Quote Originally Posted by Ropey View Post
Arrived today. The pipe was completely filthy. I scrubbed it down and nearly all the discoloration came off. The chamber won't even have to be reamed, everything came out with a toothbrush. Fortunately the seller's photos were accurate and there are no major flaws and hardly even any minor flaws. I can't see any fills, scratches or dents. There are a couple of tiny nicks that can be seen when held just right in the light, but I've seen worse defects on "new" pipes.

Here's what it looked like after a thorough scrubbing. Still has stem oxidation which I'll be removing tonight. But the disgusting dried saliva gunk is gone.

After 1st scrubbing:


Not sure whether I'll have to restain. I threw some olive oil on it to see what it would look like after a waxing and polishing and I'm not sure it needs much alteration. I'm not sure I could improve things much. There's still a small amount of char around the rim which could be completely removed with a sanding and restaining. Not sure it's worth the work though. Will think about it.

With olive oil:
Looks good. I don't believe I would stain it.