How to Refurbish a Tobacco Pipe

Clean the Pipe

• 1

  Carefully remove the stem from the bowl of the pipe.

• 2

  Pour enough bleach into a cup or jar to cover the entire stem. Soak the stem for up to an hour, depending on the stains and build-up of dirt. This can help to remove oxidation from the stem.

• 3

  Ream out the bowl of your pipe with a pipe reamer. If you have a lot of built-up dirt, soaking the tip of the pipe reamer in wood grain alcohol before rubbing can boost cleaning power. Pipe reamers and wood grain alcohol are available at most tobacco shops.

• 4

  Ream out the stem with a pipe reamer soaked in wood grain alcohol.

• 5

  Remove any more oxidation from the stem. This can be done by sanding the stem with progressively finer sandpaper, beginning with 320-grit paper and working up to 600-grit.

• 6

  Apply polishing or rubbing compound to remove oxidation if you wish to avoid sanding the stem of your pipe. Dampen a soft cloth with water and rub a thin layer of polishing or rubbing compound onto the stem. This is the same product used to remove oxidation from cars, and is available at any automotive store.

Polish the Pipe

• 7

  Reassemble the pipe. Be sure that all the pieces have dried completely.

• 8

  Rub a layer of beeswax or carnauba wax onto all wooden surfaces of the pipe. Apply a thicker layer around the rim of the bowl.

• 9

  Smoke the pipe as you usually would. The heat from the pipe will start to melt the wax. Spread the wax around with your fingers while smoking to make sure you get an even coat on all surfaces of the pipe.

• 10

  Allow the bowl to cool off after smoking. Rub the wood and wax with a soft cloth to buff in a nice shine to the wood.