By Al Jones

It has been four or five years since I last had a vintage Kaywoodie on my workbench. This one caught my eye on eBay and the seller confirmed the stinger was intact, and had four holes. I thought it was made before WWII, and after evaluating the pipe on my bench, I believe the pipe was made between 1936 and 1938. Information and documents gleaned from several Kaywoodie collector site documents I saved over the years were very helpful. Unfortunately, the Kaywoodie forum is no longer active. We used to be able to contact the owner of Kaywoodie and ask the owner himself, Bill Feurbach. (he was ill, and hopefully, recovering) The stamping was worn, but visible just enough to help me identify the era it would have been produced. The details that helped me were:

• “Imported Briar” was used in starting in 1936
• Four digit pipe shapes were not used after 1938
• Just prior to WWII, the four-hole stinger ball was downsized and the shaft only said “Drinkless” (no “Reg” number)

Kaywoodie identifies the 5189B shape as a “Squat Heavy Bulldog”, and apt shape name for this chunky pipe that weighs in at 55 grams. When I told my wife how old it was, she reminded me of the Potomac River flood of 1936, that impacted her family in nearby West Virginia (we live in Maryland, about two miles from the river). Did someone who was worried about their home chew on this pipe stem? Or as World War II was starting? Perhaps in joy hearing the news that the war had ended. I wish these pipes could talk.

The pipe was in good condition, with some wear on the stem. The bowl appeared to be in very good condition, with only a very slight cake. The stem was “clocked” to the correct line-up. The stain was very faded, and I have a feeling someone removed the factory finish, perhaps starting, but not finishing a restoration. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I used some 2000 grade wet paper to remove the darkening around the rim. My Pipenet reamer was used to remove the very slight cake. I found that with older Kaywoodies often have build-up stuck behind the “stinger” insert in the briar, which can create ghosting problems. I used a screw-extractor to carefully remove the insert and thoroughly scrubbed shank. When I was satisfied the shank was clean, I soaked the bowl with sea salt and alcohol.

I used a very heavily diluted solution of Feiblings Medium Brown stain to refresh the briar. The bowl was then buffed with White Diamond and several coats of carnuba wax.

Following the alcohol soak, the stem was screwed back on. I used heat to lift some of the teeth indentions, but a few minor marks remain. I removed the oxidation with 800, 1,500 and 2,000 grade wet paper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond rouge and Meguiars plastic polish.

Below is the finished pipe, ready for another 80 plus years of service: