Monthly Archives: October 2020

Restoring a Wally Frank Pipe of the Month Drunken Poker

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Blog by Steve Laug

Jeff and I cannot remember where we picked up the next pipe and have no idea where we found it or what the condition was when we found it. I know that Jeff cleaned it before it ended up here but we cannot put a finger on the pre-cleanup photos or even where we got it. So I decided to just write about it as it looks today before I start the cleanup work and describe the work that I did on the pipe. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Pipe of the Month in script. On the underside of the shank it reads Imported Briar while on the right it reads Wally Frank LTD. The pipe is uniquely shaped and I was tempted to call it a drunken poker (in fact I did in the title of the blog). It must have been a good smoking pipe from the condition of the cleaned bowl. The rim top and edges of the bowl are all damaged. It looked like the pipe had been knocked out on hard surfaces and reamed with a knife. The stem was in good condition once I received it with light tooth marks and chatter on both sides. The majority of my work would be done in reshaping and reworking the rim top.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work.  The rim top and edges of the rim looked rough with damage all around. The outer edge was rough and the inner edge was notched with what looked like knife marks. The rim top was also nicked and dented. The stem surface looked very good with some remaining oxidation and tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.  I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The bowl has a definitely tilt to it and the heel is rounded. The saddle stem is tapered with a slight bend that follows the flow of the pipe. I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-w1.html) and looked up the section on Wally Frank Pipes. I have included a screen capture of the section on The Pipe of the Month.Each member of Wally Frank’s “The Pipe of the Month Club” received a brand new pipe in the mail once a month.

There was also a link to the Pipe of the Month Order form that was on the site. I have included that below for your viewing.Now it was time to work on the pipe. To take care of the significant damage to the rim top and edges I started my work by gently topping the bowl to minimize the damaged areas. I gave the inner edge of the bowl a bevel to reduce the burned areas. I also sanded the outer edge and smoothed out the damage. I wiped the bowl down with acetone to remove the spotty varnish coat and to get the bowl free of the shininess so I could blend in the rim top more carefully. There was some nice looking grain under the varnish. Removing varnish always gives me pause because it can often reveal things I would have rather left hidden. However in this case it was not true. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. The bowl really began to take on a shine. The rim top was slightly lighter than the rest of the bowl so I touched it up with an Oak stain pen to match the rest of the pipe.With the rim cleaned up the bowl was in good condition. I rubbed it down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine.  I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I “painted” the stem with the flame of a lighter to lift the tooth marks. The majority of them disappeared with the heat of the flame. Those that remained I filled in with clear super glue. Once the repairs had cured I sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper.  I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.  Before I put the stem back on the shank I checked out the shank end and the edges. I was surprised when I saw a small crack on the top of the shank toward the right that was obviously there before but only now after polishing could I see it. I circled the cracked area in red in the two photos below. I glued the crack with a dribble of super glue and then pressed a thin brass band on the shank end. I really like these thin bands as they do not cover the stamping on the shank – which in this case was on three sides. I like the finished look of the pipe with the band.This Wally Frank Pipe of the Month Drunken Poker with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The smooth finish and unique grain look and feel great in the hand and should only feel better as the pipe is smoked. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel to give a shine. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Drunken Poker fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¼ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 25gr/.88oz. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Late Republic Era Peterson’s Sherlock Holmes Rathbone Bent Tall Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from an online auction from Hermann, Missouri, USA. It is a rusticated Peterson’s Sherlock Holmes line pipe with a tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Peterson’s [over] Sherlock Holmes [over] Rathbone. That is followed by the stamping Made in the Republic of Ireland. This is a nicer piece of briar than I have seen on some of the firsts I have worked on. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the rusticated finish on the bowl. The bowl was heavily caked and there was a lava coat and the inner edge of the rim. The edges looked okay but we would know more after the cleanup. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There a silver P glued onto the left side of the taper stem. The Sterling Silver Band is stamped with the profile of Sherlock Holmes with Sterling Silver above and below the profile. Under that it has three hallmarks that will identify the year the pipe was made. The pipe showed promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work.   He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the condition of the rim top and edges. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the oxidation, calcification and chatter and tooth marks.    Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. It is a craggy and rugged rustication.    He took photos of the stamping on the shank and the Sterling Silver band. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. You can also see the Silver P on the side of the stem. It appears to be loose and lifted from the stem surface. The Sterling Silver band on the shank had the classic Peterson’s Hallmarks. The first mark was the seated Hibernia with her arm on a harp representing Ireland as the country of manufacture. The second mark was a crowned harp used to identify the quality of the silver. The third mark was a slanted capital M that gave the date the pipe was made. I turned to a Peterson’s Hallmark chart that I had on rebornpipes to see if I could identify the date the pipe was made (https://rebornpipes.com/tag/peterson-hallmark-chart/). The slanted letter “M” is the stamp for 1998. That tells me the pipe was made in 1998.I am including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

