Page 1 of 1

Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:25 pm
by matt.locascio
Hello all!

I've just recently finished up this Dublin/Freehand pipe and I ran into a little problem. While I was polishing the pipe with tripoli, some of the stain became removed around the edges of the top of the bowl (sorry I couldn't get a good picture of it!). I used Fiebings Leather Dye, and I let it dry overnight before polishing. Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid removing stain off of the edges like that or is it just a matter of being careful?

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:21 pm
by NathanA
Being careful when buffing. Its a tough one and definitely takes some practice.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:34 pm
by sandahlpipe
I stopped using tripoli on the stummel for finishing. I sand to a high grit and go right to white diamond and wax. Tripoli can be used, though, as long as you use light pressure against the wheel. Too much pressure and you'll get light edges like this.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:54 am
by caskwith
Be careful. If you have removed stain from edges, dip a cotton bud (q-tip as you foreigners call them) into the stain you used originally, wipe off the excess so it is almost dry and then carefully run it over the edges you buffed. Follow this with a soft cloth and then wax as normal. This is normally enough to fix things or at least make it a lot less noticeable.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:35 am
by taharris
And for some reason the red colors seem to be the most susceptible to this.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:49 pm
by PremalChheda
Do the paper towel test. Rub the pipe vigorously with a white paper towel. If any color shows on your towel, you did not set the stain in fully, and it will end up on the smoker's hand when lit up.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:39 pm
by matt.locascio
Thanks for the tips! I figured I should probably work on my technique by not using as much pressure and with the way the pipe is angled when polishing. Do you all have any suggestions on the rpms that should be used when polishing with white diamond/carnauba?

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:50 am
by Sasquatch
Depends on wheel size etc, and the big thing is never presenting the edge to the oncoming face of the wheel - you want that to be the last thing the wheel touches, and gently at that. 750-1000 rpm is probably pretty good with 6 to 8" wheels.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:11 am
by Rbraniganpipes
I have had trouble with Oxblood stain not setting on a pipe I did. I don't know if it is just the red color that it seems to happen to me on. Can anyone elaborate on how to better set the stain? I am using Fiebings leather dye, and lighting the pipe on fire to set the stain as quickly as possible. Should I dilute the stain with denatured alcohol, and if so, to what ratio?

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:22 am
by sandahlpipe
How are you preparing your pipe for stain? What grit? And what exactly do you mean by the stain not setting? Do you mean it comes off with rubbing?

The foundation of good staining is to have an evenly-sanded surface and to remove dust beforehand so the pores aren't clogged. Setting it afire doesn't actually do anything except burn up the alcohol on the surface and remove any excess stain. Letting the stain sit and soak in and wiping off the excess a few minutes later will have the same effect. Make sure you're letting the stain soak in all the way.

Don't know if that helps or not. Maybe a picture of your pipe will help.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:29 am
by Rbraniganpipes
I have been sanding my pipes down to 600 grit prior to staining. I used to sand them down to 1500 grit prior to sanding, and may go back to that. After sanding, I used pure Fiebings dye, not diluted at all. I would stain it and then light it on fire. I would then wipe off the excess stain, and then let it sit to dry for a day or two. Sometimes i would find that this wasn't even long enough for all of the stain to dry.

By not setting, I mean that the dye would rub off on my hands even after letting the pipe sit for a day or two, or even 3 days sometimes.

With the oxblood, i let the pipe dry for about a week, then went on to finish it out. When i smoked it, for about the first week that i smoked it, the dye came out on my hands.

Any suggestions on how to change the process would be appreciated!

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:43 am
by sandahlpipe
Ok. The stain rubbing off makes sense. You can wipe it off with water or denatured alcohol and a paper towel.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:58 am
by Rbraniganpipes
So what am I doing wrong? Is it not diluting the stain? Not letting the pipe dry long enough?

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 12:04 pm
by sandahlpipe
You're not doing anything wrong. You just need to wipe off the excess stain before you buff. Otherwise the heat of the pipe will make the stain come off. You can mess around with diluting and mixing colors, but you've still got to make sure there isn't any excess stain when you apply your finish.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:57 pm
by caskwith
Red always seems to be pain for buffing off.

Re: Finishing without removing stain

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:12 pm
by pipedreamer
I always use a very light cut of shellac to set the stain and never hit the edge with the buffer. Works with 6 and 10 inch wheels.My cut is a pinch of flakes to a cup of DNA. stain doesn't come off and it helps the shine.Then white and carnuba.