Coastie3202
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 124
- Reaction score
- 1
Brewdude recently turned the world upside down looking for a Peterson Spigot in the color that he craved. After months of searching he finally located one and acquired it only to find out when he got that the color was way too dark, no grain showed, and the bowl had that black coating that Peterson puts on some of it's pipes. He had seen the work I did on a couple Petes that belonged to a friend of mine and asked if I could do anything with his. I of course said yes as I love to work on pipes. I mean love it. So here is the Pete that he sent me.
" />
My first thought was that there must be a reason that a pipe maker would put such a dark color on a pipe. Usually that is to cover briar that is less than perfect, or with blah grain. So the first thing I did was remove the black coating from the bowl using an aluminum oxide Blue grinding stone, a Dremel, and a light touch. I then used micromesh pads inside the bowl to ensure a baby smooth finish. I was very careful to stay away from the daft hole.
" />
The next step was to remove the original finish, which had a layer of what appeared to be lacquer over it. It was like removing powder coat from metal. The real challenge to this was protecting the poor Peterson Spigot stamping, which was so shallow that it was in the stain/lacquer coat only, not even all they way to the briar. My first attempt was to remove the stain and lacquer from the area around the stamping, then try to blend the new finish into the existing color of the stamping.
" />
Nice idea, however when I put the new dye on the briar, using Fiebings Oxblood Leather Dye, the area of the stamping sat higher than the briar around it and the height difference left dark lines in the dye. At this point my frustration was through the roof.
" />
So I contacted Brewdude and we decided that since the stampings were also in the Sterling Silver band we would just remove the atrocious stamping. I completed resanded the pipe again, removing the stamping. To sand I used the following grits in progression: 220, 320, 400, 500, 1000, 1200. I then use a complete set of Micromesh sanding pads in the following grits: 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and finally 12000. The result is a baby smooth piece of briar.
" />
Next step was to wipe the pipe down with isopropol alcohol and a microfiber rag, let it dry completely, then application of the Fiebings leather dye. Once the dye was applied I wiped the pipe down with a clear cotton rag to remove the excess dye. I let the dye dry overnight then used the following Micromesh pad on the pipe again to take the color down to the desired color: 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000. This is the final result prior to the buffing process.
" />
The final step was a buff using Tripoli, White Diamond, then the application of 3 coats of Carnuba.
This pipe has some very nice straight grain and some beautiful birds eye. I still can't figure out why Peterson put such a dark finish on it. Here is the final outcome.
" />
" />
" />
" />
I would like to thank Brewdude for allowing me to work on his brand new Peterson. It took a leap of faith on his part, and made me very nervous working on it, but I think we are both happy with the results.
My first thought was that there must be a reason that a pipe maker would put such a dark color on a pipe. Usually that is to cover briar that is less than perfect, or with blah grain. So the first thing I did was remove the black coating from the bowl using an aluminum oxide Blue grinding stone, a Dremel, and a light touch. I then used micromesh pads inside the bowl to ensure a baby smooth finish. I was very careful to stay away from the daft hole.
The next step was to remove the original finish, which had a layer of what appeared to be lacquer over it. It was like removing powder coat from metal. The real challenge to this was protecting the poor Peterson Spigot stamping, which was so shallow that it was in the stain/lacquer coat only, not even all they way to the briar. My first attempt was to remove the stain and lacquer from the area around the stamping, then try to blend the new finish into the existing color of the stamping.
Nice idea, however when I put the new dye on the briar, using Fiebings Oxblood Leather Dye, the area of the stamping sat higher than the briar around it and the height difference left dark lines in the dye. At this point my frustration was through the roof.
So I contacted Brewdude and we decided that since the stampings were also in the Sterling Silver band we would just remove the atrocious stamping. I completed resanded the pipe again, removing the stamping. To sand I used the following grits in progression: 220, 320, 400, 500, 1000, 1200. I then use a complete set of Micromesh sanding pads in the following grits: 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and finally 12000. The result is a baby smooth piece of briar.
Next step was to wipe the pipe down with isopropol alcohol and a microfiber rag, let it dry completely, then application of the Fiebings leather dye. Once the dye was applied I wiped the pipe down with a clear cotton rag to remove the excess dye. I let the dye dry overnight then used the following Micromesh pad on the pipe again to take the color down to the desired color: 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000. This is the final result prior to the buffing process.
The final step was a buff using Tripoli, White Diamond, then the application of 3 coats of Carnuba.
This pipe has some very nice straight grain and some beautiful birds eye. I still can't figure out why Peterson put such a dark finish on it. Here is the final outcome.
I would like to thank Brewdude for allowing me to work on his brand new Peterson. It took a leap of faith on his part, and made me very nervous working on it, but I think we are both happy with the results.