Tag Archives: restaining

Refurb on the Weingott Billiard

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I finished up refurbishing this large Weingott Billiard that was a part of the threesome I picked up on EBay. All three were huge pipes and were ones that I would definitely recycle to someone else once they were refurbished. The Weingott is a BIG piece of briar – the pipe has a length of 8 inches, height 2 1/2 inches, the bowl inside diameter is 7/8 inches, outside diameter 1 1/2 inches. I took a picture of it next to a Dunhill group 4 to show the size of this big fellow in a picture.

The overall condition of this pipe was poor. Obviously it was a much loved pipe as it had been smoked hard. I had to ream and clean it – the bowl was very caked and the shank and stem almost clogged with a goopy tar substance. The finish was blackened on both sides of the bowl and the rim was caked and dented. The dents and scratches were deep and the surface was rough from knocking the pipe out on something hard. The stem had a very deep oxidation and was greenish brown. There were not tooth marks on the stem – at least the pipe had that going for it.

I reamed the bowl and cleaned out the shank. That took some work to unclog the airway. I ended up using a piece of wire to break through the accumulated tars and residue. I then used a drill bit and turned it into the shank until the airway was clean and open. Then I used a shank brush and many pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol to clean out the remaining residue. I packed the bowl with cotton bolls and used an ear syringe to fill the bowl with alcohol so that I could leach out the tars and oils in the bowl. I put a cork in the shank and set the pipe aside overnight.

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The oxidation on the stem took a lot of work as it was deep. I quickly buffed the stem with Tripoli to remove the surface oxidation and see how deep it went. The first coat of greenish brown seemed to be untouched by the Tripoli. It was hard and it smelled bad! I then sanded it with emery clot (fine grit) to break the surface of the oxidation. From there I sanded with 240 grit for a long time until I finally got the stem to the point that it was just a brown haze in the stem. I then put the stem in a soak of Oxyclean overnight to let it soften and draw out the remaining oxidation.

In the morning I took the cotton bolls out of the bowl and dumped them in the rubbish bin. They were dark brown and in places almost black. I let the bowl dry out and had a coffee. Then I topped the bowl to remove the damage that was on it. Once it was smooth and clean I put it in the alcohol bath to soak in order to remove the finish and the grime on the surface. It sat for about an hour and ½ before I took it out of the bath and dried it off. I sanded it with micromesh pads 2400-6000 grit and then restained it with a cherry stain.

I removed the stem from the Oxyclean soak and dried it off. I buffed it again with Tripoli and then sanded it with 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. Then I polished it with micromesh pads 1500-6000 grit to bring the stem back to black. Once finished I put it back on the pipe and buffed the whole pipe with White Diamond and several coats of carnauba. The pipe is now finished and ready for the new owner!

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Refurbished a Peterson’s Deluxe Zulu

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In one of my EBay purchases was this little Peterson’s Deluxe Zulu shape #268. To me this pipe epitomizes the Zulu shape – in other words, when I think Zulu I think of a pipe that is shaped like this. When the pipe arrived the bowl was dirty and caked (two things that I almost forget to say as they are to be expected in estate pipes and I am surprised when I find one that is not). The finish was mottled with light and dark spots where the stain had worn off. It also had some flecks of paint on the surface that are not clearly visible in the photos below. The rim was very caked and covered with tars. Fortunately there was no charring that was visible as I looked it over. The stem also had paint flecks on it and was slightly oxidized. There were tooth marks on the top and bottom of the stem that would need to be repaired.ImageImage

I reamed and cleaned the bowl and the rim of the pipe. The shank took some work with isopropyl alcohol and many pipe cleaners and a shank brush before it was clean. I wiped down the surface of the bowl with acetone to clean off the remaining finish and the paint spots. I use cotton makeup removal pads that I picked up at the store. They work great and are easier to use than just cotton bolls. Once the finish was cleaned I dropped the bowl in the alcohol bath to soak while I turned my attention to the stem.

I buffed the stem to remove the oxidation and the paint spots. I was careful to avoid the area where the stem and shank meet so as not to round the sharp edges and ruin the great fit of the two. I heated the tooth marks that needed to be lifted with my heat gun and when they had come back as far as possible I sanded the stem with 240 grit sandpaper to remove what remained. I sharpened up the edge of the button with my needle files to give it a good crisp edge. I then sanded the whole stem with 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper and water. I finished the sanding and polishing process with micromesh pads from 1500 to 6000 grit. Once that was finished I laid the stem aside with a coat of Obsidian Oil and turned back to the bowl.

I took the bowl out of the alcohol bath and restained it with a medium brown aniline stain. I flamed it, let it dry and then took it to the buffer and buffed it with White Diamond. This was done and the entirety buffed and polished with carnauba wax to give it several layers of wax. The cross grain, birdseye and straight grain on this beauty are well laid out. ImageImageImageImage

Refurb – Barling Garnet Grain Lovat

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One of the classic shapes that I refurbished lately was this little Barling Lovat. It is stamped Barling in script (Post Trans I believe) then London England in block text under that and a third line – Garnet Grain. The bottom of the shank is stamped with the four digit shape number – 4189. The classic lines of this little pipe, to me show what Barling could do with these shapes. The reddish stain on the Garnet Grain pipes is one of the attractive features of this line of Barlings.

