Daily Archives: June 24, 2023

Restoring a Sandblast Charatan’s Make London, England tall Dublin 75X

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a nice looking smooth Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem. We picked it up on 04/09/2022 from a seller in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The stamping on the underside of the shank is faint but still readable. It read L in a circle followed by Charatan’s Make [over] London England. That is followed by the stamping of the shape number 75X. The black vulcanite saddle stem stamped with a CP on the left side. The pipe has a medium reddish brown finish that shows the grain patterns through the sandblast on the bowl sides and shank. It is light weight and comfortable pipe to hold. Jeff sent me the following photos of the pipe to show the condition it was in before he worked on it. This is what I saw when I looked over the pipe.

  1. The sandblast finish had thick grime ground into briar around the sides. The stain is dull and the grain patterns though visible under the grime are obscured around the bowl sides and shank. There are oil stains from the previous smokers hands around the sides of the bowl.
  2. The rim top was very dirty with a heavy lava coat on it. It is heavier on the back side. The inner edge of the bowl and top show damage though it is hard to see the extent through the thick build up of cake that has overflown the bowl top.
  3. There was a thick cake in the bowl. The bowl itself was very dark and dirty. Once the bowl was cleaned up we could confirm the condition of the bowl walls.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem was filthy, oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides and on the button surface.
  5. There is a Charatan CP logo stamped on the left side of the stem. It is faint but readable.

To summarize what I saw – this Charatan’s Make Sandblast 75X is a well-made pipe. The bowl and stem are very dirty which says to me that the pipe was once again someone’s favourite pipe. The look and feel of the pipe in the hand is great. It should clean up very well. Here are photos of the pipe taken before Jeff started the clean up.  Jeff took close up photos so that I could have a clearer picture of the condition of the bowl, rim edges and top. The rim top photos confirm my assessment above. The cake in the bowl is thick – covering the walls of the bowl. The rim top has thick lava coat overflowing and covering the inner edge. It is heavier toward the back of the bowl. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge in this condition. There appears to be some damage on the top and inner edge on the front and the back but I would not know for sure until it was reamed. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. I look forward to viewing it in person after the clean up work.The vulcanite saddle stem is dirty, oxidized and calcified. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Instead of telling you what I see in the next photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel I want to hear from you. Tell me what you see? What does the finish look like to you? Are there any visible problems or issues that stand out to you? Are there cracks or scratches in nooks and crannies of the sandblast finish of the bowl? Are there visible flaws or fissures in the briar? What does the finish look like? Is there a pattern to it? Any visible issues on the heel of the bowl? These questions should help you to see what I am looking for when I see these photos. He took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is stamped as noted above. The vulcanite stem shows a CP stamp on the left side. What stands out for you in the photos of the stamping? What do you look for in the stamping? It is dirty but what do you see underneath the grime on the surface of the briar? I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-charatan.html) to look up information on the pipe but there was nothing specific.

I also turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans) to help with dating it. I quote the section of the article that applies to this pipe below.

Identification of a third era pipe (First Lane era, 1961-1965)

Pipes of this period are quite common.

1) The mouthpiece is frequently double comfort, rarely saddle without the double comfort, never tapered. If the stem is not a double comfort but a saddle one, it is characterized by the letter X on the right of the shape code (e.g. 2502X), naturally in this case the letters DC are not displayed.

2) In the CP logo, the C enters the P

3) Presence of £ on the shank (note that from 1955 all the pipe imported in the USA by Lane has it, however that stamping is not synonymous of the Lane era)

4)Presence of the letter DC just after the shape number (e.g. 2502 DC) or of the letter X only if the stem is not a double comfort one

5) Presence in some models of the stamp “MADE BY HAND” on the shank (introduced for the first time in 1958)

6) Presence of the writing “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” on 2 lines

7) The CP logo is thicker then in previous eras

From the clues listed above regarding the stamping on the shank underside, I am fairly confident it is a First Lane Era pipe made between 1961-1965. Knowing that it is time to work on it.

Jeff did a major clean up job on this one and the pipe I received when it arrived in Vancouver looked far better than the one pictured above. Here is what I saw when I brought the pipe to the table.

  1. The sandblast finish is clean and the oils and grime are gone from the bowl. The finish shows the beautiful contrast in the stains in the sandblast finish around the bowl and shank.
  2. The rim top was clean of the thick lava. The top and the inner edge of the bowl showed burn damage on the front and back top and edges of the bowl.
  3. There cake in the bowl has been removed and the bowl is very clean. The walls of the bowl are smooth and appear to be undamaged and show no checking or burn damage.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem looks better though there is still some oxidation and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides.
  5. The Charatan CP logo stamped on the left side of the stem looks very clean and readable.

