Excellent thread with some great advice by people who are doing fine jobs of restoring their pipes.

Most Important before you start:
Examine the pipe and know exactly how you will restore it. Know what you can and can't do. What techniques are needed. Plan your work.

If the pipe has collectible value you need to use more care with the edges and nomenclature.

Get an inexpensive (ok - cheap, really cheap) pipe to test methods and techniques on.

Don’t chase teeth indents. If you sand to flush you may compromise the integrity of the material. Judge how deep the indents are and how much material you have before starting. If the button is chewed, how far can you reduce or reshape it and have it remain useful.

Keep the pipe together when working on the stem/shank area to prevent rounding. Use tape on the shank as needed but you don’t want to noticeably reduce the stem nor do you want to shave the shank. If you need to sand near the tenon, cover it with tape.

Magic erasers work well but they are mildly abrasive, more on stems than briar. Use accordingly.

Take the pipe apart when reaming to reduce the risk of tenon damage (and no soot in the stem). If you’re not experienced, try a blunt blade to ream because you don’t want to nick or damage the inside of the bowl. I use the Sheffield Pipe Knife pictured below.




Materials and tools: options
@Branzig turned me onto micro-mesh pads and I also work with these (link):
http://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Po...&keywords=zona


I use Bon Ami for the same purposes as Barkeeper's Friend. I just ordered 5 cans and one popped all over the rest of the order.

Retort: I use this instead of the salt bath.
Forces boiling alcohol through the stem, shank and into the bowl. Softens and dislodges old tars. Kits are available on eBay. Mine was $20 with proceeds going to Wounded Warrior’s but they are available for for less.
You’ll need cotton balls, brand name Q-Tips, a shank brush and a lot of pipe cleaners.
I retort my rotation about once a year.

Pipes & Cigars sells a good shank brush (link)
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipe-t...7/shank-brush/

Dollar Tree has a lot of items that are useful to a pipe restorer, (please don't ask how much they cost ), including:
Brushes for cleaning the crevices of rough finished pipes (I use brushes somewhat larger than a fingernail brush)
Tooth brushes and tooth paste.
Magic eraser (store brand)
Handi-Wipe cloths (store brand)
Masking tape