Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my ......Pipe

[smoker13]

Had an after-lunch Orlik Golden Slice pipe smoke awhile ago in one of my Mastro de Paja pipes. Now don't get me wrong. I've got some pipes from this maker I LOVE. But this one...eh, it's OK. A Classico Billiard. Rusticated. It's what you'd call a hundred buck pipe. Smokes great. I think the thing I never can get over is the fact that the stem doesn't meet the tenon ini a smooth line, but rather there's a bulb there and then it tapers down to the mouthpiece. A design thing that leaves me cold.

ANYWAY, the reason I'm posting is, it was raining cats and dogs, but that didn't stop me. I put on my Barbour Beaufort I've had since the 80's, my Filson packer hat I've had just as long and stood kinda under the shed eaves.

Well, some rain drops ended up hitting the rim, I mean ALL over the rim. Now, whenever I finish a pipe, before I put it away I polish it up quick with a Dunhill silicon cloth, the stem and the bowl, the rim included. All my old pipes the rims are scorched to hell but now I try to keep the rims as intact as possible.

Well, trouble is, even after a good "polishing" with the silicone cloth there's still ghost images of the circles of raindrops....dull-like, so the rim's wood never got back its shine.

Good thing it's not a pipe I really care about, but still, it got my interest going. Do any of you use a wax or something to polish your pipe bowls with? Beeswax? Carnauba? Bowling Alley wax?

Inquiring minds want to know. Well, at least one does.........

 

[ontariopiper]

Wax is very commonly used to keep the finish up on pipes. If you've got a buffer, Carnauba is the way to go as it's hard and durable. Many use Halcyon, which can be hand-buffed. My local B&M had-buffs with beeswax when they sell a new pipe, but it won't last as long. Smells nice though!

 

[juanmedusa]

You just need a Caminetto with an umbrella!

https://www.brothersofbriar.com/t30744-my-italian-honeymoon-pipe-tour-crazy-picture-heavy

4th pic down. I've been waiting almost two years for someone to mention rain getting in their pipe! So forgive me.

 

[desertpiper]

If I'm smoking in the rain I usually smoke an old straight pipe and smoke it upside down. I saw a picture of a fisherman doing that once and tried it. Works surprisingly well. Sorry for jacking your post. Did you try the saliva and napkin trick?

 

[smoker13]

Juan, that's a helluva pipe! I guess it's the only real solution, eh? Actually, In the snowstorm today I decided to just smoke a cob. Perfect!

Piper, when I was a lad in the 60's there was an old gent who used to always walk around town in the rain smoking his pipe upside down. Seemed to work fine for him. But to me, that would just compound the problem, because more of the briar surface would get splattered!

 

[RDPipes]

I've always done this trick to keep my pipes dry,................................Don't smoke in the rain!

And as someone else mentioned, a bit of spit on a Q-tip in lieu of a cloth works well also.
Just rub the affect area keeping it wet and it'll come off followed by a brisk buff with a soft cotton cloth.
But, ya gotta use spit/saliva cause water doesn't really cut it that well.

 

[desertpiper]

Juan, that's a helluva pipe! I guess it's the only real solution, eh? Actually, In the snowstorm today I decided to just smoke a cob.  Perfect!

Piper, when I was a lad in the 60's  there was an old gent who used to always walk around town in the rain smoking his pipe upside down.  Seemed to work fine for him.  But to me, that would just compound the problem, because more of the briar surface would get splattered!

That's why I use an old pipe that I'm not concerned about.