Author Archives: rebornpipes

A New Lesson Graces an Albertson Sandblasted Bent Bulldog Restore

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Guest Blog by Robert M. Boughton
Member, North American Society of Pipe Collectors
http://www.naspc.org
http://www.roadrunnerpipes.com
http://about.me/boughtonrobert
Photos © the Author

“Every failure is a lesson well learned, every success is a battle well fought, and every friend is a jewel well-kept in one’s heart.”
― Unknown

INTRODUCTION
As a valued friend and mentor, Chuck Richards can be counted on to tell me the truth, always. No matter how special are the occasions when his comments are clear thumbs-up, being thick-skinned, I can say with all honesty that I value more the constructive tips, outright lessons and even contributions (whether requested or not) that this gem of a friend has shared with me during the fleeting past three years since I made my first pipe restoration of a Czech-made La Grande Bruyère mini bent billiard. This openness in my character is fortunate, considering the greater incidence of the latter compared to the former.

Chuck with Victor Rimkus in a rare peaceful moment.

Chuck with Victor Rimkus in a rare peaceful moment.

The only aspect of Chuck’s always invaluable input that sometimes frustrates me, as can happen in particular when two people are friends and see each other often, is his erratic timing. While for the most part Chuck speaks his mind with blunt promptness, he has far more projects in his own shop, not counting the free work he performs for customers at the tobacconist where he works, than I can even imagine. Therefore, he has the odd habit of briefing me on certain pipe restoration intelligence data, pertinent to my Need to Know clearance, crucial to my reputation and consequent success in the business.

By way of example, there was the time early last December when Chuck, after being approached by an unspecified number of my local customers with reports of un-thorough cleaning of the inner stems and shanks of some pipes I had sold to that date, at last brought up the subject. I was not only unhappy to learn that any of my friends and associates who paid money for my pipes were too worried they might “hurt my feelings” by giving me the chance to correct the problem myself; I was still more irked that Chuck failed to warn me after the first instance. [See https://rebornpipes.com/2014/12/10/in-retort-to-claims-of-unclean-restored-pipes-robert-m-boughton/ for the full story.] Of course Chuck then emphasized the importance of retorting, and in one mad 18-hour marathon when my retort kit arrived in the mail soon after, I corrected the problem with every remaining pipe on my sales list, as I have done with each pipe I’ve restored since.

And so, last Friday night at our weekly pipe club get-together I showed Chuck my latest finished projects. He examined them before leaning toward me to tell me discretely of another fellow club member who saw my array of pipes for sale next to his at the monthly Moose Club meeting, where we are free to sell. It seems the gentleman in question, who is getting into the restoration practice, wondered why my pipes (and his own, it turned out) looked “so dull” compared to Chuck’s. I am pleased that I was apprised of the comment soon afterward, but had to wonder why Chuck – who no doubt noticed the same effect long ago – didn’t tell me of the importance of using an un-waxed buffer wheel after each application of the various waxes that can be used to finish pipes.

I had more than usual difficulty grasping the process as Chuck explained it to me, until his third description, when some light in my head snapped on. I understood he was not talking about removing the nice shiny layer of wax applied with such care; he was describing a way to take off the excess wax and firm up the rest so that it would shine even more, not smudge and last longer.

“You won’t believe the difference in the look of the pipe when you use a clean buffer after each wax you put on it,” Chuck told me, smiling in relief and the genuine pleasure he derives from explaining anything pipe-related, when he saw that my head had wrapped around the whole idea.

Again, of course, I remembered Chuck’s work-load and other difficulties, not to mention the bombardment of questions he receives every day from friends and customers. I identified with the high probability that every time he planned to say something it simply slipped his mind.

At any rate, this blog concerns a lovely rusticated bent bulldog made by the Belgian company known as Albertson, which, after World War II, was taken over by the Hilson factory. Since that crafter went bankrupt in 1980, the Albertson brand has been continued by the Royal Dutch Pipe Factory.

Considerable work went into this particular restoration, the first opportunity to use my new knowledge of proper pipe waxing. Thank you, Chuck, for being a real friend again. I officially challenge anyone to inspect this bulldog and find anything whatsoever lacking in its inner and outer shimmer.

THE RESTORATION Robert2

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Robert8 When my now customary first step of OxiCleaning the stem was complete, the well-shaped and gently curved stem was clean but covered with green, white and brownish spots. I solemnly affirm that I documented the result with a photo, but it seems to have been lost due to a malfunction of my camera. Likewise, the effects of 220-grit sandpaper on removing the serious tooth chatter that marred both sides of the top of the stem, almost an inch below the lip, are gone. Even the lip had been gnawed and required intense sanding, but at least I avoided Black Super Glue.

