by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one we picked up on 04/12/2024 from a pipe seller in St. Cloud, Florida, USA. It is an interesting looking pipe with the rim top scooped and some beautiful grain around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the left side and reads Amphora [over] X-tra [followed] by the shape number 821. On the right side it is stamped Genuine Briar. The finish is dirty and the varnish coat is spotty and peeling on the front and back of the bowl. There are a few small fills in the surface but nothing too huge. The rim top and edges look good with some darkening on the top. There is a light cake in the bowl that should be an easy clean up. The stem is a vulcanite saddle and it is in good condition with light tooth chatter on both sides. It is a neat looking little pipe that will soon be looking for a new home. I took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and tobacco debris as well as the inner edge of the rim. I also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. The stamping on the sides of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above. I took several photos to capture the stamping on the sides of the shank. I took the stem off and took a photo of the pipe to show the beauty of the piece. I turned to Pipephil’s site to see what I could learn about the pipe and its maker. The photos did not show the same pipe but the information was helpful (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a5.html). I did a screen capture of the section and the side bar notes are shown below the photo.A brand of Elbert Gubbels & Sons – Royal Dutch Pipe Factory who has gone bankrupt on March 2012. See also: Big-Ben, Humbry, IRC, Roermond, Royal Dutch, Thompson and Porsche Design

From there I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Amphora) to see what I could add to the information. I quote below:

Amphora pipes are made in Holland by the Jos. Gubbels organization. The pipes are produced in relatively small numbers to a high standard and not commonly found. They were used primarily in promotions and incentives for Amphora tobacco.

The Royal Dutch Pipe Factory Elbert Gubbels & Sons B.V. is the only manufacturer of briarroot tobacco pipes in the Benelux countries where pipes of high quality are made under the brands Big Ben, Hilson, Royal Dutch and Amphora. They also supply numerous smokers’ accessories of high quality.

There was nothing specific about this shape but it gives some background. The pipes were made by the Royal Dutch Pipe Factory – Gubbles and Sons in Holland. From what I can find the shape is a bit of a rarer one with few made. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I reamed the light cake with my Pipnet reamer and the first cutting head. I took it back to bare walls. I cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife and finished by sanding the walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a small dowel. The walls looked very good. I cleaned out the airway in the shank, the mortise and the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. It came out smelling cleaner and the passages were clean.To remove the spotty varnish coat, I wiped the bowl down with acetone on a cotton pad. I always like a pipe that has the natural shine of wax versus the shiny varnish coat. In this case the spotty, peeling varnish gave me the incentive to remove it! I scrubbed the externals of the bowl and shank with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the residual grime in the grain. I rinsed it with warm running water. The grain really stood out and the bowl was clean and smooth to touch. The pipe is was in such good shape that I started my work on it by sanding the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2 x 2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a rich shine. 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 to remove the sanding dust. By the end of the process the pipe bowl looked very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips on the smooth. The product works 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 vulcanite stem. It was in great condition other than some light tooth chatter. 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. This smooth, nicely grained Amphora X-tra 821 Bent Scoop is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The rich finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel. 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 entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Amphora X-tra 821 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: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 38 grams/1.31 ounces. It is a great looking and light weight pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes from Various Makers Section shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection 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!