QUESTION FROM A MARINE

[leatherneck]

recentley i have been cleaning some pipe stems on some of my older pipes. some of the stems have a greenish hue to them which causes me to believe that this is mainley an oxidation. have some of you BROTHERS in your experiences used a buffing wheel to gain that shinney look to an older pipe. if so, do i need a certain buffing speed as to not "burn" the stem , and what grade of rue should i use. as ALWAYS, thank you for your time and considersation on this matter.

 

[puros_bran]

You might get more responses by changing your title to "questions about stem polishing"

 

[i.keenum]

Then you'd have to banish it to the Rubber Room.

 

[tech2576]

Note to self: Avoid stem polishing thread in the Rubber Room.

I can't be much help but do not use a grinder with a polishing wheel. The speed is way to fast for most do it yourselfers.
Just something I read some where. :lol:

I am sure someone who know way more than I do will be here shortly.

Which is most anyone but me. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Your best bet is to start with probably 600-grit wet/dry emory paper used gently (and wet). When it's black again, 1,200 grit (wet) and, if you want, micromesh from there.

http://www.sculpt.com/catalog_98/abrasives/micromesh.htm

:face:

 

[KevinM]

Well, you can use a buffer. Or --

Use some fine sand paper (wet or dry) to take off visible surface oxidation. This will give you a dull, scratched (but not so oxidized) finish. Then you can apply Brebbia or Dunhill stam polish. (In fact, if the oxidation is light, just start with the stem polish.

Then take a slight dab of good ol' mineral oil (an anti-oxidant) and apply it evenly to the stem. Let it sit for an hour or so. Wipe off any residue.

Then take a tube of lip balm with sun shield, put some on your finger- and thumb-tip and apply to the bit section of the stem. Just let it sit.

A shortcut is to just apply the mineral oil, and just a dab will do ya.

Experiment a bit. You can't irrevocably screw it up.

 

[bosun1]

I use a motor with an RPM of 1725 with a six inch wheel mounted on it, I start off with 'white diamond' polishing compound then a coat of carnauba wax applied with a different wheel and then finally buffed with a 'loose flannel' buffing wheel.
Alternatively, a soak in oxi-clean followed by a sanding with wet or dry sandpaper (1500 grit). This will get it pretty close. If you want it shinier then finish with cheap toothpaste. Or you can skip the oxi-clean and start with the sandpaper..just takes a little more elbow grease!

 

[MisterE]

Then you'd have to banish it to the Rubber Room.

You laugh, but a few years back stem polishing led to one of the worst blowups ever on the board. :roll:

 

[Rob_In_MO]

First of all, Thank You for your service, Brother!

Ironically, a 'Mr. Clean Magic Eraser' works well. It takes off much of the Oxidation without a lot of effort.

Afterwords, rub a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over the stem and let it sit for an hour or two. Wipe the EVOO off and your good to go for a while. As a bonus, the stem tastes good too. :lol:

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Then you'd have to banish it to the Rubber Room.

You laugh, but a few years back stem polishing led to one of the worst blowups ever on the board. :roll:

Yeah, and the big 'Olive Oil' controversy a year or two back was quite a mess too.

 

[monbla256]

Then you'd have to banish it to the Rubber Room.

You laugh, but a few years back stem polishing led to one of the worst blowups ever on the board. :roll:

Yeah, and the big 'Olive Oil' controversy a year or two back was quite a mess too.

And I'm sure the ONLY Olive Oil to use would be cold pressed Italian Extra Virgin? :twisted:

 

[MisterE]

Then you'd have to banish it to the Rubber Room.

You laugh, but a few years back stem polishing led to one of the worst blowups ever on the board. :roll:

Yeah, and the big 'Olive Oil' controversy a year or two back was quite a mess too.

And I'm sure the ONLY Olive Oil to use would be cold pressed Italian Extra Virgin? :twisted:

The olive oil thread was the one I was thinking of...

 

[Mikem]

I have also used toothpaste to clean an oxidized vulcanite stem. I've wiped it down with the toothpaste, let set for a little while. Wipe off and then buff out using the white ruge (could be spelling it wrong). Your mileage may vary.

 

[serif365]

I use a little ChapStick on my finger, rub it over the stem and then wipe the excess off with a cloth. This works well for shining up a smooth briar bowl as well. It may not be any better than mineral oil but it likely would not evaporate as quickly. Also, ChapStick contains carnauba wax, the same material that is used to shine new pipe bowls.

 

[Anonymous]

Cut this short now.

You can either try to disguise deteriorated vulcanite, or remove it. Removing it is far better. That means abrasives.

Patent pipe polishes depend mostly on skin oil/grease to blacken lighter colored (somewhat deteriorated) stems/mouthpieces. Properly used (as home remedies) they are the final stage in the abrasive removal sequence -- not a substitute for it. You can do about the same thing with nose oil.

:roll:

Olive oil never dries completely. It, like any oil, darkens the surface under it. And it may, or may not, offer some kind of protection.

One thing it does do though is go rancid.

There are stem oils made ("Obsidian" is one that comes to mind) that do protect stems against oxygen & moisture (the culprits involved).

FWIW

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Obsidian Oil also has a UV blocker in it, I reckon.

Chapstick works: UV protection. Enough waxes/oils to give a shine. Good for your lips. It won't solve a deteriorated stem, but will definitely slow the process down by a lot.

The manager of Tinder Box recently gave me a generous portion of their "pipe rouge" buffing compound that they use to bring customer pipes back to their glory...it's for the stems. I haven't used it yet, but I'm hoping it'll be a fast solution to the time-consuming sanding/polishing process I go through by hand right now. I green up a stem at the button where I clench in a matter of a week these days, and it looks terrible. I think that's why I take my cobs out so often, the stems may be a little bitten, but they ain't green. :lol:

8)

 

[Harlock999]

Is it possible that only a Marine could have answered this question? 8)

 

[Kyle Weiss]

We have a few here...Marines seem to have a language all their own. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Lucite. 8)

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

At this point, yeah. I like vulcanite okay, but this recent presto-smoke-o-change-o in color at the bit, if it keeps up, is going to narrow down my pipe stem choices in the future. :| Fortunately it's just a gross look, and I usually smoke alone. Meh.

8)