Started another pipe. The stem on this one is chewed up pretty badly, so I did an initial cleaning and fills... I'll also have to partially rebuild the button as well...
Oh, the pipe is a JOST'S Olde English Deluxe. The stamping is very thin, but I should be able to save it... although the last half of "Deluxe" is actually gone. I have cleaned the stummel, including the charred rim. I will give it a near matching light stain and, after waxing and buffing, I'll see how it turns out...
3 files, 500 grit, 800 grit, and 1000 grit later, here's the repaired button and stem... I'll show the final after stepping through the micro pads, buffing and polishing...
@KA9FFJ Had a question regarding the St. Louis pipe show, as I fugue if anyone knows you do.
Wanting to know it the show is still scheduled, (not canceled) and if it is still scheduled do you think it will still go on based on what id happening in your area?
@mapletop I received my usual invitation to secure a table at the St. Louis pipe show. However, I could not get a definition of the CDC guidlines that were going to be in place (social distancing, mask wearing requirements, etc. After discussing it with my wife, we both came to the conclusion that I will pass attendance this year. It grieved me to make that decision, but there are several factors of which I'll name a few: There may be last minute changes that would leave my table investment jeopardized, not to mention greatly affect attendance ( which will probably happen anyway). There would be people handling my restored pipes, which could result in chances of Covid contamination. ALL my pipes are Covid free, and I want to keep them that way. I'm sure there may be ways around these problems and risks, but it just isn't worth it to me. So now I have over 55 restored pipes, and no show to offer them up for sale. Well, I've said it before, these pipes don't eat or drink anything, so we'll see what happens. But as far as the show, I'm waiting until next year...😔😪😔
Have you considered online sales? I would think that members of this site would PM you to aquire a piece or two that they've seen return from the ashes.
@KA9FFJ Thanks so much for the response and insight, went on to check if the status of the show had been updated and found that it had, its been Canceled
@KA9FFJ I have been wanting to ask, what's the best way to get such a glossy shine on the briar? I use the carnuba wax, but is it good to use a high speed polishing wheel,not simply polish by hand? I know it's may seem like a silly and simple question, but your finishes look amazing. I have been able to get it close, but nothing like the level you achieve.
@Zouave Hope you don’t mind if I chime in, hard block carnauba on a buffing wheel at a “slow” speed, too fast and it melts and deposits chunks on the briar, they will remove easily enough though. I use the rub-on Paragon wax sometimes when I want a quick shine and don’t want to take it to the buffer. The Paragon does not shine as much, it also fills in the stamping and turns white. It is a “biotch” to get out. Sadly, I don’t remember the surface speed of my buffing wheel, maybe 800 rpms on a 3” wheel. Chucking a pipe across the garage into the wall will make you cringe a little if it “catches” at high rpms. At low rpms, it’s not much better. It’s really scary when I’m buffing the blades on straight razors even at slow speeds. I definitely pay attention to the angle of attack and direction of the sharp edge of the blade in case it folds. So far, I have not injured myself....at least not with the buffing wheel😬
Good stuff @RockyMountainBriar @Zouave Another tip, after buffing, sometimes a hand buffing with... wait for it... a paper towel can, at times, bring that shine to an even higher gloss. Many don't realise that a paper towel can be used as a super low abrasive polishing cloth. There have been times I have hand buffed and the results were positively surprising... Try it, it can't hurt... especially if your wheel might have too high a speed...
@Zouave I use a soft cloth (an old cotton sock) to do a final buff. As @KA9FFJ says, paper is like a micro-buff. I sometimes use a piece of brown paper sack on a flat surface to strop my knives if one of my leather strops is not handy. Another little “trick” I found that works for buffing silver accoutrements, stems, and briar finishes is an old sock with some (NOVUS step 2 Fine Scratch Remover) in it. I found out that even after it dries, it will still polish. I think that the NOVUS 2 is the same or similar to the Brebbia Stem Polish? but less expensive.
No grandkids today, so I was able to complete my JOST'S Olde English Deluxe project. One of the teeth marks was all the way through the top side of the stem, so care was taken to maintain the original air passage way. I was also pleased that I was able to save the shank stamping since it was so light originally. Anyway, here's the final:
Just finished some preliminary work on this JOST deep-bowled billiard. Have quite a ways to go, but here's the "before" pics... So far I have reamed the bowl, patched some heavy teeth marks and did some initial filing on the stem...
Ok, I've made a little progress today: Cleaned the stummel with Murphy's Wood Soap... LIGHTLY sanded the stummel with 500 grit... Made good headway with the stem - only have 2 more micropads, a polishing and buffing to go... So far:
This is a little off category, but I gave my granddaughters some old pipes and asked them to make some art that I can display in my den. A little paint and 15 pounds of glitter and here is the result.
@KA9FFJ; I'll never try to smoke them anywhere. They are special as only a grandfather of girls can understand. Besides, if they smoked good at all I would have kept them.
Well, I just won a pipe lot of some old pipes. The only pipe I was really interested in was the WDC Milano Canadian. I have many WDC’s, but not a single Canadian...until now. If I was bidding against someone here at TPL sorry....for both of us. One is the WDC Milano Canadian with the Hesson Guard (the extended tenon tube). The others are a Middleton Mountaineer Billiard, a Silverking Canadian, and an Alegro Zulu/Horn with Bakelite windcap. They are all well smoked with plenty of cake and tarred up shanks, stingers, and stems😖, but otherwise in pretty good shape👍🏻.
