White Spot on Estate Stem

[milk]

I’ve soaked this 90 year old estate Kaywoodie vulcanite stem in Oxyclear and did a bit of buffing for oxidation. I don’t think this white stuff IS oxidation. Can anyone help me here? Does anyone know what this might be and what I can do with it? It’s the bottom of the stem. I guess I could live with it but I’d like to do something. I’ve sanded and buffed it it’s not paint or something. It’s really like a part of the vulcanite.

 

[Waning Embers]

I've found wire, metal, and all sorts of debris in old vulcanite.

 

[milk]

Well I’ve gone ahead and done something really stupid. Overaggressive sanding on a file led to my breaking it. I know, I’m stupid and I don’t know what I’m doing. Now the question is, do I try to repair it or carefully buff the hard edge a bit just smoke it the way it is? I feel really bad about breaking this antique. Reborn pipes uses black superglue and some kind of charcoal? Ugh!

 

[Waning Embers]

Well I’ve gone ahead and done something really stupid. Overaggressive sanding on a file led to my breaking it. I know, I’m stupid and I don’t know what I’m doing. Now the question is, do I try to repair it or carefully buff the hard edge a bit just smoke it the way it is? I feel really bad about breaking this antique. Reborn pipes uses black superglue and some kind of charcoal? Ugh! View attachment 223611

Sort of explains what the spot was. Appears to have been a previous repair.

 

[sablebrush52]

Well I’ve gone ahead and done something really stupid. Overaggressive sanding on a file led to my breaking it. I know, I’m stupid and I don’t know what I’m doing. Now the question is, do I try to repair it or carefully buff the hard edge a bit just smoke it the way it is? I feel really bad about breaking this antique. Reborn pipes uses black superglue and some kind of charcoal? Ugh! View attachment 223611

Buy a rubber stem guard and slip it over the end of the stem. You'll be able to smoke the pipe just fine.

 

[milk]

Buy a rubber stem guard and slip it over the end of the stem. You'll be able to smoke the pipe just fine.

I think I already have some. Thanks. I feel quite lousy about this. I’d actually like to try the charcoal and crazy glue repair but my confidence is below 0 that I can succeed.

Sort of explains what the spot was. Appears to have been a previous repair.

Oh! Huh. Was it? Ok. Duh!

 

[mingc]

Sort of explains what the spot was. Appears to have been a previous repair.

I second that observation. Looks like an old repair.

 

[Sobrbiker]

First pic looks like and old repair to me. I’m barely gaining experience, but the margins give it away.
I’ve already ran into a few estates with modern repairs and they aren’t too hard to spot, but that doesn’t look like what I’ve seen so far-maybe the repair was decades old.
I wonder what methods and materials were used 50+ years ago when colored CA wasn’t available.

 

[UB 40]

I think I already have some. Thanks. I feel quite lousy about this. I’d actually like to try the charcoal and crazy glue repair but my confidence is below 0 that I can succeed.

Oh! Huh. Was it? Ok. Duh!

Just give the repair a shot. You will need a piece of cardboard or wood stick coated with petroleum jelly. The trick is to insert it into the orifice without coating the fracture area either. Then use a lot of the black superglue let it dry for 24 hours, take a file and fine sandpaper 400, 600, 800, 1000 for shaping. It’s a challenge but can be done. Good luck.

 

[milk]

First pic looks like and old repair to me. I’m barely gaining experience, but the margins give it away.
I’ve already ran into a few estates with modern repairs and they aren’t too hard to spot, but that doesn’t look like what I’ve seen so far-maybe the repair was decades old.
I wonder what methods and materials were used 50+ years ago when colored CA wasn’t available.

I’m ashamed I wasn’t more careful but not ashamed to admit I’m too silly to have figured it out. But, I am ashamed I didn’t wait a minute for answers here which would have told me it’s a repair and to be freakin’ careful! As, Costello said, “I’m a bad boy.”

My question is this: what’s the degree of difficulty in mixing edible charcoal with superglue via the way I see on reborn pipes? I think I get what they’ve done.

