Very few things in life are perfect. Bacon is wonderful, but if you go just a little past the ideal level of crisp, you wind up with burnt bacon. Life is full of these “close, but not perfect” things. Some things that fall into this category are vulcanite (ebonite, hard rubber) stems.
They offer a number of distinct advantages over acrylic stems. They aren’t as hard or slick, so they’re easier to use if you clench. They’re also a bit softer, which I find more comfortable, and for the most part, they can be made a little thinner than acrylic. The two drawbacks, however, can be a deal-breaker for some people – they don’t offer much in the way of color, and they require more maintenance. For color choices, you’re limited to black and Cumberland variants (black and red, black and green, black and grey).
The biggest issue is oxidation, though. Vulcanized rubber is made by heating rubber that’s been combined with sulfur. The presence of sulfur promotes oxidation. It will first appear as a hazy film, even though it still looks black, but in a short period of time thereafter, it will begin to turn, brown, beige, green, grey or yellow, as the sulfur starts to leach to the surface. Once this happens, the stem loses its shine and picks up a bitter taste.
If you’re still at the hazy black stage, you can take care of this relatively easy. We carry a couple of products from Decatur that can help you. Haze-Away is a red compound that will remove a little material, exposing a clean surface. Then Shine Brite, a white super-fine compound, can put the shine back on the stem. If it’s minor hazing, you should be able to just use a cloth and some elbow grease. If it’s duller, you may want to use a buffer at low speed to do the job.
If the stem has turned color, though, it will require more work. If the color has gone completely yellow, the stem may need to be soaked in a 50/50 solution of water and chlorine bleach for an hour or more. After that, the stem will be dull, and will need to be buffed. If it’s really bad. red Tripoli on a low speed buffer with a stitched linen wheel is the best bet. Then, some white diamond on a loose stitched wheel will bring the brightness back. Some people finish it by a light buff on an unstitched wheel with a touch of carnauba wax to retard future oxidation. Some people have used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to remove oxidation, but it will dull the stems and it will take some work to bring the shine back.
Of course, if you don’t have the right equipment, you may well do more harm than good. Your best bet would be to send the pipe for cleaning to a reputable pipe repairer/restorer. We’ve used Tim West (you can contact him by going to www.jhlowe.com). He does nice work and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg.
The best answer, though, is to not let the stems oxidize at all. Ways to accomplish this- 1) wipe your stems with a cloth immediately after smoking, 2) keep the stems out of sunlight, 3) don’t keep pipes near ionizers or electrical motors as they give off ozone which will promote oxidation, and 4) wipe the stem with Obsidian Oil which contains non-toxic oils that protect the stem from ultraviolet light. In place of Obsidian Oil, some people use a bit of lip balm or petroleum jelly. They’re not as effective, but they’ll do the job.
I hope this helps, and if you have any tips, feel free to make a comment.
About Russ
Great advice Russ thanks. I use the obsidian oil as well but to keep my pipes polished and vulcanized stems black and shiny, I’ve concocted my own concoction which seems to work really well for me. I take an equal amount of pure carnauba wax, walnut oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and a few drops of pure orange oil, melt it all in a pot on the stove, stirring continuously to ensure all the ingredients are integrated nicely, let it cool down till it turns into a thick manageable paste and simply jar it. My last batch is about 2 years old and hasn’t gone bad or rancid and its stored at room temperature. I simply rub it on the whole pipe, work it in and then polish it off with a soft cloth. I do this probably every 2 or 3 smoked bowls or so.
Decatur just finished a new pipe sweetener that will be coming out soon that’s very effective at removing built-up tars in the shank and stem. It has a bit of fresh fragrance, but in 15 minutes the pipe is dry and no odor lingers.
I also got together with their folks and gave them formulations for hand-applied wax and a stem oil, both of which I hope will be less expensive than the currently-available commercial options. The wax should be a little creamier than what’s out there right now, and shouldn’t leave any residue that will be visible. The stem oil uses a combination of two food-grade oils that have a high UV protection rating. We’ll make an announcement when they’re ready.