I stripped the rusticated briar in Everclear.Robert9 Again, the photos of the bare briar after this process are not to be found, although rubbing with super fine steel wool, then sanding the top of the bowl above the traditional line to make it lighter in color, followed by a thorough micro-meshing of the whole with five grades from 1500-4000 made the wood ready for buffing. The only way I can even begin to explain the absence of these particular photos is to note that all of them were taken in order during a short period of peculiar behavior by the DSLR.

After sanding the chamber with 320-grit paper followed by 200, I retorted the pipe. For the first time, that step required only one test tube of boiled alcohol, thanks to the excellent care by the previous owner and the Everclear soak. I had stained all of it but the top and rim with burgundy boot dye, which I flamed and hand-buffed with 4000 micromesh before resorting to 3600 to heighten the new red tone. Here is the briar when I was almost done prepping it for the final buffs.Robert10 At the last moment, I decided to give the upper part of the bowl and the rim a final sanding with 320-grit paper and re-using the same micromesh progression as before to take it all the way down to its natural light brown color. All was in order to try out my newly-learned wheel buffing technique.

The stem took a little extra work with its extra lines, using the regular red Tripoli followed by White Diamond. I happened to have an extra, new buffer which I then attached to the electric wheel that had held the red Tripoli cloth. Beginning on the briar with a regular white Tripoli buff, I held it up in the light for a better look before I moved to the clean buffer and turned the wood with extra care. Again I held it up to see the change, which, as Chuck had promised, was prominent. Repeating these steps with White Diamond and at last carnauba (since I still need to replace my spent supply of Halcyon II), when the work was done I was truly impressed with the far finer and more solid shine.Robert11

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I was fortunate to start with an estate pipe that was well-tended by it prior owner, and I like to think that he would be pleased with its new, sharper two-tone look. My only regret is that now I have to re-polish my entire growing collection of pipes for sale. But I am looking forward to the next monthly Moose Lodge meeting of the pipe club on the third Thursday of April. You can bet I’ll be there, with all of my pipes arranged proudly beside Chuck’s.

Still I wonder…what future comments might make their way to me via my good friend and mentor? Perhaps now my potential local customers might find the good grace and trust to approach me instead.

Restoring a Willard Imported Briar Rhodesian

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Blog by Steve Laug

I am finally finishing up the final pipes in the box of gift pipes. This one is a little long stemmed Willard Rhodesian. It is stamped Willard over Imported Briar. It was in pretty good nick. The finish was worn and peeling in some places. There were scratches in the surface of the briar on the sides of the bowl. The bowl was lightly caked with remnants of tobacco clinging to the walls of the bowl. The stem was chewed but no deep marks were in the surface. The stem is that odd nylon like material that was on pipes of this era. It had a threaded tenon and a short stinger that was pretty clean as well. The stem was clean on the inside as was the shank of the pipe. The stem was slightly over turned and had some damage to the nylon of the upper portion of the stem.Willard1

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Willard4 The next two photos show the tooth damage to the top and underside of the stem near the button.Willard5

Willard6 I decided to remove the spotty and peeling finish first. I wiped it down with acetone on cotton pads until the varnish coat was removed. To my surprise there were no visible fills in this piece of briar. The wood actually had some nice grain under the varnish coat.Willard7

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Willard10 I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the damage on the surface and the tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. I heated the stinger with a lighter to soften the glue so that I could correct the over turned stem. Once it was softened I put it in the mortise and turned it clockwise until it lined up with the bowl properly. I let it cool and harden once again before removing it from the shank.Willard11 I scraped out the slight cake and remnants of tobacco with a pen knife taking it back to bare wood so that a new cake could be built up by the next pipe man.Willard12 I sanded the bowl and the stem with a medium and fine grit sanding sponge to remove the scratches left behind by the sandpaper and then put it back on the pipe and took the next set of photos.Willard13

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Willard16 I stained the bowl with a dark brown aniline stain mixed with two parts alcohol to thin it down and lighten it. I applied it and then flamed it with a lighter to set the stain. I reapplied the stain and flamed it again.Willard17

Willard18 Once the stain dried I wiped the bowl down with alcohol on a cotton pad to even out the stain coat and to make it more transparent.Willard19

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Willard22 I put the stem back on the shank and sanded it with micromesh sanding pads to polish it. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanded with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed it down with Obsidian Oil between each set of three pads and then again the final time. I did not buff the stem with the buffer as I find that the nylon stems do not do well with the heat of the buffer. I applied some Paragon Wax to the stem and hand buffed it with a shoe brush.Willard23

