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I'm working on my first freehand where the plateau is featured on the rim and the shank end but am not sure how to finish it. I did run a search but didn't really find an answer. How might I prepare the surface and stain or finish it?

I should say that I like the raw look of it but it is "shedding" and I can see that it will be difficult to stain the adjacent surfaces without staining the plateau. Any advice appreciated.

Often makers will use a wire brush or sandblast the plateau. I blast mine. Basically you want to get to bare briar an lose all the 'bark'. Should be a cinch to stain after that.

Thanks, Nate. I did try alcohol and a tooth brush and can confirm that that is not a useful method.

The wire brush method has worked well. I was so afraid I'd scratch it beyond repair but it seems it's very tough stuff.

My girlfriend really enjoys scraping all the bark off the top of the plateaux, so I just hand her a small screwdriver and a block of wood- she brings it back within a few hours nice n' clean. Works well enough for me!

I always used to use a wirebrush, now I have a blaster I will probably use that. It's a good idea to set yourself up and brush/sand/square all your block when they arrive so your whole stock is ready to use.

As for staining I would recommend that if you know in advance what colour you want it to be then stain it before you start cutting/turning, that way it won't bleed into the surface later on and you will get crisp edges.

caskwith wrote:I always used to use a wirebrush, now I have a blaster I will probably use that. It's a good idea to set yourself up and brush/sand/square all your block when they arrive so your whole stock is ready to use.

As for staining I would recommend that if you know in advance what colour you want it to be then stain it before you start cutting/turning, that way it won't bleed into the surface later on and you will get crisp edges.

Good advice all, guys (especially the girlfriend angle . . . I knew there was something missing)

Makes perfect sense to prep the block first even if most of the surfaces disappear. I wish I'd done it on the volcano I'm working on; symmetry has been an elusive goal.

Little late to stain first but I definitely will next time. Similar to my experience learning to paint well, a great deal of the challenge is learning in what order to perform which task.

Thanks all.

I find a foredom with a medium to stiff bristle brush works wonders.


Chris

Dental tools also work well to pick off the stubborn bits. Dentists often pitch their old ones.

For the section that you think you will use, sandblast it, stain it, shellac it, and then shape the pipe. What's left will already be finished, and you don't have to fool with trying to keep the darker stain and shellac off the smooth briar.

TJ

The Smoking Yeti wrote:My girlfriend really enjoys scraping all the bark off the top of the plateaux, so I just hand her a small screwdriver and a block of wood- she brings it back within a few hours nice n' clean. Works well enough for me!

I realize that this is an old post, but I thought I'd share my method for bark removal. I hit the briar fairly hard head on with a brass drill brush...like "punching" it and letting the drill bounce away immeditally. That takes the bark off without scaring the surface and with little time or effort. I'll mention that it takes the bark off my hand too when I get sloppy.
http://s1320.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... 8277363387

Duane

Wire wheel on the grinder took the bark right off in a matter of seconds for me.

Didn't that scratch up the surface?

Duane wrote:Didn't that scratch up the surface?

I do the same, wire wheel, and didn't scratch the surface for me. Just don't let it linger to longer!

I'll have to try it like that again, with a little more care taken...a softer touch and see if I can avoid scratching it.
Thanks
Duane

I did this one with the wire wheel. No scratches.

Good looking pipe! And no scratches. As usual, it must be me and not the method that needs to be worked on.
Thanks,
Duane