time between staining and waxing

[clifton]

once you stain your pipe how long before you can lightly sand... then once you are content with the stain how long before you can buff with carnauba wax

[KurtHuhn]

If you're using stuff like alcohol based aniline dyes, or are using leather stain (also a dye, really) you can start sanding as soon as it's dry to the touch. Depending on the piece of briar, how much stain you used, the ambient humidity, and the temperature, this could be anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours. You can speed the process by heating the stummel first. Other tricks include blasting with a heat gun after the stain is applied, and lighting the stain on fire.

You can buff immediately after sanding.