Facial Oils

[stdly]

When I was a kid my grandfather used to rub his pipe stem on his face, l remember asking why and he said it kept the stem from drying out.
Didn't realy undestand at the time but I do this myself with my older vulcanite pipe stems and it works pretty good, If your not sharing I guess.

Steve

 

[deluxestogie]

I have heard of doing that with the warmed, briar bowl, to keep it glossy. It makes sense that facial oils would reduce surface oxidation of vulcanite. The formal remedy for an oxidized bit is to buff it away using beeswax. But fewer and fewer tobacconists even have a buffing wheel in their shops these days.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Kinda groady. Lol. I just like the heat from the bowl on my forehead. It's pleasant.

 

[stdly]

Hey it's my oil and It works perfect with social distancing.

Steve

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Next time some stranger asks for a pull, I'll say "you're welcome to, but be warned, I preserve the plastic of the stem by rubbing it with my sweat."

 

[deluxestogie]

It might reduce the population of face mites (Demodex folliculorum) in the sebaceous glands alongside your nose and cheeks.

Bob

 

[stdly]

Hey get out an old broken vulcanite stem and rub it on you're, oily no sweaty face and take a look.
It only work good on vulcanite stems the other are easy to keep nice.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I'll give it a try.

 

[stdly]

I smoke a lot of my old Brigham Pipes Canadian eh.
They all have valcanite stems and if I store them in the dark they are ok, but when they are in my rotation and out in the sun, weather and over use they fade fast so a quick fix is nice.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Brighams are bad for that.

I use 800grit wet dry sandpaper, then switch to 1600. The tobacconist has a wheel, but I'm still capable myself.

 

[stdly]

I have a bunch of buffing wheels, waxes and buffing compounds but I get lazy sometimes and abuse my pipes.

Steve

 

[Knucklehead]

I learned in an old Outdoor Life magazine (back in the 70’s) to use the oils in your hair to lubricate the ferrules of fishing rods, back when the ferrules were metal. Just twist the ferrules while holding a lock of hair. It worked well.

 

[deluxestogie]

I had locks, back in the 1970s, but no lubricant in my hair. Now, back in the middle 1960s, I used Brylcreem, and combed the front into a little pompadour. Fortunately, I didn't start smoking a pipe until 1970, so no hair lube for my pipes. Only face lube.

Bob

 

[stdly]

I have a track ball mouse and it has three small bearing balls that the track ball rotates on and I use facial oil on them that ball glides real smooth.

Steve

 

[TigerTom]

I have heard of doing that with the warmed, briar bowl, to keep it glossy. It makes sense that facial oils would reduce surface oxidation of vulcanite. The formal remedy for an oxidized bit is to buff it away using beeswax. But fewer and fewer tobacconists even have a buffing wheel in their shops these days.

Bob

I had the pleasure of meeting Bjarne Nielsen at a local pipe show not long before he passed away. He was probably one of the most genuinely warm people I have ever met.

I bought two pipes that day and one had more of a satin finish. I asked him how he recommended polishing it further to get more of a shine. He said to me, "Lucky for you, nature has endowed us with the cheapest wax." He then took the pipe he was smoking and rubbed it all over his face, then rubbed in the oils with his fingers. We had a good laugh, but he was right.

The two pipes I picked up weren't the best there (college student budget), but because bought them from him directly I'll never get rid of them.

 

[CobGuy]

Yep ... I do this with the smooth finishes all the time and figured I was alone in this old practice.

~Darin

 

[stdly]

Can we market this.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I used brylcreme in junior high. I also tight wrapped one pant leg, and left the other loose.

 

[stdly]

Next time some stranger asks for a pull, I'll say "you're welcome to, but be warned, I preserve the plastic of the stem by rubbing it with my sweat."

Do you have more than tobacco in that?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Do you have more than tobacco in that?

Oh. My. Gosh. Those people. Ahhhhhhh!