This one came to me in a lot of pipes I picked up along the way and it had obviously been sitting for a long time. The bowl had cobwebs deep inside and a musty smell to it. There was a crumbling cake though it was not thick, just soft. I reamed the bowl and cleaned out the bowl and shank with the usual pile of pipe cleaners and a shank brush with lots of Isopropyl alcohol. The outside of the bowl was spattered with white paint all around and some especially ground in along the shank so I scrubbed it with an alcohol cloth and put it in the alcohol bath.

While the bowl was soaking I worked on the stem. It had tooth chatter and a few light tooth marks that needed to be lifted and sanded out. The stem was badly oxidized and also smelled musty like the bowl. I scrubbed the interior with a lot of pipe cleaners and alcohol until they came out clean. I then tacked the bite marks and chatter with 240 grit sandpaper to smooth them out and followed that with 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper and water. I finished sanding the stem with my usual regimen of micromesh pads from 1500-6000 grit. Each progressively higher  grit polished the stem more. I then took it to the buffer and buffed it with Tripoli and White Diamond being careful around the area that it meets the shank. I would give it a more thorough buffing and polishing with carnauba wax once I put it back on the finished bowl.

After I finished the stem I took the bowl out of the bath and dried it off. I sanded it with micromesh 2400 to 6000 grit to polish and remove any scratching and then restained it with an oxblood aniline stain that matched the colour that it had before. Once dry I put the stem on it and took it to the buffer and gave it a light buff with White Diamond and then multiple coats of carnauba wax. It is a perfect sized little Lovat in my opinion and spots a classic shape and look. Here are some pictures of the pipe after cleaning. I forgot to take pictures before I started cleaning it. Sometimes I get into a space and just work at them before I suddenly stop and remember that I did not take photos before starting.ImageImageImage

 

Restemming a little nosewarmer

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Last evening I finished restemming this little nosewarmer. It is stamped Bounty over Real Briar on the bottom of the shank. It has a nice sand blast finish and is stained black over a red undercoat. It length is 4 ½ inches, height is 1 ½ inches, outer diameter of the bowl is 1 ¼ inches and the chamber diameter is 5/8 inches.

The bowl was in great shape when I got it in a box of stummels needing restemming. When I restemmed the one that I carved I set aside the old stem and yesterday was looking at it and thought it would fit this bowl. I took the bowl out and the stem fit. The tenon was perfect but the diameter of the stem was too big. I used my Dremel and sanding drum to take it down close. The series of four photos below show it when I had finished the first work with the Dremel.ImageImageImageImage

The next series of four photos show the stem fit after sanding with 240 grit sandpaper to remove the remaining vulcanite and bring the stem to a proper fit. This took several trips back to the Dremel for more sanding with the drum and then back to the sandpaper to smooth out the scratches. The photos were taken just at the point I had moved on to sand with the micromesh pads. I started with 1500 and 1800 grits to really work on the scratches and shaping. I use these wet as I find that they work better wet. From there I moved through the micromesh pads from 2400 to 6000 grit with each one polishing the stem more deeply.ImageImageImageImage

The last series of photos show the finished pipe. The stem has a deep shine. I used some 8000 and 12000 grit micromesh for the first time on this one and I have to tell you the difference between the 6000 and the 8000 grit was noticeable in the finish. This morning I buffed the pipe with carnauba wax and it is ready for a smoke!

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London Made Reject – Hand Made

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Blog by Steve Laug

This is one big pipe. I got it in a group of pipes I bought on EBay. The others in the lot were Barlings and Bewlays. They were normal group 3 and 4 sized pipes. This one is just over 7 inches long and 2 inches tall. The outer diameter of the bowl is 1 ¾ inches and the inner diameter of the bowl is 1 inch. It presented some interesting issues that would need to be addressed in the refurbishing process. The biggest of those was a significant cigarette burn on the outer edge and the top of the rim. It was quite deep and was an actually divot in the surface of the bowl. The rim – inner edge toward the stem also was charred and tarred. The finish was actually worn and had lost most of the stain. There were some very obvious pink putty fills on the right side of the bowl near the bottom and on the top of the shank near the stem. The stem was oxidized and there was a bit of tooth chatter.

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I have taken a picture of the pipe with a group 4 sized billiard to give an idea of the massive size of this old beauty. It is stamped on the left side of the shank “Made By Hand” and on the right side of the shank ‘Reject” over “London Made”.  I am pretty sure that it is a Charatan reject though I cannot be certain. What do you all think? Who is the maker? The only thing making this a reject are the few fills as it has some pretty decent grain all the way around.

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After I reamed and cleaned the pipe inside with isopropyl alcohol I decided to address the cigarette burn on the top and side of the rim. The only way to remove it was to top the pipe. The next series of four photos show the emery cloth attached to a cutting board so that I could work on the topping procedure. The first photo shows the angle of attack that I use on the bowl. I place it flat on the cloth and work it in circles on the paper. I keep the bowl rim flat on the paper to ensure that the surface does not become angled or slanted. The next three photos show the top after sanding. Each photo is sequential so that you can see the progress in removing the divot. The second photo below shows the side shot of the damage and you can see the depth of the burn. The next two show the gradual removal of the burn and the flattening out of the surface of the rim.

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When I finished with the emery cloth I used 240 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface and remove scratches left by the emery cloth. I used the same circular motion to sand the rim. I find that the circular motion leaves fewer scratches and also keeps the bowl flat as I work on it. The next series of three photos show the rim and side after sanding with the 240 grit sandpaper. The burn mark is now flattened out and the edge of the rim is smooth. The divot is gone. The decision I had to make at this point was whether to continue sanding to remove all of the darkening on the bowl rim or to use stains to hide it a bit and keep the profile at its current height. I opted to use the stains on the burn mark and leave it at this point. Once I had the bowl rim at this point I proceeded to use 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper and then micromesh from 1500-6000 grit to smooth out the surface of the rim.