Hopefully the steps above show you both what I look for when I go over the pipe when I bring it to the work table and also what I see when I look at the pipe in my hands. They also clearly spell out a restoration plan in short form. My work is clear and addressing it will be the next steps. I took photos of the whole pipe to give you a picture of what I see when I have it on the table. This is important to me in that it also shows that there was no damage done during the clean up work or the transit of the pipe from Idaho to here in Vancouver. I carefully went over the bowl and rim top to get a sense of what is happening there. In this case once the rim top and edges were cleaned the rim top looked better. The inner edge was in good condition and looked good with the rusticated plateau style rim top. I also went over the stem carefully. The fit of the replacement to the shank is snug and the transitions are smooth. There were some tooth marks and chatter on the surface of the stem and the button on the underside. The acrylic stem surface was clean and looked better. I took photos of the rim top and stem sides to show as best as I can what I see when I look at them. I always check to make sure that the clean up work did not damage the stamping on the shank sides in any way. It is in faint as it was earlier but it is readable. I love just looking at the lay of the pipe and the proportion of the hand made pipes. I took the pipe apart to get a sense of what was in the mind of the pipe maker when he crafted the pipe. The photo shows its beauty in flow and shape.I decided to start my work on the pipe by addressing the damage to the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The burn damage is quite wildly spread. The rim top had a light bevel so I would need to give it a deeper bevel to remove the damage and blend it in better. The top itself had some darkening but it was sandblast so I had to try to minimize it as best as possible.I used a Maple stain pen to touch up the inner edge of the bowl and the rim top and blend it into the surrounding briar. It looked much better once it was restained. The burn damage is less prevalent and visible. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the sandblast showed depth. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a great looking pipe.   I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I decided to deal with the residual oxidation first. I wiped the stem down with Soft Scrub cleanser to remove the remaining oxidation on the stem surface. It looked much better. I touched up the faint CP stamping on the left side of the stem with White Acrylic Fingernail Polish. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. After finishing with the micromesh pads I rub the stem down with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the acrylic. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the vulcanite. I don’t buff a sandblast bowl with Blue Diamond as it can easily clog the valley and crannies in the blast. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The smooth finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The vulcanite saddle DC stem works well with the pipe. The sandblast Charatan’s Make London England 75X feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/40 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be adding to the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It should be a great smoking pipe.

As always I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Sumptuous Davidoff

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Next on the chopping block is a bent Dublin sitter from the Swiss luxury brand, Davidoff. I acquired it from an older gentleman in Vancouver. He said he got this (and the other pipes I got from him) “fifty years ago” – his words. That would put it in the early to mid-seventies, which fits with the style of the pipe and with Davidoff’s history in pipes.To be honest, I was more familiar with Davidoff in the context of high-end cigars than I was with their pipes per se, so I did some digging. First, I went to Pipedia. They paraphrase (and don’t quote exactly) from José Manuel Lopes book:

Davidoff started in 1911 as a family run tobacconist located in Geneva. Henri Davidoff, a Russian emigrant, was the founder. The shop was located in Geneva. His son, Zino Davidoff (1906-1994), concentrated on the tobacco business, starting in 1924, and revolutionized the conservation of quality cheroots throughout Europe. Davidoff became world famous, and the company was acquired in 1970 by the Oettinger group, and expanded into numerous accessories for men. For Zino, the pursuit of pleasure was a constant, two of his maxims being: “Take pleasure from everything in life, without excess” and “the pipe is a valuable companion, the essence of tranquility and must be smoked with respect”. Davidoff’s first pipes date from 1974 [emphasis mine] and were commissioned by various companies, notably Butz-Choquin and the Cuty-Fort Group. The brand offers 14 classic shapes, in three finishes and with acrylic stems.According to Pipedia, Davidoff has this to say on their website about their own (current) pipes:

Creation of the Davidoff Pipe entails a meticulous, detailed process performed by only the most skilled Italian pipemakers. This dedication is why the Davidoff Pipe upholds a standard of quality and design found in no other pipe in the world. Made of the finest and carefully selected briar, each Davidoff Pipe features a flawless, hand-finished bowl and perfectly fitted, hand-cut acrylic stem. The Davidoff Pipe is available in three beautiful designs and finishes — sandblasted black, red brilliant and natural light brown.I also had a look at Pipephil, who confirmed that Davidoff pipes were carved by pipemakers of the Cuty-Fort group (Chacom, Jeantet, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix, Ropp, etc.).Davidoff is big enough and famous enough to be known outside the world of pipes. It has more than one website of its own, given that the company has been split up into different ranges. It also has a Wikipedia page, which I recommend reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidoff. I quote just a bit here:

