Tag Archives: Rim char

Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

His Nibs ( Custombilt )

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The List

Everyone has his or her own, a list of pipes he or she desires to complete a collection. For me its Custom-Bilt and Custombilt pipes, I’ve been collecting these ugly, chunky, roughly carved pieces of briar for a long time and just recently stopped to take a look at what I really had. Originally it was Custom-Bilt pipes ( Tracy Mincer years ) and I had to have everyone I could get my hands on, I’ve redone many. Then Custombilt ( Eugene Rich years ) and a whole new line of pipes went on the list , many hard to find these days and finally the Wally Frank years still Custombilt but the nomenclature had changed, similar to the Rich era nomenclature but the standard S had been dropped for a cursive S. So this brings me to the His Nibs, introduced in 1947 by Mincer and Rich, at 4 inches long its certainly not the biggest Bilt but carved with the same care, retail price just $2.00, worth every penny. My wife picked this one up on Ebay, at last I could cross it off my list, many pop up but I’m picky the nomenclature is hard to find well stamped, sometimes its lightly stamped and other times its off and stamped half on the briar and half on the stem, this one is spot on beautiful. 

The restore

 

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The pipes was in great shape, very light chatter, a couple deeper tooth impressions, rim build up and one spot of filler.

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I started with chamber and my PipNet reamer starting with smallest and working up to the largest the chamber would except, in this case the third largest, it has a generous chamber for a 4 inch pipe. I took it back to bare briar to make sure things were solid.

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Next the rim build up, I applied Method Wood For Good Polish to the rim with a Q-Tip and left it aside to penetrate the residue. Once the Method works its magic on the build up it is removed with Q-Tips and a children’s toothbrush. There was some rim burn percent after removing the residue, I used worn micro-mesh to lighten it up. ( 3200, 3600, 4000 and 6000 pads )

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With the rim complete I turned my attention to the internals of the pipe. Cleaning the chamber, airways and mortise using EverClear, shank & mortise brushes, stiff/soft pipe cleaners and Q-Tips, cleaning until my finial pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

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Now I gave the stummel a good cleaning with Method Wood For Good Polish and a children’s toothbrush to remove the oils and embedded debris in the briar.

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There was one spot of filler ( top left photo ) its hard to see but its there, once it was removed the pit was a perfect rectangle, I was tempted to leave it because it was unique but filling it would give it a cleaner look or as clean a look as a Custombilt could have. I cleaned the area to be repaired with EverClear and a Q-Tip,filled the pit with Gorilla Glue and briar dust, I then left it aside to dry. Once dry I lightly sanded the area with worn micro-mesh, re-stained with a dark touch-up marker, removing the excess with an alcohol dampened Q-Tip.

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After staining the filled area I realized the whole stummel could be re-stained, using a dark brown touch-up maker I stained the deep crags.

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While in the process of removing the excess stain I also re-stained the whole pipe, leaving the deeper carvings darker and the rest of the stummel a lighter shade. Handling the stummel while working on the stem colored the it further, the end result was perfect.

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The stem was a little oxidized and had a couple of deeper tooth impressions that needed filling. To remove the oxidation I applied non-bleach soft scrub and left the stem aside to allow the Soft Scrub to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to scrub vigorously with a rag, adding more Soft Scrub as needed.    ( holding the stem under natural light will help to see if all oxidation has been removed ) I now gave the stem an EverClear wipe down before filling the tooth impressions. I mixed thick black CA glue along with a little charcoal powder to form a paste, I applied the paste with a toothpick, hitting it with accelerator to set the patch and leaving it over night to cure. The following morning I ran the stem though the first three micro-mesh pads 1500-2400 wet.

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I now ran the stem though the finial six grits of micro-mesh 3200-12000 dry  During the sanding I uncovered a few pores/bubbles in the rubber stem, there were far to many to attempt to fill, I’ll call them character marks.

Complete

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I finished up on the wheel with a few coats carnauba and a micro-fiber hand buff, buffing the stem with blue compound and carnuauba.

It was a pleasure to cross this one off the list.

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Happy Collecting, Restoring And Puffing.

Tim.

Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Lorenzo – Not A Typical Restoration

2 Comments

Lorenzo Firenze Monterosa

Lorenzo pipes I’ve always been a fan of there shapes and thick walls but not so much with the use of filler a little overboard in the putty department. In the past pipes with an overwhelming amount of filler or to beat up to save the shape I’ve opted to rusticate instead of sanding and filling. I had a few in my collection but recently gave one away to my father, so when I received this thick walled Lorenzon I knew it was a prime candidate to be carved and rusticated. Its been a few years since I’ve rusticated a pipe and I couldn’t wait to get into it..

The Restoration.

 

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The pipe was in poor condition when received , it appeared the previous owner attempted to band the cracked shank or removed an existing band. The shank was cracked in multiple areas straight though to the mortise. The shank was sanded leaving an uneven fit between shank and stem. The stem had tooth impressions, oxidation and the button was chewed. The chamber was thick with crumbling cake and rim tar and char. The stummel had quite a few large fills.

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I started with the chamber reaming back the cake to a suitable thickness. The odd shaped chamber led me to use both the Pipnet and Castleford reamers. Starting with the smallest attachments and working up to the largest the chamber would accept.

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With the chamber reamed I now concentrated on the caked rim. I applied a generous amount of Method Wood For Good Polish with a Q-Tip to the rim and left it upside down on a makeup pad to allow the polish to penetrate the build-up, once the build-up is softened it is easily removed with a makeup pad and Q-Tips.

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I now worked the stem/shank portion , sanding the stem/shank flush , the nomenclature due to my sanding and the previous owners sanding was almost nonexistent.

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I now banded the cracked shank with a wide band, I worked the band part way on then heated the band with my Wagner’s heat gun and pressed the band into place using the banding tool..

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I cleaned the internals using EverClear, stiff/soft pipe cleaners and shank brushes, cleaning until the final pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

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I decided to rusticate the stummel instead of filling multiple large fills. In the past I have craved stummels on less desirable pipes or pipes that are too far damaged . I drew out the pattern to be carved on the stummel and using a rotary burr set I carved the stummel, the thick walls of the Lorenzo pipe allowed me to go deeper into the briar.

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Before staining the stummel I sanded the smooth areas with 400,800 and 1000 grit sandpaper. Using Fiebing’s Leather dye I stained the stummel. I mixed black Fiebing’s with a little EverClear and applied it to the rusticated area of the stummel using a Q-Tip. Finally I mixed red Fiebing’s with a little EverClear and applied it to the smooth area of the stummel, I now left it for a few hours to dry, I removed the excess stain with an EverClear dampened rag.

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With the stummel ready to hit the wheel I moved onto the stem. I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem and left it aside to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color is time to scrub vigorously with a rag adding more Soft Scrub as needed. Holding the stem under natural light will help to see if all oxidation was removed.

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After cleaning the stem I worked on the chewed button and tooth impressions, I removed some of the shallow impressions with a flat sided needle file , the deeper impressions would need filling. I rough sanded the area of repair with 400 grit sandpaper wiping down with an EverClear dampened rag. I filled the impressions with thick black CA glue and allowed to dry. I mixed thick black CA glue and charcoal powder together to form a paste to rebuild the button, applying the paste with a toothpick to the button and hitting it with accelerator to set ,I left it over night to cure. Using needle files and sandpaper I reformed the button .

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After banding the shank the stem / shank fit was off leaving a small gap between stem and shank. Using a small block of wood drilled to fit the tenon loosely , I lightly sanded the stem flat. I was able close the gap but not completely , the draw is air tight but if held up to the light you can still see a small gap.

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I now ran the stem thought the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads. Sanding the stem with 800, 1000 and 1500 grit sandpaper wet and micro-mesh 1500-3200 wet and 3600- 12000 dry.

Complete.

 

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I finished up on the wheel with white diamond , a few coats of carnauba and a micro-fiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound and carnauba.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

Tim.

 

Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Scoundrels – Iwan Ries

2 Comments

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Pipe Scoundrels Pipes.

