Category Archives: Pipe Refurbishing Essays

Essays and pictorial essays on the art of refurbishing

Comoys Royal Comoy Bent Billiard Restored

By Al Jones

This ebay purchase is only the second “Royal Comoy” to land on my workbench. This one is the shape 17, called the Kruger in the Comoy’s catalog. I don’t find much on the Royal Comoy line and I can’t find any examples in catalogs of that shape. Before WWII, the Royal Comoys was a high grade, later replaced by the Blue Riband. After the war, it seems from price lists, they dropped to a mid-grade line. The Country of Manufacture stamp on this one indicates it was made in the 1950’s to the merger in 1981.

The stem was oxidized, but otherwise in excellent condition with a perfect drilled C stem logo. The bowl was equally in good shape, and the beveled bowl edge was intact. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I used a piece of worn scotch brite to remove the mild build-up on the bowl top. I removed the oxidation on the stem with wet sandpaper, 600, 800, 1,500 and 2,000 grades. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars plastic polish. The bowl was buffed with White Diamond and several coats of carnuba wax. I soaked the bowl with sea salt and alcohol.

Below is the finished pipe. I was surprised to discover that it passes a thin pipe cleaner, unusual for a pipe with such a deep bend.

Restoring a Peterson’s Premier Selection Made in Ireland Canadian

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that we picked up in the lot from a fellow in Odgen, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. The Peterson’s stamping caught our eye. It is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Peterson’s [over] Premier Selection. On the underside it is stamped Made in [over] Ireland. On the right side of the shank it is stamped with the shape number 263 near the bowl/shank junction. The shape is a Canadian with a short taper P-lip stem with a bone chimney in the tenon end. The stem also bears a gold coloured brass P logo on the topside. The bowl and shank have a smooth finish that is stained brown that highlights the beautiful grain around the sides. Both go well with the short P-lip taper stem. The bowl is moderately caked and the inner edge and the top show some lava overflow and darkening. The vulcanite stem is dirty, oxidized and there are light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and there was a lava overflow on the rim top and the inner bevelled edge. The stem is oxidized, calcified and grimy with light tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took a photo of the bone chimney in the end of the tenon. It slightly darkened but is undamaged and should clean up well.Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain that was around this bowl. The grain is quite beautiful around the sides of the bowl and shank. It is a nice looking pipe. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is readable in the photos below and is as noted above. He did not photo the shank side showing the shape number but it is very clear. The brass/gold P logo on the top of the stem is tarnished but in good condition. I am including the link to the Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). There was a short note toward the bottom of the page about the series. I quote:

Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson) helped me pin down a date that the pipe was made. I knew that the Made in Ireland stamp would give me that. I quote:

As usual when trying to get accurate facts in regard to Peterson history, something will jump up and get in the way. They are missing many of their records. The following is the best that we can do for a guide to the myriad markings during the period 1922 –1949. Prior to 1920 it was rare for a country of origin to be stamped on the pipe, just Peterson’s Dublin on the band. After 1921/22, if it is stamped “MADE IN IRELAND” and the “Made in” is stacked over “Ireland” or “MADE IN EIRE” or several other forms, it was made between 1922 and 1938. A considerable number of Peterson pipes were stamped “Irish Free State”. From about 1930 to 1949, most of the pipes (those which were stamped) were stamped “Made in Ireland”.” If the stamp reads “MADE IN IRELAND” in a circle, the pipe was made between 1939 and 1948. These are all “pre-Republic” pipes. I can tell you that the mark “Irish Free State” was adopted in 1922; and replaced by “Eire” in 1937 and then by “Republic of Ireland” in 1949.

That gave me a potential date for the pipe – it was made between 1922 and 1938 as can be proved by the Made in Ireland stamp on the underside of the shank.

To tune it in even further I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Premier Selection Pipe. On page 310 it had the following information.