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Willard25 I buffed the bowl with White Diamond and Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel and then gave it multiple coats of carnauba wax. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. It is ready for a long life of delivering a decent smoke to whomever’s rack it ends up gracing. It is a pretty little Rhodesian that looks great.Willard26

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Sometimes I can’t help myself and have to refinish a new pipe – a Butz Choquin Belami Pocket Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

When I was in Stuttgart, Germany recently I purchased a petite pocket Canadian made by Butz Choquin. The cost was relatively cheap at 43€. It was stamped Butz Choquin Belami on the top of the shank and St. Claude in an arch over France. I like the contrast stain on the pipe and the fact that it would fit nicely in my coat pocket while traveling in Germany. When I returned to my hotel room I looked it up on the web. I found that it was listed as a Junior Pipe on the Butz Choquin Website and in fact there was a picture of a pipe that looked very much like the one I picked up. (http://www.butzchoquin.com/detail.php?id=BCBELUN5PF4)BC1 I liked the look, the shape and the size of the pipe as soon as I saw it and decided it was a pipe that would commemorate my trip to Stuttgart. There was a sandblast version of the pipe available as well and I looked them both over carefully before choosing the smooth one. I purchased the pipe and a pouch of one of the shop blends called Cigarren-Mezger Vaihinger Mischung Nr. 15 – an English mixture to christen the pipe. It was one of the only shop blends that did not have some kind of fruit topping. I took my newly purchased pipe and tobacco to a coffee shop across the street from the shop and loaded a bowl of the Vaihinger Mischung Nr. 15. I bought a cup of dark hot chocolate and fired up the bowl and sipped the hot chocolate. I was impressed by how well the pipe smoked. It delivered a flavourful and cool smoke from start to finish. Early in the bowl there was a slight charcoal taste from the bowl coating but it soon disappeared into the well rounded English smoke. While I smoked it I looked it over more carefully. Though it was smoking well the finish left much to be desired. It was rough to say the least. After smoking it a few moments I noticed that the stem had oxidized. I would need to think about what to do with the finish when I returned to Canada.BC2

BC3 I smoked the pipe for the remaining week of my German trip and continually looked it over. As I had decided when I bought it the shape was perfect and the taper on the short stem fit well with the overall look of the pipe. It felt good in the hand and was a pleasure to smoke. But the rough finish became increasingly problematic to me. There were a lot of scratches in the briar on the surface of the rim and the rest of the bowl and shank. The contrast stain was nice with the dark black under coat that highlighted the grain and the lighter yellow brown top coat to add depth to the finish. But the pre-staining finish work was severely lacking as the scratches from the initial sanding were tactile and visible. A coat of varnish had been applied to the pipe that not only covered the bowl but also flowed over part of the stem. The varnish on the stem showed up when the pipe was smoked. The stem oxidized in weird patterns around the flow of the varnish. It gave the stem almost a flame pattern with the oxidation appearing from the button forward about a ½ inch along the jagged edges of the varnish coat. I would need to address the finish of the pipe when I returned to Canada.BC4

BC5 I took it to the worktable and took the above photos before beginning to work on the pipe. Though it is hard to really see the roughness of the finish some of the scratches are visible in the photos. The oxidation of the stem is also less visible in the photos than it was in person. I stripped off the varnish using acetone on a cotton pad. I used it sparingly as I wanted to remove the varnish but not the stain. I sanded the pipe with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge to remove the remaining varnish and also remove the scratches in the briar. I then sanded it with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanding with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I sanded the stem as well with a fine grit sanding sponge and the micromesh sanding pads being careful to avoid the BC logo that was painted on the stem. Once the bowl was smooth I buffed it with White Diamond and then rubbed it down with a light coat of olive oil to enliven the finish and then gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax to protect the finish and vulcanite. I finished by buffing it with a soft flannel buff to raise the shine. I am happy with the finished pipe. Now not only does it smoke well but it feels better in the hand looks more finished to the eye. Sometimes I just can’t help myself and have to refinish a pipe that simply irritates my sensibilities.BC6

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BC10 (The apparent scratch on the pipe shown at the top of the photo that runs from the shank across the stem is merely a hair on the lens of the camera.)BC11

