Soak a Vulcanite stem

[Sammy Shuford]

I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?

[Justin Holmes]

Yup. It won't do much for the tarnish, but it will leach the yuck out
of the insides. When I do estates, I throw the stem in to my alocohol
cup last, because it will truly befoul it and you don't want that for
cleaning shanks or bowls. It works surprisingly well. I did a GBD
perspex stem last week, and except for some staining on the tenon, the
airway went from nearly black to perfectly clear in about 12 hours of
soaking and 5 minutes with a bristle cleaner.

[Justin Holmes]

Yup. It won't do much for the tarnish, but it will leach the yuck out
of the insides. When I do estates, I throw the stem in to my alocohol
cup last, because it will truly befoul it and you don't want that for
cleaning shanks or bowls. It works surprisingly well. I did a GBD
perspex stem last week, and except for some staining on the tenon, the
airway went from nearly black to perfectly clear in about 12 hours of
soaking and 5 minutes with a bristle cleaner.

[Sammy Shuford]

Stem looks great on the outside, but 6-7 cleaners were still coming out
brown. My concern is clean on the inside!

Thanks

[Justin Holmes]

That'll do it then. To clarify, the perspex isn't vulcanite, but I have
done others with no ill effects.

[Charles Spencer]

You could soak a pipe cleaneer and leave it in the stem for a day. You
should see how disgusting it can look when it comes out.

[jb]

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?

I wouldn't.

I've heard of some folks using the bleach treatment, but I've never
tried it myself.

To be honest, I have always thought that if the pipe was worth
restoring, it was worth sending to Jim Benjamin and having him take
care of it for me. He doesn't charge much and he does a great job.

JB

[Sammy Shuford]

How do I get a hold of Jim? Does he have a website for pipe repair /
cleaning?

[jb]

Post by Sammy Shuford
How do I get a hold of Jim? Does he have a website for pipe repair /
cleaning?

No website...Jim is old school.

Here is his contact information:

Jim Benjamin at 12199 Avenida Consentido San Diego, CA. 92128-3248;
858-674-4900.

I have had him work on dozens of my pipes over the years and he does a
GREAT job. Seriously, unless it's something you enjoy doing, why futz
around with something like this?

JB

[F. Prefect]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 13:13:36 -0500, "Sammy Shuford"

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?

You can, but I doubt it will do much good as far as changing that
light brown oxidation back to a black color.

Just pour enough chorine bleach into a bowl that will completely cover
the stem and let it soak for a couple of hours. You may notice some
bubbles a black material sinking to the bottom of the bowl.

When it comes out, it should have a uniform dull black color and feel
slightly rough to the touch. Then take a buffing wheel and polish
until smooth.

F. Prefect
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made
a lot of people very angry and has been widely
regarded as being a bad move......Douglas Adams

[RickPiatt]

I can't imagine alcohol making much of a difference. I tried the bleach
thing once and it scared the heck out of me ... nearly ruined a perfectly
good vulcanite stem. If you go the bleach route, depending on how long it
stays in the bleach, you'll likely have to sand the stem down with 400 grit
sandpaper and then buff it. Its a lot of work and it just makes me too
nervous to think of doing it to a pipe I value. You may want to send it out
to have it professionally done.
--
Rick Piatt
Smoking Pipes since 1997

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?
--
Sammy Shuford
(Old Calabash)
http://www.pipelinksonline.com/
Please use and bookmark!

[F. Prefect]

Post by RickPiatt
I can't imagine alcohol making much of a difference. I tried the bleach
thing once and it scared the heck out of me ... nearly ruined a perfectly
good vulcanite stem. If you go the bleach route, depending on how long it
stays in the bleach, you'll likely have to sand the stem down with 400 grit
sandpaper and then buff it. Its a lot of work and it just makes me too
nervous to think of doing it to a pipe I value. You may want to send it out
to have it professionally done.

Before going the chorine route, I would want to be certain that the
"dirt" in question is in fact oxidation, which in this case probably
is. Oxygen in the air slowly reacts over time with the vulcanite
producing those light brown streaks. In order to get down to the
"pure" vulcanite, the surface has to be completely removed and chorine
also reacts quite readily with vulcanite, and when left in the
solution for as little as 30 min, the stem will take on one uniform
color. It will be black, but not the highly polished shining black
you are looking for.
The removal of the top surface of the vulcanite will leave it with a
barely noticeable rough texture and a very noticeable dull surface.
As Rick suggests 400 or better yet 600 grit paper will speed up the
process, but to obtain a highly polished looking finish, a high speed
buffing wheel is about the only thing that will do the job. I've
refurbished 3 using this technique with very good results, but I did
try it first of a stem I was not planning to use.

F. Prefect
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made
a lot of people very angry and has been widely
regarded as being a bad move......Douglas Adams

[dre7]

NO, no, no, no, no, no...

alcohol soak
bleach
sandpaper

NO!

First, run a couple of cleaners dabbed in 151 rum (or whatever) through the
inside of the stem. Don't get any on the outside. Then you want to soak
the stem for about an hour in a solution of 1 tsp OxyClean and a glass of
water. Watch it as the scrubbing bubbles go to work on the crud and
sulpher. Take it out and rinse thoroughly in running water. Marvel at the
slick feeling of the surface. Dry. Gasp in horror at the rough yellowish
surface of the stem. Take a paper towel with Soft Scrub Original
(unscented) and polish the stem. Check out the copious quantites of
oxidation that are removed.

Now if you really want to get fancy, polish the stem with a little tripoli
followed by carnauba on a buffing wheel. Or, just take a little lip balm
(your choice) and work a little into the stem, wait a few minutes, and buff
with a clean paper towel.

