By Al Jones
This GBD was a bit of an odd-ball. First of all, it is a shape number that I’ve never encountered. Second it had no COM (country of manufacture stamp). A GBD knowledgeable friend believes it was made in the 40’s to 50’s era. The tenon is the bullet style, which is seen in older GBD’s and typically New Era grade or higher.
The pipe was in fairly good condition, with a small sharp tooth indention underneath the stem and a degraded button. It had the typical bowl top build-up. The stem did not fit snugly against the shank, but I knew when the shank was cleaned, that issue would be resolved
I reamed the cake and cleaned the bowl top with a piece of worn scotchbrite. The bowl was soaked with sea-salt and alcohol. I used some black superglue and accelerator on the tooth crease and built up the bottom section of the button underneath. There was some mild oxidation on the stem, which was removed with 800, 1500 and 2000 grade wet paper, followed by 8000 and 12000 micromesh sheets.
After the bowl soak, the shank was cleaned, which allowed the stem to bit snugly. The bowl was buffed with White Briar and several coats of Carnuba Wax.
The pipe is just over seven inches long, yet only weighs 25 grams.
Below is the finished pipe.
That is a neat looking pencil shank. Well done Al.