Ebonite stem

[Big Maduro]

Got interested in estate pipes lately, can a bite mark on an ebonite stem be sanded? Thanks for any help.

[mahtofire14]

I am no expert by any means, but I would assume you could as long as you don't sand too much to damage the integrity of the stem. YouTube has been a big help to me in finding techniques to restore estate pipes. Might be able to find something on there.

[Big Maduro]

Yeah, good call I've seen a couple already.

[jsnake]

Try using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I picked up that tip from looking up info on estate pipe restoration. I used that followed by some polish by Decatur for stems. Worked great for me. If that doesn't do the trick I think the next step was automotive sandpaper but look it up before you try it. I have a system down and there is a really good restoring thread here somewhere.

[Big Maduro]

Yeah, since the post I've found a lot of info on here. This was on an estate pipe I was looking at, I've since passed on it.

[jsnake]

There will be more estate pipes out there. I just picked up 2 Peterson Draculas, a Nording, a Mastro de Beraldi, and a Mastro de Paja for $140 and I am confident the most they were smoked was twice if that. Can't get a pic to post from my phone. Keep looking. Some great deals out there and restoring them is not hard at all once you figure it all out.

[Big Maduro]

That is a good deal. Any tips on shopping?

[jsnake]

Originally Posted by Big Maduro

That is a good deal. Any tips on shopping?

My first estates were gifted to me in a Secret Santa. I have looked and watched but I seem to have high dollar taste because everything I like seems to go for hundreds of dollars. I do see guys finding diamonds in the rough though at great prices. These new ones were local and it took some negotiating and a couple weeks of persistence and it was well worth it. I check garage sales, estate sales, Craigslist, and EBay. Plus we have some local antique stores that have some often. Just keep looking and eventually you will find the right deal. Be patient and don't get discouraged. Took me over a year to find these that I wanted.