Great afternoon in Stuttgart, Germany with Pipemaker James Gilliam

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Blog by Steve Laug

For most of the month of March I have been in Europe doing some work for the Foundation I am with. I spent some time earlier in the month in Athens, Greece before coming to Stuttgart, Germany last week. Previous to the trip I had written James Gilliam about the possibility of getting together while I was in Stuttgart. I had some free time on Thursday afternoon so we met up for a bowl or two and a coffee at a local coffee shop. We met and visited for a few hours and talked pipes and pipe making. I learned quite a bit about some of the polishes, stains and tools that James uses and will be hunting them down with the links he sent me later that evening.Sttugart visit I appreciated James making time to get together and enjoyed our visit. We had chatted over the internet on forums and via email previously but this was the first face to face meeting. I have one of James’ pipes – a nice bamboo billiard that I thoroughly enjoy. It is a great smoking pipe. I also have one of James’ restorations – a restemmed Yello-Bole that is also a favourite. I traded him for that a while back and originally was going to sell it. The stem was so nicely made that once I had it in hand I kept it. James makes one of the best stems from button to tenon that I have found. The shaping and button/slot work is excellent and make a very comfortable smoking pipe. His drilling is open and the draw is effortless.

When I contacted James and arranged to meet him in Stuttgart before my trip I went through some of my pipes and chose one that I would give him. The gift pipe, a horn-shaped pipe stamped Little Champion seemed to be the one that stood out. It had a nice blast and a unique shape. It was a little one but it is about the size James makes his pipes. The write up on the refurb on this one can be found here: https://rebornpipes.com/2014/12/24/the-little-champion-057-horn-reborn/ Champ1

Champ2 We enjoyed some coffee and conversation and James laughingly said that he was smoking his pipes instead of selling them. He had been smoking one of his speckled egg pipes while we visited and a small little billiard lay on the table. It had a lovely shallow blast and an aluminum end cap. The stem was a faux military mount that sat nicely inside the end cap. James had turned the aluminum end cap and polished it until it shone. The ivory coloured polyester stem looked like ivory. The soft colour and the smoothness of the polyester gave the pipe stem a warmth and depth that was beautiful. Then to my surprise at one point in the afternoon James gifted me the little billiard. I could not believe that James gave me this pipe. It is an amazing gift and a great smoking pipe. I have been smoking some aged Louisiana Red in it since I returned from Germany and the size, shape and weight and the craftsmanship have made it an instant favourite. Thanks so much James for the unexpected gift. I look forward to other JSEC pipes joining this one and the bamboo shank pipe in my rack in the days to come.JSEC4

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A Restored Orlik Dugout Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

Al Jones’ recent posts on his restorations of two Orlik pipes – one a Sterling and one a Dugout – for John Guss prompted me to take this old Orlik Dugout out of my pipe cabinet and take a few photos. I restored it many years ago now and have smoked it many times since that restoration. The pipe originally came to me via an eBay auction. When it arrived I cleaned up the bowl and the stem. I remember that the bowl was caked and in need of a reaming and cleaning. The shank was dirty and the stem was oxidized. I cleaned both up and waxed and polished the pipe. It came in a worn black leather covered case with a red velvet lining. The pipe fit the case perfectly. There was an indentation for a second stem or a cigarette holder that no longer was present. Some of these older cased pipes came with a vulcanite and an amber stem – this may have been the case here. The blast was originally deep but had been worn over the years.Orlik1 The stamping on the pipe is very clear. It reads ORLIK over DUGOUT with TRADE to the left of the stamping and MARK to the right. The finish appears to almost be a rustication with a sandblast afterwards. It has both a black understain and a brown overstain. The combination of the rustication and blast is what I think gives it the name dugout.Orlik2 The stem is similar to the one that Al cleaned up for John on his Dugout. It has the same shape and look to the button. It has an orific airway in the end of the rounded button on the stem.Orlik3

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Orlik5 While the walls are thin on the bowl the pipe smokes cool nonetheless. It is one of my favourite old collectible pipes.

