Daily Archives: April 6, 2024

Restoring a Lovely Frasorteret Hand Made in Denmark Freehand

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a rugged, sandblast Freehand with a smooth rim and plateau shank end. It had a fancy, turned saddle vulcanite stem. We purchased it from a seller on eBay from Jordan, Minnesota, USA on 01/22/2024. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Frasorteret [over] Hand Made [over] In [over] Denmark. The rim was in good condition other than lava overflowing from the thick cake in the bowl onto the smooth rim top. It is hard to assess the condition of the inner edge of the rim due to the cake and lava overflow. There may be some darkening or damage at the back of the bowl but I cannot be sure. There were oils and grime ground into the bowl sides gives the finish a flat look. The fancy saddle stem is dirty, with grime and grit on the surface. There were also tooth marks on both the top and underside of the stem just ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. I have included them below. He took photos of the pipe’s bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the lava coat overflowing onto the top. It is another dirty pipe. He also took photos to capture the tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the grain around the bowl and the amount of grime ground into the surface of the briar.   He took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is faint but still quite readable. I had a memory that Frasorteret pipes came from the creative carving of Preben Holm so I wanted to do some checking. I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-f4.html). It tied the line to Preben Holm but there was not too much more information at this point.I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Frasorteret) to gather further information. There the information was a bit clearer about the tie. Here is the information.

The Frasorteret line of pipes were made by Preben Holm and were nearly identical to his normal line of pipes but for fills and pits and the like. The pipes were stamped Frasorteret Made in Denmark. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and is clean. The rim top and the inner edge shows a lot of damage and burn marking on the bowl. The stem came out looking clean. There were definitely deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides. I took photos of the stamping on the shank. It is faint but still very readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with.I started my work on the pipe by addressing the damage on the inner edge of the rim. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the roughness. I then used 220 grit sandpaper and a wooden ball to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel. It looked much better at this point in the process. I sanded the briar rim top and the sides of the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. By the time I finished with the 3500 grit pad the briar had taken on a rich glow.I went over the sandblast finish on the bowl and shank with a brass bristle wire brush to knock off the debris in the grain. Once finished it looked much better. It was ready for the next work on the rim and shank end. I worked over the plateau shank end with the wire brush to prepare it for the traditional black stain. I touched it up with a black stain pen making sure that all the grooves and surfaces were evenly stained. Once the stain cured I sanded it with a 320 grit sanding pad to knock the stain off the high spots on the plateau to give a sense of contrast to the plateau. It looked very good once I had finished doing that. I polished the smooth rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the debris. The crowned rim top took on a rich glow. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. Mark Hoover’s Balm is a product that I have come to appreciate and one I use on every pipe I have been working on. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter. I was able to lift the tooth marks significantly. There were still some deep marks. I filled them in with a coat of clear CA glue and spread it across the surface with a dental spatula.Once the repairs cured I flattened them with a small file. I started the process of blending them into the surface of the surrounding vulcanite. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the file marks and smooth out the surface of the stem. I moved on to further smooth out the surface of the vulcanite. I sanded it smooth with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend them into the surface of the stem.I polished the vulcanite 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. It really took on a shine and I knew that once it was buffed it would look amazing. I put the stem back on the Preben Holm Hand Made in Denmark Frasorteret Sandblast Freehand and took it to the buffer. I worked it over with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up really well and the rim top looked good. I was happy with the look of the finished pipe. The photos below show what the pipe looks like after the restoration. The Frasorteret Sandblast Smooth Rim Top Freehand is a beautiful and very Preben Holm take on a Freehand shape. The polished vulcanite fancy saddle stem looks really good with the browns of the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1¾ inches x 2 inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.26 ounces/64 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. The long shank and tall bowl look and feel great in the hand. This one should be a great smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

A Book Review – The Book of Pipes & Tobacco by Carl Ehwa, Jr.

