Need some advice on recently acquired estate pipes

WookieeJake

I recently got my hands on a few estate pipes from a local flea market/antique mall.  I know a bit about the Yello-bole company but I'm not sure how to (or if there is a way to) date this pipe.  As for the Smoker's Pride; its a complete mystery.  I can only find stuff on Smoker's Pride tobacco.  Also, since these are my first estate purchases, any and all advice on how to refurbish them (mainly stem sanitizing without compromising the emblems and what is the best way to remove or at least clean and shine up the "stingers") would be greatly appreciated.

Yello-bole "Imperial"

Smoker's Pride "Relief Grain"

ghostsofpompeii

@WookieJake That Smoker's Pride pipe is in excellent shape. Little if any restoring needs to be done on that one. Very nice looking pipe. Luckily the stingers are not like the ones in a Kaywoodie which are part of the screwing mechanism, so you should be able to pull them out with a pair of pliers. I usually heat up the tenon just a bit with a lighter and the stinger comes out pretty easy. But before you use my method wait and see what some of the others suggest. Guys like PappyJoe, Woodsman and several others have more experience at restoring pipes. I'm fairly new to it - but my method works as well. Happy smoking!  

motie2

http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html#smokerspride

WookieeJake

@ghostsofpompeii thanks for the tip.  Not sure if I'll keep the stingers in or not.

@motie2 thanks for the link.  I had no idea they were made by Lane.

Woodsman

Yellow Bowls were made by Kaywoodie, their process used a honey mixture to coat the bowl to aid breaking in. They're usually a decent pipe to smoke. Your yello bowl looks to need a good reaming, You can ream it down till the carbon is as thin as a dime or take it all the way down to the wood, your choice. Get a small bottle of Ever Clear if available, 151 Rum or similar high proof whisky(Those Small sampler bottles will do.)

First thing is to pass a pipe cleaner dipped in  whisky through the stem to see what comes out, if it comes out dark, soak a bristle cleaner and put it in the stem and leave it there for a few hours. This will soften the tar buildup in the stem and the stinger. Remove the bristle cleaner and start passing wet pipe cleaners through the stem till they come out clean.

Take a wet Q tip and run it into and around the shank, Soak the shank with a wet roll of paper towel for a few hours if the Qtip comes out gunked up. next the Airway, use the pipe cleaners again, soak if required. wet a towel end with the whisky and rub the stinger clean.

Your going to go through a lot of pipe cleaner, Qtips, cotton balls(If needed for bowl) you shouldn't need that much whisky so if you don't dip dirty cleaners or Qtips in it, you can drink some.

I've probably forgotten a few things in this missive so feel free to ask. Pappyjoes use of damp coffee grounds to de ghost a pipe if needed is the best method I've run into.   

WookieeJake

@woodsman thanks so much.  Just a few questions:  The wet Q-Tips and paper towels in the shank won't cause it to swell?  Also, I've seen and read some things about soaking the stems in either bleach water or water with Oxi-Clean to sanitize not only the inside, but the outside as well.  Is this recommended?  If it is, will the soaking damage the emblems?

Woodsman

Everything is to be soaked in Booze, and don't let the alcohol touch the finish on the outside wood, it will dissolve it.

Woodsman

Don't soak with water, it will damage a pipe. The only time I've used water is momentarily in the bowl to rinse coffee grounds out, then let dry a day or two.

WookieeJake

Noted.  I really do appreciate the advice.

jfreedy

I always soak my stems in Oxy-Clean for a couple of hours or even overnight. (I've heard bleach will pit the vulcanite.) Then I scrub it with a Magic Erasure until no more yellowish oxidation comes off on the erasure. Then use fine grit sand paper and/or micro mesh (be very careful around the logos on the stem). Finally, after rinsing with water and buffing with a soft cloth I'll put on a light coat of olive oil (wipe off after a couple of minutes). This typically makes vulcanite stems look new again.

Looks like you'll need to reem the Yello-bole. The Mr. Brog reemer I got on Amazon for $15 works great. Then, I use everclear soaked bristled pipe cleaners to clean out the insides of the bowl and air hole. You'll typically go through a ton of pipe cleaners before its clean. I then rub outside of bowl with water and soft towel so as not to damage the finish. However, you may consider sanding the exterior of that Yellow Bole. The 1960s Kaywoodie I'm smoking in my profile pic I ended up sanding down the exterior to the original natural briar. When I finished it looked like a brand new unfinished pipe. It's now a lovely mocha color after much smoking & handling.

motie2

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our understanding of the various cleaning processes for estate/used pipes. 

Duly noted and much appreciated....

WookieeJake

@jfreedy thanks for the tips sir.  And really, thanks to everyone who has posted here.