Way back in February Clint of Pipes Scoundrels sent a huge package out of the blue . We had spoken a month or so before of a pipe that was in need of care but never figured out a plan. In the package a letter where he offered up a trade of sorts skill for skill, I love the barter system. In the package an incredible framed Pen & Ink work, that I watched though his blog come together. I was blown away by his skill and photos online. I had no idea it was coming my way, in person it was even more amazing, beautifully done. Also in the package a couple Pipe Scoundrels stickers ( he has a killer logo) and three pipes in need of repair/cleaning. A couple John Bessai pipes one Canadian, one Pot and an Iwan Ries a unique shape I’m not familiar with. I was excited to get to work , this was the first time I was to work on someone else’s pipes but I got side tracked and side tracked again but finally I had some time to sit and finish. Now the three are complete.

The first three photos were sent by Clint, this was the original pipe that we had talked about a few months back it was in need of a good cleaning. The shape was interesting and not one I’ve seen before. The name however I was familiar with, Iwan Rise & Co an establishment I would like to visit before I kick the bucket. There pipes were made by different manufacturer’s over the years.

The Restoration.

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Overall the pipe was in good condition. The stain had long worn to a lighter color, the chamber had a thick & crumbling cake, the stem was oxidized with mild tooth impressions and the rim had a few indentations.

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The narrow chamber would need a tag team of young and old to tackle. My old Castleford reamer  attachments ran a little smaller than the Pipnet set. Starting with the smallest attachment from my Castleford set I slowly worked my way to the bottom of the chamber, then working between the Pipnet set and Castleford set I reamed back the old cake. Finishing up with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth out the chamber.

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Next I addressed the rim, for the most part it was free of any heavy tars, oils or charing. I applied a light coat of Method Wood For Good Polish to the rim and left it upside down on a make-up pad so the polish could soft up the residue. After allowing the stummel time to sit, the tars and oils were removed with a Q-Tip.

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 With the rim clean I could now work on the rim indentations. Using a household iron set to medium heat and damp rag I steamed the indentations out.

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After the steam there were still a few spots in the inner portion of the rim that needed attention. I worked through a variety of sandpaper, starting with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 until all traces of the dents were gone.

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I now moved on to the internals of the stem and stummel. Using EverClear and a cotton ball lightly inserted in the chamber I ran a retort to loosen the old tars, oils and tobacco.

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After the retort I did a vigorous cleaning of the stem and stummel internals. Using EverClear, a shank brush, mortise brush, Q-Tips, make-up pads and stiff/soft pipe cleaners. I worked the internals until my final pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

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The stummel had one noticeable fill that the filler had crumbled away. Using Gorilla Glue and briar dust I filled the pit, after allowing the fill to dry I sanded the area with 800, 1000 and 1500 sandpaper.

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Now the oxidized stem, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem and left aside until the Soft Scrub penetrated the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish shade it’s time to scrub the stem vigorously with a rag until all noticeable oxidation is removed. Holding the stem under natural light will allow you to see if all oxidation has been removed.

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The Soft Scrub had removed the oxidation and the stem was in good shape aside from light chatter at the bit/button area. I taped off the bit portion of the stem with blue painters tape so my sanding would remain in the area that needed attention. I started with 800 grit sandpaper wet, then 1000 grit paper wet, 1500 grit paper wet, then on to the various grits of micro-mesh -1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet, 2400 mesh wet, 3200 mesh dry through 12000 dry. I removed the painters tape before polishing the stem with final two micro-mesh pads 8000 & 12000.

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The final step before hitting the buffer was to tighten the loose-fitting tenon. I run into this more times than not after cleaning an estate pipe. I expanded the tenon by lightly heating the tenon with a Bic lighter and slowly inserting the end of a round tip pair of jewelry pliers. Repeating until a snug fit between tenon and mortise is achieved. When using this method to expand the tenon take care not to over or under heat, over heating causes melting, burning or a misaligned tenon , under heating will cause a cracked tenon.

Fin.

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Finished up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and micro- fiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound and carnauba.

Thanks again Clint I thoroughly enjoyed restoring these estates. I still think I got the better side of the deal.

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Thanks for taking a look, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed restoring.

