I've followed other rehab threads on ways to fix up an old briar from Ebay or a flea market or pawn/antique shop and thought I might do my own. Please enjoy and feel free to critique.
It was a rough pipe that I bought from Ebay using Make an Offer, so all told I believe I paid $21.50 which might be a little high considering the condition it was in, but after the work I did I think it's worth every penny.
It's a Gold Coast Imported Briar Rhodesian (I think) with a slight bend to the stem. The only information I could find on it is that it could be from the 1950's and was most likely a "Second" from Lee. I don't know Lee either...
When it arrived it was pretty rough.
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So the description was a little off but not too bad, it said little oxidation and minor chatter or something. Well, it had a bit more than that of each as well of pitting in the stem and on the top of the bowl. The top of the bowl was really bad actually. And the finish looked almost like shellac rather than carnauba. There was a less than perfect job of reaming done at one point and rings of ridges were left in the bowl. But I don't really care too much as it will be covered in a nice layer of cake hopefully soon.
I soaked the stem in Oxiclean for about a half hour to get working. While it sat, I sanded the bowl. First with 150, then 220, 320, 400, 600 then 1000. I used an old trick I knew of from gun stocks and used 0000 steel wool to burnish the wood and lift the grain a little. I then used some 1500 grit and then 0000 steel wool again. Wiped it off and then I applied some Walker Briar Works Carnauba was and let it sit for a while.
I used a little bowl sweetener on a bristle pipe cleaner in the stem, but not the bowl. I find it to be a mild solvent and gets some gunk out well, except for the aftertaste and smell. I would not use it in the bowl ever.
After the pipe cleaners were all coming back clean I did the same sand paper routine starting at 320 all of the way up to 1500 and a final scuff with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Then some Walker Briar Works Stem Oxidiation Cleaner and then a coat of the same wax as the bowl. I rubbed the dried wax off and repeated a few times.
