Staining

Staining is the surface finish in which a briar body is colored. It's one of the few stages of pipe making that isn't governed by measurement: unlike wall thickness or the diameter of the smoke channel, it isn't controlled by numbers — what determines the result is the maker's eye and habits.

Because of this, workshops settle over time into their own mixes, number of coats, and drying methods; a maker's color can become one of the ways they're recognized in the community.

Its Place in the Process

Coloring is left until after sanding is complete. If a stained surface is worked further with a belt sander or hand sanding, most of the color comes off; the order therefore isn't reversed. In the sequence outlined in the how a pipe is made entry, staining is the link right before buffing and waxing.

Types of Dye

The material most used in workshops is alcohol-soluble aniline dye. It comes as a powder, is diluted with denatured alcohol, and its intensity is set directly by the maker. Color options are plentiful; because new colors can be obtained by mixing two shades, there's no need to stick to a ready-made palette.

Besides this, chemical dyes that work through an oxidation reaction, leather dyes, and plant-based dyes are also used. With chemical dyes, the color isn't what comes straight out of the bottle: solutions applied one over another react on the wood's surface, and the tone forms as it dries.