Stem Restoration - No Sandpaper

[runscott]

I realize that sometimes sandpaper is necessary for stem restoration; however, I hardly ever have to use it. In fact, I rarely have to soak my stems anymore. This Mark Twain arrived today and is perfect for showing how to restore a stem using a Magic Eraser with alcohol.

The first picture shows that the part of the tenon that was in the mortise does not have oxidation, but the rest of the stem has fairly bad oxidation. I tore off a small piece of Magic Eraser and doused it with alcohol, then scrubbed the bit end of the stem with it.
The second picture shows the stem after my initial scrubbing of everything but the oxidized section of the tenon.
The third picture shows the stem after scrubbing the tenon and giving the rest of the stem a little more scrubbing. The very chewed up piece of Magic Eraser was what I used on the stem. The less damaged piece was used to scrub the bit details, and the oxidized section of the tenon.

The final picture shows a 1981 Peterson Mark Twain, restored back to 'unsmoked' condition

Kidding, but it did turn out great. After the Magic Eraser scrubbing, I polished the stem with 'Before & After' Fine polish, then with Extra Fine. (The silver band got Flitz, the stummel 'Before & After' Balm).

 

[mingc]

Nice job!

Magic Eraser is melanine -- a kind of plastic -- foam and just another kind of abrasive. I prefer Micro Mesh and Novus liquid polishes. To each their own.

 

[runscott]

Nice job!

Magic Eraser is melanine -- a kind of plastic -- foam and just another kind of abrasive. I prefer Micro Mesh and Novus liquid polishes. To each their own.

Thanks. I sometimes use micromesh progression pads as well, but the rougher of the pads actually sand off lettering, etc., whereas the Magic Eraser barely does, if at all but, yes, it is a form of abrasive. The ME works the oxidation out without taking off as much of the good vulcanite - agree or not, I've used every technique known and, based on the results of various techniques, this is what I believe.

The Magic Eraser is NOT a substitute for polishing with micromesh or other polishes - it's 'sometimes' an alternative to soaking or an alternative to sanding after soaking. I try it first, and if that particular stem doesn't give up its oxidation, I go to soaking with Oxiclean or the B&A oxidation removal product, then I try the Magic Eraser again.

After using the Magic Eraser, I always have to either use the B&A polish, or micromesh pads. And sometimes I have to use 600 grit after the ME or soaking. It is much easier to avoid removing sharp edges on a stem if you do not use sandpaper. There is zero danger of doing this with a Magic Eraser - that's based on doing over 400 or so stems using this method. I find it almost impossible to predict up front what methods are going to work for any particular stem. This one just happened to be a great example for what I was trying to show.

The bottom line is - we're taking off material no matter what solution we use. I'm just showing you a process you may not be familiar with.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Been a while since I've cleaned one up bit I just use a lighter and a wet paper towel to remove the oxidation and thumb buff with toothpaste to bring it back to a mirror shine. Really reduces material loss.

 

[runscott]

So you believe that 100% of estate pipe stems can be restored to that condition, using that technique?

You realize that you're inviting the 'sandpaper has to be used' guys to tell us we're full of ?

Edited to add a related thought: If the stem has dents, I always try the heat gun on it first, and often, a lighter. Sometimes the dents pop right out, as we all know. I have had a couple of rare instances where the heat gun actually 'melted' the oxidation to the point that I just wiped it off with a paper towel and went straight to wet polish - each time that's happened, it's been on a very very old vulcanite stem.

 

[Chasing Embers]

So you believe that 100% of estate pipe stems can be restored to that condition, using that technique?

Yes, I've posted many on here for several years.

Weber Shellbrooke Cleanup :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance

@sablebrush52 @jpmcwjr @BROBS @diamondback @vates @AlabamaDan @ron123 @whsergent @Ctbill A neighbor brought me a pipe from her junk drawer recently and told me it was a gift for being a good friend. Looking it over I decided though fairly rough looking, not an impossible restore. What I...

pipesmagazine.com

About That 9004 From My Wife :: Pipe Talk

Last week, I mentioned my wife getting me an old Savinelli 9004 as an early Father's Day gift. Original Thread When it arrived, the stem was heavily oxidized, and more oxidation than I had previously dealt with. To avoid much material loss, I opted to restore the stem without using sandpaper...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[runscott]

Yes, I've posted many on here for several years.

