Breathing New Life into a Smooth Comoy’s Facet 215 Bent Billiard

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table was a Bent Briar Comoy’s Bent Billiard. It came to us from a seller in Downey, California, USA on 08/12/2025. The pipe is stamped Comoy’s [over] Facet on the left side of the shank. On the right side it is stamped with a circular COM stamp that read Made in London in a circle [over] England [over] the shape number 215. The bowl had a thick cake in it that had overflowed as thick lava onto the rim top. The finish was dirty and had tars and oils ground into the finish. There was a triple layer shank brass band – two faceted bands sandwiching a smooth band. The vulcanite stem was oxidized, calcified but the stem only had light tooth chatter on both sides. The C logo was not the three part older logo that was on earlier Comoy’s pipe but rather a one part inlay with a different style font. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he began the cleanup process. He took photos of the rim top and both sides of the stem to show the condition of both. The close up of the rim top shows the cake in the bowl and the overflow of lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The stem was oxidized, calcified and both sides of the stem had light tooth chatter near the button. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the dirty finish on the sides of the bowl and shank. The briar is quite nice all around the pipe. The finish makes the grain really stand out on the bowl and shank. Jeff took a series of photos on the sides of the shank rolling it between photos to make sure that all of the stamping was readable.Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual procedure. He reamed it with a PipNet reamer to remove the heavy cake. He cleaned up the sides of the bowl with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime from around the bowl sides. It looked better but the rim top and inner edge was darkened. The front outer edge showed damage. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The stem looked good and the light tooth marks on both sides were still visible and would need a little work. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the darkening on the rim that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top and outer edge show damage. The stem looked better, though there were some light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank and the band. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is faint in spots but still readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good-looking pipe and has a rugged rustication around the bowl. I started my work on the bowl by working to minimize the damage on the front outer edge and rim top I worked on them with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wanted to smooth out the damaged areas without changing the bowl’s profile. I think it worked well.I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the surface scratches in the finish. I carefully avoided the stamping so as not to damage it. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the sanding debris. The briar began to have a rich shine and the stain on the bowl looked very good. I polished the bowl sides and the smooth rim top with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I sanded the stem with the 2 inch square 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the light tooth chatter and marks in the acrylic. I wiped down the stem after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I was able to remove the marks and the stem looked very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final wiped down with the cloth and set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Comoy’s Facet 215 Smooth Bent Billiard and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is beautiful smooth finished Comoy’s Facet 215 Bent Billiard with brass faceted bands and the vulcanite saddle stem combine to give the pipe a great look. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.05 ounces/59 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the British Pipe Makers Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Unique and Beautiful Malaga Freehand

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by Steve Laug

In the latest box of pipes, I received from Jeff was a large Malaga Freehand Pipe that came in a Malaga stamped cream coloured pipe sock. It is a smooth finished horn shape with a plateau rim top and shank end. We purchased it on 05/30/2025 from an online auction in Capac/Mussey, Michigan, USA. The grain on the bowl and shank is beautiful. It was obviously another favourite of the previous pipeman. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and read MALAGA that is filled in with gold. The finish was dirty and there were some fading at the bowl top and shank end. The bowl was quite clean and there was no lava on the rim top or cake in the bowl. The plateau rim top and shank end are in excellent condition with some darkening on the rim top. The variegated orange/red acrylic fancy saddle stem was in great condition with some light chatter and tooth marks on the top and the underside of the stem ahead of the button. Interestingly the tenon is white Delrin and could be a replacement but I am not sure of that. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the lack of cake and lava on the rim top and edges. It is a very clean looking bowl. The rim top shows darkening but it may actually be the original contrast stain of the plateau as the shank end plateau is the same. The finish looked good and I think it is a beauty. The fancy acrylic saddle stem had very light chatter on the top and underside of the stem ahead of the button. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the fading at the top of the bowl sides and shank end. The briar is quite nice all around the pipe. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out on the bowl and shank. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank. It was clear and read as noted above – MALAGA. The stamp has some gold in the stamp. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am including a link to some printed material on the Malaga brand that came to me from the daughter of George Koch (we purchased George’s pipes from his daughter) to help identify the particular stamping on the pipe. The link takes you to the entire collection of materials that were sent to me (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/27/malaga-pipes-catalogue-of-pipes-and-tobaccos/).