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From there I decided to work on the fills. The pink putty just does not work for me. It does not take stain and it is always glaringly present in the finished pipe. The next two photos show the fills on the right side toward the bottom of the bowl and on the shank near the stem.

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I wiped the bowl down with acetone (fingernail polish remover) to get the stain and finish removed. Then I used the dental pick to remove the fills. The next five photos show the opening up of the pits that were under the fills. I use the sharp point of the dental pick to pick away all of the putty and leave the holes open and free of debris. I also wipe the bowl down with acetone before filling them with the new patch.ImageImageImageImageImage

After wiping down the surface of the pipe and cleaning out any remaining debris in the pits or holes I filled the holes with briar dust that I had saved from sanding the rim. I packed the dust into the hole with the dental pick. I find that if I wet the end of the pick the briar dust clumps on the pick. I scrape it over the holes and then tamp them full with the briar dust. I purposely over fill them with the dust. Then I drip super glue onto the briar dust patch. In the three photos below you can see the patches after the initial sanding with a fine grit pink sanding pad. They are the dark spots on the right side of the photo and on the shank near the stem. These dark spots lessen with more sanding. The second photo also shows the state of the rim from the top shot.ImageImageImage

I heated the bowl so that I could do the contrast staining to highlight the grain. I used an artist’s brush to apply black aniline stain to the bowl. I follow the lines of the grain. I painted the bowl, shank and rim with the black stain. Then I lit it with a lighter to flame the stain and set it. Once it was dry I sanded the stain to remove the excess.Image

The next series of four photos show the bowl after the initial sanding. I had removed much of the stain. The reason I am showing these photos is to highlight how the fill on the side of the bowl and on the shank have faded into the finish of the pipe. The black stain not only highlights the grain but also blends in the fills with the contrast stain on the bowl. In the second and third photo I also wanted to show how the stain takes care of the burn mark on the bowl side and rim. It is still present in terms of the darkening but it is less visible at this point. That is what I was aiming for. From this point I took the pipe to my buffer and used Tripoli and White Diamond to buff out a bit more of the black so that it would highlight the grain but not be the overwhelmingly dark coat under the finish stain that I would later use. I also used micromesh pads from 3200 to 6000 grit to work out any of the remaining scratches on the rim and bowl surfaces.ImageImageImageImage

At this point I set the bowl aside and went to work on the stem. In the picture below you can see the variety of micromesh pads that I use to remove the oxidation. The brown dust on the pads is the oxidation that comes off with the sanding. I always have a bowl of water at the side of the table to dip the pads in and wash off the oxidation dust and grime and also to give the pads more bite when I am sanding the stem. I went back and forth through the pads and the buffer with Tripoli and White Diamond to bring the stem back to the rich black that it had originally. I always buff the stem with it back on the pipe. I do not want to risk rounding the edge at the point where it sits against the shank. Once it was shiny black and acceptable I took the pipe back to the work table to give it the final stain coat.Image

For a top coat of stain I chose oxblood coloured aniline stain. I find that the contrast between it and the black undercoat work well together. The next series of four photos show the finished pipe. The first shows the left side and what remains of the burn mark near the top of the rim. It is still present but certainly less visible and it is smooth to touch. The second photo shows the right side of the pipe and how well the stain has hidden the reworked fills on the shank and near the bottom of the bowl. If you did not know they were present you would have a hard time seeing them. The third photo shows the rim and how well the stain has hidden the burn mark and brought out the birdseye grain on the rim. The final photo shows the bottom of the bowl and is included to show the contrast stain and the graining on that part of the bowl.ImageImageImageImage

The next series of photos show closer views of the repairs that were down and how they blend in with the contrast stain. The first is the left side of the bowl and you can see the darkening of the rim where the burn mark was. It is smooth to touch and none of the profile of the pipe is affected. The second photo shows the part of the bowl where I removed the putty fills, refilled them with briar dust and superglue and then restained with the two coats of contrasting stain. The third photo shows the same repairs on the shank. The final photo is of the rim of the bowl. The birdseye grain is highlighted. In the slight glare at the top of the photo you can see the remaining mark from the burn. The black and oxblood stains minimize the visibility of the burn darkening. I finished the pipe by giving the entirety several coats of carnauba wax to give it a rich glow. The pipe is finished and ready to give many years of service to whoever becomes the next owner.

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Refurbishing another Mystery Pipe

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I picked up this pipe in an EBay lot recently. The other pipes were older Barlings and Bewlays. I know that it belonged to the same gent originally because all the stems have matching tooth marks. This guy must have had jaws of steel. His bite marks showed a repeated pattern of biting down in an identical place on each pipe. The amazing thing on this one is that though the bites were deep they did not break through the surface of the stem.