I turned to Pipedia to see if I could find some specific information on the Sherlock Holmes Series (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson#Peterson_Pipe_Collections). The site gave this following information on the series

The Sherlock Holmes Series: Probably the most popular and successful series of pipes ever produced by Peterson. Including the Meerschaum version of the seven day sets. Both briar and Meers can be purchased either as individual pipes or complete seven day sets and stands. Expect to pay around $250 for briars and $300 for individual Meerschaums. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes runs around $1000 for a 4 pipe boxed set. Complete 7 day sets and stands can be up to $1500 – $2000.

That was followed by the second series the Return of Sherlock Holmes.

I turned to the article on dating Peterson pipes on Pipedia to see if I define the time frame of the Return of Sherlock Holmes Series and it dated it at approximately 1991 (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_Peterson_Dating_Guide;_A_Rule_of_Thumb#Silver_Band_Dating). That fit this pipe well as it is dated 1998. It clearly links it to the Second or Return of Sherlock Holmes series,

I turned to the catalogue I had on a blog on rebornpipes (https://rebornpipes.com/tag/peterson-hallmark-chart/). I have copied the page from the catalogue on the Sherlock Holmes Original Collection. From that page it appears that the Rathbone was part of the second series of Sherlock Holmes pipes – The Return of Sherlock Holmes.I knew that I was dealing with a Republic Era pipe made between 1950-and the present – a Late Republic pipe. It was a rusticated bent billiard that came out as part of the Return of the Sherlock Holmes Series in 1998. The finish was stained with a combination of brown and black stains. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it.  (The plastic bag in the bowl contains the silver P which fell off in the clean up.) The rim top and inner edge of the rim looked very good with a bit of damage on the inner bevel of the rim surface. The stem surface looked very good with some remaining oxidation and tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.     I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The second photo shows the spot were the silver P was inset into the vulcanite. I would need to reset the P.I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is tapered. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the loose P logo that needed to be reset in the stem surface. You can see where someone tried to reset it with heat and damaged the vulcanite around the P. I daubed the surface of the P stamp with all clear CA glue and pressed the P into the shape on the stem surface. I set the stem aside while I worked on the bowl. I cleaned up the darkened and damaged beveled inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. Once I had the bevel finished I polished it with 1500-2400 grit micromesh pads and wiped off the dust. I restained it with a Walnut Stain pen to match the rest of the bowl finish.  With the rim cleaned up the bowl was in good condition. I rubbed it down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips and worked it into the nooks and crannies of the rustication with a horsehair shoebrush. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I smoothed out the damage to the vulcanite around the P with a new 1500 grit micromesh pad. I was able to remove the damage and the stem looked good.  I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.  This Return of Sherlock Holmes Series Rathbone Bent Tall Billiard with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The rugged rustication feels great in the hand and should only feel better as the pipe is smoked. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch being careful around the silver P and gentle on the rusticated briar. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Sherlock Holmes Rathbone fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 53gr/1.87oz. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Cleaning up a Peterson’s Made Republic Era Irish Second Calabash