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual procedure. He reamed the light debris in the pipe with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime from around the bowl sides. It looked better but the rim top and inner edge was darkened. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The stem looked good and the light tooth marks on both sides were still visible and would need a little work. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the darkening on the rim that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top and edges looked very good and the plateau was very clean. The stem looked better, though there were some light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the shank to show that the clean up had not damaged it at all. The gold colour in it was faint but still present. It will need to be touched up. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. Now to work on the pipe. I wiped the bowl down with a cotton pad and some isopropyl alcohol to try and even out the stain coat. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the surface scratches in the finish. I carefully avoided the stamping so as not to damage it. The briar began to have a rich shine and the stain on the bowl looked very good. I touched up the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a black stain pen. Now both plateau ends match.I touched up the gold stamp in the Malaga stamp on the left side with some Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I worked it into the stamping with a tooth pick and then buffed off the excess with a soft cloth. It looks good! I polished the bowl sides and the smooth rim top with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I worked it into the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a shoe brush to get deep in the valleys. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I sanded the stem with the 2 inch square 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the light tooth chatter and marks in the acrylic. I wiped down the stem after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I was able to remove the marks and the stem looked very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final wiped down with the cloth and set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Large MALAGA Freehand Horn and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is beautiful smooth finished MALAGA Freehand Horn and the fancy acrylic saddle stem combine to give the pipe a great look. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 ½ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.15 ounces/60 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

Restoring a Well Smoked & Scarred Aldo Velani Ultima Dublin

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by Steve Laug

My brother Jeff picked up an Aldo Velani Ultima pipe from a seller in Puyallup, Washington, USA on 03/17/2025. The Ultima has a composite stem with briar inserts on the saddle and along the sides of the stem with Lucite forming the base of the stem. There is band of Lucite on the shank end and on the top and underside of the bite area around the button. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a lot of class and distinction. Most Aldo Velani pipes are made in Livorno, Italy, for the USA market by Cesare Barontini. They were previously imported by Lane Limited. The name “Aldo Velani” is actually fictional one and the brand was made for export (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_Velani http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a3.html). The pipe was probably made in the 1990s. The pipe was dirty with grit and grime on the exterior of the bowl and shank. There was a thick cake in the bowl and there was a lava overflow on the rim top. There was also some burn damage on the inner edge. The stem was dirty and had light tooth marks on the Lucite around the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up. He took some photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of the pipe. You can see the damage on the inner edge, the lava and damage on the rim and outer edge. There was a thick cake in the bowl. The photos of the stem show the tooth marks, chatter and debris on the stem surface. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. Even under the dirt and debris of the years the grain on the smooth briar looked very good. You can see the damage on the outer edge of the bowl in the photos. The stamping is faint in spots but still is readable as noted above. I turned to Pipephil’s site to learn about the Velani brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a3.html). I did a screen capture of the section on the site regarding the Aldo Velani pipes. There is a connection to Barontini pipes. The eighth photo down in the screen capture is the Ultima. I also included the information from the side bar. Aldo Velani is the fictional name for a sub-brand mainly intended for export.

Now I knew what I was working with. I learned that most of the Aldo Velani pipes are made in Livorno, Italy, for the USA market by Cesare Barontini.

