Guest Blog by Robert M. Boughton
Member, North American Society of Pipe Collectors
http://www.naspc.org
http://www.roadrunnerpipes.com
http://about.me/boughtonrobert
Photos © the Author

“The problem with putting two and two together is that sometimes you get four, and sometimes you get twenty-two.”
― Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), U.S. author who re-invented and popularized the hard-boiled private investigator genre, in “The Thin Man” (1934)

INTRODUCTION
I take great solace from life’s frequent misadventures through activities that nevertheless focus on the same causes of grief: reading a good book, realistic or fantastic; writing news articles, blogs, letters to the editor and my own versions of literature; photographing street life, landscapes, nature and the occasional spot news event; drafting, filing and arguing civil actions in courts of law when I too frequently encounter those who would do me harm through ignorance or the misperception that I lack understanding of that study of knowledge, and researching and at times investigating anything and everything. But when I need to retreat all the way into the pleasure centers of my brain, I have only my local tobacconist and pipe acquisition disorder on which to fall back, and on the great majority of my P.A.D. attacks for almost a year now I can at least blame my small but expanding online business of refurbishing or restoring estate pipes for sale. Yet even that endeavor involves research and background checks.

Other than the classic but elegant shape and crafting of the Butz-Choquin bent billiard I scored a few months ago in an estate lot with several lesser gems – including a unique red Kaywoodie lumberman that was, for the most part, sandblasted, but with two natural rings around the billiard bowl and matching sitter bottom and ferrule – the obvious challenge of restoring the shapely French pipe to her original fine condition was a definite attraction. Except for the BC logo clear on the left side of the stem and the overall haggard appearance, I had no idea what I was getting. When the lot arrived, I searched for the BC, but when I found her the nomenclature was so fuzzy I could make out little more of the brand stamp on the left shank than the distinctive cursive B. Of the name itself, I saw two lines, the top beginning with a definite F and the bottom a clear word: MAJOR.

This may sound like plenty to go by, but my browser search suggested multiple possibilities for Butz-Choquin matches starting with F. There was the Formula, Formula Noir, Fait Main and filter, all of which I ruled out. And so I added an L and found Flamme, Flamme Extra, Flamme Standard, Flash and Fleuron. Then I tried Flamme Major and, seeing no suggestions, just Major. That excavated a site with images for BC Major Pipes, among which I saw a similar although straight stem specimen. Therefore I returned to the full Butz-Choquin Flamme Major search and completed it, confirming that indeed was what I had.

THE RESTORATION

I recently started making several basic changes in my pattern of restoration S.O.P. First, I now begin with an OxiClean stem wash as it can go on in the background, so to speak, while I do other tasks. I’ve also found it really works, although not with the comprehensive results sworn to in the site I found for its basic instructions, including the consistent lack of need for additional work such as sanding and on occasion using Black Super Glue for deep fills. Sometimes after washing with OxiClean and warm water, rubbing out the excess discoloration with a cloth and micro-meshing, the result is a perfect stem ready for the wheel. More often than not, however, I need to sand out scratches that are exposed. Such was the case with this stem. But the practice serves its purpose, to clean the stem inside and out and make the job of producing a shinier end product far easier.

Before

Ready for buffing:

The second new habit is working on the rim and chamber and scraping out the major buildup of old tobacco and its related substances from the shank with a wire cleaner rinsed over and over in Everclear. All of these can be completed during the OxiClean wash. Third, I now retort every pipe at this stage.

All of these stages of the process completed, I turned to the bowl and shank, which showed the wear and tear of age. Tell me about it! After washing the briar with purified water, I used a piece of super fine steel wool to lighten the all-too-often over-dark original finish, shine the wood and make the grain show with more clarity. The wood was in very good condition with no pits, dings or scratches worth mentioning, and the slight appearance of discoloring in areas disappeared. I did a full micromesh workup with 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600 and 4000.

By the end of the restoration, the nomenclature somehow was much clearer.

The time was right for the final buffing, and so I repaired from the comfort of the living room for the prep work to the workroom for finishing. The stem, as usual, I gave a nice shine with red Tripoli and White Diamond. The briar I buffed with white Tripoli, White Diamond, and a few coats of carnauba.

CONCLUSION
I think the most notable achievement of this restoration is that for the first time I was able to sand the chamber until it was baby smooth and like-new. I accomplished this by reaming and then sanding with 150-grit paper as usual but followed those steps with a second sanding using 320-grit paper.

All in all, I am happy with the outcome and will, of course, be sorry to let this one get away from me.