Davidoff is a Swiss premium brand of cigars, cigarettes and smoker’s accessories. The Davidoff cigarette brand has been owned by Imperial Brands after purchasing it in 2006. The non-cigarette portion of the Davidoff tobacco brand is owned by Oettinger Davidoff AG, which is based in Basel, Switzerland. Oettinger Davidoff AG manufactures a broad portfolio of cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobaccos and smoker’s accessories under the brands Davidoff, Camacho and Zino Platinum.

And this little nugget:

In 1972, the first Davidoff pipe tobaccos were released.

Taking all this information into account, the gentleman from whom I acquired this pipe must have purchased it right at the start of Davidoff’s production of pipes. This makes it an interesting piece of pipe history. Furthermore, it was possibly made by Butz-Choquin. I say only “possibly”, as I have some reservations about the BC connection.

Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the pipe – and it’s a real beauty. The left side of the shank has the word “Davidoff”. On the underside of the shank reads the number “32”, and the stem has the stylized “D” of the Davidoff company. Overall, the state of the pipe was good. It had clearly been sitting around for years and showed signs of wear and tear, but nothing major. The stem had some tooth dents and some kind of scraping, as if someone had tried to clean it in the past and done more harm than good. The button was dented too. This pipe must have been a great smoker and well-loved. It had some bangs and dents, but most of the damage was on the rim, including a notable gouge. The stem was first up. I wiped the outside down with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame to lift the few bite marks and dents. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. After that, I wiped down the stem with SoftScrub cleaner to remove surface oxidation. Once this process was done, the stem went for an overnight soak in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. This allows me to clean the oxidation off in a couple of ways: by applying a mild cleaner to the surface and sanding the stem. The next day, I used SoftScrub again with some cotton rounds and more oxidation came off. After this, I built up the dents on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let the repairs fully cure. I used some nail polish to restore the logo on the stem. I painted the area carefully and let it set before proceeding. I then sanded the adhesive down – first with a small file – then with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the lovely black lustre on the stem. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing.Moving on to the stummel, I started by reaming out the bowl. I used the PipNet Reamer to remove the built-up cake and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper taped to a dowel to eliminate as much as I could. I took the chamber down to bare briar, as I wanted to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the wall. Fortunately, there were none. Due to the damage on the inside edge of the rim, I took some 220-grit sandpaper and tried to smooth some of that out too.Down in the shank, I noticed it was especially grungy, so I took a dental tool and dislodged some chunks of debris. After dealing with that mess, I proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. It was pretty darn dirty and it took a fair amount of cotton to get it clean. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with Murphy’s for the lava on the rim of the pipe.I decided to de-ghost the pipe to remove any lingering smells of the past. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. The bowl was nice and clean after this.I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with Murphy’s for the lava on the rim of the pipe. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes.Now with the stummel nice and clean, I could do a closer inspection of the pipe’s problems. In this image, you can see a couple of stains or burns on the front side of the stummel. Those would need to be dealt with. On the back, some scratches needed addressing. Again, back to the rim, there was some light burning and a notable gouge that I’d have to fill in. Having completed that, I was able to address the small nicks on the bowl. I dug out my iron and a damp cloth to try to raise the nicks. The hot and moist steam can often cause the wood to swell slightly and return to shape. To my joy, this worked wonderfully. The repair was not perfect, but the remaining scratches would be improved by sanding.A few tiny fills were addressed with cyanoacrylate. For the gouge on the inside edge of the rim, I made a mixture of briar dust and CA glue and applied it. This also came out well. I took a solid wooden sphere, wrapped a piece of 220-grit sandpaper around it, and sanded the inner side of the chamber. This achieved two things: first, it removed some of the burn marks on the inner edge of the rim; and second (and more importantly), the motion of the sphere gradually returned the edge to a perfect circle. I took quite a bit of time to ensure that the crown of the rim was maintained in its shape, and also beautified. Finally, I used all nine micromesh pads to smooth and polish it up. After that, a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm brought out the best in the stummel’s grain. This is a very elegant pipe. A dose of White Diamond and a few coats of carnauba wax were applied with my bench polisher and – wow – we have a real looker! This Davidoff looks magnificent again and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Various Makers” pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5 in. (1247 mm); height 2⅛ in. (54 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (38 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅜ oz. (41 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.