how do you polish cumberland? I tried and the results were not as good as with the german vulcanite I usually use when making replacement stems. thanks, Ori.
I just polish it as I normally would any other type of vulcanite. The cumberland I have is all German also. I have noticed that some color blends are softer, and harder to shine - Hard compounding will leave a matter surface rather than a gloss, due to the softness of the material. This sort of material can be polished to a shine with a lower speed wheel and less pressure, but generally isn't the best for pipe stems due to its softness (It's good for tampers and pens and similar, though).
