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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 10, 2018 10:56:47 GMT -5
So, I won my first estate from eBay. It's a Kaywoodie billiard (I didn't have a briar billiard yet). Not sure year or model, except it's supposedly a "Super Grain". It was $9.99 + shipping. No cracks, bowl doesn't look too reamed out, and stem looks okay. Stem is definitely oxidized, and does have some light teeth marks.
My question is, what's the normal cleaning procedure that I should do once I receive it? Do most of you do the stem bleach and sanding thing?
What about the bowl? Should I get a reamer and some wax? I realize that answer is probably subjective, but I'd truly appreciate your insight.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jun 10, 2018 11:23:58 GMT -5
When I got mine I cleaned and polished the stem with my dremel. I also used the Sanding part to sand off the cake in the bowl. Then I did the salt / alcohol treatment (with cotton wool).
I'd say that's not the normal treatment, but it worked for me.
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 10, 2018 11:41:43 GMT -5
Soak the stem in hot water oxyclean for a few hours. It will bring all the oxidation to the surfaced and you can scrub it off (I use scrubbing pads and micro sanding pads. Don't use bleach if it has a stinger. The bleach will destroy it. Once it is smooth and shiny, I put a little obsidian oil on it.
Apply some heat with a wet rag and iron or a bic lighter if you are really careful, to the tooth dents to try to bring them up. If that doesn't work I fill the dents with black super glue (sometimes mixed with charcoal) to fill them and then sand and polish them.
Clean the inside of the stem with bristled cleaners and alcohol and a brush. I use rubbing alcohol. It should clean up pretty well after the oxy soak. Do the same to the shank.
Murphy's oils soap will clean up the briar nicely without damaging the finish. Alcohol will remove the old wax and dirt from the briar, acetone will remove the old stain if you want to go that far and refinish it.
Sometimes I ream the bowl to bare briar, other times I don't go so far. It usually depends on what kind of shape it is in
Good luck
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Post by slowroll on Jun 10, 2018 11:55:56 GMT -5
The above is generally right on. But, oxyclean or bleaches, stinger or not, isn't good in the long term. Those cleaners are oxidizers and starts the process anew, so oxidation will return sooner. I Just do the grunt method with sandpaper, then buff.
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Post by Matthew on Jun 10, 2018 17:51:20 GMT -5
I use a fine mesh steel wool on the
bit and then micro pads and olive oil,
cheaper than obsidian and some believe
it does just as good.Tastes better anyway.
I use sand paper and a dowel to sand out
the bowl,and I take back to the briar.
Any cake in my pipes is my blends.Other
than that I think the other things have
been covered nicely.
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Post by william on Jun 10, 2018 18:38:38 GMT -5
I have found that wet magic eraser type pads will do wonders. It takes a little rubbing, but the idea of soaking a stem in oxiclean did not appeal to me. I have also used nail buffing sticks (don't know what they are really called but you can find them near the nail polish in drug stores) and found them to be good for getting crud from the base of the button. I have seen people recommend using obsidian oil, mineral oil, beeswax, to polish the stem. Look at the ingredients of Chapstick. It contains both mineral oil and beeswax. It is all I use on stems. Just my 2 cents' worth.  |
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 10, 2018 20:34:47 GMT -5
I forgot about the Magic Eraser pads. They I use them on the stem too. Anything round wrapped with sandpaper for the bowl. I've used a sharpie. Ha!
I don't have a buffer, but I bought a buffer wheel attachment for my hand drill and a few different cloth wheels for polishing and buffing. It works well, you just have to watch the speed
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Post by Matthew on Jun 10, 2018 20:43:58 GMT -5
I have found that wet magic eraser type pads will do wonders. It takes a little rubbing, but the idea of soaking a stem in oxiclean did not appeal to me. I have also used nail buffing sticks (don't know what they are really called but you can find them near the nail polish in drug stores) and found them to be good for getting crud from the base of the button. I have seen people recommend using obsidian oil, mineral oil, beeswax, to polish the stem. Look at the ingredients of Chapstick. It contains both mineral oil and beeswax. It is all I use on stems. Just my 2 cents' worth. Emory Boards,,,great for reshaping the button. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 10, 2018 21:02:15 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone. This is all really helpful. I like the chapstick idea a lot. That's right in my bailiwick - something made for one purpose that's a totally acceptable solution for another. I think I'll definitely go for a good alcohol scrubbing, emory boards, magic eraser, and Dremel buffing with the stem. The dowel with sandpaper works for me too - no need to buy an $18 single use reamer. Can't wait to get this thing so I can start "restoring" it. Maybe I found ANOTHER new hobby!