 

[milk]

Just give the repair a shot. You will need a piece of cardboard or wood stick coated with petroleum jelly. The trick is to insert it into the orifice without coating the fracture area either. Then use a lot of the black superglue let it dry for 24 hours, take a file and fine sandpaper 400, 600, 800, 1000 for shaping. It’s a challenge but can be done. Good luck.

I’m inclined to try. I see they also just used clear superglue with black organic edible charcoal. That should work OK, right? I’m wondering about messing this up. I don’t want to make it worse. Actually, this came off and I had to go to work really fast. I didn’t crawl around and look for the piece that came off. Maybe I should see if there’s any part of the original pipe at all.

 

[UB 40]

I’m inclined to try. I see they also just used clear superglue with black organic edible charcoal. That should work OK, right? I’m wondering about messing this up. I don’t want to make it worse. Actually, this came off and I had to go to work really fast. I didn’t crawl around and look for the piece that came off. Maybe I should see if there’s any part of the original pipe at all.

The charcoal is just to tint the superglue black. I would try to figure out the right amount of coal in a few experiments before. To much will hinder the adhesion of the glue.

It’s some fun, don’t forget to smile

 

[milk]

The charcoal is just to tint the superglue black. I would try to figure out the right amount of coal in a few experiments before. To much will hinder the adhesion of the glue.

It’s some fun, don’t forget to smile

So it’d be easier just to get black superglue alone? Or do you need charcoal for some base?

 

[UB 40]

So it’d be easier just to get black superglue alone? Or do you need charcoal for some base?

No, it’s just to get the glue black. I don’t have any experience with the already black superglue. I tried the charcoal powder thing. It worked. But because of the humidity that was hidden in the powder it had been around in my the basement, the superglue hardened in a blink of the eyes. But you can also work in layers.

 

[orlandofurioso]

I never managed mixing superglue and charcoal; the mixture dries instantly.
Apart from that it will not last.
Better try a good quality two part black epoxy resin like StewMac's .
Or the epoxy George Dibos advised for repairs. If memory serves me correctly:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWKFZJ8/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_8?smid=A1FEUIHV979O1U&psc=1

West Sytem offers a black pigment also.

I had some "tolerable" results with a thick viscosity black CA glue too.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Well I’ve gone ahead and done something really stupid. Overaggressive sanding on a file led to my breaking it. I know, I’m stupid and I don’t know what I’m doing. Now the question is, do I try to repair it or carefully buff the hard edge a bit just smoke it the way it is? I feel really bad about breaking this antique. Reborn pipes uses black superglue and some kind of charcoal? Ugh! View attachment 223611

Most def. an old repair; you're not stupid, perhaps a little overzealous

 

[UB 40]

I put back a chipped piece on this mouthpiece. It’s not really beautiful, but at least the pipe is smokable. You can see a difference in black and shine of the charcoal superglue mixture to the ebonite.

 

[milk]

I put back a chipped piece on this mouthpiece. It’s not really beautiful, but at least the pipe is smokable. You can see a difference in black and shine of the charcoal superglue mixture to the ebonite.
View attachment 223621View attachment 223622

That would work for me!

I never managed mixing superglue and charcoal; the mixture dries instantly.
Apart from that it will not last.
Better try a good quality two part black epoxy resin like StewMac's .
Or the epoxy George Dibos advised for repairs. If memory serves me correctly:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWKFZJ8/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_8?smid=A1FEUIHV979O1U&psc=1

West Sytem offers a black pigment also.

I had some "tolerable" results with a thick viscosity black CA glue too.

Hmm…there are so many kinds of products. I live in Japan. Some of these are available here. Some international brands.

 

[sablebrush52]

I think I already have some. Thanks. I feel quite lousy about this. I’d actually like to try the charcoal and crazy glue repair but my confidence is below 0 that I can succeed.

Oh! Huh. Was it? Ok. Duh!

The crazy glue and charcoal fixes aren't generally more than temporarily successful. For the most part, they fall off very easily. They just don't bond to Vulcanite very well. The kind of fix you would need to make there is one that would be likely to fall off at some point.

 

[jhowell]

Sort of explains what the spot was. Appears to have been a previous repair.

I agree.