What stains are safe for pipe making?

Bloodhound · Post by **Bloodhound** » 27 Apr 2024, 13:51

I was wondering if there is a certain type of stain that should be used for pipe making/restoration. Will a Minwax stain leech thru the briar and cause problems with the heating of the pipe or even be a danger to the smoker? Is there a food safe stain that needs to be used?

coco · Post by **coco** » 27 Apr 2024, 16:17

Many pipemakers tend to prefer leather stains (Fiebings, etc.).

FredS · Post by **FredS** » 28 Apr 2024, 09:59

As coco wrote, your best bet is Fiebings alcohol based leather stain. I have a bunch of those stains as well as many powders that can be mixed in alcohol to create custom colors. I'll bring it down to Ed's Tuesday evening along with a bunch of briar scraps so you can take it home and experiment.

SlowToke · Post by **SlowToke** » 28 Apr 2024, 11:16

As already mentioned, most pipemakers use Fiebings leather dye. I've never used it. I use Moser's powdered dyes. Most common is alcohol based aniline dyes. You can get powders in alcohol, water, and oil based and in way more colors which is why that's what I've always used. If you need consistency though, Fiebings is the way to go.