Daily Archives: September 10, 2023

Replacing a Snapped Tenon on a Neerup of Denmark Freehand Style Bulldog

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table came to me from Curtis, a customer I have repaired pipes for in the past. He sent me two pipes that he wanted repaired by mail. I started with this one first. In looking at it I recalled that I had restemmed this pipe for him in December of last year. The original stem had been badly damaged and I had replaced it with the current stem and cap to give it a look similar to the original. It was a lot of work but I liked how it looks. Here is the link to that restoration (https://rebornpipes.com/2022/12/22/new-life-and-new-look-for-a-neerup-made-in-denmark-bulldog/). It was a nicely shaped sandblasted Bulldog with a black acrylic and a white acrylic spacer on the shank end. There was a snapped tenon in the shank and a vulcanite taper stem with a silver metal end cap/band. The tenon had snapped smoothly against the metal stem band. I would need to clean it up and replace the tenon. The bowl had a thick cake of a vanilla smelling aromatic and a thick overflow of lava on the inner edge and the rim top. The rim top was slightly worn and smooth under the lava. The stem had some calcification, tooth chatter and marks on the surface of the top and underside ahead of the button. I took some close photos of the bowl, rim top and the stem to show their condition when I started working on it. You can see the thick cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat on the rim top and inner edge. It is quite heavy and the overflow obscures the condition of the edge of the bowl and the rim top. I was able to start pulling the broken tenon and you can see it extending out of the shank. I started my work on this pipe by pulling the broken tenon from the shank. I used a drywall screw and threaded it into the airway in the tenon piece. When it took hold, I wiggled the tenon free from the shank. It took a bit of careful and slow work to loosen and remove it. I went through my box of tenons looking for one that was the proper size for the shank. Ideally it would have been a black threaded tenon but I did not have any that were the proper diameter. I did have some white Delrin tenons that were perfect and would work with the white acrylic space. The lower one in the photo would be perfect. I reduced the diameter of the threaded portion with my Dremel and a sanding drum. I used a flat file to smooth out the transition and further shape the new tenon. I used a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper to remove the sanding marks and clean up the diameter of the tenon.When I finished the sanding, I polished it with 220 and 600 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface. Once finished, it fit perfectly in the shank of the pipe. I left threads on the insert portion of the new tenon so that the glue would have something to grab onto when it was inserted in the stem. I removed the new tenon from the shank and turned my attentions to the stem. I drilled out the airway with a succession of larger drill bit – beginning with one slightly larger than the airway in the stem and ending with an 11/64ths drill bit.Once it had been opened up I pushed the tenon in the shank once more and slid the stem over the top to align it. The fit was very snug and nice. I took photos of it to show the fit at this point in the restoration process. I removed the stem from the pipe and the tenon from the mortise. I turned my attention to cleaning the internals and the externals of the bowl and shank. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and the number three cutting head. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove what remained. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. Once finished the bowl walls were smooth and clean. I scraped off the lava on the rim top with the edge of a Savinelli Pipe Knife and then used a brass bristle wire brush to remove the debris. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I used the brass bristle brush to work over the rim top with the soap to go more deeply in the sandblast surface of the rim. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I worked on them until the mortise and airway in the shank and stem were clean.Before gluing the new tenon in place in the stem I went over the stem with a lens. I saw a crack in the stem side on the left. It must have happened when the tenon snapped in the shank. I removed the metal band/cap on the stem end and dabbed some clear CA glue in the cracked area and worked it into the crack with a tooth pick. I put some white glue in the inside of the cap and pressed it back onto the stem end. The crack was solidly repaired and the cap and band held it together.I touched up the rim top and edges with a Walnut and a Black stain pen to blend colour of the clean surface into the colour of the rest of the bowl and shank.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing it with 600 wet dry sandpaper. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and let it sit and absorb into the vulcanite. This Neerup Made in Denmark Freehand Bulldog carved by Peder Jeppesen combines a great looking piece of sandblast briar with a multi-banded shank extension and a vulcanite stem to make a beautiful pipe. The clean up work brought back the shiny coat allowing the grain to come 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. 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 Neerup Made in Denmark Bulldog really is a 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 1/2 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/51 grams. Once I finish the second pipe this one will be going back to Curtis to enjoy. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

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.

New Life for a beautiful, cross grain Peterson’s Kildare 221 Bent Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is large, chunky, smooth finished Peterson’s “Kildare” Bent Billiard. This shape is one of my favourites – a class thick shank bent billiard that is a pleasure to hold and to smoke. This particular pipe had a very dirty/grimy finish but had some good looking grain around the bowl sides and shank. It came to us from a fellow in Copenhagen, Denmark on 04/11/2023. This Bent Billiard was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [over] “Kildare”. It was stamped on the right side and read Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines). Following that near the shank/bowl junction it is stamped 221. The pipe was in filthy condition when Jeff brought it to the table. The finish was dirty with oils and grime ground into the briar sides and rim. The bowl had a thick cake and some darkening on the inner edge of the rim. There was a lava coat flowing on to the rim top from the bowl – heavier on the back side than the front but very present. The stem was dirty – oxidized and calcified with light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside on and near the P-lip button. There was a faint “P” stamp logo on the saddle stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl showed some moderate cake and some darkening on the inner edge. The rim top had a thick coat of lava on the surface, particularly on the back and right side of the top. The photos of the stem show the oxidation, calcification, tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. Jeff took some photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the beautiful cross grain that was around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is readable in the photos below and is as noted above. 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.

During the 1950’s and 60’s the Kapp & Peterson Company was still in the ownership of the Kapp family. However 1964 saw the retiral of the company Managing Director Frederick Henry(Harry) Kapp.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s System Line. On page 314 it had the following information.

Kildare (1965-) First issue of line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes, P-Lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue C.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on pipe surface. Third issue 2010, matte-brown, P-Lip or fishtail mouthpiece, no band. Fourth issue 2011-, burgundy sandblast finish, nickel army mount, fishtail mouthpiece, exclusive to smokingpipes.com.

Judging from the description above I believe that I am working on a First Issue of the line in the time period of 1965-1979. It is a late Republic Era Classic Shaped pipe with a matte-finish and a P-Lip stem. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and the darkened spots with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. The rim top had cleaned up pretty well but you can see the darkening on the inner edge. There scratches and nicks in the surface of the rim top. The stem cleaned up very well. You can see the deep tooth marks on the surface ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. You can also see the stamped “P” on the left side of the saddle. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to have a look at the parts and overall look. I decided to address the damage to the rim top and inner edge of the bowl first. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel on the inner edge to remove burned areas and blend them into the surrounding briar. I polished the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped down the bowl after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep marks black CA glue. Once it cured I used a file to flatten them and start blending them into the surface of the surrounding vulcanite. I sanded the repaired areas with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing it with 600 wet dry sandpaper. I touched up the “P” logo stamping on the left side of the stem with some white acrylic fingernail polish. I pushed it into the logo mark with a toothpick. Once it had dried I polished off the excess on the stem with a worn 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and let it sit and absorb into the vulcanite. I am excited to finish this Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 221 Bent Billiard. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful cross and birds eye grain all around it. Added to that the polished black vulcanite stem combined with the bowl made a stunning pipe. This smooth Classic Peterson’s “Kildare” 221 Bent Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 43 grams/1.52 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection send me an email or a message. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.