Premier on the shank (c. 1953- c. 1981) A high grade line of Classic Range shapes for the US market introduced by Rogers Imports in their 1953 catalog. Offered in smooth or sandblast finish, a P-lip mouthpiece with an aluminum P. The first occurrence of this logo in the ephemera. The Tan Bark Premier appeared in the ’69 Iwan Ries catalog. COM of Made in over Ireland, a PREMIER stamp also appears over SELECTION and will be distinguished by an inset brass P on the mouthpiece. See system for SYSTEM over PREMIER stamp.

** Judging from the Made in Ireland stamp, the pipe I am working on is probably made between 1922-38. The contrary piece of the puzzle is that the second red highlight above dates it to between 1953 and 1981. It has the original stem and is distinguished by the inset brass P on the topside. So once more we enter the realm of Peterson’s mysteries. Anyone have any ideas on this one.

I was utterly surprised when I took this pipe out of the box and compared it to the before photos. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. Surprisingly the walls looked unscathed from the cake. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, shank brushes, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He cleaned the inside and outside of the stem and soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He rinsed of the residue and buffed it up with a towel. I took photos of the pipe when it arrived. I took a close-up photo of the rim top to show the condition of the bowl and inner edge of the bowl and the stem. The bowl is clean and the lava on the rim top and edges cleaned up very well. The stem photos show that it also cleaned up very well. The light tooth marks and chatter are very minor.I took a photo of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. It is a pretty little pipe.I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down between pads with a damp cloth. It really began to take on a deep shine. The exterior of the bowl looks better after polishing. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. 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 to further protect the vulcanite surface. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil and a cloth. It really looks very good. I am excited to finish this beautifully grained, Peterson’s Premier Selection Made in Ireland 263 Canadian. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful mixed grain all around it. The Canadian looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This smooth Classic Peterson’s Premier Selection Canadian is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 38 grams/1.34 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly in the Irish Pipe Makers Section if you are interested in it. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

Restoring a Zettervig Kolding Bamboo Shank Scoop

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that we picked up in the lot from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark on 02/16/2023. The shape/size, grain, finish and the bamboo caught our eye. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Zettervig [over] Kolding. The shape is a scoop with a two knuckle bamboo shank extension. It is capped on both ends with a black acrylic spacer. The bowl has a smooth finish that is stained reddish/brown that highlights the beautiful grain around the bowl and short shank. Both go well with the acrylic saddle stem. The bowl is conical and the airway enters at the bottom. It appears to be moderately caked and the inner edge and the top show some lava overflow and damage. The acrylic stem is dirty and there are light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. There is no stamping or logos on the stem. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up. He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the lava and damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The cake is visible as well but is thicker on the top half of the bowl. He included photos that show the top and underside of the stem. It is as described above. Jeff took some photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed some great grain around the bowl and shank under the dirt and grime of use. It is a great looking piece of briar. He took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above.I turned to Pipedia to see what I could find out about this stamping. It is a very short article and I have included the link and the article in its totality (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Zettervig).

In the 1960s and into the early 1970s Ole Zettervig had a shop in Copenhagen, Denmark where he was carving high quality pipes equal to Stanwell, Jørgen Larsen, Anne Julie, Bjørn Thurmann, Bang and others. These early pipes were marked “Copenhagen” and are very collectible. He sold his shop at some point in the 1970s and moved to Kolding and continued to produce pipes as a hobby, but the quality of briar and workmanship is said to not equal the early production. The later pipes he now marked as Kobenhaven rather than Copenhagen, and these were sold by Ole at flea markets throughout Europe.

The stamping on the pipe told me it came from the shop that Ole started in Kolding and was one that he had produced as a hobby. However, that being said it is a beautiful pipe nonetheless.

