Daily Archives: September 1, 2024

Cleaning Up a Mysterious Kirsten Like Bakelite/Briar Pipe

by Steve Laug

About a year ago I visited an older pipe repair man (when I say older I mean older than me). He gave me a lot of pipe parts – stems, bases, bowl, tenons and bands. In the lot there were quite a few Bakelite bases shaped a lot like Kirsten bases. They were square and had threaded opening on the top for a screw held bowl, a threaded opening on the end for a cap and an opening for a stem of some sort. There were no complete pipes in the lot, just some pieces like those pictured below. These were rough and unpolished and seemed like the end where the cap was had been shaped and the corners on the stem end were also shaped.On Monday, August 25 after a visit with my brother Kenneth and I went to visit my contact again. This time he had more stuff that he wanted to get rid of from his parts. Once again, we received more stems and tenons. But he also put in a box of pipes that were in various states of repair or disrepair. One of those pipes was one that included the same kind of base that is shown above. I took photos of the pipe before I started working on it. The pipe was unsmoked. It had a Bakelite base, a brass end cap screw and a vulcanite stem. The bowl was also unsmoked and clean. It was held to the base with hollow screw. The bowl was a rusticated briar bowl in an apple shape. There was a vulcanite piece inserted in the base end that the stem was pressure fit on. The stem was lightly oxidized and scratched from sitting in storage. I think that once I cleaned and polished the parts and put it back together it would be a great looking pipe. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top showing its condition. The bowl was clearly unsmoked and the screw was clean and shiny. The Bakelite shank/base is also dull and scratched. The stem shows the scratches and marks from storage and some light oxidation.I took the pipe apart and took photos of the pipe parts. It is a bit of an ingenuous creation with the Bakelite base forming a condensation chamber and the cap on the end allowing for clean out.Before I started polishing the pipe parts I did a bit of digging on the Smoking Metal website to see if I could find anything (http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/). There was no name to work with and no particular branding on the pipe to give direction. I went a bit deeper on the site and found one listed in “STEM OF OTHER MATERIALS & Screw thro bowl”. Here is the link to that page (http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=88). I have also included the photos of the pipe and the description.Briar bowl screwed onto a black bakelite ? shank with a rubber mouthpiece. Would appear to take Kirsten bowls and similar. Front end plug unscrews to facilitate cleaning. Overall length 5 1/2 inches (142 m/m).

From the photos of the pipe and the description you can see the similarities to the pipe I am working on. Compare it to the picture of the parts above. I am fairly certain that it is the same pipe.

Now it was time to work on the pipe. I wiped off the dust and debris on the bowl exterior with a damp cloth. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the rusticated bowl with my finger tips and a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a soft cloth. It looked very good. I cleaned out the inside of the base with alcohol and pipe cleaners. I removed the dust and it was very clean. I cleaned the stem the same way.I polished the Bakelite base with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil soaked cloth. It started to take on a deep shine. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it a final time with the cloth. It looked very good. I put the shank and the brass cap back together again. I also screwed the bowl in place on the shank. It is looking very good with the clean and polished look. Now it was time to polish the stem. I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. It really looked good with the polishing. This interesting Kirsten like Bakelite/Briar pipe with a short saddle vulcanite stem looks amazing after the work on it. The briar is clean and the polished Bakelite really came alive. The rich brown stains on the bowl gave the finish a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. The polished Bakelite base really popped. I put the it all together and butted 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. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Bakelite/Briar Kirsten like pipe really is quite nice looking and feels great 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 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 46 grams/1.62 ounces. I will soon be putting this pipe on the rebornpipes store in the Various Pipe Makers section. It should make a great smoker that the next steward will enjoy. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on.

Sometimes you win when searching for pipes and tobacco

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by Steve Laug

It does not happen very often but once in a blue moon I strike it lucky when I am out on a pipe hunt. I am not talking about finding pipes as that happens often enough. What I am talking about is finding tins of unopened tobacco. Over the years I have found some nice ones Condor Slices, Capstan, Balkan Sobranie, Mac Barens Navy Flake and Condor Long Cut to name just a few. The find I am writing about happened on a hunt up the Washington Coast on Sunday, August 25. We parked in front of a decrepit Antique Mall that was almost falling down. It was jammed with things to look at. It was so packed that it was overwhelming. I made my way down the first aisle on my right as I entered and there among a lot of junk cans – coffee, jam, lubricant, empty tobacco tins I saw a 200 gram white tin of Sasieni Balkan Mixture. I picked it up and to my surprise it was full. I expected it to rattle with dry tobacco. I lifted the plastic lid and found that the tin was sealed. It was going to be a nice tin full of Balkan mixture that I plan to enjoy. I examined the tin carefully and saw that it was labelled as US Distributors James B. Russell Inc. 25 Parkway Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 USA. That might help me date this tin of tobacco. The price on the tin was original $21 on sale tag on the bottom of the tin. The Mall was selling the tin for $15.I turned the tin over in my hands and read the back of the tin. It described the tobacco as follows:

At the beginning of the Century a gifted family of tobacco blenders created the original Balkan smoking mixtures by blending the richness of Oriental tobaccos from Macedonia and the Black Sea region with the Latakia and the finest of Virginia tobaccos. The Balkan tobaccos found fame throughout the world and in Sasieni Balkan smoking mixture the original magic is re-created by a member of this same family.I did a google search for the brand linking it to James B. Russell Distributors and found a catalogue from 1981. I am including the page on Sobranie below that gives the date on the bottom of the page (https://pipedia.org/images/4/4a/Smokeshop-Sep-1981.pdf). It also confirms that this tobacco was made in England originally by Sobranie. The address for James B. Russell is different from that found on the can.I did a bit of research on when the brand closed down in England. I found a link on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobranie) that gave the history of the brand. I quote a section of the article regarding the closure:

Albert’s young cousin Isaiah Redstone (1884–1963) joined him in the business and registered the “Balkan Sobranie” trademark, later shortened to Sobranie.[5] By 1910, Albert was manufacturing at 34 Glasshouse Street, London.[6] After Albert’s death, Isaiah Redstone and his sons Charles Coleman Redstone (1911–1994) and Dr. Isidore Redstone (1925–2022) continued to own and manage the business. In the early 1980s, the Sobranie trademarks were sold to Gallaher Group, which continued production with a modified formula at various locations in Europe. Gallaher was subsequently purchased by Japan Tobacco in 2007.

I am including a photo of the side of the tin showing it is packed in the EU. This tells me that the tin was packed and sold before the sale of the Gallaher Group to Japan Tobacco in 2007. Now I wanted to understand some more about the brand. I googled and found a link to a description on Pipes And Cigars site (https://www.pipesandcigars.com/product/balkan-sasieni-pipe-tobacco/BLA-TP-1000.html?yoReviewsPage=6). I quote:

A blend of tobacco leaves from Macedonia and the Black Sea region mixed with Latakia from Northern Cyprus and the finest Virginia tobaccos establish the foundation of this Balkan Sasieni English type mixture. Satisfying yet not overwhelming, Balkan Sasieni progresses into an interesting Latakia blend with a smoky aroma. The high content of Latakia provides the Balkan Sasieni tobacco with its unique character and room note making this Balkan blend a one-of-a-kind tobacco experience that is a must-try for pipe enthusiasts alike. Enjoy Balkan Sasieni here at Pipes and Cigars.

Now all that remained was to crack the tin and enjoy a smoke. Thanks for taking time to read this blog.

Having Some Fun with a Hilson Bolero Bulldog

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Greetings, one and all! It’s been a little while since my last blog post, but, to my chagrin, life intervened in some challenging ways. Now I’m back with a nifty pipe that put a smile on my face and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you. It’s a charming, whimsical Hilson Bolero 40, partially sandblasted straight bulldog. Normally, when I think of Hilson, my mind meanders to resin (or ‘pipenite’, as they called it) stylings from the Fantasia line – but not today! This is a pure briar pipe, with a lovely vulcanite stem. I acquired it in a lot from FB Marketplace, but I don’t know the pipe’s individual history. It certainly was a favourite smoker for the fellow who previously had it. It showed all the hallmarks of a much-loved pipe.

What do the markings say? The underside of the shank shows, first, the shape number, 40, and to the right, Hilson [over] Bolero. Again, to the right of that are the words Made in Belgium. There are no other markings to mention.Let’s check Pipedia to see what they have to say about the Hilson brand:

Jean-Claude Hillen (other sources: Jean-Paul) founded a trading company in the City of Bree in 1846. He soon turned his main interest on pipes and other tobacco related goods. Particularly in the 1960’s and still throughout the 1970’s the brand Hilson of Broers Hillen B.V. (Hillen Bros. Co.) was quite successful in many European countries. They produced large numbers of machine-made pipes covering the whole range of shapes and finishes. The pipes were well respected for good quality and craftsmanship at very moderate prices. Rarely seen there are also nice freehands from this era stamped MASTRO and signed by A.M. Sanoul, who is otherwise completely unknown as a pipemaker. All the same, in 1980 Hillen faced major financial problems. At this time there was only a second manufacturer of briars pipes in the Benelux countries, the Elbert Gubbels & Zonen B.V. in the Netherlands. The Belgian competitor being in trouble, Gubbels used the favour of the hour and bought up the company. The reason is plausible: in some countries, particularly in Germany, Hilson held larger market shares than Gubbels’ mainstay brand Big Ben. The Hillen plant in Bree was closed down shortly after and ever since then Hilson pipes are manufactured in Roermond, NL.Likewise, there is a bit more to be found from our friends over at Pipephil:

In 1846 a German named Jean Knödgen started to produce clay pipe in Belgium. In the late 19th century Jean Hillen who married into the Knödgen family took over the company and changed the firm in order to manufacture briar pipe. Jean Hillen had 2 sons: Jos Hillen was responsible for sales and Albert Hillen was responsible for the production. After WWII Albert founded the HILSON brand (Hillen and Son) and exported his pipes all over the world. In 1980 after having gone bankrupt, the Belgian brand from Bree (Limburg) was taken over by the Royal Dutch Pipe Factory.It’s also worth noting that I’ve seen several posts over at the PipeMagazine forums that state that the older (and better) Hilsons are marked “Made in Belgium”, as this one is.

The pipe is in very nice shape and was well-loved. The stem had some tooth scratches and dents, plus it was coated with a lot of oxidation – a LOT. There were no significant issues with the stummel, although it did have a bit of lava on the rim and the bowl was choked with cake. I started out by cleaning the inside of the stem with 99% isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners. It was dirty, but not too bad. I also wiped the stem with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. As you can see, the stem was pretty filthy.This was going to take some work, so I went to the sink and scrubbed the stem with some cleanser on a few cotton pads. The photos testify to the icky oxidation that came off.After that, the stem went for a dip in the stem oxidation remover. I let it sit overnight, to allow all the oxidation to rise to the surface of the stem. The next day, I cleaned up the stem again with more cleanser on some cotton pads. This took some serious scrubbing, but, in the end, worked very nicely.Once complete, I filled the tooth marks with my carbon and rubber enhanced cyanoacrylate adhesive. Once cured, I took down the excess with my needle files. After that, I took my nine Micromesh pads and sanded the whole stem until it was shining like new. I also used my pipe stem oil in between the pads (from 3600 on) to bring out some extra lustre.This pipe comes with an innertube, so I cleaned that too. I used rubbing alcohol to remove all the tars and oils of the past, then scrubbed with some 0000 steel wool to make the tube shine.Onto the stummel. In order to clean out the massive amount of cake in the bowl, I used the Pipnet reamer and followed that up with a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. I sanded down the cake until I hit the briar walls, so that I could inspect them for potential damage. Everything looked good on the inside, which is great. I proceeded to clean out the inside of the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was surprisingly dirty in there! But I got it clean in the end.When that was done, I set up to de-ghost the pipe. I put some cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and soaked them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let that sit overnight so that any remaining smells and/or filth would leach out into the cotton. I also scrubbed the insides with some soap and tube brushes. It was beautifully clean after that!The stummel was in very nice shape, although the rim did have some lava on it, as previously mentioned. I soaked the rim in some Murphy’s to loosen this up, then used more Murphy’s to clean the whole stummel. This removed any external dirt and oils, and it was much improved.Most of the pipe was sandblasted, but there were three areas of smooth briar: the two shield-shaped patches on the sides of the bowl, and the underside of the shank where the markings were. On those smooth areas, I sanded down with the Micromesh pads to make it beautiful. I then took my restoration balm, rubbed it in the wood with a horsehair brush and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This balm is fantastic stuff and does wonderful things to nourish the wood. After letting it sit, I used a microfibre cloth and buffed it. Off to the bench polisher to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave the smooth sections (only) a thorough (but light-handed) going-over with White Diamond compound. Following that, several coats of conservator’s wax created a beautiful, glossy seal on the pipe.All done! This Hilson Bolero 40 straight bulldog looks fantastic and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner. It promises to be a great smoker and conversation piece. 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” 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 5⅔ in. (145 mm); height 1⅝ in. (41 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (37 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (18 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅛ oz. (35 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.