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from an online auction from Sidney, Ohio, USA. It is a nicely grained Irish Second Calabash with a tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads IRISH SECONDS. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland. Irish Seconds were a Peterson’s second line that usually did not make the grade because of flaws in the briar or sandpits. This is a nicer piece of briar than I have seen on some of the firsts I have worked on. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was heavily caked in the lower half of the bowl and thinner toward the top. There was a light lava coat and darkening on the inner edge of the rim. The edges looked okay but we would know more after the cleanup. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. There were a few sandpits and nicks around the sides of the bowl. The pipe showed promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the condition of the rim top and edges. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the oxidation, calcification and chatter and tooth marks. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some great grain under the grime.   He took photos of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. Jeff took a photo of the deep pits in the right side of the shank near the junction with the bowl.I am including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

I knew that I was dealing with a Republic Era pipe made between 1950-1989. It was a smooth bent Calabash with nice grain. The finish was stained with a combination of brown stains. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. The rim top and inner edge of the rim looked very good with minimal damage. The stem surface looked very good with some remaining oxidation and tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.     I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above.     I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is tapered. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the pitting in the briar on the right side. I filled in the flaws with briar dust and clear super glue. Once the repair cured I sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the surrounding briar. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth.      I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I “painted” the stem with the flame of a lighter to try and lift them. While I was able to lift many of them some still remained. I filled those in with clear super glue. Once the repairs cured I used a file to recut the button edge and flatten out the repairs. I sanded out the file marks and smoothed out the rest of the repair with 220 grit sandpaper and started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. Once again I was doing too many things at the same time and forgot to take photos of the process. I took one of each side of the stem before I polished it with micromesh. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. 

This Peterson’s made Irish Second Calabash with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. There is some great grain around the bowl and shank. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Irish Second Calabash fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 73gr/2.57oz. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Beautification for an American Made Curtis Draper of Washington DC Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to me from one of our estate purchases. Between us we pick up quite a few pipes for restoration. I try to work them into the restoration queue so that I can keep them moving. We picked up over 120+ Bertram and a few other pipes from an estate that a fellow on the east coast of the US was selling. This next one is from that estate – a beautifully grained Curtis Draper Canadian with a tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Curtis Draper in a football shaped stamp. On the underside it is stamped Imported Briar. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential burn damage on the back inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the pipes in this lot this one showed promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work.       He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the rim top. The lava was thicker toward the back of the rim and there were remnants of tobacco on the walls of the thickly caked bowl. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the chatter and tooth marks. Otherwise the stem is quite clean. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime.   He took photos of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. I looked on Pipedia for the Curtis Draper brand and only found it listed in the section of the wiki on American Pipe Brands (https://pipedia.org/wiki/American_Pipe_Brands_%26_Makers_C_-_D). I quote the brief entry there:

Curtis Draper is a brand of a Washington DC tobacconist.

I searched for the brand on Google and found a link to their website that gave an excellent history of the brand (http://www.wcurtisdraper.com/history/).

Curtis Draper Tobacconist, has been a Washington DC, institution for over 127 years. Draper’s, the third oldest tobacconist in the U.S., was founded in 1887 by William Curtis Draper. Mr. Draper remained owner of the shop until 1946, when he sold it to an employee, Mr. William Martin. Mr. Martin was an accountant by profession, but had been helping around the shop for a number of years. Bill Martin was owner until 1990, when he passed away, leaving the business to his wife and an employee of over 20 years, John “Duke” Cox.

In 1999 John Anderson, an employee of Drapers, and Duke bought the remaining shares and become the owners. 2004 Matt Krimm joined the Drapers family as an employee and subsequently in 2005 he and John Anderson became owners upon Duke’s retirement. In 125 years Draper’s has only known five ownership groups, a small number in this era.

The most important ingredient to our longevity, is our dedication to customer service, along with the ability to provide a relaxed and friendly environment for our patrons. We have been called on more than one occasion, one of the last gentleman’s tobacconists.

This business is still about forming relationships. That philosophy extends, not only to our customers, but also to the cigar manufacturers and their representatives as well. We were chosen in 1970 to introduce the Macanudo line, to the U.S. market. We also worked very closely with the Fuente family, helping them get their products out, thereby creating demand and recognition. We were one of the first shops to carry the Fuente Hemingway Signature cigar. The Signature was the only size made in that line for a few years. This cigar did not initially sell well, so we gave them away as samples. The rest is, well, history. Now people all over the world, search, in vain, at times, to find these cigars. Drapers was also one of the original Davidoff appointed merchants.

We have always offered a full array of accessories for all smoking needs. We were one of the first shops in the country to feature Savinelli pipes. Draper’s is a full-service tobacconist offering cutters, lighters, humidors, loose tobaccos, tinned tobacco, rolling tobacco, and many other hard to find items.

Being in DC has been exciting and rewarding for us. Where else can you be in a shop with Congressmen, FBI agents, visiting dignitaries, Supreme Court Justices, lobbyists, heads of business and bike couriers? All of them sharing a passion for a few minutes of camaraderie and peace during a busy day.

Much of our success has been derived from Bill’s foresight. He implemented a mail order program, which made the Draper name well recognized throughout the country and expanded the business. Fifty four years later we are starting our own new program, an internet site, that we hope will not only grow our business, but be a fun and informative site for our customers and friends. We hope not only to welcome you to this site, but at some point welcome you into our store. If you plan on being in the Washington DC area, please click on the locator icon for directions. We hope you enjoy our latest venture.  – John Anderson & Matt Krimm

From this information I learned that all of these Curtis Draper is a Washington DC, USA tobacconist and has been around since 1887.  The pipe I am working on is a beautiful pipe that bears the stamp of the store on the top of the shank. Since it came to me in the lot of Bertrams I am wondering Bertram did not make the store pipes for Draper’s.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. The rim top and inner edge of the rim looked very good with minimal damage. The stem surface looked very good with a few small tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above.  I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is short and tapered. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. It was in very good condition so I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.       This Curtis Draper Imported Briar Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. There is some great grain around the bowl and shank. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Draper Canadian fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ 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 29gr/.99oz. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. 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 Tiny WDC Studio Italian Briar Bent Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from an online auction in Kingman, Arizona, USA. The pipe is an interesting tiny bent pot. It could easily have been another salesman’s sample for Wm Demuth & Co. an American Briar maker but I have no way of knowing for sure. The orific button and the style of the stem contribute to my belief that this is an older pipe. The pipe is smoothly finished Bent Billiard shaped bowl. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads WDC in a triangle and next to that it reads Studio [over] Italian Briar. There was grime and dust ground into the finish of the briar. The nickel band was oxidized and dull. The bowl was heavily caked while the top and inner edge of the rim had a coat of lava. The curved vulcanite taper stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. This was a tiny pipe and one that I would have thought could easily have been unsmoked. But in this case it must have been someone’s favourite smoker because it was smoked hard and often from the looks of it. The tiny pipe looked like it would be an interesting one to clean up. It showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work.   He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and tobacco debris as well as the lava on the top and inner edge of the rim. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The shank was too dirty for the stem to fit in correctly. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like. It really does not look like briar but more like a hard wood which would also be another argument for it being a salesman’s sample pipe. The nickel band should look great once it is polished. The stamping on the left side of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above.Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife as the bowl was too small for even the smallest PipNet reaming head.  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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in a Before & After Deoxidizer bath and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work. The rim top cleaned up really well. The rim top, inner and outer edges of the bowl are in excellent condition. The stem surface looked very good with a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.   The stamping on the shank side is clear and readable. It is stamped as noted above.  I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The taper stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like. I started my work on this little pipe by addressing a flaw in the wood on the front of the bowl. I filled it in with briar dust and super glue. Once the repair cured I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. I stained the repair on the front of the bowl with  a walnut stain pen. I sanded the bowl smooth with 1500-3200 grit micromesh sanding pads (I forgot to take photos of that process). I stained the pipe with a dark brown aniline stain, flamed it to set it in the grain and repeated the process until I was happy with the coverage.   I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for about 10-15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive and the fills while visible look better than when I began.     I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Tiny WDC Studio Italian Briar Bent Billiard is a great looking little pipe now that it has been restored. The rich brown stain gives the bowl depth and elegance. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel or maybe I should say “finger” feel. The polished nickel band looks very good with the brown briar and polished vulcanite stem. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine.  Once I was finished the bowl and a matte look to it that I liked. The finished WDC Studio Bent Billiard fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 4 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¼ inch, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of this pipe is 18 grams/.63oz. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Sasieni Four Dot “Ruff Root” Richmond Volcano

