Pipe refinishing
Charles
Master
Has anyone ever refinished or reconditioned the outside of their pipes? I have a few pipes that are actually not that old but the finish or shine has melted away and there remains a dull pipe. A couple of them are Peterson's which struck me as unusual. I have some pipes that are in excellent condition for their age and have not had the shininess fade.
I tried to polish the briar with antique wax, and even the stuff sold specifically for shining pipes that tobacco shops seem to push but nothing has worked. Are there any suggestions on how I may restore the shine to these pipes other than maybe coating them with urethane?
I tried to polish the briar with antique wax, and even the stuff sold specifically for shining pipes that tobacco shops seem to push but nothing has worked. Are there any suggestions on how I may restore the shine to these pipes other than maybe coating them with urethane?
Comments
@Corey562 I took the pipe with me to my daughter's house yesterday and forgot and left it there. She lives in another town and we are not scheduled to meet again until next week. When I get it, I'll try and post a pic...
Use a different buffing wheel for each compound and don't buff across metal bands. Cover the briar shank up to the metal band before buffing the metal or the micro metal that is removed in polishing will get pushed into the grain of the wood/finish. It is pretty tough to get clean again. You can use the same buffing compounds on stems, just don't overheat them.
In order of use.
You can start farther down the line depending on how good the finish is, just buffing with wax will make a big difference.
1) Green compound-very course-will strip a finish if needed or will make quick work of a black base-coat for a contrast finish if staining the pipe. If you use compound to strip a finish, you will need to wipe down the bowl with Everclear or some other high proof clear alcohol to remove the carrier waxes-oils before staining.
2) Red/brown compound goes next, progressively gets the scratches left from the green.
3) White for the next step...gets the scratches left from the red/brown.
4) Hard block Carnuba goes on next, filling in the micro scratches left from the white...now they shine.
I have, and do use Paragon or Halcyon II for quick touch-ups when I don't feel like going out to the shop.
They work pretty good, if the pipe finish is in decent shape. Chapstick (original) will shine a vulcanite stem in a pinch. If for some reason you don't like the taste of chapstick on your lips, you probably don't want to use it on your pipe stem, although after rubbing in and wipeing off the excess, there is very little "flavor" left.
For finishing the stem, especially vulcanite/ebonite, Obsidian Oil or Butcher Block oil (butcher block oil has mineral oil and beeswax, and maybe some carnuba?) works well for the stem. Do not get the oils on the briar, it won't really damage it, just get it oily and then it might not take wax. I am sure there are better more long lasting finishes, but I don't know any "artisan secrets".
These methods have worked well for me. I don't have any non-smoking pipes, so a "pristine" finish is not required, just a nice bright shine when looking at the pipes from a foot or two.
These methods work well, and if you buff your pipe after your smoke with a soft cloth, it will shine right up again, many times.