Next, ALL the shanks/ stems were drilled off center. Some were off as much as a 32nd! Turned all the stems to match the shanks as closely as they could, then started sanding. After they looked pretty good, you still had to make sure the stem was turned correctly or it wouldn't match the shank. So I decided to drill an place a dot on the shank to insure a good looking fit... Oh, 2 of the 6 pipes had cracked shanks, so I set them off to the side for now... I'll probably wind up throwing them away since they are so thin-walled...
Anyway, I decided to have some fun with them and make them all different looking. So here's the final: But don't get me wrong, they're STILL cheap pipes! Just maybe a little more presentable... IMHO...
That little billiard looks pretty nice, am I not seeing something? I don’t see any fills, root marks, crevices, the grain is ok, the stem fit is ok, the bowl bevel is very nice😉, the stem is shiny and has a handy alignment dot😉, pretty neat little pipe. I like the reduced/smoothed out look of the rustication on the others after you sanded them, and the colors are not over-the-top, they look good too. I’d don’t know, but it looks to me like you polished some turds and made them…..ah….not turds😬
Thanks @mapletop You are correct @RockyMountainBriar there are no fills and the grain is pretty decent on that one. That's why I kept it natural. The others already had those rustic lines, so I indulged myself with those with colors... I did resand and polish up the stems - they needed it, and tnx... @Montecristo Don't know about that pipe pictured, but if the shank and stem were as misaligned as these are, it's still junk. BUT, who knows, they may surprisingly smoke acceptably well. Time will tell...
First, decided to see if I could repair that crater in the stem... used white fingernail polish and let it set for 24 hours... Note: always overfill as it will settle while drying.
Naturally all this is being done AFTER the internals have been cleaned and the stummel reamed and cleaned/sanded. Why they called it a SUPERGRAIN is beyond me...
I then restained it,waxed and polished the stummel. I need to allow a couple more days for the stem fill to really set up good before I can finish micro padding and polish it up. But here is the semi-final...
Oh, that dent in the middle of the stamping? I usually use heat/steam to lift those dents. Problem was, given its location, it would have lifted the stamping also, so I decided to leave well enough alone...
I was going to start by cleaning out the stem. I couldn't get ANYTHING through it at first, not even a stiff wire!. After putting drops of bowl cleaner into the tenon end, I propped it up to allow seepage to make its way through the stem. After about 20 minutes, I was able to get a wire through, but nothing else. I had to resort to drilling out all the gunk buildup. THEN I was able to get bristle cleaners through the stem, and eventually got it cleaned and in good working order. What a hassle...
Next came the stummel. After stripping and cleaning it, I knew those dents on the rim of the bowl plus the easily spotted fill spots needed to be dealt with...
I turned the fill spots into an easy fix. I simply used an artist's brush and stained those fills black to match the grooving already on the pipe. As far as the dents, I took the bowl down about a 64th, but it still had a pit/small gash left by the rim. Decided to fill it even though I knew the briar dust I used wasn't going to be a match. Still better than a pit/hole left at the rim...
@RockyMountainBriar In the past, I've tried to dremel out those fill spots only to find myself going down a rabbit hole resulting in more work than the pipe is worth. Had the pipe been a high quality pipe, I wouldn't have minded taking the time necessary to make it happen. That's the same reason I didn't mind using briar dust that I KNEW wouldn't match. Then again, I might just be getting lazy in my old age...😏 But from a refurbishing point of view, those were more than fair questions... Tnx...
Comments
Turned all the stems to match the shanks as closely as they could, then started sanding.
After they looked pretty good, you still had to make sure the stem was turned correctly or it wouldn't match the shank. So I decided to drill an place a dot on the shank to insure a good looking fit...
Oh, 2 of the 6 pipes had cracked shanks, so I set them off to the side for now... I'll probably wind up throwing them away since they are so thin-walled...
But don't get me wrong, they're STILL cheap pipes! Just maybe a little more presentable... IMHO...
I’d don’t know, but it looks to me like you polished some turds and made them…..ah….not turds😬
You are correct @RockyMountainBriar there are no fills and the grain is pretty decent on that one. That's why I kept it natural. The others already had those rustic lines, so I indulged myself with those with colors... I did resand and polish up the stems - they needed it, and tnx...
@Montecristo
Don't know about that pipe pictured, but if the shank and stem were as misaligned as these are, it's still junk.
BUT, who knows, they may surprisingly smoke acceptably well. Time will tell...
You are amazing, Brother.
Note: always overfill as it will settle while drying.
Problem was, given its location, it would have lifted the stamping also, so I decided to leave well enough alone...
Like I said... Supergrain?
🤔
After all is said and done.....A silk purse from a sow's ear.
After putting drops of bowl cleaner into the tenon end, I propped it up to allow seepage to make its way through the stem.
After about 20 minutes, I was able to get a wire through, but nothing else.
I had to resort to drilling out all the gunk buildup. THEN I was able to get bristle cleaners through the stem, and eventually got it cleaned and in good working order. What a hassle...
As far as the dents, I took the bowl down about a 64th, but it still had a pit/small gash left by the rim. Decided to fill it even though I knew the briar dust I used wasn't going to be a match. Still better than a pit/hole left at the rim...
Staining, buffing, polishing, blah blah blah, and here's the final:
I swear to god I don't know how you do it, but you have a knack for turning crap into something really nice!
Much appreciated...
Out of curiosity, why didn’t you just carve that fill out…too deep?
Might as well have carved out the rim divot a bit too?
In the past, I've tried to dremel out those fill spots only to find myself going down a rabbit hole resulting in more work than the pipe is worth.
Had the pipe been a high quality pipe, I wouldn't have minded taking the time necessary to make it happen.
That's the same reason I didn't mind using briar dust that I KNEW wouldn't match.
Then again, I might just be getting lazy in my old age...😏
But from a refurbishing point of view, those were more than fair questions... Tnx...