This is the second pipe sent to me by the owner of the Ardor Urano S. Holmes pipe I wrote about recently. This time I’m working on repairs to a very nice Claudio Cavicchi Bologna 04 Bent Billiard.

It’s a larger pipe, the owner’s tastes tending heavily towards over-sized Italian briars. Unfortunately for the stem on this Cavicchi, the size and weight make the pipe difficult to clench without really laying into the bit with the teeth. At some point the lower button waved the white flag and snapped off under the pressure.

Apart from the button, the pipe appeared to be in good shape except for a 1/4″ wide chunk of briar that had somehow chipped off the inner rim right at the front of the bowl.

The smooth patch on the underside of the shank is stamped “Cavicchi C.” in script over “ITALY” in block letters, then “BOLOGNA”…