Tim-

Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Custom-Bilt Billiard

1 Comment
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Many of the Custom-Bilt pipes in my collection are on the larger side but lately the medium size Bilts have caught my eye. This billiard is the first I’ve seen and I couldn’t wait to see her finished.
As Received.
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She was in rough shape when I received her.  Most disappointing was the cracked tennon,  thankfully it still had its little rubber filter insert and I thought it might be salvageable.  The bit had deep tooth impressions that almost punched through. The button was worn down and the stem was oxidized. The rim was caked with dirt,oils and char. The chamber had a thick crumbling cake and the mortise was plugged with old tobacco and tars.
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I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment working up to the second largest, finishing up with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger. The chamber was well-preserved from the thick cake.
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Next I tackled the caked rim. I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim and set it aside to penetrate the build-up for a few minutes removing the build-up with Q-tips , I would repeat this process a few times. After the removal of the rim build-up There were a few dings in the rim. Using a household iron on medium high/ heat and a damp rag I steamed out the imperfections working in intervals until the imperfections were almost gone. I finished up with worn micro-mesh until the rim was free of darkening and dings.
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Next was the cracked tennon, I fit The opposite end of a 3/16 inch drill bit into the tennon, making sure I had a tight fit.I mixed thick black CA Glue and activated charcoal power into a paste I then applied a generous amount of chapstick to the drill bit end so the CA Glue would not adhere to the bit but would adhere to the tennon only. I applied a thin layer of the CA Glue mixture to bridge the gap where the missing tennon piece was , hitting it with accelerator to set up the glue, I removed the drill bit at this time.
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With the drill bit removed I now applied several layers of the CA Glue mixture to build up the missing section of the tennon, spraying with accelerator in between each layer I added, until I had a close match to thickness of the existing tennon.
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Once my thickness goal was reached I left the tennon to cure for a few hours. After curing I worked the new tennon with needle files carefully removing the excess glue until I had a close match to the remaining section of the tennon.
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I now worked the new tennon with 400 grit sandpaper until I had a close fit between mortise and tennon, making my finishing adjustments with 1000 grit sandpaper until I had a snug fit between mortise and tennon. I then re-worked the inner of the tennon with a round needle file and rolled-up 1000 grit sandpaper so I could re-fit the rubber filter insert.
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This Custom-Bilt had two spots of pretty visible filler. Using Method Wood For Good Polish to soften up the filler and a X-ACTO knife, I removed the filler.
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I cleaned the area to be repaired with EverClear and Q-tips. I filled the pits with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and left aside to dry. Once dry I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh until the repair disappeared into the rustication.
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I used a  dark furniture marker to darken the rusticated area’s of the stummel to further guarantee my repair would stay hidden.
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With the outer of the stummel complete I moved to the internals, cleaning the mortise and chamber with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/soft pipe cleaners, cleaning until the last pipe cleaner came out as it went in.
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I attempted to raise some of the deep tooth impressions with heat, some of the button raised but most of the impressions would still have to be filled.
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Next the stem oxidation, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.
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The deep tooth impressions had to be repaired, I roughly sanded the area of repair with 400 grit sandpaper and wiped down with EverClear. I mixed thick black CA Glue and activated charcoal power into a paste .
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I applied the paste to the impressions and worn button using a toothpick hitting it with accelerator to set the patch, I set the stem aside now to cure overnight. The following morning after the paste had time to cure, I used needle files and sandpaper to remove the excess glue until I had a uniformed shape.
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I sanded the entire stem with 400 grit sandpaper wet to remove the file marks and then moved on to the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh. 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet. Runing though the remaining micro-mesh pads dry 3200-12000.
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My final step for all my Custombilt pipes is to apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner to the stummel before buffing. I apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner with a rag and allow it to penetrate for a few minutes hand buffing off the excess with a clean rag.
Complete.

