How to remove varnish from a briar pipe? Help!
Rev Chuck
from moist tobacco residues. Hence, you can't apply anything that
seals the pores. Carnauba wax is the only acceptable "finish".
To remove the varnish without damaging the wood, several options are
possible:
Abrasive blasting with materials softer than the wood, but harder than
the varnish. Abrasives include baking soda or exotics like rice hull
flour. You'll need the proper tool, which looks like a standard
Paasche airbrush with a large funnel feeder. Known as an "air eraser",
used by model builders and draftsmen. Setup's expensive to buy for one
pipe. Best if you know someone who has one.
Heat guns. Very effective, not terribly expensive. Don't know
if they're 100% safe for the pipe's outside surface.
Methylene chloride strippers. Yes, they're toxic in use, but they'll
fully evaporate with reasonable speed. The pipe _should_ be okay to
smoke a week after treatment.
Is the finish in fact varnish? Could be shellac. In this case,
a shot of alcohol will do the job with complete safety.
Viewer wrote:
>
> This is an interesting one! I'll be real interested to hear what
> others have to say.
>
> Examine the reason for removing the varnish. If the issue is that you
> simply don't like a glossy shine, maybe simply rubbing the pipe out
> with 0000 steel wool or synthetic Scotch brite pads will do the trick.
>
> If you really want to remove the varnish, and you can't sand it off,
> start making the rounds of the "paint/varnish strippers" and read the
> instructions and ingredients. Isn't there a "Citrus" stripper out
> there? See if there are any that claim to be non-toxic, etc.
>
> It might also help to know WHAT kind of varnish was used by Aldo
> Velani. "Varnish" can mean many things nowadays.
>
> Good luck.
>
> On 25 Aug 1998 05:44:45 GMT, bez...@jaguar.cs.wisc.edu (Todd Bezenek)
> wrote:
>
> >
> >I am cross-posting this to rec.woodworking in hopes that someone there
> >can help us pipe folks.
> >
> >I would like to take the clear varnish off of one or more of my Aldo
> >Velani pipes. After the varnish is off, I would like to apply a
> >carnauba wax finish. My question is:
> >
> >What is the best way to remove the varnish? There are some special
> >issues because the item is a pipe (made of briar):
> >
> > a. The pipe will be smoked afterwards. Nothing toxic can be absorbed
> > by the wood.
> >
> > b. The pipe may have metal or lucite inlays that cannot be harmed by
> > anything used to remove the varnish.
> >
> > c. Because of possible engravings on the pipe, it is best if the
> > removal of the varnish does not require an abrasive treatment.
> >
> >Any recommendations?
> >
> >Thank you for any help,
> >
> >Todd
> >--
> >Todd M. Bezenek | Computer Architecture
> >E-mail: bez...@cs.wisc.edu | Department of Computer Sciences
> >Web: www.cs.wisc.edu/~bezenek | University of Wisconsin--Madison
> >
--
Rev Chuck,
Alt.Atheism Mark of the IPU #203,
Ordained Reverend, ULC, 17 March, 1997.
Remove -REMOVE_THIS- from address to respond.
Todd Bezenek
Russell Clay
> I would like to take the clear varnish off of one or more of my Aldo
> Velani pipes.
Todd, I'm not trying to be a smartass, but I don't know of any substance on
earth that is nontoxic, not harmful to plastic or metal, and will remove
varnish without abrasion.
There may be such a product, but I'd be surprised. Good luck, and please do
share the news if you find something.
Viewer
others have to say.
Examine the reason for removing the varnish. If the issue is that you
simply don't like a glossy shine, maybe simply rubbing the pipe out
with 0000 steel wool or synthetic Scotch brite pads will do the trick.
If you really want to remove the varnish, and you can't sand it off,
start making the rounds of the "paint/varnish strippers" and read the
instructions and ingredients. Isn't there a "Citrus" stripper out
there? See if there are any that claim to be non-toxic, etc.
It might also help to know WHAT kind of varnish was used by Aldo
Velani. "Varnish" can mean many things nowadays.
Good luck.
On 25 Aug 1998 05:44:45 GMT, bez...@jaguar.cs.wisc.edu (Todd Bezenek)
wrote:
>
>I am cross-posting this to rec.woodworking in hopes that someone there
>can help us pipe folks.
>
>I would like to take the clear varnish off of one or more of my Aldo
Rev Chuck
>
> Rev Chuck wrote in message <35E24F0A.CD8@-REMOVE_THIS-erols.com>...
>
> >
> >Methylene chloride strippers. Yes, they're toxic in use, but they'll
> >fully evaporate with reasonable speed. The pipe _should_ be okay to
> >smoke a week after treatment.
> >
>
> will chew up Lucite or at least fog it. "Citrus" strippers (Citristrip?)
> contain NMP which will also do a number on the plastic.
Right. So only use the products on wood, and remove the bit from the
bowl before applying.
Paul Fishbein
James Groover
remover. The wool will not remove enough material to change any shaping..
You will find the wool will provide a very smooth surface. If you want, you
can skip the wax, the oils from your hand will quickly color the wood as you
use the pipe.
