Good. Cause I was bidding on one that looked like it on eBay. Hate the thought of running the price up on a BOTL
Couple restores I did tonight.
- Thread starter Grrrrr609
- Start date
As always, I'm jealous of the sheen you get on your stems. I just gotta keep practicing! I think I'm going to get a bench top buffing machine instead of using a muslin wheel in my drill.James Barber
I hope to get mine this shinny and scratch-free one day. I'm finding pipe restoration to be a fun hobby. 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What I've discovered (and my stems are now waaaay better than they were at first) is that there is simply no rushing the process. I'm the guy who, if I can find a shortcut, will take it. But for stems, that just doesn't exist. 
Get a set of micro mesh cloths (all the way up to 12000 or so) plus steel wool. I'll start off with a light sanding at 800 grit if it's particularly problematic and work my way up through the micro mesh cloths and ending with 00 steel wool (which will basically burnish the stem). Then I use a good paragon wax and buff it.
The other secret is to make sure you get all of the oxidation off of the stems, too.
The first pipes I ever restored were the ones you graciously sent me almost two years ago and I learned a lot from those. Even went back and redid them.
Get a set of micro mesh cloths (all the way up to 12000 or so) plus steel wool. I'll start off with a light sanding at 800 grit if it's particularly problematic and work my way up through the micro mesh cloths and ending with 00 steel wool (which will basically burnish the stem). Then I use a good paragon wax and buff it.
The other secret is to make sure you get all of the oxidation off of the stems, too.
The first pipes I ever restored were the ones you graciously sent me almost two years ago and I learned a lot from those. Even went back and redid them.