How to remove oxidization?

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

The Libriarian

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Hello, after about two smokers on my estate pipe i really started to notice some brown residue surfacing on the stem. I was able to scratch some of it off using a paper towel and saliva but did not remove much. The stem is acrylic. What is the best way to get all the residue off? send it to a pipe repair shop? do it myself? if the best way is to just remove it myself then what do i need and how do i go about doing it and is there any damage that will be done to the pipe while removing the oxidization? Thanks if you answer!
 
Acrylic usually doesn't oxidize.
If it's vulcanite, I think some guys use those magic erase sponges.
Maybe with toothpaste?
To keep them shiny, obsidian brand stem polish.
 
thanks for the quick responses. Im pretty sure mine is made of acrylic. Since it is an estate pipe I had to go with the info provided by the previous owner and I cant find the pipe I got anywhere.
 
I've had discoloration on a few stems I thought were acrylic, and used my accustomed method for removing vulcanite discoloration --

1) Use fine grit sandpaper -- used wet works best for me -- to remove the oxi. This will take you down to a scratched, matte grey finish. 2) Dip just the tip of a finger into mineral oil. Spread the MO evenly over the mouthpiece. Let it sit for half an hour. then with your fingers rub any excess into the stem. Repeat if necessary. Then just put the stem aside overnight. 3) Next day, wax with Brebbia, Dunhill, carnuba, lip balm . . . 4) Before putting the pipe back on the rack, rub lip balm between thumb and forefinger and apply to the last half inch of the stem to prevent future discoloration at this point.

This method will not give the better-than-new result that some consider important. OTOH it won't take off stampings or require hardware purchases.
 
It has happened to me more than a couple of times that I bought pipes with what I (and the retailer) thought were acrylic stems only to discover six months later that they were vulcanite. There must be a wide variance in quality in vulcanized rubber with some feeling on the teeth as hard as acrylic and as shiny.

Anyone else find this?
 
KevinM":cmkdklns said:
... This method will not give the better-than-new result that some consider important.
Click to expand...
A small bench polisher (one with tapered spindles taking 4" wheels) is the best investment I have ever made. One can get a decent machine, a half-dozen wheels, buffing compounds (emory, red tripoli, white rouge), and a cake of carnuba for under $100. Keeps stems and pipes clean and beautiful.
 
twist the stem in the mortise a few times pull it out and smell it if it is vulcanite you will smell the sulphur
 
There must be a wide variance in quality in vulcanized rubber with some feeling on the teeth as hard as acrylic and as shiny.

Anyone else find this?
Click to expand...
Yes. A Peterson 150 Kildare here had a stem like that.

:face:
 
Aristokles":rr1f6n0h said:
It has happened to me more than a couple of times that I bought pipes with what I (and the retailer) thought were acrylic stems only to discover six months later that they were vulcanite. There must be a wide variance in quality in vulcanized rubber with some feeling on the teeth as hard as acrylic and as shiny.

Anyone else find this?
Click to expand...

I'm not a chemist by any means, but I've read on sites of moderate- to high-end pipes that they use vulcanite that's been boiled longer to remove excess sulfur, so there's less to oxidize in the finished product. Well, it sounds plausible. I have a couple of Trypis pipes that had their "acrylic" mouthpieces get green down toward the shank, because I avoided the stamping while polishing them. They're easy to clean up, though. Of my older pipes (40+ years) with vulcanite, the Charatans and Mountbattens clean up readily using my low-overhead method described above. But a couple of no-names put up quite a fight and revert to green as quick as Dracula at dawn. There's also a wide difference in tolerance for green stems on good smokers among pipers ;)
 
A quality acrylic re-stem for smoking purposes isn't cheap, but it solves the problem wonderfully. I started swinging that way in 2007 and haven't looked back since.

In fact, Ocelot88's doing me a special favor new stem for a vintage Comoy Grand Slam (Canadian Patent Number) billiard as we speak. His, like LL's, will cost a lot more than the pipe itself did as a crusted-over attic wreck on Flea Bay nobody else ventured to take a chance on (back before pipes became the new cigars, & the Old Comoy appreciation buzz got as loud as it is now). But going by past experience, the quality of the outcome will be off the charts. Mellow old Britwood has its devotees for a reason that doesn't hinge entirely on nosthalgia, and the low total investment makes it a no-brainer in comparison to current new pipes whose best years are ahead of them, IMO.

:face:
 
Thanks folks. All that makes sense. I have a Peterson Shannon XL02 that greens up as soon as I take it out of the cabinet (although I could swear it taints itself in the dark as well) seemingly instantly. Peeves me to no end and so I smoke it rarely.
And, yes, I've become rather neurotic about the green yuck lately, ever since finding the Magic Eraser thing.
 
So getting a magic eraser really works with getting rid of that crap on my pipe. Ive seen that mentioned in a few posts of stem repair.
 
Top