Repaired a couple of Brighams for a friend

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Blog by Steve Laug

The pipe at the top of the photo is a Brigham Algonquin shape 265. It is a newer Brigham and has the nylon tenon and system. The second pipe is a Brigham 384 volcano. The stem of that one is shown in the photo below. A friend and reader of the blog, Joe Iacobellis sent me a note to see if I could help him out on these two. He had restored the bowls on both pipes but the stems were giving him fits. The Algonquin was completely restored and he put the stem on the finished pipe to have a look. When he took the stem off the tenon and system apparatus remained in the bowl. It was stuck and would not come out. The two brass dots or pins had come loose from the tenon and though the stem fit well the tenon would not come out of the shank or stay in the stem. The stem on the Volcano was a mess. There seemed to have been a coating of varnish or something on the stem and when he worked on it the surface came off pitted and scarred. He wanted me to help on these two issues so I had him send them to me.Brig1 When I came home from a recent trip for work the pipes were waiting for me. The issues that Joe had mentioned in his email were right on. The tenon on the Algonquin was torn where the pins had come free from the nylon. The tenon was stuck in the shank and would not move. I put the bowl in the freezer over night and let it sit. When I took it out in the morning I used a pair of needle nose pliers to carefully twist the tenon out of the shank. I cleaned out the shank with pipe cleaners and cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to make sure that shank was not the issue. I put the tenon back in place on the stem and it was fairly tight. I twisted it back into the shank and it fit well. When I removed the stem the tenon was once again stuck in the shank. I used the needle nose to twist it out again. I used an ice pick to push the pins further out of the inside of the stem so that the surface was smooth. I used some clear super glue and coated the end of the tenon and pressed it into place in the stem.

After the glue set I used the ice pick and a small furniture hammer to tap the pins back into the tenon. I tapped lightly so as not to damage the tenon or the stem. I pushed the stem into the shank and twisted it out several times to make sure that the fit was good and the tenon would remain in the stem instead of the shank. It worked! I then cleaned up the tenon and the stem with micromesh sanding pads to polish it. I buffed it on the buffer with Blue Diamond and then carnauba wax. I gave the rim of the bowl a light coat of cherry stain to bring it closer to a match on the bowl. I buffed the rim and gave it a coat of carnauba. The finished pipe is shown below.Brig2

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Brig8 The stem on the volcano took some work. The surface of the vulcanite was rough and somewhat ridged from the varnish or clear coat on it. I used some 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the surface of the stem and remove the oxidation around the shank/stem junction. I sanded it with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponges. I then wet sanded it with 1500-2400 grit micromesh sanding pads. I buffed it with Tripoli before dry sanding it with 3200-12,000 grit sanding pads to finish polishing the stem. Once completed I gave it a light buff with Blue Diamond and then gave it several coats of carnauba wax.Brig9

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Brig12 Joe, the pipes are finished. I will get them wrapped up and in the mail as soon as possible. I think they came out great and hope you will get a lot of use out of them. Enjoy! Thanks for sending them to me to work on, I enjoyed it.

For the Love of an Amadeus Half-Bent Brandy

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Guest Blog by Robert M. Boughton
Member, North American Society of Pipe Collectors
http://www.naspc.org
http://www.roadrunnerpipes.com
http://about.me/boughtonrobert
Photos © the Author

“According to Diotima, Love is not a god at all, but is rather a spirit that mediates between people and the objects of their desire. Love is neither wise nor beautiful, but is rather the desire for wisdom and beauty.”
― Plato (429?–347 BCE), Athenian philosopher, in “Symposium,” 360 BCE

INTRODUCTION
Amadeus may be known best as the 1984 feature film that won eight Academy Awards and was titled after the fourth given (or in this case, chosen) name of the latter 18th century Austrian composer, more often shortened to Mozart. Christened Johannes Chrystosomus Wolfgangus Theophilis Mozart, the often inebriated genius preferred the Latin translation of Theophilis – Greek for “lover of God” – which is Amadeus, derived from amare, to love, and Deus, God. The name also happens to be a Greek pipe brand founded in 1975 by eight artisans.

The half-bent brandy I obtained as part of a multi-pipe estate lot last year is a mid-level example of an Achaki-Amadeus S.A. briar. The company’s products range in price new from $50 on sale to $320 at the regular rate. They are all made of high quality Mediterranean briar, and the Greek company is among the primary suppliers of that variety of wood to other makers including Stanwell, Vauen, Tsuge and the late Bjarne Nielsen of Denmark.

This Amadeus arrived in much better than usual shape except for the chamber and rim and some minor wear of the stem.AM1

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AM7 THE RESTORATION
I was eager to start a OxiClean bath on the stem. Knowing the stem hole as well as the outer area would benefit from a good soak for about a half-hour, I suspected that some of the chatter I could see in line with the lower lip would require more than that and even some sanding before micro-meshing.Am8

Am9 In the meantime, I had no trouble removing the little bit of blackening of the rim with easy rubbing using super fine steel wool, and the mild buildup of carbon in the chamber with a 19mm reamer followed by 150-grit paper and finished to silky smoothness with 320-grit.

