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I have some estate (used) pipes I'd like to refurbish. I'm looking for a few alcohol based leather dye colors that would cover the majority of repairs. What are some basic colors that should be considered? I don't have any ebony black pipes so that could be ruled out.

Thanks



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I think you'll find that the following will cover a lot of pipes:
- mahogany
- light brown
- medium brown
- dark brown
- tan
- ox blood
- dark red
- buckskin

Then, with those, you can easily mix up some of the in-between shades. That list might be overkill, but those are the ones I reach for 90% of the time when staining.

I find British Tan a useful colour, as well as all those Kurt listed.

I'd add yellow to that list. It is a great mixer when added to the other colors already mentioned. For instance, yellow and red will make any color of orange needed and a coat of tan over yellow or light brown over yellow make nice colors. In some cases, yellow by itself can be beautiful depending on color of briar or how the briar reacts to the yellow.

bob gilbert

Thanks for the replies. Next question (if I may), what is a good varnish to use over the stain?

Final finish varies quite a bit amongst pipemakers.
Some prefer only carnauba as a final finish. Others will use shellac, because it isn't a petroleum based substance.

Offhand, I don't know of any that opt for a varnish like polyurethane. I'm sure some of the mass factory pipe producers use commercial varnishes, but it's very obvious & looks really shitty.

I think Giampiero use a varnish type finish, but they actually manage to get it to look fairly decent.

I've been experimenting with HUT Crystal Coat (a muixture of carnauba & shellac in alcohol) & thinned down clear nail polish varnish on scrap briar. I'm still not satisfied with any of the results.

Some European pipe makers use Zapon (a nitrocellulose lacquer) on their sandblasted and rusticated pipes. I own a couple examples, and it actually looks *better* than shellac or straight carnuba. American carvers that use more than straight carnuba tend to use shellac spit-coats.