so, I smoked my new Johs earlier...
and during the event, I noticed my hands were sticky... and orange.
the finish from the bowl was coming off on my hands. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped the bowl and more finish came off.
after I got done, I dampened a paper towel and wiped the bowl and now about 75% of it has a smooth, more natural less orange, look to it.
shooould I expect this? or do I need to call smokingpipes tomorrow and ask them what's up? I mean, it doesn't look bad, I kind of like the more natural look, but I wasn't expecting that to happen.
Also, since a lot of the finish has come off, the tackiness offered by the normal wax finish isn't there, and it's somewhat slick in hand. Should I get some carnuba and refinish it?
Halp
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I would give them a call and find out if that is know to happen with a Johs. From what I am reading, too much wax may have been applied causing the tackiness when the pipe heated up. I have experienced this first hand. When the wax warmed up it may have carried the stain off of the briar. It also depends on the stain he is using, most makers use an alcohol stain the penetrates the grain keeping it from lifting off of the briar when the wax heats up. It is possible the excess stain was not removed before the wax was applied. There are a lot of variables that may have caused this problem.
Of course if you like the look more with less stain, then it worked out even better for you.
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yeah, I dunno if I like it better, but I don't like it less?
I'll give Joyce a call tomorrow and see what's up. It's not really a problem, it did make a mess though
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