Although the top of the stem was good after the soak, rinse and a wet micromesh work-over – building a grade at a time from 1500-4000 – the bottom, after the same treatment, indeed needed more work.AM10

Am11 And so I removed a little more of the chatter with 200-grit paper and applied some Black Super Glue.Am12

Am13 My work so far was easy, but being the glass-half-empty sort I was prepared to discover serious accreted grime when I commended the stage of clearing the mortise and shank with a wire-handled cleaner dipped in Everclear. But my luck continued. After a few passes that met no resistance and resulted in minor darkness of the cleaner, I decided with a rare sense of admiration that the previous owner had enjoyed the Amadeus brandy for some time and taken appropriate care of it. Reattaching the stem, I retorted the pipe with a mere two Pyrex test tubes of boiled alcohol.

As has been the case in many of my restorations so far, I was curious with the shade of the stain that I considered to be over-dark. To my way of thinking, as long as a careful visual analysis reveals no hidden reason for the extra obscuring, the clearer the grain, the better. And so, again with the utmost gentleness, I used a small piece of steel wool to lighten the briar and worked my way up the micromesh scale.Am14

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AM19 For those of you with more discerning eyes, the pieces of crud visible with enlargement of the last photo, showing the shank opening, resulted from a final impulsive sanding of the chamber. Rest assured none of it remained after I noticed and gave it a good blow.

The two pieces of the pipe were ready for buffing. I used red and white Tripoli and White Diamond on the stem (big surprise) and white Tripoli, White Diamond and three coats of carnauba on the wood.Am20

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Am26 CONCLUSION
There were no big problems with this restoration; no special problems to report or whine about; no particular distinction of the Amadeus itself, except for its very fine craftsmanship and, to me, less common country of manufacture. Still, it is a real beauty, an opinion I expressed in an email to Achaki-Amadeus to date the crafting of the pipe. Excepting the general pleasure of the simple but effective restoration, in fact, the most exciting aspect of the process came after the fact, when I received a response from one of the brand’s owners:

This is a line we used to make some good ten years ago. If you are in the USA it was imported in the country four years ago.

I hope I helped.

Thank you for your kind words.

Best regards

Makis Minetos

Please visit my blog:

http://www.acutabovebriar4.blogspot.com

Mixing and using a batch of pipe mud

16 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

Over the years I have used a lot of pipe mud to build up the bottom of a bowl on an over reamed pipe or an airway that entered the bowl too high. I have also used it to protect a briar plug on repaired bowl and on the sides of a bowl where there was damage. It hardens and provides a protective coat until a cake is built up. In the case of a recent bowl that I restored I noticed that the side of the bowl had a deep gouge in it. I picked and probed it with a dental pick to determine if it was a burn out in the making and decided that the briar was stable and not charred in the damaged area. It looked to have been gouged with a knife of with an overzealous reaming that hit a flaw in the briar and expanded it. I reamed out the bowl to take the cake back to bare wood and then cleaned the surface of the briar with a pipe cleaner and isopropyl alcohol. Once it was clean and the surface of the damaged area was free of debris I set the pipe aside to dry. I took a cigar out of my humidor and retired to the porch to smoke it and collect the ash for the repair that I had in mind.Willard13 I collect the cigar ash in a shot glass that I picked up somewhere along the way. I find that it is perfect for mixing a batch of pipe mud. I crush the ash with the flat end of a pipe nail to make sure that there are no chunks of unburned tobacco in it and that I have a fine grey dust.Willard14 I fill a second shot glass half full of water to mix with the ash. I have used an ear syringe and even a teaspoon to put the water in the second glass. The tools for the project are very minimal and are shown in the next photo. I use a pipe nail both the flat end and the spoon end for mixing the mud and also for packing or tamping it in place in the bowl. I use a folded pipe cleaner to paint the surface of the bowl with the mud.Willard15 In this case I dribbled the water slowly into the shot glass with the ash and mixed it with the pipe nail. I added extra water with the pipe cleaner.Willard16 When I had the ash and water mixed to the consistency of a thick paste I paint it on the wall of the bowl and work it into the gouge in the side of the bowl. It takes multiple applications to build it up. I paint it on with the pipe cleaner and then tamp it in place with the spoon end of the pipe nail. I repeat the process until the side of the bowl is smooth and the gouge is even with the bowl sides.Willard17

Willard18 I let the initial application of pipe mud dry for thirty minutes and periodically checked the bowl to see if the mud is showing signs of shrinkage. If it had shrunken at all (which in this case it had) I refilled the area with more pipe mud using the pipe cleaner and then tamped it into place again. I repeated this process as often as necessary until the surface dried smooth. When it dries the repair is grey in colour and quite hard.Willard19 The repair works very well. It provides a base for the cake to build on. I am careful when wiping out the bowl and don’t ream until there is a solid cake formed over the repair. I have smoked pipes repaired like this for several years and never had the mud fall out of the repaired area before the cake builds over it. With initial care this bowl will smoke well for many years to come. Anyone else experimented with pipe mud for this type of repair? Let us know.