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl look much better. The damage on the inner edge and top are visible. The bowl walls looked very good. The conical bowl is clean. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, shank brushes, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The stem looked good with only light chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge show some damage. The inner edge is rough and the top has some marking that need to be cleaned up. The stem was clean and the light tooth marks and chatter can be seen in the photos.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is very clear and readable for the most part. The last letters of the Zettervig are faint as are those of Kolding. However, it clearly read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts.I started my work on the pipe sanding the bowl and rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The pipe cleaned up very well with the sanding and the grain began to stand out. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down between pads and was happy with the rich shine. The exterior of the bowl look better after the polishing with micromesh. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and the bamboo with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. It set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I really like Zettervig’s stems as they are comfortable and thin to my liking – not chunky as can often be the case with acrylic stems. I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil to finish this step. I put the Zettervig Kolding Bamboo Shank Scoop back together and worked the pipe over on the buffing wheel using Blue Diamond to lightly polish the stem. I buffed the bowl with a light touch so as not to get any of the buffing compounds in the grooves of the bamboo. I buffed the stem to raise the gloss on the acrylic. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Zettervig Bamboo Scoop looked beautiful with the briar, the bamboo and the black of the acrylic stem. The dimensions of the pipe are: Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside Diameter: 1 ¼ inches, Diameter of the chamber: ¾ inches. The weight of the pipe is 1.20 ounces/34 grams. This on will be joining the other Danish Made pipes in the Danish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you want to add it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.

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.

Bringing New Life to a Merchant Service Special Long Pencil Shank Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that we picked up in the lot from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. The shape/size, grain, finish and the Merchant Service stamping is what caught our eye. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Merchant Service. On the right side it is stamped Special in script. It has a smooth finish that is stained dark that highlights the beautiful grain around the bowl and shank. The shank includes a nickel band as standard equipment for decoration. Both go well with the long, thin vulcanite taper stem. The bowl appears to be moderately caked and the inner edge and the top show some lava overflow and darkening. The stem is oxidized and has some tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. There is no stamping or logos on the nickel band or the stem. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up. He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the lava and darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The cake in the bowl is visible as well but is thicker than the photos show. He included photos that show the top and underside of the stem. It is as described above. Jeff took some photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed some great grain around the bowl and shank under the dirt and grime of use. It is a great looking piece of briar. He took some photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. I turned to both Pipephil’s site and Pipedia to gather some historical information on the brand. There was nothing on Pipephil’s site and Pipedia had a brief quote from Manuel Lopes that I have included below (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Merchant_Inc.).

Herbert Merchant Inc owned by Herbert Merchant, who died in 1944. They made the Marchent Service pipe, which later belonged to Holland Penny Limited. It was a favorite of the Norh American entertainer Bing Crosby.

I knew I was not dealing with the older brand of Merchant Service Pipes as I had heard and read that the brand had been resurrected and was operating in England. I googled the website and found a link that I have included (https://merchantservicepipes.com/?v=5435c69ed3bc). I quote sections of the site below and have included a photo from the site as well.

British pipe design has withstood the test of time because it represents the confluence of function with elegance. We have produced our products to share this vision of classic design. A lengthy search for the best materials has now enabled us to reproduce an icon of smoking pipe history.

A bit of history…

Among the joys of pipe smoking and collecting is understanding and appreciating the traditions of the craft.

Perhaps the greatest traditions are associated with the British. For decades they produced some of the most sought after brands by creating the most beautifully refined classic shapes. Interestingly, a brand surfaced in the late 1930s that was not very well known. A small English company produced a unique variation on the billiard shape that caught the eye of a noted American crooner and famous pipe smoker.

That shape ultimately took on iconic proportions.

. When one looks at this shape, the smoker is taken back to a time when pipe smoking was commonplace. It reflects a certain quiet elegance that the British were noted for in men’s fashion – a style that is just as important today as it was when Frederick Sholte first designed the “drape” suit for the then Duke of Windsor.

And so we welcome the release of the new Merchant Service billiard pipe. It is offered in smooth, sandblasted and rusticated models at prices that will appeal to a broad spectrum of today’s smokers. We offer two versions of the billiard. The “Special” is made with a larger bowl than the original British version. The “Standard” is very close to the smaller original bowl specifications. Otherwise both versions have essentially the same proportions and length. Therefore, the smoker has the option of a longer or shorter smoke as the mood strikes.