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from a pipe hunt that Jeff and his wife recently did in Utah, USA. The pipe is an interesting looking Sasieni Sandblast pipe with a vulcanite taper stem. The pipe is well shaped and has nice sandblasted grain around the bowl. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the bowl and reads Sasieni [over] Four Dot [over] “Ruff Root” [over] London Made [over] “Richmond”. There was grime and dust ground into the nooks and crannies of the sandblast on the briar. The bowl was heavily caked with lava flowing over the sandblast rim top and edges. The inside edge looks like it may actually be undamaged under the lava coat. The outer edge looks very good. The taper vulcanite stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button and on the button edge. There were four light blue dots on the left side of the taper in a diamond pattern. The pipe showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and tobacco debris as well as the inner edge of the rim. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. The stem had four light blue dots on the left side of the taper.    Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like. It truly has some nice sandblasted grain around the bowl and shank. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above. Jeff took several photos to capture the stamping on the underside of the shank. I turned to Pipephil (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-sasieni.html) to get a quick view of the Sasieni Four Dot “Ruff Root” pipes. I did a screen capture of the site’s information on the Four Dot line. There was nothing on the Richmond pipe but the data provided by the site helped understand the stamping. It appears that the pipe I am working on is a Pre-Transition pipe (1946-1979). It is stamped Four Dot Richmond (shape name (Town)). The Ruff Root finish is the name of the sandblast finish on the pipe.

I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Sasieni) for a quick read.

Furthermore, by 1935 Sasieni began stamping pipes, based on the shape, with their own names, which were usually, but not always, English towns. For example, apples were stamped “Hurlingham”, bulldogs were “Grosvenor” or “Danzey”, and panels were “Lincoln”. One rare and interesting variation of this was the large bent, dubbed “Viscount Lascelles”. Even in this soft Sasieni market, these pipes regularly sell for $150 in their rare appearances in mailers.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in a Before & After Deoxidizer bath and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work. The rim top cleaned up really well. The rim top, inner and outer edge of the bowl is in excellent condition. The stem surface looked very good with a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. There was also some remaining oxidation.    The stamping on the shank sides is clear and readable. It is stamped as noted above.  I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The taper stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like. The bowl was in such great condition after Jeff’s cleanup that I did not have a lot to do with it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for about 10-15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive and the fills while visible look better than when I began.    I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter and was able to lift out most of the tooth marks on the top surface ahead of the button. There were several small marks on the top and underside of the stem. I filled them in with clear super glue. Once the repair cured I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. I scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub All Purpose cleanser to remove the remaining oxidation. I have found that a good scrub with this product removes the oxidation left behind by the other methods. You can see it on the cotton pads underneath the stem.  I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.   This Sasieni Four Dot “Ruff Root” Richmond Volcano is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The sandblasted finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel. 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 multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Sasieni Four Dot “Ruff Root” Richmond fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 39grams/1.38oz. It is a great looking and light weight pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Savinelli Nonpareil 9412 Freehand

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from a pipe hunt that Jeff and his wife recently did in Utah, USA. The pipe is an interesting almost Danish looking Savinelli pipe with a faux horn shank extension that has a metal cup in the shank to stabilize the extension. The pipe is well shaped and has nice sandblasted grain around the bowl. The pipe is stamped on the heel of the bowl and reads Savinelli [over] Nonpariel [over] 9412 (shape number) [over] Savinelli S shield followed by Italy. There was a grime and dust in the nooks and crannies of the sandblast on the briar. The bowl was moderately caked while the top and inner edge of the rim were dusty but otherwise quite clean. The inside edge looks like it may have burn damage on the front right. The outer edge has a lot of nicks and chips. The faux horn shank extension looked very good and the metal insert was snugly in the shank end. The fancy vulcanite stem was oxidized and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button and on the button edge. The pipe showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and tobacco debris as well as the relatively clean inner edge of the rim. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem as well as the horn shank extension. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. The stem had two brass dots on the left side of the taper just past the saddle portion of the stem.  Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like. It truly has some nice sandblasted grain – birdseye and cross grain around the bowl and shank. The faux horn shank extension is quite nice looking. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above. I turned to Pipephil (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-savinelli3.html) to get a quick view of the Nonpareil Line. I did a screen capture of the site’s information and have included that below. I am also including a screen capture of the Shape and code chart introduction that is link in the above capture.It appears that the Nonpareil 9412 that I am working on is made before 1970 so it is at least 50+ years old. It is in great shape. I am not sure what the exception noted above is about.