Jeff cleaned the pipe with his usual thoroughness – reaming the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer, cleaning up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Murphy’s Oil Soap to clean off the dust and grime on the finish. The rim top looked better but the burn damage was very evident on the inner edge and the top. The inside of the bowl itself looked great. The stem was in great shape other than a bit of tooth chatter. He did not put this one in the Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer Bath having seen the effects on the other part briar stems. I took photos of the pipe when I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as both sides of the stem to show its condition. The rim top and edges show darkening on the rim top and burn damage on the inner edge is clearly visible. I took close up photos of the stem to show the tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside of the stem and on the button itself. I took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank. It is stamped as noted above and is clear and readable even though faint in spots. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is an interesting pipe that you can see the rustic finish on in the photo below. I decided to start my restoration work on this one by dealing with the darkening on the inner edge and the burn damage on the front inner edge. I also wanted to deal with the damage on the outer edge of the bowl on the front and sides of the bowl. I started with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It took care of some of the damage. It also revealed that there was damage on the rim top. I decided to use a wooden sphere and some 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the inner edge bevel and the rim top. When I had finished it looked much better. I sanded the scratches and marks on bowl sides and shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded it with 1500-2400 and dry sanded it with 3200-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. The photos below show the progress in the polishing. The pipe was beginning to look really good and the grain was beginning to really pop. It was time to work some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar on the bowl and the rim top. I worked it into the surface with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the wood. I let the balm sit for about 20 minutes and buffed it off with a soft cotton cloth. I took photos of the pipe at this point in the process to show what the bowl looked like at this point. I set the bowl aside at this point and turned my attention to the stem. I was really glad to see that this composite briar and Lucite stem was in decent condition. There was tooth chatter and marks on the stem surface. I filled in the deeper marks in the stem with black rubberized CA glue. The stem was also loose so I used a tooth pick to put glue in the gap between the briar and the acrylic stem. Once the repairs cured I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the acrylic.I sanded the shank and stem piece with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem and briar shank down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. It began to look very good.I dry sanded the stem and briar extension with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil soaked cloth after each pad. When I was finished the stem looked great. The photos tell the story. I rubbed the briar part of the stem down with Before and After Resoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then buffed it off with soft cloth.I put the bowl and stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the briar and acrylic. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The contrast of colours between the briar bowl and the briar inserts on the stem really looked good with the polished black Lucite. The Aldo Velani Ultima Dublin looked really good even with some of the scars of its journey. The pipe has a unique look that catches the eye. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight is 1.83 ounces/52 grams. This one will soon be on the rebornpipes store in the Italian Pipe Makers Section if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for reading this while I worked on it. It was interesting and unusual piece to restore and I really enjoyed the work.

Breathing Life into a Brigham Made in Canada 9W2 Three Dot Freehand

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by Steve Laug

I chose to work on another Canadian Made Brigham to work on next. The pipe is a Freehand Acorn shaped bowl with a carved faux plateau rim top and shank end. We picked it up from a seller in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada on 01/31/2023. It is a neat looking pipe with real character. The shape of the bowl reminded me of some of the Danish Stanwell pipes that I have restored. I did the research on it. It is stamped Brigham [over] Made in Canada on the underside of the shank and has the shape number 9W2 stamped to the left of that. The stem has three brass pins on the left side of the blade of the fancy saddle. There was a heavy cake in the bowl and a lot of lava overflow on the rim top and edges. The rustication on the rim top is a faux plateau look and it has a smooth finish on the bowl and shank. I think that there was a beautiful pipe underneath all of the buildup of years of use. The stem was oxidized and had tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem ahead of the button. It was a mess. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition of the bowl with the thick cake in the bowl and a thick overflow of lava on the rim top. He took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth marks on the top and underside as well as on the button surface. Jeff removed the stem and it had the Brigham Hard Rock Maplewood Distillator aluminum tenon. It had an old wooden Distillator in the tenon that was quite dirty. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. Even under the dirt and debris of the years the grain on the smooth briar looked very good. The stamping is very clear and reads as noted above. He included a pic of the 3 brass dots on the stem.For the needed background I am including the information from Pipedia on Brigham pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Pipes). Charles Lemon (Dadspipes) is currently working on a book on the history of the brand. Until that is complete this article is a good summary. I have included it below.

Roy Brigham, after serving an apprenticeship under an Austrian pipesmith, started his own pipe repair shop in Toronto, in 1906. By 1918 the business had grown to include five other craftsmen and had developed a reputation across Canada for the high quality of workmanship. After repairing many different brands of pipes over the years, Roy noted certain recurring complaints by pipe smokers, the most common referred to as “tongue bite”. Tongue bite is a burning sensation on the smoker’s tongue, previously thought to be due to the heat of the smoke (i.e. a “hot smoking pipe”).

He soon began manufacturing his own pipes, which were lightweight, yet featured a more rugged construction, strengthening the weak points observed in other pipes. The problem of tongue bite intrigued him, and he decided to make overcoming it a future goal.

About 1938, Roy’s son Herb joined him to assist in the business. The business barely survived the great depression because pipes were considered to be a luxury, not a necessity, and selling pipes was difficult indeed. In approximately 1937 [1], after some experimentation, Roy and Herb discovered that tongue bite was in fact a form of mild chemical burn to the tongue, caused by tars and acids in the smoke. They found that by filtering the smoke, it was possible to retain the flavour of the tobacco and yet remove these impurities and thereby stop the tongue bite.

