A pipe smokers mom (yes his mother) contacted me asking if i could refurbish a pipe that belongs to her son. I took up the job, thought it wouldn't be too complicated.
Upon bringing the pipe home, i noticed that it's not briar. I'm not sure what wood it is either, nor does the owner.
So took of the really thick shellac, and proceeded to stain it instead, however, the stain is patchy in some places.
Some factories fill pits and fissures with yak snot and this proves to be very difficult to remove.
Sand with 400 grit again and give it another shot.
I've heard opossum urine removes the yak goo.
And to add insult to injury, that pipe is coated with a tinted polyurethane, not shellac. It's like a candy apple.
Your best bet might be to sand back as Bruce suggested, and then spray on a couple coats of some cabernet color Varathane: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=207
I personally would go as far back as 320 grit when sanding to ensure proper adhesion of the poly.
That, at least, will replicate the factory finish and hide the spots with fills or bald spots. It is by no means a traditional pipe finish. Since it's not briar, the chances of it polishing up well using traditional methods are pretty slim.
I somehow reckon that the kid that owns this pipe wants to smoke it again. Therefor, perhaps avoiding the poly-u finishing would be better?
Do you think its ok if i were to just leave it as a natural finish and a think quote of shellac and wax?
You're not going to lose anything by using polyurethane on that pipe. As long as you don't get it in the bowl, you have nothing to worry about. Hell, the factory that made the pipe used it, so why not?
It's not briar, so using traditional briar finishing techniques will get you nowhere. You have to finish it like furniture to get the factory finish back on it.
And as Bruce said, it appears full of fills in some areas, where stain simply won't get absorbed. This is the reason why the factory that made it used tinted poly or varnish - to hide all that ass-ugly uneven staining.
Shellac is not permanent, particularly on a wood as porous as this. A coat of shellac, put on thick enough to get a shine, will do the same thing as a poly finish, but not as long lasting. It will wear off unevenly over time, making it look mottled and rather ugly.
To my eye, the wood looks like some species of oak, particularly in the photo of the left side where the poly has chipped off. I can't say that with 100% certainty, however. What I can say, is that it's definitely not briar, so treating it as such will be wasted effort.
I also wouldn't leave it "naked" - for the same reason the factory didn't. Those blemishes in the wood are pretty glaring.
Tell mom to go spend 20 bucks on a new crappy basket pipe for her son. Better yet, get the boy to go spend 80 bucks on a decently made savinelli or something.
Not wanting to be a snotty pipe snob, but good lord....that thing is ridiculous.
"It is noble to be good; it is still nobler to teach others to be good - and less trouble."
Tell mom to go spend 20 bucks on a new crappy basket pipe for her son. Better yet, get the boy to go spend 80 bucks on a decently made savinelli or something.
Not wanting to be a snotty pipe snob, but good lord....that thing is ridiculous.
I was going to say that - but the OP has kinda stepped in it taking on this repair job. The best way out is to see the job through to the end, unfortunately.
That pipe? It's a $5 pipe on eBay (shipped from China) all day long. In a retail store, I can see asking $15-20 for it. Any pricier than that is assault and battery on a wallet.
i kinda felt bad because the kid spent 350 ringgit malaysia = about 110 usd? on that pipe. so i felt sad for him.. bah.. now i gotta go buy a can of PU spray
adryazad wrote:i kinda felt bad because the kid spent 350 ringgit malaysia = about 110 usd? on that pipe. so i felt sad for him.. bah.. now i gotta go buy a can of PU spray
Man, I gotta raise my prices...
"It is noble to be good; it is still nobler to teach others to be good - and less trouble."
