Whats Your Favorite Finish/ Stain?

[frennchy11]

I have been looking at buying another pipe recently and while looking through Ebay, I put a couple on my watch list. When I went back to look at them I realized that they had the same stain. I thought that this could make a cool thread. So what's yours? Flame Grain, Birdseye, or rustic? Also, what kind of stain do you like?
I'm not sure what the name for it is but here is a picture of an Amber Root Dunhill with a similar looking stain.

 

[cajundad]

I like em Blasted . Harder to see scratches . I have a couple of beautiful stained pipes of various grain , and Its almost like they get scratched of need to be rebuffed if I look at them too hard . :lol:

 

[bigboi]

Man, I am finding smooth with a lighter stain is where I am gravitating right now.

 

[dochudson]

deep rough blast..

 

[allan]

Although I now own a blasted Rad, my favorite is polished. The actual color doesn't matter to me.
Allan

 

[irishsmoker]

Black sandblast for me!

 

[hfearly]

Frenchy, I'd consider the one you posted a "flame grain".
My favorite stain is the Laboratory Table stain by Tom Eltang:

My favorite finish are the blasts created by Jack Howell, e.g., the bronze ringblast:

 

[rmbittner]

I fell in love with Ascorti's New Dear finish back in the 80s, when I worked at a TInder Box. It's still being used by Ascorti, and a very similar style is now also employed by Radice (their Underwood finish). I guess technically it's a rusticated finish.
Here's my Radice. . .

Bob

 

[foggymountain]

Dunhills best stain is the root briar.

 

[frennchy11]

@hfearly that is probably the most amazing birdseye I have ever seen!

 

[cezario]

Comoy’s Blue Ribands "contrast staining". The danish artisan Tom Eltang also uses this finish in his magnificent pipes.

 

[captainprophesy]

Well it depends on the pipe for me... the only finishes I'm not particularly fond of are painted finishes.. i.e. black, green, etc.

 

[cigrmaster]

My favorite is the Tom Eltang with birds eye pictured above, however I cannot afford them so I love my sandblasted pipes that have a really nice ring grain.
Here are a couple of my favorites.

 

[flmason]

I like smooth pipes with lighter stain color. That way you can see the grain clearly since it is not covered by darker stains.

 

[baronsamedi]

Meerschaum! :rofl:
Seriously, though. I like the Flame Grain and if you'd asked me a year ago I'd have said Smooth, because I didn't get the attraction to the blast. That was until I got a blasted pipe and actually held it itn the light, smoked it etc. Now I can say I like both.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I don't really have a preference but I do like the sand blast finish. Also don't really have a preference on color either, but I like the reddish brown stain. Not a fan of the painted pipes like those Peterson green pipes.

 

[frennchy11]

I guess I was never a fan of rustication until I saw a sandblast. Still I prefer smooth, but a good sandblast can really catch my eye. Also, not a big fan of painted pipes except for one I saw Jason Dagner smoking in one of his videos. It was a dark green Peterson but you could still see the grain through it.

 

[bigvan]

"I guess I was never a fan of rustication until I saw a sandblast."
Just to be clear, sandblasting is not a type of rustication. It's a different finish entirely.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Deep, craggy sandblast for me

 

[hodirty]

I'd have to agree with cajundad on this one.