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Post by Matthew on Jun 10, 2018 22:09:55 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone. This is all really helpful. I like the chapstick idea a lot. That's right in my bailiwick - something made for one purpose that's a totally acceptable solution for another. I think I'll definitely go for a good alcohol scrubbing, emory boards, magic eraser, and Dremel buffing with the stem. The dowel with sandpaper works for me too - no need to buy an $18 single use reamer. Can't wait to get this thing so I can start "restoring" it. Maybe I found ANOTHER new hobby! Careful,go easy with it.Restoring estates can be addictive. The satisfaction of seeing an abused old Comoy's or Kaywoodie come back to life.The feel of 40 plus years of use being cleaned to a factory shine. Well Son,it's EVIL I say.Evil with a capitol E. (Can someone channel "The Music Man" for me) Honestly,I take more pleasure in cleaning an old pipe than I do in breaking it in. |
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 10, 2018 22:28:52 GMT -5
Matthew speaks the truth!
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 10, 2018 22:38:33 GMT -5
Matthew speaks the truth! I don't doubt it. I can already feel it growing on me, and I haven't even started yet... ESPECIALLY if I can get halfway decent stuff for $10 on eBay! |
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Post by Matthew on Jun 10, 2018 23:00:09 GMT -5
Matthew speaks the truth! Aw Shucks,,,I just read that on a milk carton.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2018 23:25:47 GMT -5
Enjoy your Estate Kaywoodie......you got a fabulous deal. Hope it’s a great smoker for you. I’ve yet to smoke a Kaywoodie that’s not at least a good smoker.......some are outstanding smokers!!! In the past I was lucky enough to win many outstanding Estate pipes from eBay, only one turned out to have a hairline crack in the shank. Which I was able to repair with a metal band. Turned out to be a decent smoker.
PS
In the past I was lucky enough to win 2 Aldo’s and 1 Joh’s pipe unsmoked for under $30.00! You can still find some great deals on eBay.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jun 11, 2018 5:54:56 GMT -5
Yea, I found it quite addictive too. I had to force myself to stop browsing ebay and concentrate on my TAD.
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 12, 2018 18:49:57 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2018 19:22:44 GMT -5
I use a fine mesh steel wool on the bit and then micro pads and olive oil, cheaper than obsidian and some believe it does just as good.Tastes better anyway. I use sand paper and a dowel to sand out the bowl,and I take back to the briar. Any cake in my pipes is my blends.Other than that I think the other things have been covered nicely. Great tip, Olive oil works well. I also use a mixture of bee’s wax ( food grade ) and mineral oil. After each smoke I keep a microfiber cloth nearby with some of my mixture I buff the briar and the stem. Takes only about a minute. Both the briar and the stem has a little shine and stops oxidation from forming on your vulcanite/ebonite stems. |
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sablebrush52
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jun 12, 2018 19:42:47 GMT -5
The above is generally right on. But, oxyclean or bleaches, stinger or not, isn't good in the long term. Those cleaners are oxidizers and starts the process anew, so oxidation will return sooner. I Just do the grunt method with sandpaper, then buff. Bleach, unless highly diluted, and even then, is a no-no. It pits vulcanite and you end up sanding away to get rid of the pits. So, what's the point? You pretty much have to sand away any oxidized vulcanite until you get to uncontaminated vulcanite. Otherwise, the stem will become oxidized all over again. I use micromesh pads and other controllable abrasives. Then I coat the cleaned and polished stem with either Halcyon or Paragon waxes, to reduce exposure of the vulcanite to oxygen. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 12, 2018 19:51:08 GMT -5
The above is generally right on. But, oxyclean or bleaches, stinger or not, isn't good in the long term. Those cleaners are oxidizers and starts the process anew, so oxidation will return sooner. I Just do the grunt method with sandpaper, then buff. Bleach, unless highly diluted, and even then, is a no-no. It pits vulcanite and you end up sanding away to get rid of the pits. So, what's the point? You pretty much have to sand away any oxidized vulcanite until you get to uncontaminated vulcanite. Otherwise, the stem will become oxidized all over again. I use micromesh pads and other controllable abrasives. Then I coat the cleaned and polished stem with either Halcyon or Paragon waxes, to reduce exposure of the vulcanite to oxygen. do you have a link to the micro mesh pads you use? |
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Post by beardedmi on Jun 12, 2018 20:29:29 GMT -5
Just a quick search on amazon gets you to a good selection. The top pick is good, but they do wear out and fill with gunk, the twin set is what I have.