Building a Better Button on a 1930’s Yello Bole Oom Paul

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Blog by Andrew Selking

Have you ever found that Holy Grail pipe only to realize that it has a major flaw? For me, this pipe ticked all the boxes, a KB&B pipe made between 1933 and 1936, it was a less common shape and looked to be in decent condition. The only problem I could see was that a previous owner had filed off the button.Andrew1

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Andrew4 I’ve been experimenting with super glue and ground charcoal for stem repair and I had an idea how I might use that to re-create the button. Now just a quick disclaimer. I am not a medical professional and I do not pretend to know any potential health hazards to the use of super glue on something you put in your mouth. On the other hand, I am aware that the state of California has found that pipe smoking is not healthy for pregnant women or their unborn children. As an adult, I accept these risks as the relaxation benefit outweighs the health risks.

Before tackling the button I needed to clean up the pipe. I started the process by giving the bowl an alcohol bath.Andrew5 While the bowl marinated, I dropped the stem into a solution of Oxyclean. After a good long soak, I reamed the bowl.Andrew6 After reaming the bowl, I retorted the stem and bowl. I forgot to take pictures of the bowl during this process.Andrew7 The stem was pretty clean, which I expected based on the minimal amount of chatter and the lack of cake build up in the bowl. A couple of fuzzy sticks dipped in alcohol did the trick.Andrew8 The alcohol bath serves two purposes, it loosens up the internal gunk and it helps remove the old finish. On this particular pipe, I noticed that the bowl was stained a purplish read and had a heavy varnish on it. That’s usually a sign of inferior briar and lots of fills. With great trepidation, I used acetone and 0000 steel wool to see what was under the old finish.Andrew9 I was pleasantly surprised to find beautiful grain and not a single fill.Andrew10

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Andrew13 I was not happy with the purple tint of the wood though, I mean who does that? My guess is, this pipe could have made the cut as a Kaywoodie, maybe they were short on the Yello Bole line so they put a Yello Bole stem on it and that hideous varnish. Interestingly enough, this pipe has the identical shape number as the Kaywoodie medium billiard Oom Paul. Just to give you an idea how many pipes Kaywoodie used to make, they had three models of the Oom Paul shape.Andrew14 I decided the best way to take care of the purple stain was with some judicious sanding. Since the bowl didn’t have any scratches or dents, I didn’t have to go too heavy. I started out with 1500 grit micro mesh and worked my way up to 12,000 grit. You will notice the washer between the stem and shank. I’ve learned that the best way to get a sharp shoulder on the shank and the stem is by using the washer to prevent the sanding medium from rounding it off.Andrew15 This is what the bowl looked like after the micro mesh pads.Andrew16

Andrew17 I decided to keep the stain light, so I diluted some Pimo Pipe Supply mahogany and used a single coat. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of that process, I was kind of excited about fixing the stem.

I removed the oxidation on the stem with a progression of 1500-2400 grit micro mesh pads with water. I didn’t have the bowl attached, so I just held the washer over the tenon to prevent rounding.Andrew18 With the oxidation addressed, it was time to start building the new button. I’m not the best when it comes to carving the bottom side of the button so I decided to use clear tape to create definition.Andrew19

Andrew20 I built up layers of tape until it was the thickness that I wanted for the underside of the button. Next, I mixed some ground charcoal and super glue and started applying it. After each application I put a drop of accelerator on the end and applied another layer. It was not looking the way I wanted it to look.Andrew21 I remember Steve said that when he used activated charcoal it was very fine. So I sanded off the mess and started over. To get a finer charcoal I used our coffee grinder, which did a pretty good job, but still left some larger chunks.Andrew22 To solve that problem, I used a tea strainer. The result was very finely ground charcoal.Andrew23 I mixed the super glue and charcoal and applied it as before.Andrew24 I sanded between applications and filled in any remaining divots.Andrew25 Once I had the button shaped to my liking, I used a progression of micro mesh pads from 3200-12,000. Then I used my rotary tool with white diamond and carnauba wax to bring out the shine.Andrew26 I gave the bowl a quick spin on the buffing wheel with white diamond and carnauba wax. Here is the result.Andrew27

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Andrew37 I am happy to say that this pipe smokes as well as it looks. It is a system pipe. I couldn’t be happier with the button. The thing I like about using the charcoal and super glue is, it polishes and shines just like the vulcanite. This pipe is a keeper. Thanks for looking.