I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Savinelli) for a quick read. The site is worth reading the history of the Savinelli brand and it philosophy of pipemaking. There was nothing specific on the Nonpareil line however so it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in a Before & After Deoxidizer bath and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work. The rim top cleaned up really well. The rim top, inner and outer edge of the bowl is in excellent condition. The stem surface looked very good with a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The fancy saddle stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like. The bowl was in such great condition after Jeff’s cleanup that I did not have a lot to do with it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for about 10-15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive and the fills while visible look better than when I began.     I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter and was able to lift out all but one deep tooth mark on the top surface ahead of the button. Once the repair cured I used a file to flatten it out and then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. I scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub All Purpose cleanser to remove the remaining oxidation. I have found that a good scrub with this product removes the oxidation left behind by the other methods. You can see it on the cotton pads underneath the stem.I still found that the stem had some oxidation that was quite deep in the vulcanite. I put it in a bath of Briarville’s Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover and let it soak for 2 ½ hours. When I took it out of the bath I rubbed it down with a paper towel remove the oxidation and the product. It came out significantly darker.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Savinelli Nonpareil 9412 Freehand is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The sandblasted finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel. The faux horn shank extension has a metal insert in the shank end to keep it from splitting. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Savinelli Nonpareil 9412 fits nicely in the hand and feels great. 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: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 50grams/1.8oz. It is a great looking and light weight pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. 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 Tiny Imported Briar Bent Pot

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from an online auction in Canton, Texas, USA. The pipe is an interesting tiny bent pot. It could easily have been a salesman’s sample for some American Briar maker but I have no way of knowing for sure. The orific button and the oddly shaped stem contribute to my belief that this is an older pipe. The pipe is smoothly finished Bent Pot shaped bowl. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Imported Briar. There was a grime, dust and even paint flecks ground into the finish of the briar. The nickel ferrule was oxidized and dull. The bowl was heavily caked while the top and inner edge of the rim had a light coat of lava. The uniquely shaped vulcanite stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. This was a tiny pipe and one that I would have thought could easily have been unsmoked. But in this case it must have been someone’s favourite smoker because it was smoked hard and often from the looks of it. The tiny pipe looked like it would be an interesting one to clean up. It showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and tobacco debris as well as the relatively clean inner edge of the rim. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like. It truly has some nice grain – birdseye and cross grain around the bowl and shank. The nickel ferrule should look great once it is polished. The stamping on the left side of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above.Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife as the bowl was too small for even the smallest PipNet reaming head.  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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in a Before & After Deoxidizer bath and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work. The rim top cleaned up really well. The rim top, inner and outer edges of the bowl are in excellent condition. The stem surface looked very good with a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.     The stamping on the shank sides is clear and readable. It is stamped as noted above.  I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The fancy saddle stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like. I polished the briar of the bowl and shank as well as the nickel ferrule with micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust.  I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for about 10-15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive and the fills while visible look better than when I began.     I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.    This Tiny Imported Briar Bent Pot is a great looking little pipe now that it has been restored. The richly brown stain gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel or maybe I should say “finger” feel. The polished nickel ferrule looks very good with the brown briar and polished vulcanite stem. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Imported Briar Bent Pot fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 inch, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ½ of an inch. The weight of this pipe is 11grams/.39oz. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Danish Pride by Ben Wade Mixed Finish Handmade Freehand Sitter