Just as Thomas Edison had searched far and wide for the perfect material from which to make the first electric light bulb filaments, Roy & Herb began experimenting with many materials, both common and exotic, in the quest for the perfect pipe filter. Results varied wildly. Most of the materials didn’t work at all and some actually imparted their own flavour into the smoke. They eventually found just two materials that were satisfactory in pipes: bamboo and rock maple. As bamboo was obviously not as readily available, rock maple then became the logical choice.

They were able to manufacture a replaceable hollow wooden tube made from rock maple dowelling, which when inserted into a specially made pipe, caused absolutely no restriction to the draw of the pipe, yet extracted many of the impurities which had caused tongue bite. The result was indeed a truly better smoking pipe…

With the information I knew what I was dealing with in terms of the stamping and the age of this pipe. I learned that the pipe was originally carved from surplus stummels left over from the Norseman and Valhalla lines. It was made in the 1980-90s because of the stamping on the shank. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I am really happy to have Jeff’s help on cleaning up the pipes that we pick up along the way. He cleaned this filthy pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness that I really appreciate. This one was a real mess and I did not know what to expect when I unwrapped it from his box. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime and grit on the briar and the lava on the rim top. The finish looks very good with great looking grain around the top half of the bowl and great rustication on the rest of the bowl and shank. Jeff soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation on the rubber. He scrubbed it with Soft Scrub All Purpose Cleaner to remove the majority of the oxidation. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver it looked very good. I took some close up photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as both sides of the stem to show its condition. The rim top and edges show a darkening on the plateau but the inner edge looks good. I took close up photos of the stem to show the tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside of the stem and on the button itself. I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is stamped as noted above and is clear and readable even though faint in spots. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is an interesting pipe that you can see the grain in the photo below.I decided to start my restoration work on this one by cleaning up the plateau rim top and shank end with a brass bristle wire brush. I scrubbed it to remove more of the debris and darkening. When I had finished it looked much better.I touched up the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a black Sharpie Pen. It gives the plateau depth and great look. I sanded the scratches and marks on bowl sides and shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to look beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I worked it into the plateau rim top and shank end with a shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the top and the underside of the stem with a black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I shaped it with small files and then sanded the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the vulcanite. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I fit the aluminum tenon with a new Rock Maple Distillator tube so it would be ready to go.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I am excited to finish this Brigham 9W2 Danish Style Freehand – as I think it is an interesting looking pipe that was on the market as a means of using up extra stummels from the Norseman and Vahalla lines that Brigham made. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed it with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the grain popping through on the bowl and shank. Added to that the polished, rebuilt black vulcanite stem with four shining brass pins was beautiful. This Brigham 9W2 Freehand is nice looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 47 grams/1.66 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

A Thank You and Reminder of the Purpose and Value of rebornpipes

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by Steve Laug

I thought it was time to take some time to think back to the birth and work of rebornpipes. I spelled out my vision of dream for the blog in the section on the home page entitled ABOUT REBORNPIPES (https://rebornpipes.com/about/). The blog has been active for almost 14 years, a bit of a record I believe. It is good to take time to reflect on this and to thank each of you who have been faithfully following the blog. Thanks also go out to the contributors who have sent their articles on their restorations. It is great to be part of a global network of folks who are restorers and those who love working on their own pipes.When I started the rebornpipes blog back in 2012 my goals were twofold. First, I wanted to keep a record of the pipes that I restored and repaired and a record of my journey in learning the art of refurbishing and repair. Second, I wanted to provide a record of the process of refurbishing pipes that would give room and record of growth and improvements along the way. I think that rebornpipes has moved forward along way toward meeting both of my goals.

It has continued to be a repository of pipe refurbishing and restoration information that has grown from just my work to the work of many contributors from around the world – Canada, US, Great Britain, Hungary, Bulgaria, South Africa, India, Brazil and other countries. It also continues to provide information to pipemen and women around the globe. Not a day goes by that I do not receive emails from pipe folk thanking me and the team for what we have provided. I also receive many emails seeking for advice on how to proceed in their own restoration work.

