Blog by Joey Bruce

I am always on the lookout for pipes every time I’m… Well pretty much anywhere but especially thrift stores and flea markets. I have picked up a few Kaywoodies and Dr. Grabow’s along with some no names here and there and they are sitting on the shelf collecting dust. It wasn’t until recently that I was in another thrift store that I spotted a group of pipes sitting on the shelf. I didn’t even bother looking for logos I just grabbed them and took them to the front to ask how much. For four pipes the guy wanted a whopping $5. I happily agreed and took them home. That’s where I discovered the store had sold me some really nice pipes.

Two noteworthy and impressive looking pipes were a Ben Wade freehand and a Dr. Plumb. This immediately started a fire under me and I quickly went to the closet and got out all my pipe restoring equipment.
I started working on the stems first. It had been awhile so I forgot my routine. Usually the first thing I do is soak them in a Oxyclean solution, then break out the alcohol soaked pipe cleaners and let them sit overnight, then start with the sanding. This time in my excitement I forgot the Oxyclean and went straight into the pipe cleaners and then the sanding.

It wasn’t until I noticed all the oxidation wasn’t coming off that I remembered my original routine. So I threw them in the Oxyclean solution and after 6hrs removed them. That lifted the rest of the oxidation up to where I could now sand it off. You can see here as I’m part way through the Ben Wade stem.

I usually wet sand until the brown goo stops and that’s when I know it’s time to hit the buffer. A few minutes issuing a mild polish then hit it up with a finishing polish for that extra bright luster. On the BW freehand the logo was already worn down pretty well so I couldn’t sand it much or I’d risk losing the logo completely. So you’ll see some brown oxidation around that area.

While the stems are being polished I let the bowls soak in sea salt and alcohol for about a day. I keep topping them off with alcohol throughout the day as they dry up. Not sure if this is the proper technique but it works for me.
Neither the Ben Wade or Dr. Plumb had much cake built up so lucky for me I didn’t have to go into the bowl and clean it up. If you look back at the first pic (sorry I didn’t photo document the steps well) you can see some build up on the rim of the two pipes. The Dr. Plumb needed to be wet sanded to get that off but the Ben Wade came off super easy on the buffer.
I finished the Dr. Plumb up on the buffer the same way I did the stems and it came out nice. This pipe is quite large in diameter and you can feel it with the weight. The grain of the wood is this rich dark almost tiger stripes grain. It rests very comfortably in the palm of your hand.

The BW however, I tried to take the buffer to it and quickly noticed it took off the black worn look to the rustic briar. Not sure if that’s what it looked like in the beginning but I like the black weathered look to the wood so I took some toothpaste and brush to it to clean it and then I spent a good amount of time just rubbing it with my hands. Working the natural oils (and probably some grit and grime) into it. It too is a large pipe but it’s a featherweight. Not sure how they were able to do that. It’s almost like an illusion or some magic trick.

I’m pleased how they turned out. All in all not a bad purchase for $2.50.