I will point out that the WDC Milano series of pipes with the silver triangle stem logo and the non-metal extension tube have a painted? on grain pattern (usually a nice fake flame grain of some sort) and then they protect it with a clear coat, varnish? I have a couple, one is like new and looks really good, the other I had to refinish...well, there went the grain pattern🙁. I have since noticed that they are made from manzanita briar/California briar, which was used during WWII because Erica arborea briar grows mainly in, what were, worn torn countries in WWII and not imported to the US very much, or maybe at all? Quite a few LHS pipes were also made from Manzanita/California briar and were shipped to our servicemen in WWII. I’m not sure if they had to be purchased by the servicemen or if they were given to them?
I told myself I would not buy another of the WDC Milano’s with this fake flame grain “makeup” because of the bland grain underneath, but I didn’t have a WDC Canadian, and I actually don’t recall ever seeing one before this, so I had to have it.
I will be refurbishing these in my “spare” time so it might take awhile. I will post pictures of the pipes as I start and work through them. You will be able to see what the California briar looks like underneath after I strip the WDC...I’ll give you a hint, pretty much devoid of any grain pattern except that it looks kind of like mahogany. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the grain, or lack thereof peeking through on the sides of the bowl where the finish has wore off, and under the clear on the shank.
I can hardly wait to see the challenges and progress of your newly acquired pipes @RockyMountainBriar From what I can see, it looks as if they were neglected, but at least not abused... We will be waiting...😊
Comments
Agreed. A zulu to me can be a very simplistic example of elegance...
I have cleaned the stummel, including the charred rim. I will give it a near matching light stain and, after waxing and buffing, I'll see how it turns out...
I'll show the final after stepping through the micro pads, buffing and polishing...
Another masterful job, brother!
I received my usual invitation to secure a table at the St. Louis pipe show. However, I could not get a definition of the CDC guidlines that were going to be in place (social distancing, mask wearing requirements, etc.
After discussing it with my wife, we both came to the conclusion that I will pass attendance this year. It grieved me to make that decision, but there are several factors of which I'll name a few:
There may be last minute changes that would leave my table investment jeopardized, not to mention greatly affect attendance ( which will probably happen anyway).
There would be people handling my restored pipes, which could result in chances of Covid contamination. ALL my pipes are Covid free, and I want to keep them that way. I'm sure there may be ways around these problems and risks, but it just isn't worth it to me.
So now I have over 55 restored pipes, and no show to offer them up for sale.
Well, I've said it before, these pipes don't eat or drink anything, so we'll see what happens.
But as far as the show, I'm waiting until next year...😔😪😔
Have you considered online sales? I would think that members of this site would PM you to aquire a piece or two that they've seen return from the ashes.
Hope you don’t mind if I chime in, hard block carnauba on a buffing wheel at a “slow” speed, too fast and it melts and deposits chunks on the briar, they will remove easily enough though. I use the rub-on Paragon wax sometimes when I want a quick shine and don’t want to take it to the buffer. The Paragon does not shine as much, it also fills in the stamping and turns white. It is a “biotch” to get out. Sadly, I don’t remember the surface speed of my buffing wheel, maybe 800 rpms on a 3” wheel. Chucking a pipe across the garage into the wall will make you cringe a little if it “catches” at high rpms. At low rpms, it’s not much better. It’s really scary when I’m buffing the blades on straight razors even at slow speeds. I definitely pay attention to the angle of attack and direction of the sharp edge of the blade in case it folds. So far, I have not injured myself....at least not with the buffing wheel😬
@Zouave
Another tip, after buffing, sometimes a hand buffing with... wait for it... a paper towel can, at times, bring that shine to an even higher gloss. Many don't realise that a paper towel can be used as a super low abrasive polishing cloth.
There have been times I have hand buffed and the results were positively surprising...
Try it, it can't hurt... especially if your wheel might have too high a speed...
I use a soft cloth (an old cotton sock) to do a final buff. As @KA9FFJ says, paper is like a micro-buff. I sometimes use a piece of brown paper sack on a flat surface to strop my knives if one of my leather strops is not handy.
Another little “trick” I found that works for buffing silver accoutrements, stems, and briar finishes is an old sock with some (NOVUS step 2 Fine Scratch Remover) in it. I found out that even after it dries, it will still polish. I think that the NOVUS 2 is the same or similar to the Brebbia Stem Polish? but less expensive.
One of the teeth marks was all the way through the top side of the stem, so care was taken to maintain the original air passage way.
I was also pleased that I was able to save the shank stamping since it was so light originally.
Anyway, here's the final:
Nice work! We may have another KA9FFJ in our group.
Nice work! We may have another KA9FFJ in our group.
I posted the above over a month ago. I have no idea why it has shown up again and twice.
So far I have reamed the bowl, patched some heavy teeth marks and did some initial filing on the stem...
Cleaned the stummel with Murphy's Wood Soap...
LIGHTLY sanded the stummel with 500 grit...
Made good headway with the stem - only have 2 more micropads, a polishing and buffing to go...
So far:
This is a little off category, but I gave my granddaughters some old pipes and asked them to make some art that I can display in my den. A little paint and 15 pounds of glitter and here is the result.
Smoke those at a pipe club meeting and you might get beat up... 😏
I'll never try to smoke them anywhere. They are special as only a grandfather of girls can understand. Besides, if they smoked good at all I would have kept them.
I told myself I would not buy another of the WDC Milano’s with this fake flame grain “makeup” because of the bland grain underneath, but I didn’t have a WDC Canadian, and I actually don’t recall ever seeing one before this, so I had to have it.
I will be refurbishing these in my “spare” time so it might take awhile. I will post pictures of the pipes as I start and work through them. You will be able to see what the California briar looks like underneath after I strip the WDC...I’ll give you a hint, pretty much devoid of any grain pattern except that it looks kind of like mahogany. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the grain, or lack thereof peeking through on the sides of the bowl where the finish has wore off, and under the clear on the shank.
From what I can see, it looks as if they were neglected, but at least not abused...
We will be waiting...😊
Work your magic, brother!