by Kenneth Lieblich
This handsome pipe was found at an antique fair around town and I’ve been meaning to clean it up since I got it. This is a Jobey Shellmoor Extra E55 pipe, in the bent billiard shape, with a vulcanite saddle stem. The stem connects to the stummel with Jobey’s own ‘Jobey Links’ system. It’s a handsome, satisfying, and confidence-generating pipe. I hope you will like this pipe – it needs a new home!
Let’s look at the markings that appear on this pipe. On the right side of the shank, we see Jobey [over] Shellmoor. To the right of that are the words Extra [over] E55. On the stem, we see the Jobey logo inlaid in brass.
Regarding the Jobey company itself, there is precious little background information. The Pipedia article on Jobey (which I encourage you to read here) begins with this tidbit:
English – American – Danish – French… Sadly, solid information about Jobey is scant. Probably established in England around 1920(?) the brand hiked into the USA later.
And Pipephil adds this note:
These pipes are made in St Claude (France) by Butz-Choquin (Berrod-Regad group) since 1987. Before this date some were manufactured in England and Denmark (Jobey Dansk).
So? Not much history to learn, sadly. Let’s clean this pipe up. Fortunately, this pipe was in good condition and didn’t require too much labour. The stem is dirty and a bit oxidized. There are a few tooth scratches and some minor dents. The stummel is dirty but sound. The rim has only a slight bit of lava. The bowl, similarly, has only a bit of cake in it.
I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very 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. The result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it. Forgot to snap a photo of this step.
The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. 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.
As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a pipe knife and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed. Fortunately, there was very little in there.
Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. There wasn’t too much filth in there.
I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. Also, as the photo shows, a good amount of dye leached out too.
To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a toothbrush in the crevices. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.
I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for an hour or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth.
For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – the stem, with a blue diamond compound; then the stummel with some carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.
This Jobey Shellmoor Extra E55 bent billiard looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘American’ pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5½ in. (141 mm); height 2½ in. (64 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (21 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2⅛ oz. (61 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.
