, I'll continue on with micromesh sheets through 12000 mesh. Finally, Tripoli on the buffer, followed by waxing. Try it with a crummy drugstore out basket pipe and see if you like the result.