Our briar has been carefully sourced to produce bowls that are well aged and dry. Special attention has been paid to produce an open draw and to minimize turbulence. These details will produce satisfactory performance and at a reasonable price.

Please examine our pipes. We at Merchant Service sincerely believe you will enjoy our pipes as much as previous generations enjoyed the originals.

I now knew that I was working on the larger bowled “Special” and not the standard. It is truly a large pipe but incredibly light weight. The grain and flow are spectacular.

On the site I turned to the store and found the pipe I was working on. It is called a Special Dark Smooth (https://merchantservicepipes.com/shop/dark-smooth/?v=5435c69ed3bc). I have included a photo and description below

Special Dark Smooth A richly burnished finish in the British tradition.

Approximate Measurements Bowl Height: ~2″
Chamber Depth: ~1-3/4″
Chamber Width: ~13/16″
Overall Length: ~7 -1/2″+
Weight: ~1-1/2 oz
Stem Material: Vulcanite

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl look very good. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, shank brushes, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The stem looked good with only light chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge look very good. The stem was clean and the light tooth marks and chatter can be seen in the photos.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is very clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts.I started my work on the pipe sanding the bowl and rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The grain is really beginning to stand out.I started my work on the pipe sanding the bowl and rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The grain is really beginning to stand out. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down between pads and was happy with the rich shine. The exterior of the bowl look better after sanding. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I smoothed out the tooth chatter and marks on the surface of the stem with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove residual oxidation on the stem surface and further blend the repairs into the surrounding vulcanite.It was ready for the next step. I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil to finish this step. I am excited to be on the homestretch and look forward to seeing the Merchant Service Select Pipe put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the grain really pop with the wax and polish. The repaired and polished vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the combination of Black and Brown stains on the bowl and shank. This Merchant Service Large Select Billiard was fun to bring back to life. The pipe is light weight, comfortable in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 8 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.62 ounces/46 grams. I will be putting this one on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section soon. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

Restoring a Dunhill Black Briar 32 F/T Circle 4 Opera Pipe

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that we picked up in the lot from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark on 08/09/2024. The shape, grain, finish and the Dunhill stamping is what caught our eye. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads 32 F/T next to the bowl/shank union followed by Dunhill [over] Black Briar. On the right side it is stamped Made in [over] England15 followed by a Circle 4. It has a classic dark Black Briar smooth finish that is a stark contrast to vulcanite taper stem. The bowl appears to be heavily caked and the inner edge and the top show some lava overflow. The inner edge is quite rough with nicks and cuts taking the oval shape of the Opera Pipe and straining it. The stem is heavily oxidized and calcified which is quite normal for what I see. It also has some deeper tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button and on the surface of the button edge. The classic white spot is on the top of the stem and looks to be in good condition. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up. He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. There is some lava on the rim top and edges as well as part of the cake in the bowl. He included photos that show the top and underside of the stem. It is as described above. Jeff took some photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed some great grain around the bowl and shank. It is a great looking piece of briar. He took some photos of the stamping on the sides of the bowl and shank. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. As is my regular practice, before I started my work on the pipe, I turned to Pipedia’s section on Dunhill Bruyere Pipes to get a refresh the information I know regarding the Dunhill Black Briar and Dress pipe finishes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill#Black_Briar_&_Dress). I quote:

Black Briar & Dress

Black Briar is a smooth dark finish with vein contrasted in black introduced in 1970 and renamed the DRESS in 1979.

Dress – introduced in 1979. The Dress is a black smooth finish designed to look elegant with a tux or other formal ware – refined and sophisticated. A smooth jet-black stain with a silver band and a black mouthpiece that give to this line of pipes the distinctive elegance that has come to be associated with the Dunhill name.