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joeman
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Post by joeman on Jun 12, 2018 21:00:24 GMT -5
When used in the proper strength, diluted bleach or oxy-clean are a very viable step as part of a very carefully developed process for stem de-oxidation. Yep...I've seen it done wrong, and yep, bleach will eat your aluminum parts. However, I've done betweem 1,000 - 1,500 pipe stems including diluted bleach or oxy, and have passed the vast majority of these refurbished pipes onto some very finicky customers over a number of years, including several pipe show venues. It's true...deeply oxidized stems are going to surrender a paper thin layer of material one way or the other...whether by being mildly bleached away in a soaking process, or, by being sanded / wet-sanded away. You're going to give up some material, because it's oxidized and needs to be removed to lose the brown / chocolate tone. I am absolutely not prescribing oxy or bleach soaking for everyone, as it needs to be done very carefully, and it's not the only method...but it's an excellent one when done properly.
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 12, 2018 21:15:51 GMT -5
Bleach, unless highly diluted, and even then, is a no-no. It pits vulcanite and you end up sanding away to get rid of the pits. So, what's the point? You pretty much have to sand away any oxidized vulcanite until you get to uncontaminated vulcanite. Otherwise, the stem will become oxidized all over again. I use micromesh pads and other controllable abrasives. Then I coat the cleaned and polished stem with either Halcyon or Paragon waxes, to reduce exposure of the vulcanite to oxygen. do you have a link to the micro mesh pads you use? I bought these. They do the job. www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-SOFT-TOUCH-SANDING/dp/B000H6EC4C/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SX44Z8YG7REVKSB7D0ZJ |
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Post by Ronv69 on Jun 13, 2018 0:21:58 GMT -5
I have probably bought close to a hundred estate pipes from eBay. Each got at least a basic cleaning with Everclear. Some too 5 minutes, and some took a couple of days. There's no "right way to do it. Lots of different methods, to be applied as needed.
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Post by Matthew on Jun 13, 2018 8:45:38 GMT -5
As Ronv69 said,each pipe is different. Off Fleabay you have to judge each pipe as to what you want or expect it to look and smoke like.Whether you sand the whole pipe or just sanitize it.I've been working on a few pipes for a friend at work,these were his GrandFathers pipes.So my aim has been to sanitze and restore the bits to acceptable measure.The nicks in the rim and scratches on the strummel are the character of his Grandfather's journey. I clean the rims and remove the cake but I want him to "See" his Grandfather's hand each time he hold holds his pipe. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 14, 2018 17:40:56 GMT -5
Well, lucky me. I got my Kaywoodie Super Grain billiard in. It's not too bad. Lots of gunk cleaning, but looks great. Welp, I was cleaning the gunk from around the button, when POP! A piece flew off. Great. Looked up how to repair it on reborn pipes, and I guess I can fashion a new button. I seem to learn by mistakes, so I guess that's one down...
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 14, 2018 18:06:22 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2018 18:12:16 GMT -5
I bought a couple of Brewster pipes that were in pretty rough shape so I could learn how to repair stems. This is one of them.     Absolutely perfect, great job! |
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cgvt
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Post by cgvt on Jun 14, 2018 18:30:12 GMT -5
Thanks!
One word of advice on repairing the button:
Put a little patroleum jelly on the tape that you slide into the stem. It will ensure that no superglue sticks to it and make it easier to remove when the glue dries.
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jun 14, 2018 19:38:10 GMT -5
Here's the original:  Here's my first repair job, ever:    Not the worst! Not the best. BUT, I think I actually like it better. You know what? It's MY pipe now. I made it my own, by way of a novice accident. |
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