Savinelli 127 Restoration

[rdomfoto]

Here's the next (small) project. It's a Savinelli 127 Silver pipe. With the beautiful sandblasted texture and the lack of filled cracks and holes, I am not going to change it at all. Just remove the charring from the rim, re-polish the bowl, bring the silver back to life and get the stem nice and shiny again.

 

[cgraunke]

Good luck!

 

[JustTroItIn]

That is going to look real nice all cleaned up!

 

[SeaGarr]

Can't wait to see the result Rob.

Rob, is there any way you could stain the bowl brown but the top that's always blackened by the lighter black in an effort to hide poor lighting technique? I think that would be cool - don't know if its possible though. Or if it would even look aesthetically pleasing.

 

[rdomfoto]

Can't wait to see the result Rob.

Rob, is there any way you could stain the bowl brown but the top that's always blackened by the lighter black in an effort to hide poor lighting technique? I think that would be cool - don't know if its possible though. Or if it would even look aesthetically pleasing.

It's a neat idea but the dye is quite a thin liquid and it's next to impossible to lay down a straight line of it without having it bleed a bit. The black dye on top would definitely come over the edge a bit.

The finish itself is still in really good condition, even on the rim, so I think just removing the current layer of wax and then re-waxing it will give me the best result. But I do like that idea. On the next cheapie I play with, I'll try to see how sharp of a line I can get with the dye, though. If I can, there's other two-tone ideas that could be really cool

 

[SeaGarr]

Thanks - I didn't know the dies were so "runny." Put some on a sponge and gingerly place the bowl down?

Man!! Now you got me wanting to give restoration a whirl lol!! Between you and @Grrrrr609, you know I will be . One day.

 

[Cigary43]

I love Savinelli pipes period...never considered a restoration as I love the "aged" look kind of like the guitars where you see em all worn down...the wood bleached and where you see the strumming marks.

 

[rdomfoto]

Thanks - I didn't know the dies were so "runny." Put some on a sponge and gingerly place the bowl down?

Man!! Now you got me wanting to give restoration a whirl lol!! Between you and @Grrrrr609, you know I will be . One day.

Not to be an enabler, but…
It's an entirely new hobby but it's a hobby that fits so well with smoking a pipe. And there is something really satisfying about smoking a pipe that you've personally brought back from the edge.
Give it a go - maybe start this Winter when you're stuck inside more often, looking for something to do.

 

[rdomfoto]

I love Savinelli pipes period...never considered a restoration as I love the "aged" look kind of like the guitars where you see em all worn down...the wood bleached and where you see the strumming marks.

I definitely see your point. In my case, though, I like to be the one who wears them out <grin>. Plus, I can't stand to see silver in need of polishing so, as long as I am going to bring the luster back to the silver, may as well continue.

 

[SeaGarr]

Not to be an enabler, but…
It's an entirely new hobby but it's a hobby that fits so well with smoking a pipe. And there is something really satisfying about smoking a pipe that you've personally brought back from the edge.
Give it a go - maybe start this Winter when you're stuck inside more often, looking for something to do.

Sounds like a good idea. I have been looking at pipe on eBay - it's overwhelming.

 

[rdomfoto]

To start, you'll want the following (at a minimum):

• Oxyclean powder (great for cleaning stems)
• Nylon bristle pipe cleaners
• Sea salt
• Alcohol (either high proof bourbon, Everclear, or 91% or higher Isopropyl)
• Carnuba wax (I found a tin of it on Amazon that's sold as guitar polish for $5)
• Micromesh cloths (1500-4000 grit)
• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
• Some soft cloths

And a cheap pipe

 

[SeaGarr]

Having a look for the cheap pipe now.

 

[Cigary43]

I definitely see your point. In my case, though, I like to be the one who wears them out <grin>. Plus, I can't stand to see silver in need of polishing so, as long as I am going to bring the luster back to the silver, may as well continue.

I can see your point as well...I know that our hobbies tend to be something that inspires us to do things like what you're doing. ..I have a feeling at some point I'll be doing this as well.

 

[CVAC085]

Looking forward to seeing how this project turns out! That's a real nice pipe that's going to be a beauty when you're done with it!

 

[rdomfoto]

Looking forward to seeing how this project turns out! That's a real nice pipe that's going to be a beauty when you're done with it!

Thanks. Got it almost complete. There's some stubborn oxidation on the stem that just won't seem to go away. It's in one tiny spot but I'm going to take one last stab at it tomorrow.

Then I just have to clean and polish the silver and wax her up.

 

[CVAC085]

Thanks. Got it almost complete. There's some stubborn oxidation on the stem that just won't seem to go away. It's in one tiny spot but I'm going to take one last stab at it tomorrow.

Then I just have to clean and polish the silver and wax her up.

That's awesome!!!! It's always those one or two small spots that would drive me up the wall and then some....looking forward to seeing the finished product! Hopefully you took the before, during and after pics too!

 

[8ball]

@SeaGarr and @rdomfot, I have at least 5 old cheap briars that I bought on Craigslist and used when I first started. They are all pretty beat up as I really only did a salt treatment and reaming on them. I've since moved on to 3 sav's. A Pete, Boswell, Neerup, and a local pipe.

These pips have been sitting on a shelf for at least three or four years and I have zero use for them. If you guys want them and want to restore them, they are yours, just pm me. Seriously, they are useless to me as I have more than enough in my rotation to handle my smoking needs.

 

[rdomfoto]

That's an incredibly generous offer, @8ball, thank you! I still have 4 estates in my "to be restored" queue so I would suggest that @SeaGarr and/or a couple of the other brothers interested in restorations be the recipient.

 

[8ball]

That's an incredibly generous offer, @8ball, thank you! I still have 4 estates in my "to be restored" queue so I would suggest that @SeaGarr and/or a couple of the other brothers interested in restorations be the recipient.

absolutely! Yeah, if anyone wants them, let me know. My only rule is that NO REPAYMENT! These are just junker pipes to work on.

 

[rdomfoto]

…My only rule is that NO REPAYMENT! These are just junker pipes to work on.

Good luck with that.