The first series of pictures below show the pipe as it came to me in the lot. Rim had some tars and cake build up. The bowl was dirty but not caked. The exterior of the pipe was also dirty but not damaged. The mystery to me is the material that this bowl is made of. It is very light weight and a bit odd. There is some resemblance to Laxley meers from the Isle of Mann. They made meers for Peterson, Nording and Barling as well as some under their own brand. I have found that those I have worked on and now own are uniformly heavy and thick bowled. This one is not that way at all. This little guy – and I say little as in 1 1/2 inch tall and a bowl outer diameter of 1 1/8 inches and bore of 3/4 inches – is somehow incredibly light weight. Think in terms of a featherweight briar and you are close. The stem is heavier than the bowl… Those are the things that leave me mystified with this one. I wonder if it is not some sort of resin????

The copper coloured band on the shank is actually copper tape. It was covered with a coating of glue to give it some resilience I would guess. The shank extension is vulcanite as is the stem. The stem is badly bitten but no bite throughs. It will take a bit of work to take care of those and to remove the deep oxidation. The tenon is also a reverse tenon. It extends from the shank like a Carey Magic Inch tenon. The stem slides over the tenon.

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Using my dental pick as a lever I pried away the tape on the shank. I wanted to see what was underneath to know if I was dealing with a separated shank extension or what. As can be seen in the next photo it appears that the tape was merely cosmetic. The shank extension and the joint of the two parts were liberally coated with glue. It appeared to have been wood glue and it was very hard. I was able to peel away bits and pieces of the glue by picking at it with the dental pick and my finger nail. Note also the reverse tenon on the shank that I spoke of above. It is anchored in the shank and is not removable. It seems to be an integral part of the shank extension.Image

The next two photos show the junction of the shank and the shank extension with the glue removed. I used some 180 grit sandpaper to work on it and then finished with 220 and 240 grit to remove the remaining bits. The junction appeared to be sound. There were no cracks and once the glue was removed the connection was tight and smooth.ImageImage

I continued sanding the shank and extension through 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper as well as the usual micromesh pads from 1500-6000 grit. The three photos below show the finished shank. You will note that the band between the bowl and the extension is also sanded clean. The glue was so built up on it that it needed to be sanded to clean away the build up.ImageImageImage

Once the bowl had reached that point I cleaned the rim with a brass tire brush to remove the tars and buildup that was in the rustication on the rim. I wiped it down with a soft alcohol dampened cloth to remove the dust and remnants after brushing. I decided to restain the rim and the band on the shank. While I was at it I also freshened the stain on the bowl. The odd thing to me was that the stain was not absorbed when I put it on the bowl. It literally sat on the surface until it was dry. To get the coverage to do any good at all involved repeated applications of stain to the band and the rim edges. If the pipe had been briar or meer the stain would have quickly absorbed into the heated surface. This is yet another piece of the mystery of this pipe. What is this material that does not accept the stain?ImageImageImage

Once the stain was dry I did not buff the pipe at all with my buffer but wiped it down with a soft cotton cloth and hand buffed it with a soft bristle shoe brush. In the pictures below you can see the finished bowl. The band and the highlights in the bowl are almost a reddish brown. It is an attractive pipe when all is said and done. You can see the inside of the bowl after I sanded it down to clean it. It appears to be a brownish colour and feels like briar to the touch and yet there is something different in the feel of it.ImageImage

From the earlier pictures above you can see the state of the stem with the bite marks on the top and bottom near the button. I used my heat gun to raise them as much as possible before sanding the stem to remove the remaining marks. The first two photos below show the stem after heating and sanding with the 240 grit sand paper. The top photo is the top side of the stem. There were four remaining marks as can be seen – three on the surface of the stem and two along side of the button edge. There was also damage to the button surface that is visible. The second photo shows the bottom side of the stem – it was a bit better after the heating than the top side. It still had two bite marks and the button was dented.ImageImage

I sanded the marks to smooth them out and then cleaned the surface of the stem with an alcohol wipe to remove the dust. The first photo below shows the spots of super glue on the surface filling the dents in the stem surface. I do not use much glue, just a spot. When it hardens it is not easily sanded so the less I use on the surface the better in my opinion. I also did a bit of work rebuilding the button edge and surface with the glue. When I am using the glue I work on one side at a time in order to have the glue set without running and making a mess of things.Image

The next two photos show the repairs to the top (first photo) and the bottom (second photo) of the stem after the initial sanding. I used an emery board that I picked up at a local department store to sand the surface at this point. It is sold in the area where they sell beauty supplies and is used for fingernails. I learned the usefulness of these by “borrowing” one from my daughters and really like the usefulness. Both photos show the patches disappearing into the surface of the stem.ImageImage

The next two photos show the patches on both the top (first photo) and the bottom (second photo) of the stem after sanding with 220 and 240 grit sandpaper. The patches are getting to the point where they are invisible. I continued sanding both sides of the stem until I was ready to work on the sheen and polish.ImageImage

From this point I sanded the stem with 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper until the patches disappeared into the smooth surface of the stem. I then progressed through the usual regimen of micromesh pads from 1500-6000 grit to polish the surface. Several times in the process I took the stem to the buffer to polish it with Tripoli and White Diamond to see where I needed to do more work on the scratches. I resanded the stem until the scratches were gone – each time using the buffer in between to see the progress. Once it was completed I put it on the pipe and used White Diamond to polish the shank and stem. I coated the stem and shank extension with Obsidian Oil and rubbed it in once it had soaked in. I then gave the entirety several coats of carnauba wax. I did not wax the bowl or use the buffer on it as I wanted to maintain the appearance and cragginess of the finish. In the four photos below you can see the finished pipe. The patches are virtually invisible unless you know where to look. The surface is shiny and black. There is still a bit of oxidation that I need to remove on the stem at the shank extension but overall it is like a new pipe.ImageImageImageImage

The mystery remains, what is it made of? Is it meer? Is it clay? Don’t know. I plan on smoking it later today so maybe the way it handles the heat of the burning tobacco may add some information to the mix.