Todd Bezenek
James Groover <jame...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
)Use the steel wood, he had the right idea. I would not trust any commercial
)remover. The wool will not remove enough material to change any shaping..
)You will find the wool will provide a very smooth surface.
What about any identifying engravings on the pipe? Will they survive
steel wool?
-Todd
p.s. This is starting to sound like a good idea, since methylene
chloride appears to be the only chemical means of removing the Aldo
Velani bullet-proof varnish. :-|
--
e-mail: bez...@cs.wisc.edu web: www.cs.wisc.edu/~bezenek
TheH...@cysource.com
bez...@jaguar.cs.wisc.edu (Todd Bezenek) wrote:
WHOA UP THERE BOYS......
Methylene Chloride is some powerful nasty shit.
I'm not sure we would want some of our more
unsuspecting brethren to run out and acquire this
liquid without some thought first.
I got some Aldo Velani's and I got some Methylene
Chloride. And all things considered, I think I'll
leave the lid on the liquid.
James Groover
will have to use your own judgment.
But I will throw in some more odds and ends to confuse you even more. On guns,
I have cleaned the finish out of wood engravings with used dental tools that I
buy from a local electronics shop. Those little picks dentists use are pretty
fine. I found I could remove the finish from the inlay by carefully tracing the
design, without harming the wood. Those tools wear out all the time, your
dentist might just give you some that he would dump anyway.
Metal parts worry me the most. Steel wool will put scratches in them for sure.
However, I went to a military school. Our new brass always had a varnish or
lacquer on it, to keep it from tarnishing in the bookstore. It took a good bit
of rubbing but plain old Brasso would get it off. Brasso has a very fine
abrasive in it, it really polishes brass by wet sanding the tarnished surface
off.
That about covers all of my ideas. I hope I have helped you.
Todd Bezenek wrote:
> In article <35EB686D...@bellsouth.net>,
> James Groover <jame...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> )Use the steel wood, he had the right idea. I would not trust any commercial
> )remover. The wool will not remove enough material to change any shaping..
> )You will find the wool will provide a very smooth surface.
>
> What about any identifying engravings on the pipe? Will they survive
> steel wool?
>
> -Todd
>
> p.s. This is starting to sound like a good idea, since methylene
> chloride appears to be the only chemical means of removing the Aldo
> Velani bullet-proof varnish. :-|
rpe...@mindspring.com
<jame...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>That is tough to answer not having seen the pipe. It's maybe yes, maybe no. You
>will have to use your own judgment.
>But I will throw in some more odds and ends to confuse you even more. On guns,
>I have cleaned the finish out of wood engravings with used dental tools that I
>buy from a local electronics shop. Those little picks dentists use are pretty
>fine. I found I could remove the finish from the inlay by carefully tracing the
>design, without harming the wood. Those tools wear out all the time, your
>dentist might just give you some that he would dump anyway.
>
>Metal parts worry me the most. Steel wool will put scratches in them for sure.
>However, I went to a military school. Our new brass always had a varnish or
>lacquer on it, to keep it from tarnishing in the bookstore. It took a good bit
>of rubbing but plain old Brasso would get it off. Brasso has a very fine
>abrasive in it, it really polishes brass by wet sanding the tarnished surface
>off.
>That about covers all of my ideas. I hope I have helped you.
Steel wool will indeed at least erode or possibly destroy the
identifying material on the pipe. That is a chance that you have to
take. And, a high number grit wet or dry sand paper will do the same.
The very fine abrasive in Brasso is pumice, finely ground. It is the
same stuff that is in Lava soap, but there it is a bit more coarse.
There is a finer abrasive that is meant for polishing (as are super
fine pumice mixtures), that is called Rotten Stone. For working woods
it is suggest that you make a paste with Linseed oil. You don't want
to do that on a pipe, I don't think. So, you might make a paste out
of water and rotten stone. Be prepared, though, to rub your ass off.
It will be like trying to polish a steel girder with a piece of silk.
And, if you wish to get below the varnish, be prepared (what ever you
use) to abrade any identifying data.
Brasso is not "just" an abrasive. It is also chemical and these are
operative chemicals that assist in removing tarnish and oxidation from
metals. Whereas I would not mind using it on brass, I would not use
it on silver, especially fine silver.
When using abrasives, all that is done is to continuously use finer
and finer abrasives to eliminate the scratches that the coarser ones
left before it. And the finer abrasives work the same way that the
coarser ones work - by scratching. So, even after you have used the
finest auto polishing compound, you would find scratches if you looked
at the surface with a magnifying glass.
If the poor man was made to remove the varnish from his brass with
Brasso, he was being shown something about the military - you just do
something for the simple reason that you have something to do. I was
not in a military school, but I had ROTC through High School and
College and I have polished new brass. But, I never polished the
varnish off with Brasso - this old Chemistry student used acetone that
was in his mother's finger nail polish remover to remove the varnish
and then spent about 30 seconds polishing the brass.