Weber Shellbrooke Cleanup :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance

@sablebrush52 @jpmcwjr @BROBS @diamondback @vates @AlabamaDan @ron123 @whsergent @Ctbill A neighbor brought me a pipe from her junk drawer recently and told me it was a gift for being a good friend. Looking it over I decided though fairly rough looking, not an impossible restore. What I...

pipesmagazine.com

About That 9004 From My Wife :: Pipe Talk

Last week, I mentioned my wife getting me an old Savinelli 9004 as an early Father's Day gift. Original Thread When it arrived, the stem was heavily oxidized, and more oxidation than I had previously dealt with. To avoid much material loss, I opted to restore the stem without using sandpaper...

pipesmagazine.com

I must be doing it wrong.

When I've posted my Magic Eraser stem restorations, every single time there's been at least one person who said "impossible - you HAVE to use sandpaper." Have you encountered such responses?

The next time I have a stem similar to the one you posted, I'm going to try your technique and post results. I'll count on you to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Thanks in advance

 

[Chasing Embers]

Have you encountered such responses?

A few times but a couple of members have done so with equal success.

Magic Erasers and Flitz polish do work wonders though.

you posted, I'm going to try your technique and post results.

Here's a little informative reading.

A BIC lighter and Oxidation

Blog by Rob Hardy and Steve Laug Thanks to a serendipitous discovery by a friend of mine, Rob Hardy (incoinnu on Smokers Forums), who also does refurbishing as a hobby we have worked out a very dif…

rebornpipes.com

 

[sablebrush52]

There are many ways to get a good result cleaning up a stem. The point of using something like micromesh is to remove a significant amount of oxidation on an old stem. I'm referring to the oranging or yellowing of Vulcanite, not deposits of mouth crud, which is often referred to as oxidation. Actual oxidation of the Vulcanite itself does need to be removed or it will continue to affect adjacent material and I find micromesh pads to be an effective method that results in a mirror like finish. But with severely oxidized stems it's better to have a replacement made.

For polishing silver my go to is either a jewelers cloth, or Simichrome Polish, which, according to the reports I read on it, doesn't remove metal, nor is it toxic. I've also used it on stems that are a little dull but otherwise in good shape and it's done a great job of polishing up the Vulcanite. Then I apply a thin coating of wax to act as an oxygen barrier. This does a pretty good job:

 

[runscott]

There are many ways to get a good result cleaning up a stem. The point of using something like micromesh is to remove a significant amount of oxidation on an old stem.

Really, you start with micromesh to remove oxidation?

The micromesh pads I'm talking about are considered to be 'polishing pads', as they start off at a fairly fine grit of 1500. I normally skip the first few coarse ones and pick one to start that is more appropriate for what the stem looks like after I've soaked it or used the Magic Eraser.

Each person who restores stems has their own way of doing it. They all seem to work. I started looking into alternatives when I received a $400 pipe that had the edges of the shank/stem connection sanded off. I found a solution that worked for me. Thought I'd share it. Sending out oxidized pipe stems to have new stems made has never been a solution I've chosen.

 

[kcghost]

Sometimes you just have to do it your way.

 

[sablebrush52]

Really, you start with micromesh to remove oxidation?

The micromesh pads I'm talking about are considered to be 'polishing pads', as they start off at a fairly fine grit of 1500. I normally skip the first few coarse ones and pick one to start that is more appropriate for what the stem looks like after I've soaked it or used the Magic Eraser.

Each person who restores stems has their own way of doing it. They all seem to work. I started looking into alternatives when I received a $400 pipe that had the edges of the shank/stem connection sanded off. I found a solution that worked for me. Thought I'd share it. Sending out oxidized pipe stems to have new stems made has never been a solution I've chosen.

Of course. Start with the coarse grades, which do the cutting, and work your way up through the fine grades, under running water. Cuts out the bad stuff and finishes with a mirror finish.
But if the oxidation goes deep the stem should be replaced.