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I finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing Buffing the stem with blue compound.
Thanks For Taking A Look.
Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

CUSTOM-BILT / CUSTOMBILT CRAZY

3 Comments
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    Collecting focus- everyone needs one, right ? I’ll be the first to admit I might have a problem, but when I first started I had no direction, just buying up lots of estate pipes Willy Nilly. Two years ago I had over 300 hundred pipes, a few of them Custombilt ( before the bug really bit ) but nothing to right home about, nothing eye-catching, no real attachment. So my first step was to unload the clutter, donating and selling off what didn’t belong. I’ve never been a fan of dainty pipes, I’m a big guy and well it just looks silly, its kinda like
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So smaller pipes would go first. What was left was starting to grab me. My introduction into large pipes began with Ropp cherrywood pipes, the rustic look originally sold me, being from the Adirondacks it seemed fitting but with time things loosened up at the shank and bowl. I have one un-somoked large cherrywood Ropp left. Than came Tom Howard and B P Jum  pipes, this was the turning point, large and interesting, fit my face pipes. The only draw back was the overuse of filler in both Howard’s and Jum pipes, riddled like bullet holes. Then finely Custom-Bilt it was like being a kid again I couldn’t resist large, ugly and roughly carved. I had to get them all, each one no mater how closely they resemble one another are completely different. The next few refurbs will be Custombilt pipes as I have many waiting in line to be revived. I need to take photos of my complete collection, I’m not really sure how many I have at this point. 
Heres one more.
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Overall she was in good condition,  uneven cake, a chip out of the side of the bowl, stem oxidation and faded finish.
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I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment and working up to the second largest. The chamber was free of burn out or pitting, I smoothed things out with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger.
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With the chamber reamed I moved to the rim build up, the rim was built up with tars and char. I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim and set aside to penetrate the build-up for a few minutes. Using Q-tips I removed the build-up, I would repeat this process a few times.
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To remove the char and darkening I used worn micro-mesh until the rim darkening was faded. I now cleaned the internals of the stummel and stem with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/ soft pipe cleaners. Cleaning the mortise and chamber until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in
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I gave the stummel an alcohol wipe down with EverClear and makeup pads to remove the dirt and debris
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The chip in the side of the bowl would be repaired with Gorilla Glue and briar dust. I cleaned the area of repair with EverClear, Q-tips and let dry. I filled the crack with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and allowed it to dry, I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh.
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I stained the repair patch with a dark furniture marker allowed it to dry and removed the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.
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Now for the stem oxidation, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and set aside to penetrate the oxidation.Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to introduce the old elbow grease and scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.
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With the oxidation removed I could now run it though the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads. 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet. The remaining micro-mesh pads dry 3200-12000.
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I don’t typically stain my Custom-Bilt pipes but I thought I’d give it a go. Using a dark furniture marker for the rusticated area’s of the stummel and a lighter color marker for the rest of the stummel, removing the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.

Complete.

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Finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing Buffing the stem with blue compound.
Thanks For Taking A Look.
Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Peterson’s DeLuxe 608S

5 Comments

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Peterson’s DeLuxe 608S

My pipe refurbishing companion, shes in need of some TLC herself. I will admit when I’m working on a pipe I have a bad habit of puffing away like theres no tomorrow, the P lip seems to helps in this area as not to cause tongue bite. The flat, saddle, P lip bit is also comfortable clenched in jaw for hours on end. She was picked up as an estate and has been in service for myself going on six years. While refurbishing my last pipe it dawned on me that my little DeLuxe hasn’t been cleaned property by me ever, my skills have changed  much since  its cleaning almost six years ago and I thought now would be a good time to do right by her and give her a good once over.

My DeLuxe

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I’m a little embarrassed with the upkeep of one of my favorites or lack their of but this is the only pipe in my possession that has been overlooked, it has always rested on my work desk there in a pinch when needed. Oxidation, rim tar&char and the stain has since faded .

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I started with the rim tar/oils there was no need to ream, I wipe my chamber clean after each smoke, what cake has built I’m keeping. I applied Method Wood For Good Polish to the rim build up with a Q-tip and allowed it to penetrate the tars and oils for a few minutes, removing the debris with a Q-tip.

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I cleaned the internals of the stummel and stem with EverClear ,Q-tips and stiff/soft pipe cleaners working until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in.

