by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting “Malaga” Second Zulu. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 10/06/2025 from a seller in Willis, Texas, USA. The grain on this pipe is quite nice beneath the oil cured finish. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Malaga [over] Second. It is a nice one in terms of the well-done ¼ Bent Zulu. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. There were a few sandpits in the finish on the bowl sides. The bowl had a thick cake that over flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a lava coat. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl appeared to be in good condition under the grime. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized and calcified. There were deep tooth marks and some flattened areas on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work.  Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and light lava coat on the rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. It had the flaws or sand pits that would help explain why it was a second. The hard rubber stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and had some deep tooth marks and flattened areas against the button. It was almost like the stem had been modified to make it a dental style bit. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the left and right side of the shank and it is clear and readable as noted above. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also am including a link to some printed material on the Malaga brand that came to me from the daughter of George Koch (we purchased George’s pipes from his daughter) to help identify the particular stamping on the pipe. The link takes you to the entire collection of materials that were sent to me. (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/27/malaga-pipes-catalogue-of-pipes-and-tobaccos/).

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it 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. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean and the inner and outer edges of the bowl showed darkening and burn damage. The stem looked better and the tooth marks are very visible on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the top side of the shank to show that it was clean and faint in spots but still readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I worked on the damage and darkening on the inner edge of the rim and top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It looked better once I finished. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to look beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I worked it into the twin rings around the rim cap with a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the top and the underside of the stem with a black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I shaped it with small files and then sanded the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the vulcanite. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Malaga Second Zulu and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Second Zulu and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. There are flaws and sand pits in the briar that made it a second. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.16 ounces/33 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

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.