 

[runscott]

Of course. Start with the coarse grades, which do the cutting, and work your way up through the fine grades, under running water. Cuts out the bad stuff and finishes with a mirror finish.
But if the oxidation goes deep the stem should be replaced.

So if a coarse micromesh pad won't remove the oxidation, it's too deep and we have to throw out the stem and get on George's wait-list. I've already been told basically the same thing on this forum before but it's good to hear it spelled out.

Talking with pipe-makers (good ones), the consensus opinion is that for the stems that you and others would toss, the reason most people would toss them is because the work involved just isn't financially justifiable. I'm retired and consider my labor to be free, so I enjoy bringing the original stem back to life. I have been smoking restored pipes with stems that were originally green and horrribly-oxidized, for years, and they look as good, sometimes better, than pipes that I bought new at the same time.

But...it really doesn't matter. I came here to share some information, not to sell people new stems

 

[woodsroad]

Before you give up on a deeply oxidized stem, try re-dying it in Fiebing's black Pro Dye.

 

[sablebrush52]

So if a coarse micromesh pad won't remove the oxidation, it's too deep and we have to throw out the stem and get on George's wait-list. I've already been told basically the same thing on this forum before but it's good to hear it spelled out.

Talking with pipe-makers (good ones), the consensus opinion is that for the stems that you and others would toss, the reason most people would toss them is because the work involved just isn't financially justifiable. I'm retired and consider my labor to be free, so I enjoy bringing the original stem back to life. I have been smoking restored pipes with stems that were originally green and horrribly-oxidized, for years, and they look as good, sometimes better, than pipes that I bought new at the same time.

But...it really doesn't matter. I came here to share some information, not to sell people new stems

Your pipe makers are making assumptions that may or may not be correct. You can sand away until the diseased material is removed, and find yourself with a stem that looks quite visibly too skinny for the shank, depending on how deep the oxidation goes. Vulcanite oxidation is not always merely a surface condition. It sometimes burrows really deeply into the material especially when exposed to long periods of sunlight by some idiot. If proportions don't matter, then rock on and enjoy your shiny black clearly not lining up malnutritioned stem. Or you can replace it.
When I'm cleaning up an old pipe I'm not on the clock. It takes what it takes, whether it's hours or days. I'm not doing it for profit but for pleasure. I also want my pipes to look correct and be structurally sound, so yeah, if the stem loses significant circumference then chuck it if it matters, or not if it doesn't. THAT is the reason I'd have for replacing a stem.
As for the cutting power of Micromesh pads, the coarsest grades do a good job, and then I move through the cutting grades to the polishing grades. It's worked for me for years, less destructive than a buffer in the hands of most of the clods who use them.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I also use a bic to light my pipes. Here is a before shot:



Here is an after, to be fair I lost the pipe in the woods for one lunar cycle:

 

[AroEnglish]

I also use a bic to light my pipes. Here is a before shot:

View attachment 296212

Here is an after, to be fair I lost the pipe in the woods for one lunar cycle:

View attachment 296213

I don’t know if I’ll follow your method going by these before and after shots

 

[orlandofurioso]

Last year my father deceased. He was 94 and suffered from copd. And an ocd, but that is an entirely different story. Because of his disease he used a respirator on a daily basis.
After his demise I found a bag full of respirator air filters in a cupboard . Imagine 1,5 size a cotton pad and then much, much stronger; they're woven through ( If this makes sense ) . I now use ( and reuse ) them with unscented CIF cream to clean the stems. Apply dry for the initial cleaning , then moistened for polishing. Minimal loss of material and very little scratching. Works like a charm.
I wash them, they are ireusable many times. Savvy,not ?

 

[sablebrush52]

Last year my father deceased. He was 94 and suffered from copd. And an ocd, but that is an entirely different story. Because of his disease he used a respirator on a daily basis.
After his demise I found a bag full of respirator air filters in a cupboard . Imagine 1,5 size a cotton pad and then much, much stronger; they're woven through ( If this makes sense ) . I now use ( and reuse ) them with unscented CIF cream to clean the stems. Apply dry for the initial cleaning , then moistened for polishing. Minimal loss of material and very little scratching. Works like a charm.
I wash them, they are ireusable many times. Savvy,not ?

What is CIF cream?

 

[orlandofurioso]

What is CIF cream?