Monthly Archives: February 2025

Giving Some Life Back to a Kirsten Companion K

by Kenneth Lieblich

The latest restoration story belongs to a handsome Kirsten Companion ‘K’. Once again, this pipe is going to a young man from a local family who wanted some pipes restored. I’ve always been interested in Kirsten pipes – I’m not sure I always like them, but I always study them. The young fellow who acquired this pipe wanted something unusual and unlike the rest of his family – and he certainly got that! I quite like Steve’s description of Kirsten pipes:

Kirsten pipes have always been a bit of an enigma to me. The combination of briar and aluminum is unique. It is a pipe that is not really fish or fowl in terms of briar or metal. It is a pipe with an aluminum radiator with a bowl attached to it. The vulcanite stem is attached to an aluminum metal pin that extends the length of the radiator. On the end is a valve that controls the flow of air to bowl and is adjustable. This pipe has some markings. Interestingly, the name Kirsten is not one of them, but this is unquestionably a Kirsten pipe. On the left side of the aluminum body is the word, Companion. On the underside of the body are the words, Made in U.S.A. – next to that is the shape letter, K.Kirsten pipes have a long and interesting history. Naturally, Pipedia has a long article on this, but, in fact, that information comes from the fascinating Smoking Metal website. I encourage you to read the various articles they have on Kirstens.Let’s examine the pipe a bit. The aluminum is in decent shape – no major dents or scratches. There are merely micro-scratches, but no big deal. Similarly, the stem was in really nice shape. Only very minor tooth wear. Little oxidation and calcification. However, the briar bowl did have some issues. It had some cake in the bowl and was fairly dirty. The main problem was a significant burn on the rim. I’d have to take a closer look at that.My first step was to take the entire pipe apart. Here is a good photo of the various components of this Kirsten – plus the screwdriver I used to take the pipe apart.I decided to work on the briar bowl first on this occasion. The first step for the bowl is to ream it out – that is to say, remove all the cake inside. This accomplishes a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleans the bowl and provides a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake is removed, I can inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there is damage or not. I used a reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensure that all the debris is removed.The damage to the rim is significant. In order to lessen the burns and nicks on the rim, I ‘topped’ the pipe – that is to say, I gently and evenly sanded the rim on a piece of 220-grit sandpaper. This effectively minimizes the damage, without altering the look of the pipe.Some of the burn remained on the rim, so I took some crystalized oxalic acid and dissolved it in warm water. I took some cotton swaps, dipped in the solution, and rubbed the burned spot vigorously. Some of the burn was removed, but, unfortunately, some will always remain as part of this pipe’s history.To tidy up the briar, I also wiped down the outside with some oil soap on cotton rounds (and a toothbrush). This does a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process is to scour the inside of the stummel with some soap and tube brushes. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the bowl clean.I took a solid wooden sphere, wrapped a piece of 220-grit sandpaper around it, and sanded the inner edge of the rim. This achieves two things: first, it removes some of the burn marks; and second (and more importantly), the circular shape and motion of the sphere gradually returns the edge to a perfect circle. I then used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) on the outside of the stummel to finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. I rubbed some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth. On to the stem. I cleaned the inside with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was clean.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result is a hideous brownish mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some de-oxidation fluid. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew the stem out from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.Next was the aluminum body of this old Kirsten. In order to loosen up some of the old filth, I soaked all the metal pieces in a vinegar solution. This was only mildly successful and I would need to do more.Just like other pipes, I cleaned the insides thoroughly with cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. This wasn’t enough – I also cleaned the inside of the aluminum with my cream cleanser and some tube brushes. That worked well! I then used my grey micromesh pads and polished the metal to a beautiful shine. Boy, it looked terrific after that.For the final step, I took the bowl to my bench buffer and carefully polished it – first with a white diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.All done! This Kirsten Companion K looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its new owner. It was great fun to work on. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅓ in. (136 mm); height 1⅞ in. (48 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅝ oz. (49 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Republic Era Peterson’s Kapruf Sandblast Lovat 53