Another aspect of the blog was I added later as a way of moving pipes that I have restored and repaired. I added a section called the rebornpipes store (https://rebornpipes.com/rebornpipes-store/). The link takes you to the section on the blog where the store is housed. It is organized by country of origin. You can click on any of the links below and you will be taken to page listing the pipes that are available for purchase. Sending me a simple email expressing interest in a particular pipe and include your mailing address so that I can determine postage. Once I have a total for the pipe/pipes and the postage payment can be sent to my PayPal address which I will supply to you. In the years past I have been shipping pipes globally and have received good responses on the pipes purchased.

PIPE RESTORATION GRAB BAGS & TOOLS

PIPES MADE BY AMERICAN PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY CANADIAN PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY BRITISH PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY DANISH PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY IRISH PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY FRENCH PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY ITALIAN PIPEMAKING COMPANIES

PIPES MADE BY POLISH PIPE MAKERS

ME ERSCHAUM PIPES – CALABASH, SMOOTH & FIGURALS

PIPES FROM VARIOUS MAKERS – CZECH, BELGIAN, GERMAN, ISRAELI, SPANISH PIPEMAKERS & ASSORTED METAL PIPES

PIPE ACCESSORIES – ASH TRAYS, HUMIDORS, RACKS & PIPE RESTS, ETC.

All pipes (Other than the grab bags) have been cleaned and restored and are ready for you to smoke with a tobacco of your choice. You can read the details on each one by searching for them on the blog. All pipes are described in terms of condition. The price is included for each pipe. The cost of the postage will be added when I am contacted with your mailing address. If you are interested in any of these pipes or others you may see on the blog contact me at slaug@uniserve.com. You can also post questions or make offers in the comments box below each pipe that is offered.

I invite you to spend some time exploring all the sections of the rebornpipes site. You might be surprised by what you find. Have a look and enjoy yourself in the process.

Cleaning up an UNSMOKED NOS Ropp Supreme Cherry wood made in France 7

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by Steve Laug

For a guy who has never really liked Ropp Cherrywood pipes I have had a lot of them over the years. I have had full bents, half bents, billiards but never one quite like this one. Jeff picked this pipe up at an antique store in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is kind of a 1/8 Diamond Shank Billiard or I don’t know what shape truly. It has a smooth shank and a smooth oval shaped panel on the front and rear of the bowl. The right and left side, top and bottom of the bowl were left with the bark in place. You can see the knot holes in the bowl where branches were snipped off. The bark around the bowl sides is in decent condition as is the bottom of the bowl. The rim top looks very good and the inner edge of the rim on both the front and the back are undamaged. The bowl was unsmoked and pristine. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Ropp in an oval [over] Supreme [over] Made in France. On the left side it bears the shape number 7. The stem is vulcanite with the silver Ropp oval on the left side of the saddle. It is lightly oxidized and dirty from time stored. Happily, it has no tooth marks or chatter on either side of the stem. Jeff took these photos before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim edges and top to show the damage that was there. The smooth and clean bowl and rim top are a gift of an unsmoked pipe. It is great to see. He took photos of the stem surface as well to show the condition as noted above. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides, heel of the bowl and the shank to give a sense of the condition of the bark around the sides of the pipe. It is a unique one. You can see where the branches had been lopped off on both sides. He took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank and the inset Ropp oval logo on the left side of the stem. Both are readable and clear as noted above.I turned to Pipephil (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-ropp.html) to get a bit more background on the brand before I did my work on the pipe. No matter how many I have worked on I seem to forget the history of the cherrywood pipes. I quote:

Brand created by Eugène-Léon Ropp (1830 – 1907) and continued throughout 3 generations. “GBA Synergie” run by Bernard Amiel (†2008) bought back Ropp in 1988 and owned it until 1991.The company was taken over by Cuty-Fort Entreprises (Chacom, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix…) in 1994.

I have also included a screen capture of a Cherry wood pipe. The one I am working on is significantly different that this but it has the bark left on the pipe as noted below.Cherry wood pipe with bark. Ropp stamped a cursive R on the stems of some of their export pipes.

I turned to Pipedia for a bit more detailed history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ropp). I quote below.