I certainly would not use brasso on my pipe. Just smell it. It reeks
of Amonia (an active agent to remove tarnish) and getting the solid
residue of fthe pipe and out of the bowl and shank may well be damned
impossible.
richard bies
know of (Called Aircraft Stripper -- used on old cars when you want to
remove everything down to the bare metal) will not harm briar, I do note
that the 3M people have a finish remover out, somewhat milder.
But I loose track of the objective. It seems to me that if the pipe was
made with metal (perhaps sillver) inlay, fine surface engraving in the
briar, then smoking quality was <not> why it was made. If it is simply
grungy-looking, then after a thorough cleaning -- perhaps with high
percentage alcohol -- to remove any accumulated dirt, following with
a highly volatile solvent, perhaps acetone, to simply dissolve the old
finish, rather than removing it, and leaving it there to then dry once
smoothed, would track one of the approaches to restoring old wood
finishes.
r.m.bies
Robert Crim
>
>Steel wool will indeed at least erode or possibly destroy the
>identifying material on the pipe. That is a chance that you have to
>take. And, a high number grit wet or dry sand paper will do the same.
Just curious, but if you have a pipe that is such a mess to begin
with, why do you care about the markings?
Robert
RRuppelt
>with, why do you care about the markings?
>
Couldn't agree more. To me sanding the ID marks off of an Aldo Velani would be
a fringe benefit. Who wants a pipe with a name that sounds like a pair of
disco jeans from the 70's?
:-) :-) Buzz.
Ilegetimi
nowhere. If you want to remove varnish, use a paint stripper that contains
methylene chloride. After the varnish is stripped, wipe the pipe well with a
light naphtha, lighter fluid is excellent. This will remove the wax added to
the stripping material to retard evaporation. All of the solvents used in paint
strippers are volatile enough so that there will be no residual solvent left in
the wood, after a day or two of drying. Just make sure the stripper doesnt
contact the stem, etc., and use plenty of evaporation when handling the
stripper.
Buddy
RRuppelt
Buzz
MWR
become impolitic.
MWR
richard bies wrote in message ...
snips
>But I loose track of the objective...
snips
Stephen P. Smith
>I would like to take the clear varnish off of one or more of my Aldo
>Velani pipes. After the varnish is off, I would like to apply a
>carnauba wax finish. My question is:
>
>What is the best way to remove the varnish?
Todd,
The easiest way to accomplish this is with a buffing wheel. You'll
get all the varnish off without screwing up the wood. If you don't
have a buffing wheel, your local pipe store should be able to do this
for you at nominal cost.
Steve Smith
^
~~ ~~ ^
@ ~ @~~ ^
^
\/ ^
~~ ~~ ^
<>-------0
\/
-A portrait of the pipe smoker as a young man-
"taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the
long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was
in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood" -- Dr. John H. Watson
Todd Bezenek
Stephen P. Smith <fourdotsR...@ma.ultranet.com> wrote:
)Thus spake bez...@jaguar.cs.wisc.edu (Todd Bezenek):
)
)>I would like to take the clear varnish off of one or more of my Aldo
)>Velani pipes. After the varnish is off, I would like to apply a
)>carnauba wax finish. My question is:
I just scrubbed the varnish off of an Aldo Velani Caprice. It looks
great!
The lucite band on the shank came out just perfectly. It is not quite
as shiny as the lucite stem, but it matches the gloss of the
carnuaba-waxed stem.
It is hard to believe that the briar could look better after the varnish
is removed, but it does. And, it certainly feel better in the hand...
-Todd
Bill Triplett
differently? Can you tell a difference?
--
Bill Triplett
Todd Bezenek wrote in message <6sr1nr$3...@spool.cs.wisc.edu>...
William J. Linch
beasty smokes hot and wet!
Jerry
MWR wrote:
>
> Just couldn't take the ribbing any longer so I, too, have taken to the
> sanding bench to exculpate my AV complex <g>.
>
> No. 3 has now been reduced (or returned) to almost virginal state and they
> all look and feel much prettier now. Minute diameter mismatch between stem
> and bit is all that tells. As for the smokes, and I know, folks, this is all
> psychology, but they have improved tremendeously. And there is only one with
> a fill about the size of my numb thumb. As for the sanding, about 30 minutes
> with #400 grit and #000 steel wool. Like much on asp, so much easier done
> than said.
>
> Eureka, only four to go...
>
> MWR
>
> Bill Triplett wrote
MWR
Todd Bezenek
William J. Linch <jli...@mediaone.net> wrote:
)I have a Fumata #71. Has anybody tried de-varnishing one of these? This
)beasty smokes hot and wet!
Is there anything special about it? I already refinished one with a
lucite ring, and it turned out fine.
I just finished refinishing my AV Canadien. It sure looks nice! And,
it does not slip out of my hand anymore. :-)
It too two hours to get it really nice.
I have found that two or three coats of carnauba are needed to get the
same gloss that you see in catalogs of non-varnished pipes. Of course,
these finishes all turn flat as the pipes are smoked, but if you feel
the need...
William J. Linch
AVs? Special?!!! Bwaaahahahahahahahahahaha!
There. Now I feel better.
Jerry