A surprise awaited me when I opened the package and looked at this BBB Boldergrain Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

When I saw this one show up on EBay I had to have it. Multiple reasons made it one that I wanted to own. The first is that I love the older BBB pipes. I like the way they look and smoke. I like the classic shapes and the old patinas that grace them. Then of course for me was the fact that in my reading and buying estates I had not come across this line of BBB pipes. It was new to me. So I placed a bid on it and won it – it turns out that I was the only bidder so no surprise really.

The first series of four pictures show the pipe as it appeared on EBay. The finish looked to be very worn, the stem oxidized but it did look promising to me. It looked like it would need a bit of work to bring it back to life. The stain would probably have to be redone. The stem cleaned and polished and who knows what the inside would be like. The second picture gave me a bit of hope that maybe the pictures were not quite the whole story. The final picture of the bowl looked like it may have been over reamed and I wondered if there was not a crack in the bowl. But I would know more when it arrived.

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When the box arrived from England I opened it to see what would await me in terms of cleanup and restoration. You can imagine my expectations and what went through my mind as I cut the tape and the wrapping paper to open the box. When I took the bubble wrap off of the pipe and stem I was amazed at the pipe. It did not even look like the one in the pictures above. The three pictures below show the pipe just after I took it out of the box. The stem was slightly oxidized but the finish was actually not too bad at all. It was nothing that a good buff with some carnauba could not take care of.

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The next series of photos show what the pipe looked like once it was buffed and the stem polished and the oxidation removed. This probably took the least amount of effort to clean of any of my EBay purchases. Even the inside was very clean. The shank and bowl were clean. I ran a few pipe cleaners through to check it out and they came out spotless. There was no old tobacco smell to the pipe at all – it smelled new. I loaded it up and smoked some older Three Nuns that I had around and enjoyed what appeared to be a very clean pipe. The first smoke was clean and flavourful with no hints of ghosts or residual flavours that I have come to expect from old estate pipes. This one was like smoking a well broken in pipe that had been thoroughly cleansed and exorcised of previous ghosts. It has since become a favourite of mine!

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Restoring a Pair of Old Yello Bole Bamboo Pipes

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This refurbishment involved two old Yello Bole Bamboos and it was a pleasure. There was a time I did not like bamboo shanks on pipes. They seemed to always be clunky and cumbersome to me. However I have picked up several old ones lately – these two older Yello Boles and Kaywoodie Mandarin. They have changed my opinion of the older bamboo pipes. These old timers have a patina and a spider webbing in the bamboo that lends them age and an aura of being ancient.

The first one came to me in dire need of a thorough cleaning. The bowl was heavily caked and dirty. The finish was bubbled and spotty. The bowl literally had cob webs in it. I wiped out the cobwebs and reamed the bowl. I cleaned out the airway in the bowl and shank with many pipe cleaners and a shank brush dipped in isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed the outside of the bowl and the bamboo with Murphy’s Oil soap. I wiped off the grime. I then carefully wiped down the bowl with acetone and a cotton cloth to remove the ruined finish and clean the surface of all varnishes and stains. Once done I restained the bowl with a medium brown aniline stain and buffed the bowl and shank. I coated the bowl and the shank with several coats of carnauba wax and buffed with a flannel buff to bring out the shine.

The stem was pretty oxidized and brown. I soaked it in Oxyclean while I worked on the bowl. When I had finished the bowl I took it out of the soak and used micromesh pads to remove the oxidation. I used my normal regimen of pads from 1500-6000 grit and then put it back on the pipe and took it to the buffer to be buffed with Tripoli and White Diamond. The black of the stem came back very well. I coated the stem with Obsidian Pipe Oil and then wiped it off and buffed it with several coats of carnauba wax.

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The second one is a darker bowl and a bit different shaped pipe. The one above was more of a pot shape while this one is a billiard in shape. The first had a three knuckle piece of bamboo and this one had a two knuckle piece. The bowl on this one was also in rough shape. It needed a thorough cleaning as well. I removed the grime from the outside of the bowl and scrubbed it and the shank down with Murphy’s Oil Soap as I did the previous one. The bowl was reamed and cleaned along with the shank and airway with pipe cleaners, shank brushes and isopropyl alcohol.

The finish on this one was not in as bad shape so I merely washed it down with isopropyl and then polished it with the buffer using White Diamond and then I gave it several coats of carnauba wax. The bamboo also had a darkening patina on it that I did not want to damage or change so I carefully wiped it down with the undiluted oil soap (not leaving it on the bamboo but merely wiping it down with a soft cloth). I then waxed the bamboo with several coats of wax.

The stem was also pretty oxidized and brown. I soaked it in Oxyclean while I worked on the bowl. After I had finished the bowl I took it out of the soak and used micromesh pads to remove the oxidation. I used my normal regimen of pads from 1500-6000 grit and then put it back on the pipe and took it to the buffer to be buffed with Tripoli and White Diamond. The black of the stem came back very well. I coated the stem with Obsidian Pipe Oil and then wiped it off and buffed it with several coats of carnauba wax.