I looked further on Google and found some other links that helped with the Black Briar finish (https://pipetobacco.cc/dunhill-c-1_8/dunhill-black-briar-3113-2018-p-3109.html). I quote from the first of those sites.

The Black Briar shares origins with Dunhill’s Dress finish, first introduced in 1973 and characterized by a smooth, ebony finish. In 1979, though, the English marque renamed the line “Dress” with the addition of sterling silver, contributing to what would later become known as the dress-pipe style. That said, The White Spot still produces Black Briar pipes, though on a considerably less frequent basis. They share the same finish as Dunhill’s Dress pipes but forego the silver accent for a more reserved presentation of elegance and class, lending this pipe a distinctly formal aesthetic that’s ready for any black-tie affair.

A second site that I checked on google was on smokingpipes.com and included some additional details (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/dunhill/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=214708). I quote from a paragraph by Daniel Bumgardner

Black Briar is a Dunhill line that has enjoyed something of a storied history. It seems to have first appeared around the same time as the Dress (maybe a few years later) sharing the same ebony finish but without accents. It continued from there as a rarity, appearing to be the moniker given to those ebony-finished briars which wore accents other than the Dress series’ sterling silver bands…. – Daniel Bumgardner

I turned to Pipephil’s dating guide to show how I arrived at the date of manufacture for this pipe (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1a.html). I am including the chart that is provided there for the dating a pipe. I have drawn a red box around the section. Since the pipe I am working on has a superscript suffix 15 after the D in England it points to the 1960 line on the chart below. To date it just add 1960 +15 for a date of 1975. I have drawn a red box around the pertinent section in the chart.I now knew that I was working on a Black Briar Pipe that came out in 1975. The shape of the pipe is called a smooth Billiard with a 32 Shape number on the left side of the bowl told me it was a Dress pipe or an Opera shape.

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top shows some damage on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. Now the damage to the stem was very clear. Overall, the pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the damage to the rim top and the inner edge is very visible in the photo below. The stem was clean and the tooth marks and chatter can be seen in the photos.I took a photo of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is very clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the damage to the rim top. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the bevel on the inner edge of the bowl and reshape it. It looked much better once finished.I polished the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pad – dry sanding it with the pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. It began to take on a deep shine. The exterior of the bowl look better after sanding. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I tried to raise the tooth marks as much as possible by “painting” the surface of the stem with a lighter flame. It worked very well and I was able to lift many of them. I filled in the remaining spots with black rubberized CA glue. I recut the button edge and flattened the surface of the repairs with some small flat files. I was able to smooth the surface and give the button a very sharp edge. I flattened it further and smooth out the surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove residual oxidation on the stem surface and further blend the repairs into the surrounding vulcanite.It was ready for the next step. I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I polished it further with Before & After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil to finish this step. I am excited to be on the homestretch and look forward to seeing the 1975 Dunhill Black Briar 32F/T Opera Pipe put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the grain really pop with the wax and polish. The repaired and polished vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the combination of Black and Brown stains on the bowl and shank. This Dunhill Black Briar 32 F/T Opera Pipe was a lot of work to bring back to life. The pipe is light weight, comfortable in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 4 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches wide x 1 ½ inches long, Chamber diameter: 3/4 of an inch wide x 1 inch long. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/41 grams. I will be putting this one on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section soon. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