@motie2 couldn't have said it better myself.

pipeman83

@WookieeJake,if you use oxyclean or bleach to soak the stems, be sure to put vaseline on the logo, this will prevent the logo from dissolving.

xDutchx

One thing to remember about soaking stems in most any substance, is duration. I experimented once cleaning a Lucite stem, by soaking in whiskey overnight. The stem was a full bent, and the overnight soak caused the inside of the stem in the bend area, to close up so tightly, I could no longer get a pipe cleaner to slide through it. Results might be different with vulcanite, but I don't get spirits anywhere near my vulcanite stems anymore. It can accelerate the oxidation and greening process, especially on lower quality vulcanite.

I would much rather use oxyclean, bleach, or magic eraser, again being careful about total soaking times, and as pipeman83 stated being careful to protect logos when soaking.

If you feel the need to clean an oxidized stem internally after soaking, putting a little Flitz or even paste toothpaste on a pipe cleaner, and working it in and out of the stem and button area.

xDutchx

I don't think anyone has mentioned the use of Micromesh pads for sanding severely oxidized stems. These usually need to be purchased online, as they are usually difficult to find locally. Here are a few pics, to give you an idea what you are searching for.

motie2

@xDutchx -- All good stuff. Thanks for your expertise.

xDutchx

@motie2, You're welcome, I am just passing along info from those who passed it along to me. Restoring these older gems can be very rewarding, when you can get them back smoking and looking as good as new.

WookieeJake

You guys are absolutely awesome.  This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to get.  I've actually picked up a couple more estates and I'll be trying a lot of these methods to see which ones work the best on the pipes I've gotten.  I've started fairly cheap with my purchases (haven't paid more than $10 for any one) so if I ruin some in the process (hopefully not), I won't be too heartbroken.

WookieeJake

@xDutchX you mentioned a possible difference in soaking Lucite and vulcanite stems.  This is a newbie question, but how do I tell them apart? 

jfreedy

@xDutchX & @WookieeJake  I got my Micro Mesh pads from Amazon. They work great!

pipeman83

The micromesh sticks are great too.

xDutchx

@WookieJake, Usually the color of the stem can be a dead giveaway, unless you are dealing with black Lucite. In that case, the first thing I do is tap on the stem. Lucite is hard and vulcanite is a little softer, and has a distinctive taste to it. If you use the electricians shrink wrap to protect your stems, you will also get a distinctive smell from vulcanite when you warm it during the shrink wrap process.

WookieeJake

xDutchx awesome.  I never knew that.

mfresa

Vulcanite is actually made of rubber, and if you sand it a little, you will smell it.

motie2

Another Estate Buying Guide
https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/estate-buying-guide

AceFour

• KBB stamped in the clover leaf indicates it was made in 1955 or earlier as they stopped this stamping after being acquired by S.M. Frank.
• Pipes from 1933-1936 they were stamped "Honey Cured Briar"
• Post 1936 pipes were stamped "Cured with Real Honey"
• Pipe stems stamped with the propeller logo were made in the 1930's or 1940's - no propellers were used after the 1940's.
• Yello Bole used a 4 digit code stamped on the pipe in the 1930's.
• Pipes with the Yello-Bole circle stamped on the shank it were made in the 1930's, this stopped after 1939.
• Pipes stamped BRUYERE rather than BRIAR it was made in the 1930's.

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Yello-Bole

I have one from early 50's and smokes wonderful.  Light as a feather old Algerian briar.

+1 on using those micro-mesh pads.  Takes a bit of work on the oxydation on the lower grit but goes faster as you get to the higher grit.  After done polishing hit it with obsidian or no-oxy oil.  Works great and those micromesh make those stems shine!

motie2

All but three of my pipes were purchased, used, from eBay. After clean up, all have proved enjoyable, although several have superior draw and other characteristics that result in my mostly smoking them.

utilityworker101

If you are adventurous, try building a retort using boiled alcohol to clean the stubborn taste that comes with some estates. I’ve built one and if done properly is fabulous for cleaning. I recommend safety glasses and a surface with non-flammable materials. My welding table works great as a work area. Let it dry for a few days and poof!  It’ll smoke like a new one!  

opipeman

@KA9FFJ; and anyone that would like to wade in. I bought the pipe pictured either on eBay or at an antique mall. It looked hardly smoked. I cleaned it up and the first time I fired it up discovered that it leaked tobacco juice on the bottom from the bowl. I inspected it inside and out, but couldn't pin point the exact spot. I put pipe mud in the bottom. The pipe mud seeped through a small crack that isn't visible to the naked eye. This may have solved the problem, but I'm not sure. I was wondering it it would be feasible to use some Super Glue on the outside, just to make sure. Any thoughts??

RockyMountainBriar

@utilityworker101
Wow, I can't believe I forgot to mention the retort.  Yes, yes, the retore really does the job of loosening the tars and sucking the crap out of the briar.  I do use a retort before they go into the ozone chamber, especially on the really nasty, filthy, disgusting, Latakia tar, soaked pipes.  It will take probably 90% of the nastiness out of a pipe.  The ozone chamber polishes off the ghost and is supposed to sterilize more thoroughly as well.

mfresa

@opipeman, just my two cents, there are too many great pipes out there to waste time messing around with one that has those kinds of issues.  IMHO.