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by Steve Laug

Today is cold and snowy day in Vancouver. I know in comparison to where many of you live it is not cold but to us it is. I am preparing for a trip to Asia for work so this is likely the last pipe I will work on for a while. I have chosen a Peterson’s Lovat. It is a sandblast pipe that came to us from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark on 04/11/2024. There was grime ground into the sandblast finish on the bowl sides. I love the way the contrast of the brown and black stains gave the blast a sense of depth. It was stamped on the flat underside of the shank and had the shape number 53 on the heel of the bowl followed by Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines). To the right of that it is stamped Peterson’s [over] Kapruf. This pipe must have been a favourite of the pipe man who used it as it had been well smoked. There was a thick cake in the bowl and some lava overflowing onto the sandblast rim top. The inner edge of the bowl looked good. The stem is an original fishtail style but the slot is merely a single opening like an old style orific button. Strange but original! The stem was oxidized and there were light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button on both sides. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is thickly caked and the rim top and edges look to be in good condition despite the lava overflow in the sandblast of the rim top. The photos of the stem show the oxidation and the light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. Jeff took a photo of the bowl sides and heel to show the blast that was around this bowl. It is a great sandblast and the choice of stain adds depth to the appearance of the bowl. He took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above. I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Kapruf line. On page 306 it had the following information.

Kapruf and “Kapruf” (c.1922-87) Sandblast (hence the name, Kapp-rough) P-lip or fishtail mouthpiece, in catalogs from 1940-87. Early documented specimens stamped IRISH over FREE STATE, no Eire specimens documented. Mid-century specimens may be stamped LONDON MADE [over] ENGLAND or MADE IN ENGLAND forming a circle or MADE IN [over] IRELAND, all dating no later than 1970. Those of recent vintage stamped MADE IN THE [over] REPUBLIC [over] OF IRELAND.

I knew that I was working on a KAPRUF that was made between 1970-1987 as it is stamped MADE IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND as noted above. 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 darkening 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. I took some close-up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and the inner and outer edges look very good. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the light chatter and marks on the surface near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is faint but readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good looking pipe and has an interesting sandblast on the bowl.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a horse hair shoe brush 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 “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to try and lift the marks. It did not do much. I repaired the tooth marks and deep scratches in the surface with black CA glue. Once they cured I used a small file to flatten them and then sanded them further with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It really began to take on a shine.I paused the polishing to touch up the P stamp on the left side of the saddle stem with some acrylic fingernail polish. I worked it into the stamp with a toothpick and then scraped off the excess once it had dried.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 polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I am always excited to finish working on a pipe. This Peterson’s Made in the Republic of Ireland Kapruf 53 Lovat is no exception. 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 buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with a microfibre cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished sandblast bowl looks like with the black vulcanite saddle stem. This Classic looking Peterson’s Kapruf Sandblast 53 Lovat feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 4 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 28 grams/.95 ounces. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly in the Irish Pipe Makers section if you are interested in it. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

Breathing Life into a Scandia 418 Made in Denmark Sandblast Oval Bowled Opera pipe

