by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a change of pace for me. It is a stemless freehand bowl that we purchased off eBay on 11/18/2025 from a seller in Canton, Michigan, USA. It was a great looking Freehand bowl even without the stem. The name House of [over] Robertson is roughly hand-etched on the left side of the shank with an engraving tool. On the right side is etched the number 951 which I assume is a shape number. The pipe is a well shaped Freehand bowl with plateau on the rim top and shank end. It also had some rustication around the shank end and the bottom of the bowl and shank had been slightly flattened. The bowl has some interesting flame grain on it along with a mix of other grains. It is thickly caked with some lava overflow on the plateau rim top. The outer and inner edges of the rim look to be in good condition. The pipe was dirty but underneath all of the grime it appears to be in good condition. It is definitely an interesting pipe and should clean up very well. I will need to fit it with a freehand style stem blank that will complement the shape of the bowl. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started the cleanup. Jeff took photos show the condition of the bowl and the stem. The photos of the bowl and rim show the cake in the bowl and the heavy lava overflowing onto the plateau rim top. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain all around the pipe. The finish makes the grain really stand out on the bowl and shank. The next photos show the etched name on the left side of shank and the shape number on the right side. It is clear and reads as noted above.I am including the information that I found when I received my first of the House of Robertson Pipes. I found a link on Pipedia that gave me the only information I could find on the brand. I include that in total as it is interesting to read.

“House of Robertson” was in business for many years, but alas, closed their doors in 1999. They were located in Boise, Idaho. They are noted for making rather large and interesting pipes. Thayne Robertson was a Master Mason, AF & AM, and started the shop about 1947 and his son Jon started working there in 1970 when he finished college, along with Thayne’s daughter. Thayne and his son started making the big pipes at that time, and made them together until 1987 when Thayne passed away. Jon kept the store and his sister moved on to other things. The House of Robertson appears to have closed around 1999 (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Robertson).

Since then I have worked on a lot of House of Robertson pipes and have been able to track down more information. I am including a link to a Catalogue that I picked up on eBay. Click on the link and have a look at this interesting book of information on the brand and the pipe maker himself (https://rebornpipes.com/2022/12/11/a-house-of-robertson-catalogue-filled-with-great-examples-of-thayne-robertsons-work/).

I am also including a biography of Thayne Robertson that I found on Facebook from a fellow in Boise, Idaho. It is an interesting read into the mind of the pipe maker. Make sure to take time to read it (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/10/31/house-of-robertson-pipes-boise-pipe-carver-thayne-robertson/).

Now it was time to work on the pipe itself. When it gets to Vancouver it my turn to contribute to its restoration. Jeff did a great job cleaning the pipe on the inside and outside. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the remnants with the Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the dust in the plateau rim top and shank end as well as the band of rustication shank. He also scrubbed the smooth portions. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. Once the dust and debris were removed the finish was dull but appeared to be in excellent condition. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the debris. It began to look very good. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down with a damp cloth between each sanding pad. The bowl took on more of a shine with the completion of each sanding pad. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my fingertips. I let it sit on the bowl for 15 minutes. I buffed it off with a soft cotton cloth to raise the shine. It was a beautiful piece of briar. I set the bowl aside and went through my can of freehand style stems. I wanted a vulcanite fancy saddle stem and I had a few to choose from. This one was a blank. It still had the castings on the sides and end. The shank end had been lightly shaped but would need to be cleaned up and adjusted to make the fit in the shank snug. I took a photo of the stem with the pipe to give a sense of what I saw. It will need some shaping before it truly fits well. I used a flat file to smooth out the edge and transition it so it fit well in the mortise.With the bowl finished other than the final buffing I set it aside and turned my attention to the stem. I shaped the tenon end a small file and followed that up with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It looked much better once I finished shaping it.I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to finish the reshaping and smoothing out the casting debris on the sides and button end of the stem. I wiped it down with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad to remove the debris. It began to look very good. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame from a lighter. I did it until it was softened and I was able to give it a slight bend to work with the angles of the bowl and shank. I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down between each pad with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. By the final pad the pipe stem looked very good. I put the House of Robertson Freehand and new fancy vulcanite saddle stem back together and worked the pipe over on the buffing wheel using Blue Diamond to lightly polish the stem. I buffed the bowl and stem to raise the gloss on the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad on the wheel to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished the House of Robertson Freehand is shown in the photos below. The rich brown stains on the plateau, rusticated and smooth finish of the Freehand works well with the rich black of the vulcanite saddle stem. The dimensions of the pipe are: Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside Diameter: 1 ½ inches, Diameter of the chamber: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 54 grams/1.90 ounces. This is an interesting piece of briar with a mixed finish that is unique and looks great. If you would like to add this you to your collection I will be putting it on the American Pipemakers Section of the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking with me through the restoration process.

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.