I bought a Tracy Minter Doodler off the bay about a week ago and it arrived yesterday. It was pretty
ugly and when I twisted off the stem to check the stem, a slip of paper fell out. It was evidently being
used to tighten up the tendon / stem connection. It was short money and I had seen the pictures
before I bought, so I wasnt too fussed.
I started to clean the pipe and after my first run of a dry pipe cleaner up the stem, I knew that I was
going to have my work cut out for me. I soaked the stem in bleach while I scrubbed out the pipes
chamber and shaft with alcohol soaked pipe cleaners. I was a little too generous with the alcohol and it
ran down the side of the pipe making a clean spot.
So, I scrubbed the whole pipe with a terry face cloth, ultrafine steel wool and alcohol. There were layers on top of layers of gummy dirt on the pipe, but when I finished it looked pretty nice just with a dull matted finish.
I heated the stems tip over a lighter and slightly squashed it, but now it fits snugly into the tendon.
Then I used the Mothers Plastic Polish that I had from brush restorations along with a Magic Sponge to
get the stem glossy. I then washed it with dish soap, rinsed and coated it with beeswax.
I waxed the pipe by hand, so it doesnt have the high gloss buff like it would from a wheel, but I am still
pretty pleased. I will give it one more day to dry out before I fire it up on Saturday.
I picked at a couple of my other pipes, which means that I have to repeat this procedure (sans the stripping).
The only pipe that didnt return a gunky pipe cleaner (wet or dry) the $6 Missouri Meerschaum cob!
That will be my go-to pipe until the others have been decontaminated.
ugly and when I twisted off the stem to check the stem, a slip of paper fell out. It was evidently being
used to tighten up the tendon / stem connection. It was short money and I had seen the pictures
before I bought, so I wasnt too fussed.
I started to clean the pipe and after my first run of a dry pipe cleaner up the stem, I knew that I was
going to have my work cut out for me. I soaked the stem in bleach while I scrubbed out the pipes
chamber and shaft with alcohol soaked pipe cleaners. I was a little too generous with the alcohol and it
ran down the side of the pipe making a clean spot.
So, I scrubbed the whole pipe with a terry face cloth, ultrafine steel wool and alcohol. There were layers on top of layers of gummy dirt on the pipe, but when I finished it looked pretty nice just with a dull matted finish.
I heated the stems tip over a lighter and slightly squashed it, but now it fits snugly into the tendon.
Then I used the Mothers Plastic Polish that I had from brush restorations along with a Magic Sponge to
get the stem glossy. I then washed it with dish soap, rinsed and coated it with beeswax.
I waxed the pipe by hand, so it doesnt have the high gloss buff like it would from a wheel, but I am still
pretty pleased. I will give it one more day to dry out before I fire it up on Saturday.
I picked at a couple of my other pipes, which means that I have to repeat this procedure (sans the stripping).
The only pipe that didnt return a gunky pipe cleaner (wet or dry) the $6 Missouri Meerschaum cob!
That will be my go-to pipe until the others have been decontaminated.