New Life for a Mysterious TPE Hand Made 2 Squat Rhodesian/Saucer

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a squat Rhodesian or saucer shaped pipe. We purchased it from an antique shop in Ogden, Utah, USA on 10/10/2024. It is a nicely sandblasted Rhodesian that has a great finish. The rim top is in great condition and is sandblasted along with the bowl. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads T.P.E. [over] Hand Made [over] 2. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and some light lava spots on the rim top. The stem was lightly oxidized and there were some light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. He took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the current condition. The inner edge and the rim top looked good and had some spots of lava as mentioned above. The photos of the bowl walls show the moderate cake on the walls. The stem photos show the oxidation and light marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took a photo of the heel of the bowl to give a sense of the condition of the bowl and the look of the sandblast around the bowl. It is a beauty.He took photos of the underside of the shank to capture the stamping. It was clear and readable as noted above.The TPE stamping was unknown to me so I did a quick check on Pipephil’s site and Pipedia and there was nothing listed with those initials of what I came understand was the abbreviation for Tobacco Pipe Exporters. I did a Google search and found a conversation on Pipesmagazine forum and found Jonas Clark’s comments very helpful. I have included both the link to the conversation below as well as Clark’s comments. https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/bamboo-shank-briar-stamped-t-p-e-maker.66712/

jonasclark —

I’m in Seattle, as is Tobacco Pipe Exporters, and I know the shop (F. K. Kirsten) has other pipes I see on the TPE website, so this must be theirs. I don’t see any bamboo on their website, though. Most of what they show is very basic, but this is a fancy pipe. As are another I’ve had no luck IDing (but which isn’t marked TPE), the ‘hole pipes’ shown a ways down their page, which have plateau tops – they’re stamped La Scala.

I see that TPE claims to be importers for Amadeus Pipe Co. out of Greece, on whom I can find little except an expired domain name.

Update: I spoke to Kevin Brackett at Tobacco Pipe Exporters. He told me he has an arrangement with a carver, who would like to sell high-grade pipes someday but feels he’s not ready yet. Kevin buys his pipes inexpensively, stamps them TPE, and sells them inexpensively (about $150 for these bamboo shank models). He gives this carver free reign to make whatever he likes. For this reason, he won’t say who carved this pipe, or even where he’s from! However, he has a few more such pipes, and I’ll be looking at them in a week or so. If anyone here might be interested, I’ll get photos and prices, and would offer them here for exactly what he charges me.
The “La Scala” hole or bridge pipes with plateau are an Italian import TPE sells, and they have some of those, too. The F.K. Kirsten shop is their only Washington retailer.

Now it was time to work on the pipe. Since Jeff always follows the same pattern of work in his cleanup we do not include photos but rather just a simple summary. Jeff reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and followed up with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He was able to remove the spotty lava build up on the rim top and edges of the rim. He soaked the stem in some of Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it with warm water. He dried if off with a soft cloth. The stem was clean and the remnants of oxidation were gone. I took photos of what the pipe looked like when I brought to my worktable. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge looked good. The stem was clean and there were light tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts.The bowl is in excellent condition. I started by working some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. 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 polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of oil and set it aside to dry. I am excited to finish this TPE Hand Made 2 Squat Rhodesian with a vulcanite saddle stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the mix of grain on the sides of the bowl. Added to that the black vulcanite saddle stem was beautiful. This smooth TPE Hand Made 2 Squat Rhodesian is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 38 grams /1.34 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the American Pipe Makers section. If you are interested in adding it to your rack let me know by message or by email to slaug@uniserve.com. Thanks for your time reading the blog. I appreciate it.

Restoring an il Ceppo Billiard E3702 Grade 3 Fancy Billiard Made by Hand in Italy

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is a beautifully grained and smooth finished Billiard with a slightly bent acrylic taper stem. It came to us on August 22, 2024 from a friend in Barrington, Rhode Island, USA. The contrast of the brown stains makes the grain stand out. It was stamped left side of the shank and read il ceppo. On the underside it is stamped E3702 [over] Made in Italy [arched over] In Italy (underlined). Next to the shank/stem junction it reads 3 in a triangle. The pipe was quite clean with some slight darkening inside the bowl. It had obviously been reamed recently. The bowl was clean and the smooth rim top was dirty but free of lava. The black acrylic saddle stem was in good condition other than being a bit dirty. The stem surface was free of chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. The il ceppo “C” logo on the top of the stem was in good shape. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl quite clean, perhaps freshly reamed and edges and rim top looked good. The stem was very clean and smooth. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain and around this bowl. Underneath all the light grime it is a nice looking pipe. The rustication or sandblasted portions of the bowl at the bottom really highlight the uniqueness of the finish. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is readable in the photos below and is as noted above. You can see that there is some shrinkage on the spacer on the stem end and the acrylic one on the shank end. This is puzzling at the moment to me.To remind myself about the brand I turned to Pipephil’ sites to read what he had written there in the side bar (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-i.html). I quote below and also include a screen capture of the pertinent section.