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Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

It has now been fifty years since the publication of The Book of Pipes & Tobacco by master tobacco blender, Carl Ehwa, Jr. In that time, there have been few – if any – books that are as enjoyable on the subject as this one. This book only ever had one printing and, nowadays, it is a challenge to find it at a reasonable price. Today, I am offering a feeble (and brief) review on the book – and a copy of the book for sale. My intent is not to provide a lengthy or comprehensive review of Ehwa’s book. Instead, I hope to draw your attention to an important resource and fine reference, which ought to have a place in your personal library.

Carl Ehwa was the master blender of the Fred Diebel Tobacco Company and, in 1977, he and his wife, Mary, founded the famous (and now defunct) McClelland Tobacco Company. He was apparently an interesting character and had a great deal of knowledge of pipes, pipe smoking, tobacco production, et cetera. In 1974, Carl and Mary managed to convince Random House to publish a book on pipes – this was no small feat, as Random House did not normally publish such books.

First and foremost, it is worth mentioning that this winsome book is full of beautiful photographs and other images. The photographs are well-taken, illustrative, and copious. However, this is not merely a picture book for the coffee table. It is an excellent and quite thorough study of pipes and tobacco, in which the writing is perfectly complemented by the numerous, fine photos and illustrations. Ehwa divides his book into four parts, each of which is further subdivided into relevant topics.

Part One – The Remarkable Evolution of Smoking. In essence, this is a history of smoking from ancient times to the present (circa 1974) day. I am a lover and student of history, but I’ve often felt that many books with chapters on smoking history are quite humdrum and make no attempt to draw the reader in. Fortunately, Ehwa entertains and challenges the reader in this section and (pleasingly) makes no attempt to be exhaustive. Instead, his writing is relevant and makes one feel prepared for the information to come.

Part Two – The Amiable Pipe. This section addresses the pipe as a cultural item, as an objet d’art, and as a source of pleasure. Ehwa gives thorough descriptions of pipes of clay, porcelain, various softwoods, hookahs, meerschaum, calabash, and, of course, briar. He provides the fascinating histories behind each of these styles of pipe and allows us to sense the differences and delights of the various materials. Many amusing stories are found here and they are well worth reading. It is, by far, the longest chapter in the book and I learned so much from this section – no surprise.

Part Three – Tobacco: “The Special Herb”. As you might guess, this section describes (in considerable detail) the growing, curing, processing, and blending of tobacco. The entire manufacturing process from planting to smoking is covered in an engaging manor. Of course, it also discusses the different types of tobacco and their numerous cuts. Helpfully, Ehwa also offers suggestions to the reader on the selection and storage of tobacco. This is another terrific read, with particularly useful photographs — I especially like the photos (contemporaneous with the book) of the tobacco auctions in the southern USA.

Part Four – Pleasure of the Pipe. This section is well described by its subtitle: “The art of getting the most from tobacco and pipe”. Ehwa provides advice (1) for the new pipe smoker; (2) on filling and lighting a pipe; (3) on caring for a pipe; and (4) on solving some common pipe-smoking problems. He offers as good advice as you’ll find anywhere, but he is in no way preaching. I found it interesting to compare his advice with other pieces of advice I’ve picked from other books or mentors (like Steve). It is a fine way to close out a fine book.

As you can tell, I highly recommend this book. It is one of the best pipe books ever written in the English language. The book is thorough without being tedious, informative without being condescending, and entertaining without being frivolous. I have seen some comments online suggesting books from Richard Carleton Hacker over this one. Although I enjoyed Hacker’s books, I find his writing to be a bit turgid (and his accuracy to be a bit amiss), and I unhesitatingly recommend Carl Ehwa’s book over the others.

I am pleased to announce that this book is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it, please have a look in the ‘Pipe Accessories’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. I hope you enjoyed reading my review of The Book of Pipes and Tobacco by Carl Ehwa, Jr. 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.