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table came to us from a recent trade I did with Dan here in Vancouver. He was interested in one of the pipes that I had just restored and we made an arrangement that included the Ben Wade pipe. He sent me the photo to the left and the ones following for me to have a look before he brought it by for the trade.  I was definitely interested and let him know that the deal was on.Dan and I met yesterday morning and did the trade. It really was a beauty. The finish was dusty and dirty but it showed promise underneath. On the underside of the shank it was clearly stamped Danish Pride [over] Martinique [over] by Ben Wade [over] Hand Made [over] Denmark. There dust in the sandblast finish around the bowl sides. The bowl had a thick cake that overflowed in lava on the plateau rim top filling in the grooves and valleys of the finish. The inner edge of the bowl was also caked with lava. The shank end also had a plateau finish that was actually quite clean. The fancy vulcanite stem was lightly oxidized and had some tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took some photos of the pipe before I started working on it. I took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the plateau finish of the rim top. There is dust and debris stuck to the walls of the bowl clearly visible in the photos. I also took photos of the stem to show the light oxidation on the surface and the chatter and tooth marks on the top and underside. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable.I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is turned fancy vulcanite saddle. I remembered a bit of history on the brand that thought that the Preben Holm pipes were marketed under the Ben Wade label in the US and imported through Lane Ltd. I turned to Pipedia and read the listing on the brand to refresh my memory and flesh out the knowledge of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade). I have included a photo from that site that was taken from a Tinderbox advertisement.I quote the portion of the article that summarizes the Danish period of the history of the brand:

Young Copenhagen master pipemaker Preben Holm had made a meteoric career heading a pipe manufacture employing 45 people at the age of 22! But around the turn of 1970/71 he was in major financial difficulties. His US distributor, Snug Harbour Ltd. in New York City, left him in the lurch. Holm had three unpaid invoices on his desk and another large shipment was ready for the USA, when Snug Harbour’s manager told him on the phone that there was no money at all on the account to pay him.

So the Dane went to New York for an almost desperate search for a new distribution partner. He made contacts with Lane Ltd. and met Herman G. Lane in February 1971. Lane Ltd. had no interest in Holm’s serial pipes produced at that time but so much the more in the hand-carved freehands because the hype for Danish freehands and fancies in the States was still on its way to the climax then. The meeting resulted in an agreement to start a cooperation. Lane insisted to improve the quality considerably and in return he assured to be able to sell essentially larger quantities.

Holm went back home to work on new samples with all-new designs and altered finishes for Lane. Both, Lane and Holm, agreed that it would be unwise to sell the pipes under Preben Holm’s name as long as Snug Harbour had a considerable stock of Preben Holm pipes and might sell them pipes at very low prices just to bring in some money.

So on Mr. Lane’s proposal it was determined to use the name Ben Wade belonging to Lane Ltd. Lane spent considerable amounts of money for advertising the new brand in the big magazines– the centerpiece being whole-page ads showing a very exclusive Seven Day’s Set.

The cooperation with Lane Ltd. proved to be an eminent business success for both partners. Within a very short time Ben Wade Handmade Denmark sold in much larger quantities and at higher prices than they had ever dreamed of. And the hype these freehands and fancy pipes caused went on unbroken long after Herman G. Lane deceased. Preben Holm – obviously much more brilliant in pipe making than in pipe business – was in major troubles again in 1986 and had to sack most of his staff. The Ben Wade production was significantly lowered but continued until his untimely death in June of 1989.

Up to now Preben Holm made Ben Wade pipes are cult and highly sought for on the estate markets.

With that information my initial thoughts were confirmed. This pipe was a Preben Holm made Freehand distributed in the US by Lane Ltd under the name Ben Wade. The freehand rage occurred in the late 70s and the pipes were made until Preben’s death in 1989. My guess would be that this pipe was made sometime during that time period and potentially in the late 70s.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer. I used the first three cutting heads to take the cake back to bare briar. I followed that by scraping the bowl walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper.  I scrubbed the exterior of the briar with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the nooks and crannies of the sandblast and the plateau rim top and shank end with the tooth brush and a wire brush to clean off the grime and the lava build up. I rinsed the bowl off with running water and dried off the bowl with a soft towel. I cleaned the shank and airway in the stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs to remove the grime and build up there.    I polished the smooth portions of the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth.  I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips and into the plateau rim top with a horsehair shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine.   I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to lift the marks in the surface. I filled in the deep tooth mark on the topside of the stem and the button surface. Once the repair cured I smoothed it out with a file. I reshaped the button and sanded out the tooth marks from the surface of the vulcanite with 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing of the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. I used some Rub’n Buff Antique Gold to touch up the crown stamp on the topside of the saddle stem. I applied it to the surface with a tooth pick and buffed it off with a soft cloth. While it is faint it looked identifiable.   I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.    This Danish Pride by Ben Wade Freehand Sitter with a fancy, turned vulcanite stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Danish Pride Freehand fits nicely in the hand and feels great. 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, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