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A Quick Refurb – Yello Bole Dublin

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I picked up this older KBB Yello Bole Dublin on eBay. It was stamped KBB in a cloverleaf, then Yello Bole over cured with real honey and then Imported Briar. I am working on the assumption that it was made shortly after WW2 with the imported briar stamp to differentiate it from the old Yello Boles made during the War from Manzanita or Mountain Laurel. http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Yello-Bole

It was in far better shape than the pictures on the auction showed. It was dirty from dust on the outside. The bowl was dusty and cob webbed on the inside but it had been only smoked part way down the bowl. The old Yello Bole Honey Cured coating was still visible in the bottom half of the bowl. I removed the stinger apparatus, cleaned the stem inside and out (small tooth dent on the underside of the stem). Reamed the upper half of the bowl just gently to remove the bits of tobacco and beginning cake on the top half of the bowl and swabbed it out with a pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol. I scrubbed the outside of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap, dried it off and gave it a light coating of stain add a bit of depth to the pipe. Here is the finished product.ImageImageImage

Two men and Pipe Restoration via Skype – Part 1

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Blog by Steve Laug

Part 1 of this post appeared as an article in the August 2012 issue of Pipe Smoker Unleashed Magazine. It is available at the website address below. Part 2 will appear in the September issue.

I would like you to walk through the process of refurbishing two pipes that I sent to Carl Hackman. Once he received them we met on Skype and walked through the process of refurbishing them. Carl would also post pictures and comments and I would reply on Pipe Smoker Unleashed Forums http://www.pipesmokerunleashed.com/forum/forum.php to involve the PSU Community in the process as we worked together via Skype. This essay combines the two media to give a report on the process.

Carl described the condition of the two pipes before we started the work. It is an important part of the refurbishing process to discern what needs to be addressed before you work on a pipe. I have learned that half the battle in refurbishing a pipe is the preparation – both understanding the pipe and gathering the tools. To make this more interesting the reader should be aware that Carl is in the Dominican Republic and I am on the west coast of Canada – Vancouver, British Columbia. The Skype connection worked brilliantly for these lessons in the art of refurbishing. We completed the work in two 3 hour sessions and the end product in the pictures below will tell the story. Join us at the virtual work bench with your computer! CH is Carl and SL is me.

CH – Generosity from Steve has allowed me to try a full restoration of 2 pipes. He sent me 2 pipes to play with and try and hone some restoration techniques. I’ll document all the steps I take and show the end result. If I don’t screw it up too much and make a reasonable job of it then it may grace the pages of our magazine. With Steve’s help along the way I’m sure we can bring together an amateur refurbishment project.

The top pipe is a French Dublin and below that is a Captain Black Billiard

The Dublin has a small chip on the rim and some dings on the outside of the bowl. There is caking around the rim but it looks in pretty good shape. The saddle shaped stem is really tight and may not be the original. When restored this will be a lovely pipe. I intend to sand the finish and stain off completely and re-stain the bowl, maybe a tan color.

The Captain Black is made in England and is a dainty B14 model. The rim has some minor dings and the chamber rim is slightly misshaped (I’m not sure how to try and correct that but it isn’t so bad that it detracts from the beauty of this pipe). There is a burn mark on the base of the bowl near the start of the shank and I’ll have to see the extent when I start sanding it down. Again I intend to refinish the bowl, this time with a medium brown stain. The stem looks to be in good shape and probably just needs a bleach bath, light sanding and then some buffing with white diamond and carnauba wax. She will be a little beauty when restored.

I’m sure now that I have them here and have made some initial observations that Steve will chime in and let me know the best way to proceed and maybe point out some areas I may have missed.

SL – Good call on the observations. Well done. Not sure how the stains will come out or if you can do what you have planned. I usually have a plan before I start but then have to let what I find in the process determine where I go with the stains. Don’t use bleach on the stems Carl. It really deteriorates the vulcanite in my opinion. Let’s do it a bit differently. Both stems were original. The one on the Dublin is probably tight from the gunk on the tenon and in the mortise. We will clean that out in the process of the refurb.

Also before you sand either bowl down drop them in an alcohol bath over night and let them sit. It will soften the tars on the rims and also remove most of the finish for you. If you can snag a bottle of fingernail polish remover we will use that after the alcohol bath and the bowls dry a bit. It is acetone and works great to remove any remaining finish on the bowls.

CH – I dropped the Dublin in as well. For the Dublin I initially started sanding it with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the initial layer of finish and the cake on the rim. I then wiped the bowl with an alcohol dampened cloth to highlight the dings (and there are quite a few now that I didn’t notice before). They really stood out after the wipe. I dropped it into the alcohol bath as you advised.

SL – Check the bowls in a half hour – particularly the Dublin as you sanded most of the finish off of it.

CH – Ok mate, I love the Dublin shape and it feels great in the hand. After the initial clean on it the stem fitted perfectly.

SL – I figured the stem would – it was the one that came with it. Once you take it out of the wash, wipe it down and let it dry. The pink spots on the pipe are the putty fills. You did a good job removing the finish.

CH– It will be a stunning pipe mate.

SL – The grain on both pipes looks good.

CH – Yeh, I love the little Billiard as well.

SL – We can use the black stain to hide the fills and highlight the grain.

CH – Nice to have an English pipe.

SL – I figured you would like that.

CH – Here is a picture of the Dublin after initial sanding with 220 and alcohol wiped to highlight dings. The next picture is shows both the billiard and Dublin in the alcohol bath.