The French Girl with the Fuzzy Identity

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Guest Blog by Robert M. Boughton
Member, North American Society of Pipe Collectors
http://www.naspc.org
http://www.roadrunnerpipes.com
http://about.me/boughtonrobert
Photos © the Author

“The problem with putting two and two together is that sometimes you get four, and sometimes you get twenty-two.”
― Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), U.S. author who re-invented and popularized the hard-boiled private investigator genre, in “The Thin Man” (1934)

INTRODUCTION
I take great solace from life’s frequent misadventures through activities that nevertheless focus on the same causes of grief: reading a good book, realistic or fantastic; writing news articles, blogs, letters to the editor and my own versions of literature; photographing street life, landscapes, nature and the occasional spot news event; drafting, filing and arguing civil actions in courts of law when I too frequently encounter those who would do me harm through ignorance or the misperception that I lack understanding of that study of knowledge, and researching and at times investigating anything and everything. But when I need to retreat all the way into the pleasure centers of my brain, I have only my local tobacconist and pipe acquisition disorder on which to fall back, and on the great majority of my P.A.D. attacks for almost a year now I can at least blame my small but expanding online business of refurbishing or restoring estate pipes for sale. Yet even that endeavor involves research and background checks.

Other than the classic but elegant shape and crafting of the Butz-Choquin bent billiard I scored a few months ago in an estate lot with several lesser gems – including a unique red Kaywoodie lumberman that was, for the most part, sandblasted, but with two natural rings around the billiard bowl and matching sitter bottom and ferrule – the obvious challenge of restoring the shapely French pipe to her original fine condition was a definite attraction. Except for the BC logo clear on the left side of the stem and the overall haggard appearance, I had no idea what I was getting. When the lot arrived, I searched for the BC, but when I found her the nomenclature was so fuzzy I could make out little more of the brand stamp on the left shank than the distinctive cursive B. Of the name itself, I saw two lines, the top beginning with a definite F and the bottom a clear word: MAJOR.

This may sound like plenty to go by, but my browser search suggested multiple possibilities for Butz-Choquin matches starting with F. There was the Formula, Formula Noir, Fait Main and filter, all of which I ruled out. And so I added an L and found Flamme, Flamme Extra, Flamme Standard, Flash and Fleuron. Then I tried Flamme Major and, seeing no suggestions, just Major. That excavated a site with images for BC Major Pipes, among which I saw a similar although straight stem specimen.Butz1 Therefore I returned to the full Butz-Choquin Flamme Major search and completed it, confirming that indeed was what I had.

THE RESTORATION
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Butz8 I recently started making several basic changes in my pattern of restoration S.O.P. First, I now begin with an OxiClean stem wash as it can go on in the background, so to speak, while I do other tasks. I’ve also found it really works, although not with the comprehensive results sworn to in the site I found for its basic instructions, including the consistent lack of need for additional work such as sanding and on occasion using Black Super Glue for deep fills. Sometimes after washing with OxiClean and warm water, rubbing out the excess discoloration with a cloth and micro-meshing, the result is a perfect stem ready for the wheel. More often than not, however, I need to sand out scratches that are exposed. Such was the case with this stem. But the practice serves its purpose, to clean the stem inside and out and make the job of producing a shinier end product far easier.

Before
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Butz12 The second new habit is working on the rim and chamber and scraping out the major buildup of old tobacco and its related substances from the shank with a wire cleaner rinsed over and over in Everclear. All of these can be completed during the OxiClean wash. Third, I now retort every pipe at this stage.

All of these stages of the process completed, I turned to the bowl and shank, which showed the wear and tear of age. Tell me about it! After washing the briar with purified water, I used a piece of super fine steel wool to lighten the all-too-often over-dark original finish, shine the wood and make the grain show with more clarity. The wood was in very good condition with no pits, dings or scratches worth mentioning, and the slight appearance of discoloring in areas disappeared. I did a full micromesh workup with 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600 and 4000.

By the end of the restoration, the nomenclature somehow was much clearer.Butz13

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Butz17The time was right for the final buffing, and so I repaired from the comfort of the living room for the prep work to the workroom for finishing. The stem, as usual, I gave a nice shine with red Tripoli and White Diamond. The briar I buffed with white Tripoli, White Diamond, and a few coats of carnauba.Butz18

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Butz25CONCLUSION
I think the most notable achievement of this restoration is that for the first time I was able to sand the chamber until it was baby smooth and like-new. I accomplished this by reaming and then sanding with 150-grit paper as usual but followed those steps with a second sanding using 320-grit paper.

All in all, I am happy with the outcome and will, of course, be sorry to let this one get away from me.