Question on refinishing a bowl

[Haebar]

If I want to refinish my briar bowl, do I wet-sand it or dry?

[OnePyroTec]

Are you trying to remove the stain or are there several nicks & scratches to remove?

I'm a fan of wet sanding myself when finishing a few pipes I have made.

When I want to remove a stain only, DNA (denatured alcohol) often does a good job without removing briar and taking the chance of messing up the pipe or stampings.

[NeverBend]

Are you trying to remove the stain or are there several nicks & scratches to remove?

I'm a fan of wet sanding myself when finishing a few pipes I have made.

When I want to remove a stain only, DNA (denatured alcohol) often does a good job without removing briar and taking the chance of messing up the pipe or stampings.
OnePyroTec makes a good point, that there are differences between working on the finish (stain and varnish) and dings or damage to the wood. Wayne's advice on working the finish is spot on. If you're gong to remove stain you may want to look into some stain such as Fiebing's.
Branzig turned me onto micro mesh pads and I've become fond of these
http://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Polishing-11-Inch-Assortment/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1428356773&sr=8-5&keywords=zona
for most work but with damage I sweat them first (often more than once) until it's stable before sanding but I'd suggest practice the technique first.

Stems are a whole 'nother story. Have you read Brandon's thread on pipe restoring?