3rd pipe. First time I have done stem work.

[Briar Spirit]

To bring the grain out nice heat the stummel with a hair dryer on HOT (put a dummy stem in to help prevent warping of the mortice face from the heat) and use a dark brown stain, give it a liberal coating, wash that off using ISO to leave enough to bring the grain out then stain to what ever colour you like.

 

[riff raff]

Thanks have to try that. It has some great birds eye but wouldn't take the stain.

Did you flame it?

 

[i.keenum]

Haven't tried heat gun yet , only have fiebings black. Going to try the hair drier on some spare pieces I have from the same block to see how it reacts.

 

[Briar Spirit]

Thanks have to try that. It has some great birds eye but wouldn't take the stain.

Did you flame it?

Setting fire to the stain on the stummel does indeed work but not necessarily in the way one might want, if you want to hide flaws in the wood then 'flaming' works very well but if you want the grain to still show then this is precisely what you don't want to do, all depends on the result one wants I suppose.