Trust me, this works.

Andrew

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?
--
Sammy Shuford
(Old Calabash)
http://www.pipelinksonline.com/
Please use and bookmark!

[Walter L. De Visser, Sr]

Have you ever tried it? I've used it for a lot of years and maybe I just
didn't realize it wouldn't work well. If I knew it wouldn't work I wouldn't
have used the bleach method for 30 years or so. Why couldn't you have
posted this 15 years ago on this group so I would know what I was doing
wasn't working. Also I shouldn't have been finishing all those pipes I've
made using sand paper or the fine sanding cloth or sponge type steel wool
replacement either. Oh, how I wish I could have known. I would have saved
myself a lot of failures, but alas, it is the same as flying. I didn't know
I couldn't fly so I spent my time floating over the fields and smelling
flowers for years until someone told me I couldn't fly. I hadn't known that
before but now I am much smarter. Of course I can't fly everyone knows
that. Bees can't fly either; but nobody has told them yet.

Walt

Post by dre7
NO, no, no, no, no, no...
alcohol soak
bleach
sandpaper
NO!
First, run a couple of cleaners dabbed in 151 rum (or whatever) through the
inside of the stem. Don't get any on the outside. Then you want to soak
the stem for about an hour in a solution of 1 tsp OxyClean and a glass of
water. Watch it as the scrubbing bubbles go to work on the crud and
sulpher. Take it out and rinse thoroughly in running water. Marvel at the
slick feeling of the surface. Dry. Gasp in horror at the rough yellowish
surface of the stem. Take a paper towel with Soft Scrub Original
(unscented) and polish the stem. Check out the copious quantites of
oxidation that are removed.
Now if you really want to get fancy, polish the stem with a little tripoli
followed by carnauba on a buffing wheel. Or, just take a little lip balm
(your choice) and work a little into the stem, wait a few minutes, and buff
with a clean paper towel.
Trust me, this works.
Andrew

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?
--
Sammy Shuford
(Old Calabash)
http://www.pipelinksonline.com/
Please use and bookmark!

[dre7]

Walt:

Fly, and be happy...

I personally believe in progressing from least aggressive methods to more so
when I detail a pipe. Sanding a stem will clean off oxidation, yes, but it
can also soften edges, alter contours and affect fit. Bleach can etch
vulcanite, ruin stampings and make the stem brittle. Is it a big deal? I
guess not. Can you get a replacement stem? In most cases sure. You only
get one original stem, though.

Andrew

Post by Walter L. De Visser, Sr
Have you ever tried it? I've used it for a lot of years and maybe I just
didn't realize it wouldn't work well. If I knew it wouldn't work I wouldn't
have used the bleach method for 30 years or so. Why couldn't you have
posted this 15 years ago on this group so I would know what I was doing
wasn't working. Also I shouldn't have been finishing all those pipes I've
made using sand paper or the fine sanding cloth or sponge type steel wool
replacement either. Oh, how I wish I could have known. I would have saved
myself a lot of failures, but alas, it is the same as flying. I didn't know
I couldn't fly so I spent my time floating over the fields and smelling
flowers for years until someone told me I couldn't fly. I hadn't known that
before but now I am much smarter. Of course I can't fly everyone knows
that. Bees can't fly either; but nobody has told them yet.
Walt

Post by dre7
NO, no, no, no, no, no...
alcohol soak
bleach
sandpaper
NO!
First, run a couple of cleaners dabbed in 151 rum (or whatever) through the
inside of the stem. Don't get any on the outside. Then you want to soak
the stem for about an hour in a solution of 1 tsp OxyClean and a glass of
water. Watch it as the scrubbing bubbles go to work on the crud and
sulpher. Take it out and rinse thoroughly in running water. Marvel at the
slick feeling of the surface. Dry. Gasp in horror at the rough yellowish
surface of the stem. Take a paper towel with Soft Scrub Original
(unscented) and polish the stem. Check out the copious quantites of
oxidation that are removed.
Now if you really want to get fancy, polish the stem with a little tripoli
followed by carnauba on a buffing wheel. Or, just take a little lip balm
(your choice) and work a little into the stem, wait a few minutes, and buff
with a clean paper towel.
Trust me, this works.
Andrew

Post by Sammy Shuford
I have a nice estate pipe that is nice and dirty!
Can I soak a vulcanite stem in grain alcohol?
--
Sammy Shuford
(Old Calabash)
http://www.pipelinksonline.com/
Please use and bookmark!

[F. Prefect]

Walt:

Fly, and be happy...

I personally believe in progressing from least aggressive methods to
more so
when I detail a pipe. Sanding a stem will clean off oxidation, yes,
but it
can also soften edges, alter contours and affect fit. Bleach can etch
vulcanite, ruin stampings and make the stem brittle. Is it a big deal?
I
guess not. Can you get a replacement stem? In most cases sure. You
only
get one original stem, though.

Andrew

I would be the first to admit that taking the less aggressive and
destructive measures should always be used IF they will produce the
desired result of retaining the original stem in as close to original
condition as possible.

But there are wide degrees of oxidation damage one will find. And
sometimes the oxidation is more than a few atoms deep and will require
the removal (etching) of some the material in order to get as close to
the desired result as possible. The only times I have resorted to
bleach has been on stems that have been left exposed and not handled
for probably a decade or more and to put it bluntly, it's been the
only thing I have found that works with severely oxidized stems. It
may not produce perfection, and does require a considerable amount of
time, but it will usually result in being able to keep the original
stem, and only a trained eye will be able to detect it's gone for a
swim in a bowl of Clorox.

F. Prefect
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made
a lot of people very angry and has been widely
regarded as being a bad move......Douglas Adams