By Al Jones

The Comoy’s “Author” shape 256 is one of my favorite shapes, similar to the Sasieni Ashford. This one is a Comoy’s seconds line, “Lions Head” version. I’ve had numerous Comoy’s seconds line pipes over the years, including multiple versions of the shape 256. However this is the first Lions Head to land on my workbench.

I don’t find anything in Comoy’s literature for the shape 256. If anyone has a catalog depicting this shape, please send me a copy. This pipe caught my attention because of the “Made In England” round country of manufacture stamp. This stamp dates to the 1930’s and was used until the start of World War II. We read this about the stamp from Pipedia:

Made in England

This is stamped in a circle with “MADE” at the top, “IN” in the middle, and “ENGLAND” forming the bottom of the circle. This can be seen on a Cecil as early as 1910 and on an Old Bruyere of 1921 and more frequent from the 1930s. It can also appear as “MADE” arched, “IN” below, and “ENGLAND” arched the other way. These stamps are in an oval rugby-ball shape rather than a circle round shape.

The pipe as delivered was in very restorable condition. The finish was faded from the sun, the stem heavily oxidized and some black build-up on the bowl top. The stem fitment was very good and the button was also not damaged. The stamped L stem logo was still visible. I wasn’t sure that could be salvaged. Below is the pipe as it was received:

I used a piece of worn scotch brite to remove the build-up on the bowl top. I revived the finish with a heavily diluted Feiblings Medium Brown stain (diluted with 91% isopropyl alcohol). The bowl was then lightly buffed with White Diamond rouge and several coats of carnuba wax, taking care around the stamping. The bowl was then soaked with alcohol and sea salt. Following the soak, I scrubbed the shank with a bristle brush dipped in alcohol, until it came out clean.

The stem was mounted, and oxidation removed with 600, 800, 1,500 and 2,000 grade wet paper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars plastic polish. Surprisingly, the stamped L logo is still visible.

Below is the finished pipe:

By Al Jones

This is the second vintage Kaywoodie that had been on my bench in less than one month. This one is stamped as a Supergrain Handmade. It went largely unnoticed on Ebay . The seller didn’t show pictures of the stinger, and on delivery, I was delighted to see an intact 4-hole “Drinkless” stinger. With no shape number, this one is a little harder to date, but my original estimate was from 1936 to the early 1950’s. Key factors include:

• “Imported Briar” stamp – use started in 1936 (I’m not clear when it was changed)
• Just prior to WWII, the four-hole stinger ball was downsized and the shaft only said “Drinkless” (no “Reg” number). The four-hole stinger was replaced by a three hole stinger in the early 1950’s

Update: Nathan Davis, the new owner of Kaywoodie pipes commented on the Kaywoodie Pipe Smokers Facebook page that the pipe was made from the early 1940’s to 1955

The stinger was unusual as I’ve never seen a four-hole with the holes on the top and bottom. All the other four-hole stingers I’ve encountered had the holes on the left and right.

The pipe had a thick cake and the stem was heavily oxidized. There was some buildup on the bowl top. Below is the pipe as it was received.

Using a screw extractor, I removed the female stinger insert and scrubbed the shank with a bristle brush dipped in alcohol. I plugged the shank and soaked the bowl with Sea Salt and alcohol. Following the soak, I used a piece of scotch brite to remove the buildup on the bowl top. That lightened the stain, so I used a very diluted solution of Feiblings Medium Brown stain to bring back the color. I wiped the bowl with a paper towel dipped in the stain then rubbed it off. The bowl was buffed with White Diamond and several coats of carnuba wax.

I mounted the stem, and used heat to lift the minor teeth indentions. I used 600, 800 grades of wet sandpaper to remove most of the oxidation. Then, it was finished with 1,500 and 2,000 grade paper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars plastic polish. I used some steel wool to remove the buildup and oxidation on the stinger, then some Mothers Mag and aluminum polish to brighten it up.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

This BBB was posted to a thread in the British section of the PipesMagazine.com forum. The owner was curious as to how old it was and started a thread on the pipe. We are fortunate on the forum to have the participation of tobacciana historian, Jon Guss. Jon has a wealth of knowledge and resources and is always willing to track down the history of a pipe brand,etc. Jon was able to clean this information about the pipe:

The first mention I found of the BBB Ne Plus Ultra was in a 1950 directory of Fancy Goods Brands; the last was in 1961. It might well have started a little earlier and ended a little later but if you assume it’s probably a 1950s pipe you’re on pretty safe ground.