Brand founded by Giorgio Imperatori in 1977 (first period) and bought by Franco Corinaldesi Rossi (second period, about 1996) when Giorgio retired. Franco and his sister Nadia are the current (2011) Il Ceppo pipe makers.From the information above I knew that the pipe was from the first period of il ceppo pipe making (1977 until the second period began in 1996 when the pipe maker Giorgio Imperatori retired). It is confirmed first period by the notes on the grading system. It had the il ceppo stamping slightly curved, an E3702 (letter and 4-5 digit number), and a Group number in a triangle – in this case a 3.

I turned to Pipedia for more information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Il_Ceppo). I quote below:

Il Ceppo by Giuseppe Cambioli – Courtesy of italianpipemakers.com

My passion was born casually and it moved me to consider and love the world of artisanship. Casually and overall luckily, I ran across the emblematic person of Franco Rossi, pipemaker and owner of the “Il Ceppo” factory. He gave me the useful key to opening the doors of the fascinating world of pipes.

“Il Ceppo” boasts of thirty years of history with successive and great satisfaction which helped to keep high the name of the Marchigiane factories. The most famous as Pesareses factories have always had reciprocal respect and admiration and this have and will take cooperations and sharing of their own art, to confirm the distinctive seriousness and high quality.

“Il Ceppo” factory focuses its manufacture into products which vaunt accurate processings and an excellent yield with prices kept amazingly convenient.

Process is completely handmade except for some passages made with the aid of machines to obtain perfect results. The briar used to make the pipes has been left resting and seasoning for at least two years before the sapient hands of the pipemakers could start their work. Our working politic is centred on the care for details, to obtain the best product as possible.

Our prices keep a high balance with the quality of the offered product; they reflect totally our careful and eager work. We’ve never forgotten that what we make could only be obtained if moved by an unconditional love for this work of the good old days.

(Editor’s note: I have tried to correct most grammar & spelling, but in some instances I do not have the vaguest clue what the author is trying to say)

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He rinsed it with warm running water and dried it off with a soft cloth. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft. He rinsed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. It looked very good when I brought it to the worktable other than the briar ring around the metal dot had darkened in the process. I took photos of the pipe when I brought it to the work table. You can see that the spacer is gone but forget that! The briar is really very stunning! I took close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. The bowl itself was very smooth and clean. I took photos of the stem to show the condition it was in. It looked very good and the C logo was clean and in good condition.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. The stem is stamped on the underside Own Made. It is clear and readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good looking pipe with incredible grain. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. By the end of the process they looked very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. This Hand Made il ceppo E3703 Grade 3 Billiard was another fun pipe to work on and I was glad to be finishing it. I put the acrylic stem back on the bowl and polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond polish on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The smooth grain and the sandblast patches give the pipe a great look. The pipe polished up really well. The polished acrylic stem seemed to truly come alive with the buffing. This pipe feels great in my hand and I am sure that the sandblast portions will feel even better radiating the heat of a good smoke. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.05 ounces/58 grams. This is one beauty that is eye catching. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding it to your collection email or message me.

Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next pipeman or woman.