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that was also at the bottom of the box of pipes I am working on. We picked it up at an antique store in Aurora, Oregon, USA on 11/11/2021. It is a Stanwell made Scandia sandblast pipe – a 418 Opera shape with an oval saddle stem. The oval shaped bowl (external with a 3/4 inch diameter chamber), oval shank and saddle stem made up a nicely shaped pipe. The sandblast though dirt and grime showed some interesting colour mixes and the blast was very interesting. It was stamped on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank and reads 418 (shape number) [over] Made in Denmark followed by the stamp SCANDIA. The finish was dirty grime ground into the sandblasted bowl and rim top as can be seen in the photos. There dust in all of the deep crevices of the blast. The bowl had a thick cake with some tobacco debris in the bowl. There is a heavy cake in the bowl and an overflow of lava on the sandblasted rim top. The stem was oxidized, calcified and there were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides and on the top and bottom ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he cleaned it up so you could see what we saw. Jeff took photos of the rim top to show lava build up around the rim, the edges and cake in the bowl. There was tobacco debris in the bowl as well. The lava actually had filled in some of the nooks and crannies in the sandblast. The oval saddle stem was a good fit to the shank. It was oxidized, calcified and had light tooth marks on the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the absolutely dirty finish ground into the sandblast. It was a dirty pipe but I think it will be a beautiful one once we are finished. The stamping on the underside of the shank is shown in the photos below. It is clear and read as noted above. On the left side of the saddle stem it is stamped SCANDIA in white.I remembered that the Scandia brand was a Stanwell second so I quickly turned to Pipephil’s website to check it out (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s4.html). I have included the screen capture of the pertinent section below.It was my turn to work on the pipe now. I was really looking forward to what the pipe would look like once Jeff had worked his magic. What would the rim top look like? What would the dirty sandblast on the bowl look like? I had no idea. When I took it out of the box I was struck great job cleaning up the pipe Jeff had done. It was impressive! He had reamed the pipe with a Pipnet piper reamer and taken the cake back to bare briar. He cleaned up the remaining cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, shank brushes 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 darkening 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’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed the stem off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem to show how clean they were. You can see the ridges and valleys in the briar rim top and the inner edge of the bowl is very clean and looks good. The stem is clean and the tooth marks on both sides are very minimal.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. It really is a beautifully shaped pipe.I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to get it into the crevices of the sandblast. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes while I worked on the stem. After the time passed I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I touched up the SCANDIA stamp on the left side of the saddle stem with white acrylic fingernail polish. I worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick. I scraped away with my fingernail and also cleaned up the remnants around the stamp with 320 grit sandpaper.I sanded out the tooth marks on the stem on both sides next to the button with 220 grit sandpaper. I cleaned up the sanding marks with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil and it looked much better. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. I gave the stem a final polish with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra-Fine. I gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. This interestingly stained sandblast Stanwell Made Scandia 418 Oval Bowled Opera style pipe with a vulcanite saddle stem turned out very nice. The mix of dark brown stains highlights the nooks and crannies of the sandblast around the bowl sides and bottom. The finish on the pipe looks very good. 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 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 Scandia 418 Opera is very nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. It is a nice pipe whose dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches long x 1 inch wide, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.06 ounces/30 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store shortly in the Danish Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know! Thanks for your time. As always, I look forward to your comments and observations.

Restoring a sandblast Jarl T.V. Made in Denmark Long Pipe

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by Steve Laug

Once again it may seem I have endless choices of pipes to work on. While we do have a lot of pipes that are in the queue to be restored it is far from endless. This next pipe I chose to work on was one that was given to us by a wonderful lady in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA on 01/22/2019. The pipe is stamped on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank and reads Jarl T.V. [over] Made in Denmark. This one is a slightly bent Billiard shape with a sandblast bowl and shank. It has a long churchwarden style stem. There is a smooth briar around the shank end that is a great touch. The exterior of the pipe was dirty, with dust in the sandblast. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and some lava on the rim top. The stem was long and had a slight bend. There was no logo or stamping on the stem. It was lightly oxidized and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was lava on the rim top and the inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and had some tooth marks and chatter. It should cleanup very well. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the smooth rim top, left and right bowl sides along with the beautiful blast that was around this bowl even though the grime on the finish hides it some. The pipe had obviously been well loved and cared for by the previous pipeman. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below as noted above. I turned to Pipephil for a review of the brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-j1.html). I did a screen capture of the section of the site that showed the Jarl T.V. pipe. It says that the brand was carved by Jorgen Larsen.I turned to Pipedia for further information regarding the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Jarl). I quote below:

In December of 2010 Ellen Jarl wrote that Jarl pipes were made by her grandfather, Niels Mogens Jørgensen in a little factory in the town of Bramdrupdam, just outside Kolding, Denmark. We have no reason to doubt that Niels Mogens Jørgensen is the maker of these pipes.

There was a difference regarding the maker of the pipes. Pipephil identified the maker as Jorgen Larsen and Pipedia says it is Niels Mogens Jorgensen. It appears that the information on Pipedia has more proof that the maker is Niels Mogens Jorgensen. I am proceeding with that information in this restoration.

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. There was some darkening on the inner edge of the rim and top that would need to be dealt with. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the mortise and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove as much of the oxidation as possible. The vulcanite stem was clean but had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There was no logo on the stem or stamping of any kind. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how well it had cleaned up. The edges and top were very clean and in excellent condition. The stem had some tooth chatter and light marks just ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the smooth panel on the underside of the shank. They are readable as noted above. I took the stem out of the shank and took a photo of the overall look of the pipe.I started my work on the pipe by rubbing the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The stem was in good condition and I was able to start sanding out the chatter and marks with 1500-12000 micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. I always look forward to this part of the restoration when all the pieces are put back together. I put the pipe back together and buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the sandblast standing out clearly and the smooth rounded shank end contrasting well. The black vulcanite stem stands out as a shiny black contrast to the colours of the bowl. This Jarl T.V. pipe or Churchwarden is beautiful and feels great in my hand. It is one that could be clenched and smoked while doing other things as it is very light weight and well balanced. It must have been a fine smoking pipe judging from the condition it was when we received it. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 10 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.09 ounces/32 grams. This is one that will go on the rebornpipes online store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section shortly. If you want to carry on the legacy of the previous pipe man let me know. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next pipeman or woman.

Restoring a Stanwell Facet Hexagon Dublin with a Brass Band and vulcanite stem

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by Steve Laug

It may seem I have endless choices of pipes to work on. While we do have a lot of pipes that are in the queue to be restored it is far from endless. This next pipe I chose to work on was one that we purchased a few years ago on 10/17/2022 from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Stanwell [over] Facet. There is no country of origin stamp on the pipe. This one is a unique beauty with a Hexagonal shape combining a smooth rim top and smooth facets on the right and left side of the bowl. The front and back of the bowl and the top and underside of the shank were sandblasted on the two facets on the front and the back of the bowl. The exterior of the pipe was dirty and worn with dust in the sandblast. There was a thick cake in the bowl and some lava and darkening on the rim top flowing around the top of the rim. The shank had a gold band/ferrule on the shank end. The stem is a fancy hexagonal saddle stem with a gold “Crown S” logo on the left side of the saddle stem. It was lightly oxidized and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was lava on the rim top and the inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized and had some tooth marks and chatter. It should cleanup very well. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the smooth rim top, left and right bowl sides along with the beautiful blast that was around this bowl even though the grime on the finish hides it some. The pipe had obviously been well loved by the previous pipeman. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below as noted above. Before I started working on the pipe I decided to do a bit of digging on the shape and the design. I turned first to a blog on rebornpipes by Bas Stevens the was a compilation of Stanwell shapes (https://rebornpipes.com/2013/09/03/stanwell-shapes-compiled-by-bas-stevens/). There I found the shape number for this faceted pipe was 163. The information given there said that the shape was a Freehand, “Facet”, hexagonal, with brass ring by Jess Chonowitsch. It was a shape designed by Jess Chonowitsch and that was interesting to me.

So now I knew that the pipe was a Stanwell Facet and the shape was the classic Chonowitsch design hexagonal pipe with a brass ring on the shank end. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. There was some darkening on the inner edge of the rim and top that would need to be dealt with. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the mortise and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove as much of the oxidation as possible. The vulcanite stem was clean but had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There was an inlaid brass “Crown S” on the left side of the saddle stem. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. I took photos of the rim top and bowl as well as the stem to give a sense of the condition of both. The rim top had some darkening to the inner edge and rim top on the back side. The stem cleaned up well and there were some small tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the left side of the hex shank. The are readable as noted above. I took the stem out of the shank and took a photo of the overall look of the pipe.I decided to start my work on the pipe by addressing the darkening and damage on the inside edge of the bowl and the rim top. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the bevel on the inner edge of the bowl. I wiped the top and edges down with a damp cloth and the rim top and edges looked much better.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in some small tooth marks with clear CA glue. Once cured I sanded them smooth to blend into the surface of the vulcanite with the 220 grit sandpaper. I started the polishing of the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to polish the stem surface and smooth out the marks. The stem was looking better with the polishing.I polished the stem 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. This Jess Chonowitsch Designed Stanwell Faceted Hexagon Freehand 163 with a hexagon vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The beautiful grain on the polished smooth portions of the briar and the sandblast front and back of the bowl are stunning. 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 Stanwell Facet 163 Dublin fits nicely in the hand and feels great. 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 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 48 grams/1.69 ounces. I will soon be adding it to the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Making Companies Section. If you are interested in this pipe send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Thayne Made in Denmark Acorn 123 B