The pipe came with a windcap, which was removed. I puzzled over the marks on the bowl top, until I remembered it was smoked (quite heavily it seems) with a windcap.

Below is the pipe as it was shown on Ebay, than after some work done by the owner, how I received it:

The pipe had a heavily oxidized stem, but only two small tooth indentions. The stem was very tight in the mortise and it fully inserted, there was a noticeable gap. The stem had a “HAND CUT” stamp (that would prove difficult to retain). The metal BBB stem logo was also oxidized.

I advised the owner that I didn’t recommend topping the bowl and he agreed. I said it would be difficult to remove the oxidation and keep the “Hand Cut” stem stamp. Before sending it to me, the owner had removed the cake and cleaned the bowl top.

The first challenge was to get the stem to seat fully. George Dibos confirmed the two options I had considered –

1. Deep the mortise – if the gap was even around the stem or chamfer around the end of the shank
2. Square up the shank if the gap was not even

The gap was even, and I felt and measured a ridge inside the shanks, beyond the reach of the stem tenon. I used a Tap bit that fit inside the shank, without contacting the walls and I was able to remove that ridge. The stem still was not completely flush, so I attempted to chamfer the edge of shank. This is where disaster struck – a piece of the briar broke off. I was horrified and had never broken someone else pipe before. The chip that came off was on the end of the shank. I was able to glue the piece back on, but was devastated.

I decided to continue to restore the stem. With the stem mounted, removing the oxidation via sanding and buffing, you can’t exactly baby the pipe. The repair held thru the remaining steps, so I’m hopeful that it is only cosmetic. If it were to come off, a band would be needed.

I used 600, 800, 1500 and 2000 grade wet sandpaper to remove the oxidation, the stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. Care was needed around the small BBB emblem. Saving the “Hand Cut” stem stamp, and removing all of the oxidation was not possible,so the owner opted to have a uniform black shine.

The briar was buffed lightly with White Diamond and several coats of Carnuba wax. We’ll see how the repair holds in use. And, I’m reminded that 70 year old briar is not very forgiving! Below is the finished pipe

By Al Jones

This is 2nd Comoy’s on my workbench this week and the first 202 shape I’ve encountered. I would have called this one a Billiard shape, but the Comoy’s shape chart identifies it as a “Cutty”. There is a very slight cant to the bowl. Below is a photo from a 1975 catalog showing the shape. This one weights only 26 grams!

The pipe has some build-up on the bowl top, the sandblast was very dirty and the stem heavily oxidized. There was a very thin cake, as if it had been maintained at that level.

Below is the pipe as it was received.

I used a piece of scotch brite to remove the build-up on the bowl top. The stain was lightened some, so I used Fieblings Medium Brown dye to match the rest of the bowl.

I reamed the cake and soaked the bowl with sea salt and alcohol. The shank was thoroughly scrubbed with a brush dipped in alcohol, until the brush came clean on a paper towel.

There was a slight tooth indention on the bottom of the stem at the button. I used my heat gun to lift the indention,and set it with cold water. The stem was mounted and I removed the oxidation with 600,800, 1500 and 2000 grade wet sandpaper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic polish. The bowl was hand buffed with Halycon wax.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

This pre-Cadogan (made prior to the 1981 merger) came to me via eBay. It is only the third “Patina” finish Comoys that I’ve had on my workbench. The Comoy’s shape chart calls the shape 87 the “Woodstock” It is shown on the shape chart, but I’ve never seen it in a catalog. From the index in Neil Archer Roan’s magnificent “Comoy’s Blue Riband” book, the shape was originally called the “Boston” and originated in the early 1900’s.

From a blog entry of a previous Patina pipe, historian Jon Guss shared some information about the Patina grade,and a catalog price list.

