Green Stems.....

[Thom]

I bought 2 old unsmoked GBD Sierra pipes off of eBay and am real happy with them. I Got em for 25 a piece
The only issue with them being old is the stems are Green from oxidization.
My question is since they have never been smoked and I will be using a “rubber” lip bit – Beside the cosmetic factor will the green stem affect taste at all? I really dont want to use any harsh chemicals since they are clean and it is just a cosmetic issue. If I do wish to clean em will toothpaste work well?


ny thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I searched through all the forums today and all I found was for used dirty green bits – Not new clean green bits .

Thanks !

[Blaylock]

You should be able to clean up the stems a bit if they are oxidized. You could try a Mr Clean Eraser or perhaps OxyClean. That's what I've used. Never tried toothpaste. Why not give it a try...it can't hurt!

[Bald1]

I have used toothpaste and found that it works well on minor oxidation. Keep in mind that it must be tooth paste not the gel kind.

-Bryan

[413X]

Originally Posted by Blaylock

You should be able to clean up the stems a bit if they are oxidized. You could try a Mr Clean Eraser or perhaps OxyClean. That's what I've used. Never tried toothpaste. Why not give it a try...it can't hurt!

I've used the Mr Clean Magic Eraser and it worked GREAT! The only problem is, you have to polish the stem up afterward.

[Thom]

I am going to try the toothpaste first and see what happens - I will post my results later

Does the oxidization affect taste?

[wharfrathoss]

new or used, green bits are treated the same way-after trying all the ways i found on the different forums (oxyclean, toothpaste, magic eraser, bleach, sandpaper, buffing) i found sandpaper to work the best w/o causing more oxidation or removing much stem material-i use 600 grit to remove the green (400 grit if it's real bad), then use 1000 & 2000 before polishing & waxing

even using a rubber bit protector, you'll still taste the sulfer in the oxidation if your tongue touches the bit opening-may as well get used to dealing w/oxidation now unless you only buy pipes w/lucite stems-once you've taken a green stem back to glossy black you'll realize it's not as big a deal as some make it out to be

BTW, toothpaste will work for polishing, but probably won't do much to remove the green-b4 i used a buffer to polish & wax, i used baking soda toothpaste followed by olive oil after sanding

hope this helps, if you have any more ?'s feel free to PM me

[Thom]

Originally Posted by wharfrathoss

new or used, green bits are treated the same way-after trying all the ways i found on the different forums (oxyclean, toothpaste, magic eraser, bleach, sandpaper, buffing) i found sandpaper to work the best w/o causing more oxidation or removing much stem material-i use 600 grit to remove the green (400 grit if it's real bad), then use 1000 & 2000 before polishing & waxing

even using a rubber bit protector, you'll still taste the sulfer in the oxidation if your tongue touches the bit opening-may as well get used to dealing w/oxidation now unless you only buy pipes w/lucite stems-once you've taken a green stem back to glossy black you'll realize it's not as big a deal as some make it out to be

BTW, toothpaste will work for polishing, but probably won't do much to remove the green-b4 i used a buffer to polish & wax, i used baking soda toothpaste followed by olive oil after sanding

hope this helps, if you have any more ?'s feel free to PM me

Thanks for the info - you caught me right befor i left work

I will pick up sandpaper on the way home.

[Blaylock]

Originally Posted by 413X

I've used the Mr Clean Magic Eraser and it worked GREAT! The only problem is, you have to polish the stem up afterward.

Yep...and a little olive oil should do the trick!

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by Blaylock

Yep...and a little olive oil should do the trick!

That's the trick, I find.

Where do you get those rubber tips? I can't find them, and I'd sure like to use them.

[Blaylock]

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

Where do you get those rubber tips? I can't find them, and I'd sure like to use them.

Here's a few places that have them:

http://www.4noggins.com/assortednecessarypipestuff.aspx

http://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/tools/

http://careysmokeshop.stores.yahoo.net/pipebits.html

http://www.wvsmokeshop.com/pipebits.aspx

http://www.iwanries.com/Category_C519.cfm

http://www.cupojoes.com/cgi-bin/dept...h=DD&tier2=148

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by Blaylock

Thanks.

[Thom]

allright I got them looking black on the outside - does the inside need to be deoxified (if thats a word). if so any tips?

I used the erarser pad and then sanded them down - seems to of worked!

thanks again for the help!

[Mister Moo]

The $1.99 ebay Vauen before:



After:



The vulcanite stem was pretty grungy inside and out. I bristle-brushed it out with Everclear half a dozen times and left it in a dish covered with Clorox for two hours. While it soaked I cleaned out the bowl, wiped off the briar and polished with with HalcyonII. Returning to the stem I rinsed it with hot water and rubbed it with peroxide toothpaste on a wet paper towel for five minutes - dressed it with Halcyon. A little olive oil later and it'll look teriffic.

[TOB9595]

Wonderfull Vauen...
Well done
Tom

[TOB9595]

Oh yes...
What is HALCYON???
Tom