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by Steve Laug

It may seem I have endless choices of pipes to work on. While we do have a lot of pipes that are in the queue to be restored it is far from endless. This next pipe I chose to work on was one that we purchased a few years ago on 05/10/2022 from an antique shop in Astoria, Oregon, USA. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Thayne [over] Made in Denmark. This one is a unique beauty with a smooth rim top and cap down the first third of the bowl. There was a smooth band around the shank end and a smooth patch on the left side of the shank for the stamping. The rest of the shank and 2/3 of the bowl from the smooth section to the heel of the bowl has a deep, rugged well grained sandblast. The stem is a fancy saddle stem with a T logo on the left side of the saddle stem. The exterior of the pipe was covered with dust and debris in the blast. There was a thick cake in the bowl and some lava and darkening on the rim top flowing down the outside curve of the rim. The vulcanite stem is a fancy turned saddle stem that is comfortable. It was oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was lava on the rim top and down the edges. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had some tooth marks and chatter. It should cleanup very well. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the smooth bowl cap and the beautiful blast that was around this bowl even though the grime on the finish hides it some. The pipe had obviously been well loved and cared for by the previous pipeman. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below as noted above. This is a new brand for me to work on. It is a Thayne pipe which is a brand I have not worked on before. It is similar in style and shape and stamping to a Jarl, I turned to Pipephil’s site to get an overview of the brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-t4.html). I did a screen capture of the site’s information and have included that below.I turned then to Pipedia to see if there was more information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Thayne)

Thayne pipes are apparently made by the same maker as made Jarl pipes, who was reportedly Niels Mogens Jørgensen.

What I learned from the research is that the pipe is a pipe possibly made by the same carver that does the Jarl pipes. It is likely made by Niels Mogens Jorgensen. It is a beautiful pipe in both shape and finish.

Jeff did a great job cleaning up the pipe. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, shanks brushes, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim and shank with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to the oils and tars on the bowl, rim and shank. He removed the light lava coat on the top of the rim. He rinsed the bowl under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. Once the grime was removed the finish underneath was in good condition. The stain and the look of the finish was very well done. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub and rinsed it with warm water. He wiped the bowl and stem down with a light coat of olive oil and buffed it with a soft cloth. The pipe really was quite stunning. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took a close up photo of the rim top and edges to show how well it had cleaned up and the edges around the bowl. There was some darkening around the back top and inner edge of the bowl. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the light tooth chatter on the surface ahead of the button on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to show the proportions of the pipe. It is a beauty.I polished the briar on the rim cap and the smooth shank end with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really looked very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a shoe brush 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 tooth marks on both sides of the stem with clear CA glue. I set it aside to cure. Once it cured, I flattened the repaired areas with needle files. I further smoothed them out with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface. I touched up the T logo stamp with white acrylic fingernail polish. Once it cured I scraped off the excess. I sanded it carefully with 220 grit sandpaper. The logo looked much better and was very legible.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads and wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. The stem began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am really happy with the way that this Thayne Danish Made 123B Mix Finish Acorn turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a unique shape and combination of a smooth rim cap and shank end with a rich and rugged sandblast finish. The fancy vulcanite saddle stem is really nice. The briar really came alive with the buffing. The rich brown and black stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth 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 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 Thayne Danish Made 123B Acorn really is a beauty 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: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 41 grams/1.48 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Life for a W.O. Larsen Handmade Danish Sandblast Freehand Dublin

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by Steve Laug

It may seem I have endless choices of pipes to work on. While we do have a lot of pipes that are in the queue to be restored it is far from endless. This next pipe I chose to work on was one that we purchased a few years ago on 10/17/2022 from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads W.O. Larsen [over] Handmade [over] Made in Denmark. This one is a unique beauty with a shallow sandblast on a stylized bent Dublin shape flowing up a curved shank and fancy saddle stem. The briar bowl and shank were sandblasted as was the rim top. The exterior of the pipe had a shiny coat of varnish that covered some of the dust and debris in the blast. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and some lava and darkening on blast of the rim top. The acrylic stem is a fancy turned saddle stem that is comfortable. There is no logo on the stem. As it is acrylic there is no oxidation and had minimal tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and there was some light lava on the sandblasted rim top. The stem looked good under the dirt and grime. There was light tooth marks and chatter. It should cleanup very well. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the beautiful blast that was around this bowl even though the grime on the finish hides it some. The pipe had obviously been well loved and cared for by the previous pipeman. He took a photo of the underside of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below as noted above.I have worked on quite a few W.O. Larsen pipes that are well made Danish takes on classic shapes. Several of them have been Brandy shaped pipes. This sandblast Canadian has a bowl that is almost a Brandy shape. Here is a link to the blog describing the background and history of the brand (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/10/25/restoring-a-sandblast-canadian-hand-made-designed-by-w-o-larsen-super-tan-65/). I quote from that blog in information that follows.

