Rusticates finishes

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:36 am

Here's something I haven't been able to find a good answer to:
How are rusticated finishes made so shiny?

Every time I do a rusticated pipe, I rub a puck of carnuba directly onto the surface of the pipe, then a heat gun to melt the carnuba and spread it out over the surface. It's "okay", but I really wish it could be better. I also don't think that method will really work if I do some very deep rustication. As it is the buffing wheel leaves tons of fuzzies and strings hung up in the rustication.

What does everyone else use?

whitebar · Post by **whitebar** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 2:24 pm

Kurt,

Like you, I have found that just carnuba doesn't give me the shine I would like. The rusticated pipes coming out of Italy seem to have a lot of shine to them. I saw a thread on another board that talked about using natural shellac flakes disolved in denatured alcohol. The poster even said this is the finish Dunhill puts on their Shell Briar pipes. Shellac is a natural resin that is secreted by the Lac Bug to form a protective cacoon for Lac Bug larvae. I am currently smoking a test pipe finished with shellac and so far I am quite pleased. It does not smoke hot and the finish is holding up well. I've only put about 10 bowls of tobacco through it so I can't say how it will hold up in the long run.

I know some people question whether this finish will allow the briar to breathe properly and think that the finish might start flaking off from the heat so I plan to really put this test pipe through the paces so I can see what happens. One thing I will say at this point is that I really like the shine. If you want to try this as well, you can get shellac flakes at a Woodcraft store. I really diluted them down with the alcohol and just put on a very thin coat.

If anyone has tried this, please post and let us know how it worked out.

Stephen

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 4:27 pm

Stephen,

I don't know why I hadn't thought of that. Keep us posted. This sounds like a good idea for carved and rusticated finishes.

Post by **Tyler** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:08 pm

Well, this cat is out of the bag quickly.

Finishing is certainly a strange area of pipe making. So many folks have such very strong opinion about the pros and cons of various finishes, and yet are usually very ignorant about them.

I'll make a claim that I cannot substanciate with first-hand information, but am convinced is true because of the various sources that I have heard it from: many (most?) uber-high grade pipes are shellac'ed. Smooth, blast or rusticated. Have you ever noticed how the pipes of the top carvers almost glow they are so perfectly glass-smooth and shiny? Shellac.

As whitebar indicated, shellac is not the same thing as a varnish. It is a natural product that in my experience affects the smokeability of a pipe not at all. It does though, create a more enduring finish, as well as open the array of stains that can be used on a pipe. With a shellac coat pretecting the bowl, water-based stains are now viable.

Tyler

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 7:51 pm

Wow. That's very interesting, and...unexpected. Thanks, Tyler!

Kurt

marks · Post by **marks** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 8:00 pm

Tyler is right when he says that many highly regarded pipe makers use shellac. Notice how the top makers' pipes stay shiny long after the carnuba would have needed replacing.

If you get shellac, make sure you get the extra refined/pure shellac. It is usually called AAA Blonde. For what it is worth, you can also mix the shellac with Everclear. I have a batch I mixed with everclear and one I mixed with denatured alcohol to test. I had one very highly regarded pipe maker tell me to use the Everclear as it does not impart any taste to the briar. (He could not speak as to whether denatured alcohol imparted a taste to the briar as he does not use denatured alcohol). I own two of his pipes, and they are both fabulous in finish and smoking qualities.

So far I have made only one one rusticated pipe I finished with shellac and I used the Everclear mixture (no stain). The pipe came out a creamy blonde/tan, almost the exact shade I was hoping for. How does it smoke? So far, so good. The finish is doing very well, and the pipe is one of my best efforts so far as smoking quality.

For smooths, I have been using carnuba as the protective coat.

ArtGuy · Post by **ArtGuy** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:58 pm

I imagine that you would use schelac in lieu of carnauba and not in addition to it?

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:42 pm

I assume that you could put wax on top of a shellac finish, but I don't think it would gain you anything. The shellac is very smooth and shiny.

I don't think a coat of shellac on top of carnuba would work - I'm pretty sure that'd fail pretty soon after application - if not during.

So what is the general feeling here? Is shellac acceptable? Should I pose the question to the ASP newsgroup - or is that just asking for flames?

Personally, I intend to use shellac on my next rusticated pipes. I'll keep doing carnuba for the smooth finishes though.

Kurt

marks · Post by **marks** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:59 pm

I have heard that shellac can bring up heated debates among collectors. Over the years, I have bought many rusticated pipes, and the primary topcoat is shellac. How do I know? I've got 13 to 15 year old pipes that I have never waxed that still shine. The finish has held up beautifully on these pipes, and it has not detracted any from my smoking enjoyment.

Based solely on my 19 years of pipe smoking experiences, I think shellac can add durability to a finish without detracting from the smoking qualities of the pipe. I remember one particular quote from a high end pipemaker in P&T that stated he uses shellac on his pipes. His pipes are beautiful and expensive.

In the article that appeared in P&T about Bo Nordh, the article stated "The final finish is created with brief exposure to zapon lacquer." I do not know what zapon lacquer is, but I know how expensive Mr. Nordh's pipes are. And I am also not certain what constitutes a "brief exposure".

Post by **Tyler** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:46 pm

My understanding is that after shellac'ing, the normal buffing process of white compound, then carnauba wax, is the way to go.

Tyler

robert · Post by **robert** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:52 am

I'm a bit in shock folks. I'm back in the pipe groove again after twenty
years and I remember from before that only drugstore pipes would have
shellac or I thought anyway. You know the $4.99 specials.....This is
amazing to read that the big makers pipes I once dreamed of owning had
been shellaced.

But this is good news also, lucky for me (and by chance) I have a few
ounces of Blonde shellac in the bottom of my closet , a gallon of
denatured in the garage and a couple of pipes on the bench that are at
the finish stag. Sure glad I'm retired.

Regards and howdy.
Robert Green

Post by **Tyler** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:41 am

Robert,

Welcome to the fourm!

It is a shock to most, and in fact denied by many, that many high-end pipes are shellac'd. I was cetainly stunned when I learned that since most of the time you hear that such finishes are one of the seven deadly sins.

One thing to note, shellac is very different from the varnishes that are used on the $5 basket pipes. While I can't explain all those differences, the resultant smoking properties are worlds different with shellac'd pipes -v- varnished pipes.

Tyler

marks · Post by **marks** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 8:11 am

I live about an hour or so from the Dr. Grabow plant. Years ago, the local paper did a big article about their pipes and, if my memory serves correctly, the article stated that Dr. Grabow lacquered their pipes. It has always been my understanding that lacquer will seal the pores of the wood and keep the pipe from breathing.

AAA blond shellac, on the other hand, is a different animal entirely.