Waxing

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:24 pm

Pipes, you bunch of smart arses.

Quick question. When you're waxing your stummel, how many coats of carnauba are "enough" and at what point are you just wasting your time? Curious...

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:26 pm

I'm no expert, but I try to get one nice and even coat and then buff with a flannel wheel. I've found that if you overload your wax buff or try more than one coat, you end up with a gloppy areas of excess wax and/or end up removing the first coat rather than "building up" another.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:08 pm

I don't recall where I read this & it could be just a load of old pipe dottle, but the guy said he lets the bowl sit under a table lamp for awhile until it's nice & warm and the "pores"(grain?) are open, then he applies the carnauba which is absorbed into the open "pores". Claims the shine lasts a lot longer.

I haven't tried it yet myself, just thought it worth a mention. More experienced pipemakers can address the "wax buildup" issue. That 3-dimensional shine that guys like Kurt et al get, still eludes me.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:50 pm

I read that too, about the lamp. I left mine out in the shed. I live in SE Florida and it gets wicked hot in the shed where I do the polishing. I have not seen any difference. I still have to refinish them after a few pipefulls. I only put one coat on them after smoking.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:59 pm

Frank wrote:I haven't tried it yet myself, just thought it worth a mention. More experienced pipemakers can address the "wax buildup" issue. That 3-dimensional shine that guys like Kurt et al get, still eludes me.

It's difficult to explain. When waxing, you have to be careful of pressure, amount of wax on the buff, and the speed of the wheel. I've found that an 8" soft cotton buff spinning at about 1200RPM is the magical incantation for me. I also find that a good hard application done quickly, followed by a much softer and lengthier application, will give a great shine.

But, do keep in mind that buffing is only half the battle. You must be sure to thoroughly sand the wood. For some this may be 600 grit, for others it's more like 2000. It all depends on your style of sanding, how you go about it, and the particular tools you use. I won't lie, it took me about 3-4 years to find the procedure, tools, and methods that worked best for the way my brain and hands are setup.

For starting out, I'd suggest keeping an eye on your sanding. That seems to be the bigest stumbling block for most people.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:26 pm

Like most things I guess...practice, practice... It is all in the touch. I have no idea about my rpms though, I am using a slow speed. I am using a variable speed drill with an 8" wheel. I used higher rpms before until one of my pipes shot out of my hands and went flying across the shed

.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:35 am

Smitty wrote:I used higher rpms before until one of my pipes shot out of my hands and went flying across the shed .

Actually, the real danger from high rpm's is scorching the briar and/or stem. Even at lower rpm's the wheel can grab your workpiece and hurl it away. This usually happens when the wheel grabs a sharp edge, like the bowl rim or shank edge.

It's really lousy when you're all the way to the buffing stage and you hear that horrible sound of "Thwick.... Zzzzinggg.... bounce.... bounce... bounce!!" Followed, in my case, by "You #@&%ing..., &%#$ing piece of *%#@!!!"

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:15 am

I'm a sanding demon

I'm pretty comfy with how I go about that process, though I'm sure a few tweaks in the appropriate places wouldn't hurt in the least. I asked the question because I read a post on the knox board or somewhere and a guy was talking about several coats of wax. While finishing a pipe this past weekend, I figured I'd give it a shot and I didn't really notice much of a difference, really. Figured I'd ask here.

I've been applying wax at about 1720 or so. I'm going to give it a shot at a lower speed. Thanks guys!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:44 am

Say it with me now:

"Wax on, wax off."

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:26 am

In the Immortal words of Biff Tannen: "Just finishing up the second coat now, Mr. McFly!"

I use essentially two coats. I put an initial coat of wax on at 1800 rpm with an 8" buff using a bit of pressure. I don't spend a lot of time putting this coat on, maybe 30 seconds or so. Second coat I put on more carefully at 1250 rpm, adding wax sparingly to the buff as needed to even out the first coat. Then polish with a clean buff at 500-800 rpm. I've run into all sorts of problems if I try to build up more wax, and didn't see a difference in the shine.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:02 am

Alright.. new question, still in regards to waxing.

What type of buff are you using for application? I've been using a spiral-sewn type for application. It doesn't have much give to it. I apply the wax and then buff it out with a single-sewn dry buff.

Last night, I applied the wax at a lower speed. Had been doing this at 1725 but went down to 1200. Then I dry buffed at 1725 and I seemed to get a nice, deep shine to it when I was finished.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:24 pm

hazmat wrote: ...I seemed to get a nice, deep shine to it when I was finished.

It sounds as if you're doing it right. If you want a bit more give to your spiral sewn wheel (without buying a new wheel with wider spaced stitching), just remove one rotation of stitching.

As for the "long lasting shine", it seems as if you can only get that with a shellac or laquer finish.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:33 pm

An amusing anecdote:
At some or other meeting where folk were discussing getting the shine back on their pipes, Bill "Ashton" Taylor was overheard to remark that they should just use "nose oil". I think the remark somehow got into print. He was soon flooded with enquiries as to where this "nose oil" could be purchased.
It turned out that all he meant was to rub the warm bowl against the side of the nose!

PS. I'm retelling this from memory, so I may not have it 100% correct.

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:56 pm

My local body shop keeps the nose oil right next to the elbow grease.

My Danish grandfather taught me the nose oil technique.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:02 pm

Hehe! I'd heard somthing similar about the old nose oil. Nothing as indepth as your story, but essentially that nose oil is good for keeping a shime on a pipe. The trouble i have is when I'm extracting the nose oil. i keep getting these green lumpy bits. Damn things stick like epoxy. I wonder if I could use it to attach a ring to a stem?

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:12 pm

Nick wrote: The trouble i have is when I'm extracting the nose oil. i keep getting these green lumpy bits. Damn things stick like epoxy. I wonder if I could use it to attach a ring to a stem?

I think you need to reconsider your nose oil extraction techniques!

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:19 pm

Nick wrote: The trouble I have is when I'm extracting the nose oil. i keep getting these green lumpy bits. Damn things stick like epoxy. I wonder if I could use it to attach a ring to a stem?

EEEWWWW!

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:38 pm

Frank wrote:
hazmat wrote: ...I seemed to get a nice, deep shine to it when I was finished.
It sounds as if you're doing it right. If you want a bit more give to your spiral sewn wheel (without buying a new wheel with wider spaced stitching), just remove one rotation of stitching.

As for the "long lasting shine", it seems as if you can only get that with a shellac or laquer finish.

What I was trying to ask was.. what's the "preferred applicator" for carnauba? A spiral-sewn buff or a single-sewn buff? I know.. ask a dozen pipemakers and all that

The buff I use to apply wax is the same that I ordered from Pimo back when I started doing this, which is why I'm asking. I'm planning on replacing all my buffs soon, so call this research

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:49 pm

According to Pimo, the prefered wax buff is spiral sewn, which is what I use, minus a stitch. That's not to say Pimo's guide is the Word... but having tried both single and spiral stitches for wax application, the stiffness of the spiral seems to help with friction and heat build up for the wax to melt.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:55 pm

hazmat wrote:What I was trying to ask was.. what's the "preferred applicator" for carnauba? A spiral-sewn buff or a single-sewn buff? I know.. ask a dozen pipemakers and all that The buff I use to apply wax is the same that I ordered from Pimo back when I started doing this, which is why I'm asking. I'm planning on replacing all my buffs soon, so call this research

Ahh, OK gotcha. I use the single sewn, loose wheel to apply & final polish. The soft, fluffy one, I forget if that's the flannel or cotton or whatever.