I turned to Pipephil (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l2.html) to get a quick view of the brand once again. I did a screen capture of the site’s information and have included that below. The pipe I am working on is a W.O. Larsen as it is stamped similarly to the ones in the photos. I quote from the sidebar below:

In the 1960s Ole Larsen, owner of the Copenhagen tobacco store, retails pipes carved by Sixten Ivarsson, Poul Rasmussen, Sven Knudsen or Peter Brakner. Faced with the success and urged by Sven Bang (store manager), Sven Knudsen and Former (Hans Nielsen) are successively hired to carve pipes in the basement of the shop at the beginning and in the old Larsen cigar factory afterwards. Carver like Teddy Knudsen, Tonni Nielsen, Jess Chonowitch, Peter Hedegaard work a while in this context. When Nils, son of Ole Larsen, succeeds his father he acquires the Georg Jensen pipe factory to focus on less expensive pipes. This turns out to be an error ending with the sale of W.O. Larsen trademark to Stanwell. The famous tobacco shop at Strøget, Amagertorv 9 closed down for good on Dec 31, 2004. Do not confuse W.O. Larsen with: Jorgen Larsen

I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/W.%C3%98._Larsen) for a quick read. The site is worth reading the history of the shop and the brand and its influence on Danish pipe carving. I quote a portion of the article below:

The workshop of W.Ø.Larsen

W.Ø.Larsen is Denmark’s oldest and probably most famous pipes and tobacco store, placed in the center of Copenhagen on the main pedestrian street, Stroget. If you visit Copenhagen and do a “pipe crawl” this store is a must. In the beginning of the 1960’s the store began to sell Danish hand-made pipes, especially those of Poul Rasmussen. This went very well and Poul Rasmussen could not keep up with the demand. W.Ø.Larsen, with their dynamic business manager Svend Bang (who later started his own pipe business), decided to establish their own workshop in rooms next to the store.

The first manager of the pipe workshop was Sven Knudsen, but he soon left to make pipes under his own name. The next manager was Hans Nielsen, also known as “Former” (named after the late British actor George Formby, whom he was said to resemble. Coincidentally, in Danish, “Former” means “shapes”). Under the management of Former the workshop grew and W.Ø.Larsen pipes became a prominent name abroad. Among the prominent pipemakers educated here were Else Larsen (Denmark’s first female pipemaker),Poul Ilsted, Ph. Vigen, Teddy Knudsen, Tonni Nielsen, and Peter Hedegaard.

Typical for the W.Ø.Larsen School were semi-classic shapes, meaning classic shapes, but with slight differences, often bring a little more full or round. The pipes often had lower center of gravity. A typical billard would have a bowl shaped more like a pear and the connection between the bowl and the shank would be clearly distinguished. Yellow and orange were colors more widely used for the finishes.

What I learned from the research is that the pipe is a W.O. Larsen pipe made by one of the famous carvers who worked in the shop. It is a beautiful pipe in both shape and finish.

Jeff did a great job cleaning up the pipe. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, shanks brushes, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim and shank with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to the oils and tars on the bowl, rim and shank. He removed the light lava coat on the top of the rim. He rinsed the bowl under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. Once the grime was removed the finish underneath was in good condition. The stain and the look of the finish was very well done. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub and rinsed it with warm water. He wiped the bowl and stem down with a light coat of olive oil and buffed it with a soft cloth. The pipe really was quite stunning. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took a close up photo of the rim top and edges to show how well it had cleaned up and the edges around the bowl. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the light tooth chatter on the surface ahead of the button on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to show the proportions of the pipe. It is a beauty.I used a brass bristle wire brush to go over the rim top and knock off the remaining lava and debris in the sandblast. It looked much better. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a shoe brush 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 polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am really happy with the way that this W.O. Larsen Handmade Freehand Dublin turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a unique shape and shallow sandblast finish. The fancy acrylic saddle stem is really nice. The briar really came alive with the buffing. The rich brown and black stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth 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 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 W.O. Larsen Handmade Dublin really is a beauty 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: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 51 grams/1.80 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Refreshing a Beautiful Handmade Mimmo Provenzano A hand made Long Shank Rhodesian

