I love the GBD 9438 shape and have this model in several finished.  This Prehistoric finish pipe was found on Ebay.  I thought this was going to be a simple buff and clean, but the pipes took a little more effort due to a self-inflicted stem issue, or an issue that was hidden by the oxidation.

Some “Before” shots of the pipe:

I cleaned the bowl with my new retort, which worked well and really scoured the bowl.  This was the first time I’ve used a retort.  I cleaned the tars off the bowl rim which revealed a nicely polished rim edge that I love on Prehistoric grade GBD’s.  The rest of the bowl was buffed lightly with tripoli, white diamond and then several coats of carnuba wax.

While I worked in the bowl, the stem was soaked in a mild Oxy-clean solution (the brass GBD rondell was covered with some grease).  I removed the outer layer of oxidation with 1500 and then 2000 grit paper.  There were several light tooth indention’s on the top of the stem and they popped out nicely with some heat.  The nicks/cuts on the middle of the stem (handling?)took some effort with 800 grit paper but came out as well.  After the 2000 grit paper, I used 8000 and then 12000 grades of micromesh.  The stem was then polished on the buffer with white diamond and then plastic polish.

When I went to photograph what I thought was the finished pipe, I was disappointed to see a crack on the underside of the stem, near and through the button.  I’m not sure if the heat used to remove the teeth marks or retort caused this issue but I’m 99% sure it wasn’t there when I started. To fix that, I greased a cleaner, inserting into the stem.  I then dribbled some superglue down into the crack.  When it was dry, I sanded it smooth with 800 then 1500 and 2000 grade paper, then the micromesh and buffing wheel.  The crack looks and feels solid now and I don’t think it will cause me any issues.

After:

Crack Repair (with some hair/fuzz…):