Sandblasted Briar

[Bruck]

There's a fellow in Germany selling a bunch of new-old-stock unfinished pipes on the bay of e (happy to provide details if anyone's interested), including briars and clays. I've bought a few of his lots just for grins. One lot was a set of sandblasted billiards. I should have taken a "before" picture, but here's the "after" pic:



I didn't do a lot to it, just added some yellow dye to warm up the color a bit, then buffed it with carnuba. The white buildup is extra wax in the crevices which has since dissipated after smoking a couple bowls of tasty tobacco. The stem was a little rough but I shined it up with a little carnuba and buffing compound (white diamond I believe).

I've got some more from this lot to play with; I'll post pics as I progress. My current project is sanding one down to remove the sandblasting roughness. & I just ordered a lot of 10 dublins.

I'm not a real pipe expert, but I will say that this "cheapie" (I scored 5 for $15) smokes as well as any briar that I paid actual money for

PS those dark spots are on the briar - they may be fills, I'm not sure, or maybe just natural discoloration.

PPS that's my actual hand; I'm not wearing a glove.

[c.ortiz108]

Cool. Looks like a nice small size for winter smoking, and the price is ridiculous. I'd like details, please. Have you tried his clay pipes?

[BryGuySC]

I'd also like the "deets" on this seller.

[AndyCAYP]

Hmmm... If someone wants to split the cost of a few briars I'm down. Wouldn't mind one or two to play around with.

[Alligator Gar]

Hmmm... If someone wants to split the cost of a few briars I'm down. Wouldn't mind one or two to play around with.

I'm always up for a project. Let's get us some and split 'em.

- - - Updated - - -

How's the drilling, construction and fit? Good?

[AndyCAYP]

I'm always up for a project. Let's get us some and split 'em.

- - - Updated - - -

How's the drilling, construction and fit? Good?

Sounds great! I'll put in a bid when I see a decent lot.

Hey @Bruck , care to do the dirty work for me and let me know what stains, waxes, and stem polishing compounds I need to order?

[Bruck]

Sounds great! I'll put in a bid when I see a decent lot.

Hey @Bruck , care to do the dirty work for me and let me know what stains, waxes, and stem polishing compounds I need to order?

What I use for color is powdered aniline dye; picked some up on the amazing amazon, a small sample pack - you only need a little. Most of the colors mix directly with water, but the blue requires alcohol then water (instructions are included). If I want the color to stand out more, I bleach the briar a bit first.

For wax, I use straight carnuba; I think I got this on amazon as well. To apply the wax, I use buffer wheels connected to a variable speed hand drill - full speed is a little too fast; I use about half speed. I tried using a buffer wheel on my grinder, but that's way too fast - it tends to darken the briar, which you might actually want to do, depending on your goal for color.

There are a few more adept pipe finishers on the forum, including one @JustTroItIn , who may be able to share more expertise on the subject.

[Bruck]

I'm always up for a project. Let's get us some and split 'em.

- - - Updated - - -

How's the drilling, construction and fit? Good?

Yes, the stems fit quite firmly in the clavicle (sorry, I know there's a word for it, but I'm not up on pipe anatomy). You have to drill the hole that connects to the bowl, but that's simple. I use about a 3/32" bit. You just have to drill slowly to avoid overshooting when it pokes thru.

[Bruck]

No prob. He's fory63 on e-bay. Of course you'll never get the good deal I got, outbidding each other and all

I've picked up some of his clays as well - been experimenting with coloring and waxing them. They smoke pretty well.

[Bruck]

2nd installment - more pix!

Here's what they look like in their native form:



And here's one I made for my hunting buddy:



It's pretty much the same as the one above, except I dyed the wood red before waxing. And here's the other side: