Peterson stain

Welcome to another episode of This Old Pipe, where the restorationist gets a crazy idea, throws caution to the wind, measures once and cuts twice and then walks away with expletives, a few tears, a lesson learned and two pipes back in fighting trim. I had not intended to write up this experience so there aren't many process photographs, but there are one or two instructive points, both cautionary and otherwise that I thought you might find interesting. This morning we’re looking at my two oldest Petes, my first Peterson, a System 309 (1979) and my first De Luxe (1981). I won’t tell you how many times I’ve renovated these pipes, not because I’m ashamed but because I really don’t remember. Common to both is 40 years’ smoking and the kind of affection and abuse that comes with that kind of mileage. The 309 has been the better smoker overall but both have been languishing for some time in the rack in need of some beautification. Last summer’s success with a De Luxe 11A inspired me recently to think I might carry out a similar renovation or "reverse and restore" on these two by removing the original stain with Micro Mesh pads then buffing with carnauba. What could go wrong? Maybe just one thing: I forgot about bowl grades. About every other month I see a surly comment about dark stain on K&P’s pipes. I’ve never read one about a Castello’s dark stains or Dunhill’s or even BriarWorks, but for some reason if every pipe Peterson sells isn’t a perfect unblemished Natural it seems to irritate someone. If you know one of those people, direct them here for some illumination. Simply put, K&P grades their stummels by grain and flaws. At one end there’s a very, very few with stunning grain and no flaws. At the other end—well, you get the idea. And generally speaking, the lighter the color, the better the stummel quality (grain + flaw condition combined). Price, of course, enters into this equation and to expect a fantastically grained new Pete for $100 is a bit unrealistic (although I own some). Add to this the fact that fashions in pipe colors have changed over the decades. There were times when natural colors were preferred—one thinks of the Shamrock blondes of the 1950s and the NATURAL Kildares from the same decade. There have also been periods when fairly dark stains were used on top-quality grain: the Centenary commemoratives in 1975 and the De Luxe pipes in the early 1980s come to mind. But as much as we look on K&P as one of the great benefactors of the World of Pipes, it is nevertheless imperative that when they buy raw materials like stummels, they make a profit on them. And for us that simply means that we can always hope to find a Peterson that we can afford. 1982 De Luxe 11s I've bragged about this pipe before, as my young bride couldn't wait for Christmas to give…