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The stain was faded and dull it would have to be re-stained. I gave the stummel a good wipe down with an alcohol dampened makeup pad, removing the worn stain and oils from handling.

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I would re-stain with Fiebings leather dye. I mixed a little EverClear,a little red dye and dark brown together.

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I inserted a Bic pen end into the mortise so I could apply the stain, using an old homemade brush I applied a generous amount of the mixed stain , being careful not to get in the chamber. I then hit it with a Bic Lighter to set the stain, removing the excess with a alcohol dampened rag. I now left it aside to dry while I worked on the stem.

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The stem was oxidized and had a little chatter, I applied non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside topenetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to introduce the old elbow grease and scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed, finished up with a damp Magic Eraser to remove the leftover oxidation.

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I removed the chatter with 1000 grit sandpaper wet, I then ran the stem through the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh , 1500mesh, 1800mesh, 2000 paper and 2400mesh wet and 3200-12000 dry. With the stem polished and stummel stained and dry she was ready for the buffer.

Complete.
She’s ready for six more years and a bowl of Royal Yacht.

 

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Finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing ,Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Ben wade selected grain #188

4 Comments

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A few years ago I purchased a collection of pipes from a friend who’s father had passed. I had talked with him about cleaning up old pipes and he thought I would appreciate the collection. Back then I was more or less just getting my feet wet with the whole refurbishing thing and luckily I had put a few away for a later time. Recently I stumbled across the box I had stowed away. One of the few that caught my eye was a Ben Wade selected grain No. 188 London Made, it’s acorn shape and birds eye made it an easy pick. Most of the pipes in the collection were from the 70’s and 80’s era ,I believe this Wade falls somewhere in and about this area.

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 Overall she was in good condition. The chamber was pre-reamed ,its been packed away for so long I can’t remember if it was myself or the previous owner ,a scorched area on the rim ,light chatter/oxidation and would need a good buffing.

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The pipe had been reamed but left rough, I lightly sanded the chamber with 400 grit paper wrapped around a finger until smooth.

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Next I worked the scorched area on the rim, I applied Method wood for good polish to the rim and left it to soak for a few minutes. I worked the area with Q-tips scrubbing vigorously until the darkened area had faded. I finished up with a worn 3600 mesh pad. There was still a little discoloration left but the final buff would take care of this.

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I cleaned the internals with EverClear,Q-tips and soft pipe cleaners, working until till the pipe cleaners came out as they went in.

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I cleaned the internals and externals of the stem using EverClear,pipe cleaners and cotton balls. Working carefully around the stem logo, so not to accidentally remove it.

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There was light oxidation on the stem, I applied non-bleach Soft Scrub with a children’s toothbrush and let it sit for 10min. After sitting I scrubbed the stem vigorously with cotton balls and a rag until the oxidation was removed.

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With the oxidation removed I moved on to the chatter, most of the impressions were shallow. I wet sanded the bit area with 1000 grit paper and removed all but one of the tooth impressions.

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With the bit area already roughed up from my sanding it was ready for filler ,I mixed thick black CA glue and activated charcoal powder together with a toothpick to form a paste .

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I applied a small dot of the mixture to the impression and sprayed it with accelerator, I then immediately pushed the mixture into the indentation before it set to make sure it filled the impression completely. I left it overnight to cure.

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With the stem set aside I addressed the rim , my previous work removing  the scorched area left a small part of the rim lighter then the rest. I used touch up markers on the lightened area and left it to dry. After drying I wiped the excess with an EverClear damp rag.

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The next morning after the stem fill had time to set up I began working the area of the repair. I wrapped 1000 grit paper around a flat needle file and sanded the area flush.

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I tapped off the bit with painters tape so my sanding would remain in the area of the damage, the rest of the stem looked good and would not need as much work. I sanded the bit area with 1500-2400 wet and 3200-6000 dry.

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I removed the painters tape for last two micro mesh pads and sanded the entire stem with 8000 and 12000.

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Before buffing the stem I wanted to touch up the stem logo. I uesd a whiteout pen to bringing back the Ben Wade, applying it over the name and using micro mesh to remove the excess.

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I finished with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a micro fiber hand buffing.