Hi Al, I can tell you a little about the Patina but only a very little. It was in the middle to lower tier of Comoy’s branded models, introduced in 1973 and withdrawn in the early Eighties. There are a number of 1970s Comoy catalogs floating around and anyone who has one (I don’t) can transcribe the entire copy for you. I’m pretty sure advertisements and/or catalogs referred to the briar as “specially selected” and “aged”, and to the “reddish walnut color” stain as a special selling feature (hence Patina). At least one ad labeled the pipe as “moderate in price, exceptional in looks”. In 1975 the Patina was retailing at $12.50. Cheers, Jon

The pipe was in very good condition, and was an easy restoration. The finish was faded, with some very slight build up on the bowl top and a slightly oxidized stem. Below, is the pipe as it was received.

I used a worn piece of scotch-brite to remove the build-up on the bowl top. The bowl itself held nearly no cake, so I used a piece of sandpaper to remove what was there. The bowl was in excellent shape. The bowl was then soaked with alcohol and sea salt.

Following the bowl soak, the stem was mounted and oxidation removed with 800, 1,500 and 2,000 grade wet sandpaper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond rouge and Meguairs Plastic polish. The bowl was buffed lightly with White Diamond and then several coats of carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

This Dunhill Shell billiard belongs to a member of the PipesMagazine.com forum, and was found at small antique store in Tennessee. He collects antique tools and pipes and spied this sitting on a shelf while searching for tools.

The small, two digit date stamp is a bit worn, but I identified it as a 25. The pipe is a Shape 6103 Shell, and that two digit stamp tells me it was made in 1985. The handy Pipepedia Dunhill dating guide confirmed the date. The nomeclature told me to add 25 to the 1960 start date.

The four digit 6103 shape number breaks down to:

Group 6 size

Tapered stem

03 Billiard shape

The pipe had some heavy build-up on the bowl top and a very heavy cake. The stem was oxidized and it had some teeth indentions on both sides of the button. The pipe is just under two ounces, and clenched, teeth indentions would have been inevitable. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I used a piece of Scotch-Brite with water to remove the build-up on the bowl top. That lightened the stain, so I used some Fieblings Medium brown to match the rest of the bowl. The cake was removed with the largest bit in my Pipenet reamer set, and the bowl was in excellent condition. I soaked the bowl with alcohol and sea salt. Following the soak, the shank was scrubbed with a bristle brush dipped in alcohol.

I used a heat gun to lift some of the teeth indentions. The remaining indentions, on the bottom, were shallow enough to let well enough alone. The stem was mounted and the oxidation was removed with 600, 800, 1500 and 2000 grade wet paper. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. I used Halcon wax on the sandblast finish for the final buff.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

I’m not adding many pipes to my personal collection these days, but British made, small bent billiards always catch my attention. I love Taylor era Ashtons, particularly in the XX size (43 grams!) The Sovereign grade/finish is also a favorite. This one also had a somewhat rare tapered stem that I prefer. The has the date code stamp of 12 shows the pipe was made in 1992 (1980 + 12). Also as a bonus, the pipe is drilled perfectly and easily passes a cleaner (not always a given for Taylor era Ashtons).

The finish was faded, but nomenclature sharp. The top had some very heavy build-up, that I hoped was not scorching. The stem was lightly oxidized, with no teeth indentions. Unpacking the pipe, the restoration appeared promising. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I removed the build-up on the bowl top with a piece of Scotch-Brite and water. Gratefully, once removed,there was no damage other than a faded stain. I used White Diamond to freshen the finish followed by several coats of Carnuba wax.

I removed the very slight cake with my PIpenet reamer set,and soaked the bowl with sea salt and alcohol. Following the soak, the stem was mounted and oxidation removed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish.

Below is the finished pipe that I am very pleased to add to my collection. I also include a picture of my small Bent Billiards that are in my collection.

My small Bent Billiard collection, clockwise from 12 o’clock:

Sasieni Regent Ruff Root

Sasieni Regent Walnut

Comoy’s Deluxe Shape 70

Castello Sea Rock KK

Barlings Sandblast (1965)

James Upshall B Grade Silver Spigot

Ashton Sovereign XX