A Simple Restoration on a Republic Era Peterson’s “Dunmore” 77 Bent Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was gifted to me by Ray, a reader in Australia. It is a petite Peterson’s “Dunmore” pipe. He had read a restoration of Bob Kerr’s Estate Peterson’s “Dunmore” and thought I would enjoy working what he called “that pipe’s l’il brother”. It is about a Group 2 by Dunhill standards bowl that he had picked up in the 1970s. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Peterson’s [over] “Dunmore”. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland followed by the shape number 77.  Ray had done the lion’s share of the clean up on the pipe. It had been reamed, cleaned and buffed. It was in great condition. There was some rim top darkening and damage on the inner edge of the bowl but nothing too difficult. The beaded decoration on the shank end is in excellent condition. Like other Dunmore’s I have worked on it had a flattened shank and the pipe functioned as a sitter. The stem was in excellent condition with some very light tooth chatter on both sides ahead of the p-lip. The “P” stamp on the left side of the stem was clear and just needed to be touched up otherwise it looked good. I took photos of the pipe when I finally brought it to my work table. The next photos show the bowl and rim top as well as the stem condition. The bowl was clean and ready to fire up. The rim edge was out of round and showed some damage and darkening. The rim top also had some darkening. The stem looked very good with some light tooth chatter and scratches.  The stamping on the shank sides was very readable and read as noted above. It had been buffed but was not overly damaged.   I took the stem off and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to give a perspective on the size and proportions of this little pipe.After rereading Ray’s email about the pipe and the previous blog on the Dunmore I had worked on I went back and reread the blog (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/08/18/restoring-a-petersons-dunmore-70-bent-apple-sitter-from-bob-kerrs-estate/). I quote from the blog on the Dunmore line below.

I then turned to the book I should have consulted first, The Peterson Pipe, by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg. On page 298 there is an entry for Dunmore pipes. It reads as follows:

Dunmore (1971-c.1984 2006-10). Appeared first as Iwan Ries & Co. exclusive line “Dunmoor,” a Premier-grade in light-brown smooth or rustic red in all System shapes, with beading at the shank. Documented in the Associated Imports Catalog from 1973. Classic Range Dunmore shapes from ’78. A third Dunmore line (’06-10) featured standard and some B shapes, with beading around bowl instead of at shank-face, produced for European market.

On page 165 there were also photos of pages from a catalogue with the  description: The unmounted Dunmore Premier debuted in both System and Classic Range shapes circa 1973 with a final appearance in the 1981 catalogue.

The information blurb on each page read: “Dunmore Briars.” Beautifully grained best quality briar in light-brown, matt or rustic finish. Often described as “Petersons Unmounted System” has all the advantages of the system range. Ten models each fitted with the Peterson Lip mouthpiece.

With that information in hand I knew what I was dealing with in terms of the stamping on the pipe. It is a Late Republic era pipe. It showed up in Peterson Catalogue in 1973 which fits Ray’s memory of when he bought the pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I decided to start my work on this one by reworking the inner edge of the rim with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wanted to try and bring it back into round and smooth out the jagged condition.I polished the briar and worked over the rim top with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. Once the finish was removed the fills in the briar became very evident.  I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine.   I touched up the stamp on the left side of the saddle with liquid paper. I applied it and worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick. Once it cured I scraped off the excess. It is definitely better though the stamp is faint in some spots.  I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.  This nice looking Peterson’s Dunmore 77 Bent Billiard and a classic Peterson’s P-lip vulcanite stem looks much better now that it has been restored. The rim top and edges cleaned up very well. The rich brown stains on the bowl came alive with the polishing and waxing. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Peterson’s Dunmore is a petite beauty and fits nicely in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!