Stem Cleaning Time...

Now is time to move on to the stem of the pipe.

There are a number of methods out there for cleaning up an old stem. The one I am going to use today is the bleach method.

For starters, you will need the following:

Bleach
Petroleum Jelly
Water
Q-tips
Small container
Fine grit sand paper
Polish of your choice

Take some bleach and make a solution in the small container. I use one part bleach to three parts water. Some guys will use a weaker or stronger solution, the jury is still out on what is best.

Next you will take some Petroleum Jelly and use the Q-tip to apply a layer over any logos or metal parts on the stem. Bleach will eat away a number of logos out there and the jelly will protect them from harm.




After you have the sensitive parts covered, it is bath time!

You will let this soak until the oxidation is removed from the stem. Some highly discolored stems will take quite awhile, while others like this one only take a few minutes before they are done. If you start to see black streaks in the bleach solution, REMOVE THE STEM! The goal is to remove the oxidation while leaving the good stuff intact.

After you remove the stem, rinse under water to halt the bleach action. You will notice that the stem is dull and rough feeling. To fix this, you will need sand it smooth and polish it.

I use fine grit sand paper until I have a nice smooth surface. Start with 400 or so paper and work down to 100 for best results. For polish, there are a number of products that guys use from furniture polish to auto wax. Today I am using what I happen to have on hand. It is finishing polish from 3M. I had never used it before and was unsure what it would do to the stem, but it cleaned up nicely and has a good shine to it.


For cleaning the metal stinger, I used some Barkeepers Friend and some elbow grease. The stem cleaned up well and in all, the stem looks great!

If the bleach method is not something you would want to try, I have had good luck with Bar Keeper's Friend alone. It takes some time and lots of work, but you will remove the oxidation and bring a nice shine to the stem.