Pipe waxing?

Foiled Again Joined : 10 Dec 2007 Posts : 181

Back to the wax,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you just want to bring the stem (and pipe) back to a showroom shine, the Halcyon does a fine job and it's very easy to use. I use Halcyon on stems, smooth wood surfaces and most blast finishes. I find it a bit difficult to rub out on a deeper blast or a bark finish. If you don't rub it all out, it looks a little bit too waxy when you're done, if that makes any sense. It does seem to have a cumulative effect too. In other words, after you have applied it several times, it seems to last longer with each application. Last but not least, a little dab will do ya'. A small jar should last you a very long time. In that light, it's dirt cheap.

Their other product is called Paragon wax and it is suppost to be superior for smooth surfaces. I guess Halcyon is for rough, Paragon is for smooth. I would be careful with either on a bark finish.

Subject: Pipe waxing ? Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:36 pm

Would it be possible to seal a vulcanite stem to prevent further oxidation? I realize there may be problems with sealing the air channel, but perhaps something on the outside of the stem could help keep a shine?

I have long thought that there must be something out there that would accomplish this safely. But asking yields no ideas.

You would want the inside sealed especially, since the degredation in there is tainting the taste of the smoke.

My solution is Lucite replacement stems.

What a Face

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Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:39 pm

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:45 am

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:25 pm

WOW! Great info. here guys! Thanks a bunch!

Davey,

Let me know when you get the 12,000 sandpaper. Send me some pics. I'm glad the little scratch came out.

Hopefully I can shine my new (for me) Charatan when it comes like the one in the picture on the other thraed.

cheers

Lucky
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Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:46 pm

LuckyD,

send me your pipe and I will finish refurb it for you if you like...then smoke it first!

Joined : 18 Dec 2007 Posts : 116 Location : West Allis, WI

Halcyon, Paragon and some of the other microcrystaline waxes are great for stems, since they do reduce oxidation caused by light, air and moisture, but I would not use them on a briar pipe.

The attributes sound good. They are harder than Carnuba( although in pure form Carnuba is actually harder than concrete). They have a higher melting point than Carnuba and their biggest draw is they are easy to apply and will give an acceptable finish without power buffing.

Almost all of these microcrystalline waxes use Carnuba as a base but also incorporate varying amounts of synthetic polymers, silicones and even mineral spirits in the formulation. Unfortunately many of these waxes are advertised and sold as Pure Carnuba Wax

Over time, these additives will cloud and eventually occlude, closing up and blocking the pores of the briar and restricting the pipes ability to breathe.

I realize it is difficult to resist the ease of use factor, but in the long run, I believe you will be glad you did.

Mike

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:50 am

Just thought I would keep you updated.

Well, here's how it went:

First, I try reconditioning my stem on my "junker" pipe. It was a bit green and had little shine. So, I used my Dremel with a buffing pad with some rubbing compound. That took the green off and a dull luster was added. Next, I used a polishing compound with the Dremel and that made a real nice shine appear. I then added some olive oil to the stem with the dremel and it turned out GREAT! cheers

Next was the bowl. The top was uneven and badly burned ( not from me of course). So I took my orbital sander to just the rim of it with 120 grit. Then, 250 grit. After that I used my dremel with the rubbing and polishing compound. At the end I held the dremel a little too long in one spot and REburned the rim. So back to the sand paper to start over. When I used the compounds next I used a lot of water so the buffing pad wold not dry a out and burn the wood again. After it was all said and done. The rim of the bowl looks a lot better and the stems look almost new. But bowl itself still has a dullness to it.

So what should I use on the bowl now?

Thanks guys.
_________________
“A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's”

-Jean Paul Richter

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:53 am

Joined : 11 Dec 2007 Posts : 49

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:55 pm

OK,

So a lot of good info here, but real confusing for one major reason.

I notice that Petes especially Killarney finishes have a real hard finish, like a laquer which I cannot see how that breathes AT ALL.
These pipes are supposed to smoke real well however.

Are we to be staying clear of these types of pipes with these kinds of finishes?

I have just started rubbing down my pipes and stems with olive oil for a bit of sheen. Should I dicontinue this on the bowls?

Italian Stallion Joined : 09 Dec 2007 Posts : 2102

I had a collection of pipes, ten, fro the sixies and seventies that sat in their rack until I resumed pipe smoking four years ago. That's thirty + - years of stem oxidation. They were hideous; pea soup green/brown. Tasted awful.

I restored them as follows. Remove stem and scrub it with five O steel wool. Nothing more, nothing less. No polishing compound or anything. You can see the oxidation build up on the steel wool. Keep "fresh" s/w in contact at all times. About a half hour per stem removed ALL of the discoloration. A s/w'd stem then returns to black, but dull black. Next step was to use Savinelli stem polish, any will do. The trick is to rub the polish in using a thumb and index finger, not a rag. About another half hours worth of work. Tedious but very very effective. Stems were restored to new status. I gave eight away and kept two. All were vulcanite.

Now, I just ocassionaly use stem polish, again, thumb and index finger.

I have heard that a buffer is necessary to put stems "back" and keep them there. My experience is that you can put a glass like shine on a stem BY HAND.

Save the money and spend it on tobacco.

For bowls, a halcyon shine up every now and then as needed, Also applied with bare fingers and rubbed in well.

tj,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,capo de tutti capi

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:50 pm

Joined : 18 Dec 2007 Posts : 116 Location : West Allis, WI

Mike M,

Use that Paragon like you would use Renaissance wax on some of your smaller woodworking projects. It is basically the same thing with a minor reformulation.

Jack,

There is no need to apologize, you are not being argumentative. Discussions like this afford everyone an opportunity to ask questions and hopefully the impetus to reasearch the facts themselves.

When addressed, the research that I have conducted specifically states that natural pure Carnuba wax "is breathable", "does breathe"

The same research concludes that the microcrystaline synthetics and blends do occlude.

The chemistry is complex and involved, and the effects of oxidation, hydrolysis, saponification and others add or subtract to the breathability of these waxes over time.

It may be important to realize that the original Renaissance wax was developed with it's major purpose being the preservation of antique museum quality woodwork.

I have experimented with these microcrystalline waxes.
Several years ago, when TSW first came out, it was touted as being the best wax of it's kind available. (At $18/oz. I guess I would say that too.)
Actually is was very good for most woodworking projects, so I did experiment with it's application on several pipes.

I applied it very lightly on a roughly once a month schedule, and buffed it as I do Carnuba.

After about two years I thought I could detect a slight deterioration in the smoking qualities of these pipes, possibly because I expected to. What influenced me was a noticable increase in the exterior temperature of the bowl. I dropped the experiment after that, since one of the most pleasurable aspects of pipe smoking is the feel of the briar in my hand.

This is getting long winded so I will end this here, but if anyone in interested in more, my mainspring is only half unwound. bounce

Mike

Subject: Re: Pipe waxing? Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:08 am

geat stuff guys, but does anyone have thoughts on my question regarding the Petes and their finish vs breathablilty?