Question About Staining Rusticated Pipes

[ScoJo]

Okay, so I started working on my third briar pipe. Actually, technically this is the 4th pipe, but what was to be the third pipe died tragically when I cracked the shank in half trying to get out a tenon that busted off in there, but...

Anyway, this will be my first rusticated pipe. The second pipe was ugly enough that it should have been rusticated, but I didn't know how to do it.

At any rate, I made a rusticating tool like the one Tyler has pictures of here on the site, and I tested it on a scrap piece of briar - not bad!

Originally I wanted to stain this and buff it out so that a darker color (i.e. dark brown or black) remained in the deeper parts of the pipe, and a lighter color (reddish or tan) became exposed on the higher "bumps". Am I explaining this well or not??

Anyway, I tried a tan stain on the scrap and then black on top. I then proceeded to buff the hell out of the scrap to get the tan to start appearing. After going through a lot of compound (red tripoli), basically I managed to get a lot of black on my wheel, but the scrap still looks primarily black. Also, buffing so hard removed more of the texture of the rustication than I wanted to.

Do any of you do something similar to what I am describing (or trying to describe, anyway)? How do you accomplish it?

Thanks,
Scott

[bscofield]

I do black, then sand lightly, then do the brown.

[Nick]

I've also heard of makers taking an alcohol soaked cloth and blotting the pipe a bit. Never tried it, bit it might be worth a try.

[RadDavis]

Hi Scott,

Try staining a rusticated pipe with a dark stain like deep red mahagony.

When you buff, the stain down in the deep parts will stay almost black, while the the stain on the high parts will buff out a nice redish highlight.

I don't think trying a contrast stain will work on a rusticated pipe.

Hope this helps,

Rad

[marks]

I don't think trying a contrast stain will work on a rusticated pipe.

Actually, it can work if you do it just right. I have done two (including pipe 1505 currently on my web page). Let's see if I remember how I did these things.

Since you are trying to get a dark pipe with light tan highlights on the outer portions, stain the pipe black, brown, dark red, whatever color you choose. Then lightly sand the high spots with 600 grit paper. That will take the stain off the high spots and leave it in the valleys. If you want a more rough texture on the high spots, then go over the high spots with a wire brush instead of sandpaper.

Another way I have done this is to stain beneath with three coats of mahogany red, then apply one coat of black. Buff without any compound, which will take off a lot of the black and leave some of the red peaking out. If that doesn't work, put a little compound on your wheel, but not too much, or you may never get it out of the valleys.

There are probably other ways of getting a contrast stain on a rusticated pipe, and hopefully others that have had some success with share their methods. I have a Tonino Jacono rusticated dublin that has the prettiest red highlights over a black background. I haven't quite gotten the result that Tonino did, but I am working on it.

Hope this helps.

[BriarBrian]

if you buffed the pipe so much that it smoothed over the rustication. you have to rusticate it deeper then. you need to push on that rusticating tool until it hurts, and im not kidding. my hands fall asleep after i rusticate a pipe because i push the nails into the briar so deep. then some do the stain it black then sand it thing. i have done that, and it works. i have also done the other, stain the light color under the black and just put a thin coat of black on it then wipe it quickly with a rag soaked in alcohol. once you get one of these methods done a few times it will get easier. when you put the light color on first, let it sit overnite, or even 2 days and dry, then put the black on, dont let it sit overnite , wipe it with alcohol, then buff it. hope this helps

Brian

[hiway]

I apply my light colored stain before rusticating then apply a good coat of wax. The wax coat must cover well. Then I rusticate and apply the black stain. I wipe of the pipe right away with a dry rag then one with a bit of alcohol. This works quite well as long as the wax coat solidly covers the pipe first.

As a caveat, I have not done this with pipes that I've rusticated using Tyler's nail tool. I've generally used lighter rustication with the two-tone pipes.

Good luck! Have fun!

Dave