by Steve Laug

I am down to four more pipes to work on from Jeff’s last box of pipes. The one I have chosen to work on next is one that came to us from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. The pipe is quite unique with a metal base and a plastic or Bakelite outer bowl and a ceramic sleeve inserted inside. The surface of the bowl is very dirty with grime and oils built up around the outside. The bowl seems to me pressed into the base and the base is finned metal with a nut in the bottom holding the base to the shank. There are four small holes in the base that provide the airflow into the shank. There is a knurled cap on the end of the shank that is not removable (though it probably was originally). There is a small airhole in the top of the knurled end nearest the bowl. The shank tube is engraved with the word Gentle in script on the left side at an angle. Jeff took photos of the pipe when he received it and before he started his clean up work. He took photos of the rim top to show the cake on the walls of the ceramic sleeve in the bowl and the lava on the rim top. The bottom of the bowl is open into the base and there was tar and oils in the bottom of the base. The stem appears to be made of something other than rubber or vulcanite. I think it is probably some kind of nylon type substance or and early acrylic. It has a lot of tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides of the bowl to show the look of it. The top third of the bowl is a brown Bakelite that looks quite interesting. The middle of the bowl is a dark/black Bakelite. The bottom third is the base that is screwed onto the shank. It is finned and is hollow and holds the bowl pressed in place. He took a photo of the stamp on the left side of the metal shank. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above.Jeff was able to take the pipe apart as much as possible. He was able to remove the bowl from the base and I am not able to do that here. It is an interesting pipe. The bowl is a ceramic sleeve within a Bakelite sleeve. I turned to my favourite metal pipe site – Smoking Metal UK. I am including the link to the site and the information that the site include (http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=359). I quote from the article and also included the photos of the pipe on the site below:

GENTLE – Department : METAL STEM & Plug in bowls

GENTLE- another early system pipe that seems over engineered. The plastic outer bowl holds an inner, seemingly ceramic liner with a perforated base. This all push fits into the vaned metal part which is in turn attached to the stem by a square nut. There are four smoke holes through to the stem. The stem appears not to be the usual method of increasing the distance for the smoke to travel, just a tar trap. There is a device at the front by which, twisting a collar, a small hole is opened allowing in air. I am sure the end cap must be removable; however, my example is firm and I am not risking any damage. The name GENTLE is engraved on top of the stem in script lettering

The pipe shown with the blue background appears to have a different detail in the knurled end cap. No idea if this an earlier or later version. The seller of the “blue” one also could not undo this knurled piece.

Overall length is 6 inches (152 m/m)

The advert is from the October 1949 Popular Science magazine Jeff cleaned up the parts and put them back together once again. It cleaned up very well. As I guessed from the photos on the bowl top the ceramic liner had cracks on the insides of the bowl. They were tight and hairline and went from top to the bottom of the inner tube. He carefully reamed the pipe and sanded the bowl. He cleaned out the shank and other parts with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners and alcohol. It looked good when it arrived. I was able to remove the bowl/base by undoing the square nut on bottom of the base with a pair of needle nose pliers.I sanded the walls of the ceramic sleeve with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I smoothed out the bowl walls and cleaned up the cracks. It looked very good.I set the bowl aside and dealt with the tooth marks, chatter and scratches on the surface of the stem. I sanded the stem surface with 220 grit sandpaper until I had blended all of the chatter and marks into the surface.I sanded the stem further with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. It began to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to cure. I polished the Bakelite bowl with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris after each sanding pad. It looked amazing by the final pad. I tightened the nut in the base of the bowl with a pair of needle nose pliers so that it was snug on the shank. It is a square nut and I held it with the pliers and then twisted the bowl on the shank.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the Bakelite Bowl with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the bowl even a Bakelite bowl while giving it a deep glow (typically briar). It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. It was great to finish this Unique Gentle System Pipe with Bakelite Bowl lined with a Ceramic sleeve and nylon/rubber stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of carnauba wax. 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. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like. Added to that the polished black, saddle stem was beautiful. This Gentle System Pipe is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.62 ounces. It is an interesting pipe and one that will soon be on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes from Various Makers Section. If you want to add it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.