SL – You can steam the dents out pretty easily. Heat a flat blade (I use a knife from our old cutlery) on a flame – I do it on the gas stove. You can also heat it on a candle or such. Once it is hot put a wet cloth on the ding and put the hot knife on top of the wet cloth – it should hiss and steam. Do this until you have removed the dents. Do this prior to sanding. Once the dents are raised as much as possible sand with the 220 – try to follow the grain on the pipe so you make less work or yourself in the later sanding. You can also use a steam iron in place of the knife and the fire.

As I look at the pictures though, it appears to me that many of those dents are fills. Fills can be hidden with a darker stain or picked them out and refilled with briar dust and super glue. We can decide that later. You will want a lid on the alcohol bath as it evaporates pretty quickly. I reuse mine for 3 or 4 months as I find the old stains give a patina to the briar as it soaks. While the bowls are soaking you can work on the stems.

CH – Ok mate, I’ll leave the bowls in the alcohol bath for another 1.5 hrs and then look at the marks on the Dublin. When I looked at the bowl initially before sanding those areas looked like indentations. I’ll have a closer look once the bowl has dried out.

SL – We can work with those Carl. We can also make a nice dark tea stain to do some grain work on it. Once they come out of the bath and dry we can sand a bit more. Sand with the grain as scratches can be a bear to get out. Once we are done sanding it all the way through your micromesh pads we can talk about the staining.

CH – The only colors I have are medium brown and tan. And I had to wait a month to get those from Miami to here due to the Dominicans saying that they were dangerous.

SL – No problem. We can use something else. You have some tea correct?

CH – Lipton’s – a pretty light tea though

SL – That will work. We want to make a very dark cup of tea. Let it steep over night you want it almost black.

CH – Right ok. The medium brown stain looks pretty dark

SL – Medium brown is dark but once it buffed it is pretty light. The tan is really light almost neutral. We will paint on the tea solution on the grain, following the grain with the brush that you apply it with.

CH – Ok. So just stick a couple or 3 teabags in a cup and leave to stew overnight?

SL – Yes leave it in overnight. We will repeat it a few times to give a good deep colour.

CH – Shame about the fills as I was thinking that shape would lead to a nice contemporary tan pipe.

SL – We may be able to hide them a bit with the tea stain. We shall see. If not we can also use the medium brown the same way to darken the fills.

CH – I spent a small fortune getting those 2 dyes over here and I won’t be able to use them. LOL!

SL – We will use them; the tan could work with the dark stain as an undercoat. We will have to stain them differently because of the fills.

CH – I want the billiard to look darker so I will definitely use several coats of the medium brown. I want to have a classic look for the billiard and contemporary one for the Dublin – sort of 2 different styles of refurbishment; one sympathetic to the original and one a complete facelift to bring it into current times.

SL – That should work. Let’s aim for that with the Dublin. Do you have a small paint brush?

CH – Yeh I have several paint brushes and also the applicator that comes with the dye.

SL – You want a pretty fine brush to follow the darker grain lines.

CH – You are an enabler mate. You create enthusiasm. LOL!

SL – Let’s get back to the stems.

CH – The stems are in excellent condition with no tooth marks or dents. I have used bristle pipe cleaners dipped in whiskey in them and they are surprisingly clean. I will sand them with 220 grit sandpaper and then micromesh. Do you use Tripoli on them or do go directly to White Diamond when buffing.

SL – Start with a higher grit on the stem as you will scratch it with the 220. If you have some wet dry sand paper 400 or 600 use that on the stems. If they are clean as you say then let’s use micromesh 1500 to work them over. I find with the lower grits if I sand length wise it scratches less than cross wise.

CH – Ok, I’ll work on the stems while the bowls are soaking.

SL – You can use only the micromesh on the stems if you like.

CH – I have a buffer mate and some Tripoli, White Diamond and carnauba.

SL – The first micromesh 1500 will make the stem appear grey. Keep working it until it is smooth. I keep a small bowl of water next to me when working and dip the pad in it while sanding. The grit cuts better when wet. You get a grey slurry of the pads when you dip them while sanding. Change the water between grits.

CH – Working on the Dublin stem now with wet mesh.

SL – Excellent. You won’t need to buff much if you work the pads up to about 6K.

CH – Can only get 220 or higher or 2000 here mate, remember we are 3rd world in this place LOL.

SL –I should have thrown in a few papers and sanding pads when I sent those to you. Pretty cheap here.

CH – No worries mate, I managed to get a mini buffer shipped over with Tripoli, White Diamond and carnauba. Here is the Dublin stem after wet and dry sanding. The tenon will need careful cleaning to ensure that the fit is not degraded.

CH– Would you use Tripoli on a stem or go straight to White Diamond? Some people say that Tripoli is too harsh for stems.

SL – I use Tripoli. Now would be a good time to pull the bowls out of the wash. Put the stem on the pipe before you buff them – VERY IMPORTANT AS YOU WILL ROUND THE EDGES. Give it a buff with Tripoli. Lightly load the buffing pad. It can go on heavy and it makes the work miserable. A heavily coated pad turns the Tripoli to a reddish brown sludge on the stem… a real pain. When done look for scratches. If there are some go back to the micromesh until they are gone. Once it is good and smooth move to the White Diamond. Again check for scratches. Remedy with Tripoli and/or pads. Use a light touch. I use it all the time and it is good. It is finer than the 2000 you are using

CH – Ok will do mate. Fit stem then photo then initial Tripoli buff.

SL – Perfect.