Eugène-Léon Ropp (1830 – 1907) had acquired a patent for a cherrywood pipe (wild cherry, lat.: Prunus avium) in 1869. In 1870 he established a workshop to manufacture such pipes in Büssingen (Bussang, Vosges mountains). Around 1893 the business moved into the former mill of Sicard (part of the community of Baume-les-Dames – Département Doubs, Upper Burgundy – from 1895 on).

The pipes were a big success in the export as well. Shortly before 1914 Ropp designated A. Frankau & Co. (BBB) in to be the exclusive distributor in the UK and it’s colonies.

Probably in 1917 a workshop in Saint-Claude in the Rue du Plan du Moulin 8 was acquired to start the fabrication of briar pipes. In 1923 a small building in the environment of Saint-Claude, serving as a workshop for polishing, was added.

Even though cherrywood pipes were the mainstay of Ropp until the company finally closed down in September 1991. The company was taken over by Cuty-Fort Entreprises (Chacom, Jeantet, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix…) in 1994.

There was also a photo of the Ropp Supreme pipe that was remarkably similar to the one that I was working on. I have included that photo as well as the photo of the stamping below.Reminded about the background on the Ropp Family and their Cherrywood pipes it was now time to turn to the pipe itself and do my part of the work. Jeff had done a thorough cleanup on the pipe. He carefully cleaned the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the grime on the finish of the bowl. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He cleaned the internals and externals of the stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub and a cotton pad. Once finished he soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water and cleaned out the airway in the stem with alcohol. Other than the damaged rim top the pipe looked good. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. The rim top was clean and the inner and outer edges of the bowl are in excellent condition. The stem looked better with all the grime and oxidation of the years washed away. It should polish up very well.I took a photo of the stamping on the top left side of the diamond shank to show that it was clean and readable as noted above. It also shows the silver Ropp oval logo on the left side of the saddle stem. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. Because the bowl was unsmoked and unused I was able to leave out the micromesh sanding portion of the restoration. Instead went right to the polishing. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the Cherrywood and the bark. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the wood. I let it sit for 10 minutes then buffed it with a soft cloth. The wood and bark really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. This UNSMOKED NOS (New Old Stock) ROPP Supreme Made in France 7 Diamond Shank Billiard with a black vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe. The rugged bark finish on the sides adds a ruff texture and works well with the grain on the cherrywood bowl front and back side and shank. The black saddle stem is a great contrast to the wood. The rich medium brown of the wood gave the grain a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. The grain really popped. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished ROPP Supreme 7 Cherrywood is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches wide by 1 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.72 ounces/78 grams. It will be listed in the French Pipemakers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding it to your rack let me know. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Breathing Life into a Malaga Second Zulu

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by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting “Malaga” Second Zulu. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 10/06/2025 from a seller in Willis, Texas, USA. The grain on this pipe is quite nice beneath the oil cured finish. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Malaga [over] Second. It is a nice one in terms of the well-done ¼ Bent Zulu. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. There were a few sandpits in the finish on the bowl sides. The bowl had a thick cake that over flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a lava coat. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl appeared to be in good condition under the grime. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized and calcified. There were deep tooth marks and some flattened areas on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and light lava coat on the rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. It had the flaws or sand pits that would help explain why it was a second. The hard rubber stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and had some deep tooth marks and flattened areas against the button. It was almost like the stem had been modified to make it a dental style bit. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the left and right side of the shank and it is clear and readable as noted above. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also am including a link to some printed material on the Malaga brand that came to me from the daughter of George Koch (we purchased George’s pipes from his daughter) to help identify the particular stamping on the pipe. The link takes you to the entire collection of materials that were sent to me. (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/27/malaga-pipes-catalogue-of-pipes-and-tobaccos/).