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on was one that we purchased on 12/09/2024 from the same seller in Wellsville, Kansas, USA that sold us the Armellini Pipe. The pipe came with a Mimmo Provenzano pipe sock and is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Mimmo [over] Provenzano. On the underside of the shank it is stamped A followed by hand made in Italy. I have never held or worked on a Mimmo Provenzano pipe before. At first, I mixed it up with Mimmo who is the amazing briar cutter and pipe maker. I soon learned that this is a different Mimmo. This one is a beauty that follows the grain on the smooth briar. The pipe is a long shank, saddle stem Rhodesian. The base and the Bull cap look very good on the pipe separated by a set of twin rings. The briar bowl and shank were smooth and well grained. The rim top is also smooth and very clean. The exterior of the pipe was dusty but still looked very good. It has a no cake in the bowl and some darkening on the bowl walls mid bowl. It had obviously been lightly smoked – maybe once or twice no more. The stem is a thin bladed saddle stem that is comfortable. It is stamped with an MP logo on the left side of the saddle. There was some minimal oxidation and had some light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is clean and lightly smoke. There was some light spots of lava on the rim top. The stem looked good under the dirt and grime. There was light oxidation and had some light tooth marks or chatter. It should cleanup very well. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the beautiful grain that was around this bowl even though the grime on the finish hides it some. The pipe had obviously been well loved and cared for by the previous pipeman. It is relatively unsmoked so it makes me wonder. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below as noted above. The stem had an MP logo on the left side. Before I started my own work on the pipe I wanted to correct my ignorance of the brand and correct my conception of who Mimmo was. I wanted to have clarity before I worked on his pipe.

I turned my favourite go to sites on background of brands. The first is Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-p5.html). There I looked up the Mimmo Provenzano brand. I have copied the pertinent information below. I have included a screen capture of the section on the brand below. I have also included the sidebar information below that.Artisan: Mimmo Provenzano (born 1968) started carving pipes in 2009. His pipes are distributed by Mario Lubinsky. Grading (not stamped) Smooth pipes (ascending): A B C. Rusticated pipes: R

From this link I was able to learn that the pipe I was working on was made after he changed his stem logo in 2012. Interestingly the pipe was stamped with the letter A for a grade stamp on the pipe. It was a well-made, beautiful pipe.

I turned to my second favorite site for background information – Pipedia to see what they had for the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Provenzano). Interestingly the article as written by Mimmo himself. It was brief but included some photos. I quote it in full below.

My name is Mimmo Provenzano and I am an Italian pipe craftsman. I started my activity in 2009 for fun. My pipes are all hand made.

Then I did a google search of the brand and found that Smokingpipes.com sold Mimmo’s pipes and had a short introduction (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/mimmo-provenzano/). It gave me more information on his work. I quote it below.

Mimmo came into the craft earnestly, as both a pipe smoker, and a sculptor specializing in wood as his medium. As such he takes great pride in his work and insists that every step be carried out in the traditional way — from curing to block selection, hand turning to sanding, and using only analine stains and carnuaba wax. Considering his adherence to this tradition, it’s surprising to learn that he still manages to carve around 1,000 pipes a year.

Jeff did a great job cleaning up the light debris in this barely used pipe. He wiped out the bowl and cleaned out the debris with a swab. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim and shank with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to the oils and tars on the bowl, rim and shank. He removed the light lava coat on the top of the rim. He rinsed the bowl under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. Once the grime was removed the finish underneath was in stellar condition. The stain and the look of the finish was very well done. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub then soaked it in a bath of Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He rinsed off the deoxidizer with warm water and wiped the bowl and stem down with a light coat of olive oil to rehydrate both. The pipe really was quite stunning. I took photos of the pipe with its pipe sock to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took a close up photo of the rim top and edges to show how well it had cleaned up and the edges around the bowl. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the light tooth chatter on the surface ahead of the button on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The first photo shows the MP logo on the left side of the left side of the saddle stem. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to show the proportions of the pipe. It is a beauty.The bowl was so clean that I turned to immediately polish the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain really began to sing. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I used a shoe brush to work the balm into the twin rings around the cap. 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 polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am really happy with the way that this Mimmo Provenzano Long Shank Rhodesian Grade A turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a unique shape and smooth finish. The vulcanite short saddle stem is really nice. The briar really came alive with the buffing. The rich brown and black stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth 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 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 Mimmo Provenzano Long Shank Rhodesian really is a beauty 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 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 35 grams/1.23 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Italian Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!