CH – Going to take a picture of the alcohol bath before removing the bowls as it is pretty brown LOL.

SL – Remember, the tenon may be a little tight when you take it out of the soak – that is ok.  The main thing is not to round the edges on the stem at the joint. Even if it does not go all the way in it is ok. It gives you a guide.

CH – Ok. Should I rinse the bowls after removing them from the bath?

SL – No don’t bother. It will evaporate quickly.

CH – Ok. Is the alcohol reusable even though it is brown?

SL– Yes I reuse it for 3 months or more. I find the brown in the alcohol seems to give a nice patina and evens things out on old bowls. I usually let the sediment settle out in the bottom of the alcohol bath and then pour it off, rinse the container, dry it and put the alcohol back.

In terms of buffing the pipe Carl, hold the pipe with a thumb or finger in the bowl when buffing as it will easily be jerked out of your hand.

CH – Yeh, I know LOL.

 SL – I have broken a few stems doing it wrong… even dented a beautiful pipe that was getting a final buff

CH – I think you are right about the fills mate. Took the pipes out of the bath and the Dublin has soft areas where the fills are.

SL – Yup they will harden again. We can level them off a bit. Should work out.

CH – I have some mahogany wood filler here that is similar color to the briar if we need to fill instead of sanding down too far.

SL – That may work. How does that burn look on the little billiard?

CH – Haven’t sanded the bowl yet on the billiard so not sure until I get into it. Can’t see anything on the inside of the chamber to indicate it has burned through.

SL – Most of that one you may not need to sand. I think it is a cigarette burn from an ashtray. How do the stems look? To give them a last bit of sheen I will often add some olive oil to the highest micromesh pad and rub the stem down then a final buff to give a glow.

CH – Ok here is a picture of the stems mate

SL – They look really nice. Well done

CH – Thanks mate, they look way better in natural light though. The flash can be a bit harsh.

SL – The next stage is buffing the stems with Tripoli, White Diamond and carnauba wax.

CH – Ok here is what the stems look like after buffing.

SL – Good job. The buttons still have the sharp edge! Also the shank stem junction still is crisp without a rounded edge – very nice. Rounding the edge and the loss of the crispness of the button are usual mistakes folks make. Buff the billiard with the Tripoli and see what it does.

CH – Ok

SL – Sometimes the alcohol bath removes the grime and gives you a great old patina look. All it needs is a buff.

CH – How old is it?  Do you know?

SL – Probably 60’s era on both of them. That was what the rest of the lot were.

CH – I would leave it original if it was a 61 LOL!

SL – Could be you know… no way of really knowing for sure.

CH – Hard decision whether to leave it and live with the rim mate.

SL – Nah lets work on it and smooth it out a bit.

CH – It has a nice patina, I wonder what diamond white and carnauba would do for it. I love the patina and after the alcohol dip and a quick blast with Tripoli the grain is quite lovely. The problem is the rim. It has some chipping on the outside and the inside looks as if it was reamed with a knife. I don’t want there to be a large variation in color and I don’t want to ruin the rim by sanding it out of true.

SL – We can leave the bowl as is in terms of the finish and even up the out of round bowl a bit. How is the rim?

CH – Obviously been reamed with a knife at some point. The outside of the rim is slightly rounded and has some chipping around the edges. Nice grain on the bowl though mate.

SL – It is indeed. I thought it would have when I had it here. Amazing how removing the grime and a bit of finish with the alcohol makes the grain show. As far as dealing with the roundness of the bowl – take a small 1 inch square of 220 grit sandpaper and fold it in half lay it at an angle to the inside of the rim. You will work in slowly evening out the rough spots and cuts on the inside. Try to work to get the distance from the inner circumference to the outer one to be equal all the way around the bowl. Doing this you may not need to do anything to the rim… we shall see. We can also work to match the whole thing…

CH – Mmm, trying to think how to match the stain when we are done with that.  The patina is really nice

SL – That will be fairly easy – medium brown will work perfectly for the patina of old pipes. Work on the roundness of the bowl first before tackling the rim. You may be able to leave the rim. Work the edge slowly with the 220 sandpaper to smooth it out on the inside edge. Doing it at an angle will allow you to even things out aiming for equal distance between inner and outer edge all the way around.

CH – Ok mate, working on it now.

SL – In your picture of the top I see that you need to take out some on the top side of the picture (right side) and also on the butt side of the bowl near the shank. Very little needs to be done with the left side.

CH – I think we are very close.  Not sure how much more I should play with it for a pipe of this age.

SL – You did it brilliantly!! Perfect

CH – Thanks mate. I was really worried about ruining it.

SL – No need. You did well. It looks way better and like it should after some 40 years of care. It is these little steps that make the difference.

CH – Yeh that is what I was thinking. You can be too anal and ruin the pipe’s character

SL – Now steam out a few of the dents to the top and you should be good to buff and polish. Heat a butter knife over a flame and fold a wet dish cloth on the rim. Lay the hot knife on top of the wet cloth and it should hiss and steam. You may need to do a few times but it will lift most of the dents in the rim. It will dull the finish but a buff with white diamond and some wax will remedy that.

CH – Right, I’ll get onto it mate. She is a little gem mate, I really appreciate it.

SL – You are doing great. Once that is done you can buff with White Diamond and wax. Should be a keeper. How is it working?

Carl went on to steam the dents until they were less visible and then he buffed the pipe on his buffer with Tripoli and White Diamond.

CH – Just going to upload a photo of the billiard.