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean and the inner and outer edges of the bowl showed darkening and burn damage. The stem looked better and the tooth marks are very visible on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the top side of the shank to show that it was clean and faint in spots but still readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I worked on the damage and darkening on the inner edge of the rim and top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It looked better once I finished. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to look beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I worked it into the twin rings around the rim cap with a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the top and the underside of the stem with a black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I shaped it with small files and then sanded the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the vulcanite. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Malaga Second Zulu and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Second Zulu and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. There are flaws and sand pits in the briar that made it a second. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.16 ounces/33 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

New Life for a “Malaga” Rhodesian Oval Shank Rhodesian with a Taper Stem

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by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting “Malaga” Imported Briar ¼ Bent Rhodesian. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 09/14/2025 from a seller in Carleton, Michigan, USA. The grain on this pipe is very stunning beneath the oil cured finish. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads “Malaga”. It is a nice one in terms of the well-done ¼ Bent Rhodesian. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. The bowl had a thick cake that over flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a lava coat. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl appeared to be in good condition under the grime. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized and calcified. There were deep tooth marks on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and a heavy lava coat on the crowned rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. The hard rubber stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and had some deep tooth marks and some chatter on the top and underside of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the left and right side of the shank and it is clear and readable as noted above. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The shank had an inset to take in the tenon and the end of the stem so I would need to fit a stem to sit in the shank. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean as were the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The stem looked better and the tooth marks are very light on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the top side of the shank to show that it was clean and faint in spots but still readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to look beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I worked it into the twin rings around the rim cap with a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the top and the underside of the stem with a black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I shaped it with small files and then sanded the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the vulcanite. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the “Malaga” ¼ Bent Rhodesian and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful “Malaga” ¼ Bent Rhodesian and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. I honestly have no idea why it is labeled a second as there are no fills or flaws in the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.34 ounces/38 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

Another Beautiful “Malaga” Imported Briar Bent Billiard

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by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting “Malaga” Imported Briar Bent Billiard. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 09/14/2025 from a seller in Carleton, Michigan, USA. The grain on this pipe is very stunning beneath the oil cured finish. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads “Malaga”. It is stamped on the right side and reads Imported Briar. It is a nice one in terms of the well-done Bent Billiard. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. The bowl had a thick cake that over flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a lava coat. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl appeared to be in good condition. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized. There were light tooth marks on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe and the box that it came in before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and lava spots on the crowned rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. The hard rubber stem was lightly oxidized and had some light tooth marks and some chatter on the top and underside of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the left and right side of the shank and it is clear and readable as noted above. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The shank had an inset to take in the tenon and the end of the stem so I would need to fit a stem to sit in the shank. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean as were the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The stem looked better and the tooth marks are very light on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the left and right sides of the shank to show that it was clean and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the “Malaga” Imported Briar Bent Billiard and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful “Malaga” Imported Briar Bent Billiard and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. I honestly have no idea why it is labeled a second as there are no fills or flaws in the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.06 ounces/30 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Another Rebirthing, this time a Malaga 155 Crowned Rim Pot

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by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting Crowned Rim Malaga 155 Pot. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 11/04/2025 from a seller in Orlando, Florida, USA. The pipe came in a box and had the original tissue wrapping but no sock. The grain on this pipe is very stunning beneath the oil finish stain. The pipe is stamped (faint in spots) on the left side of the shank and reads Malaga [over] Imported Briar and on the underside, it is stamped with the number 155 which I believe is the shape number. It is a unique one in terms of the well-done crowned rim top. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. The bowl had a cake that flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a spotty lava coat. The cake in the bowl appeared to also have some unfinished dottle. It was hard to fully assess the condition of the inner edge. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl looked very good. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized. There were tooth marks on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe and the box that it came in before he started his clean up work. I took it out of the box and took photos. You can see the oils and grime int the finish around the bowl sides and the smooth surface on the crowned rim top and part of the shank. It was a unique and beautiful Crowned Pot shaped pipe.Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and lava spots on the crowned rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. The grain on the rim top is quite stunning. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. The hard rubber stem was lightly oxidized and had some deep tooth marks and some chatter on the top and underside of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the left side and it is faint but readable as noted above. The stamping on the underside of the shank shows the shape number. It faint but still readable.For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The shank had an inset to take in the tenon and the end of the stem so I would need to fit a stem to sit in the shank. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean as were the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The stem looked better and the tooth marks are visible on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the left and under side of the shank to show that it was still faint but readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on both sides with black CA glue. Once it cured, I flattened the repairs with small flat files. I sanded the surface with 220 grit sandpaper to further blend it in. It looks good. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Malaga Beautiful Crowned Rim 155 Pot and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Crowned Rim Top Pot and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. I honestly have no idea why it is labeled a second as there are no fills or flaws in the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.06 ounces/30 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!