Refreshing a NOS Unsmoked Manx Meerschaum Bronze Elite 2 Rhodesian

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Refreshing a NOS Unsmoked Manx Meerschaum Bronze Elite 03 Rhodesian

by Steve Laug

I wanted to work on something a little different before getting back to more briar. I chose a Manx Meerschaum pipe that I purchased from a seller in England. It was unsmoked and came in its original box with the plastic bag still holding the unsmoked pipes. Being a Manx pipe, it was made on the Isle of Man by the Laxey Pipe Factory which closed in 2002. This NOS ¼ Bent Rhodesian was in excellent unsmoked condition. It has a flume finish – darkened at the top of the rim and partway down the bowl sides. The bowl is light tan/white in colour on the rest of the bowl. The bowl is very clean other than the dust of sitting so long in the box and plastic. There is a Delrin insert in the shank for strengthening of the meer. The stem is in unused condition with no oxidation and no tooth marks or chatter on the stem surface. The seller sent me photos of the pipe before we closed out deal on the pipe. It is quite nice and the box is undamaged. I did some research on the Laxey Pipe Ltd. who made the Manx Meerschaum pipe. I have included that information below.

My research on the origins of the Manx Bronze Elite 2 Block Meerschaum name can be summarized like this: It was made with African Meerschaum from the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporartion (Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation – Pipedia) and produced by Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man.

Here is the Pipedia information on Laxey Pipes Ltd.:

Laxey Pipes Ltd. resided in a historical 19th century four-storey Man stone building at The Quay, Old Laxey, Isle of Man, which thankfully has been preserved.

The company specialized in the production of meerschaum pipes using the Meerschaum mined by the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation in the Amboseli basin in Tanganyika (since 1964 part of the United Republic of Tanzania).

Please note: you may often find names like “Manx Pipes Ltd.”, “Man Pipe Co.” and others more, but there is no indication of another Isle of Man pipe producer other than Laxey Pipe Ltd. at any time!

Laxey Pipes Ltd. marketed their own brands like “Manxpipe”, “Manxman”, “Manxland” e.c. Names like “John Bull”, “White Knight” (unwaxed), “Domino” (black, or lined) indicated some shapes / colours of Laxey’s own series. The stems either showed the astronomical sign for “male” or “man” (circle + arrow), or the crest of the Isle of Man, the 3-legged X in a circle. Manxpipes and Laxey’s other brands were available through pipe retailers in general, but also were sold (mainly) to tourists through their own shop in Laxey.

Furthermore Laxey Pipes Ltd. manufactured the meer bowls for Peterson, Barling, Nørding and others from the later 1960’s until 2001. Man Pipe e.g. was a brand distributed by Comoy’s. The bowls usually showed no nomenclature indicating the orderer. “Genuine Block Meerschaum” was engraved frequently. Often, just the stems were different, while bowls were the same.

Supply of meerschaum from East Africa ran out (Kenya / Tanzania exhausted, Somalia inaccessible), and thus the last Laxey meers were supplied to trade in May, 2001. Laxey Pipes Ltd. tried to survive continuing with briar pipes – mainly in the Danish style -, but to no success. It closed down business in July 2002.

Tanganyika Meerschaum that was used by the Laxey production is described as tougher, less porous, and cheaper than Meerschaum mined in Turkey (Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation – Pipedia).

Now it is time to work on the pipe itself. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. The first photo shows the pipe outside of its box. It is unused and very clean other than the dust of sitting for years. The pipe is flumed at the top of the bowl with a dark stain – either black or brown. The rest of the bowl is a white/tan that will colour over time. I took photos of the sides and the top and heel of the bowl to show the condition. You can see some nicks in the surface of the bowl but nothing to stunning. There is an area on the underside of the shank where it is worn or chipped and reshaped. That may very well be original and came out of the factory that way. It is hard to know for certain. The interior is dusty but unused. The bowl was pretty clean though you can see some spots on the rim top where the darkened portion is dull or worn looking. I took some photos that give a clear picture. The first is a close up that shows the bowl and the rim. I also took photos chatter on the surface.I took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank. It is faint but still readable and reads 2. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts.The bowl was in such good condition I did not need to do any work on it. I waxed the bowl with some Clapham’s Beeswax and buffed it to a rich shine. I set the bowl aside and polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each pad. It is a beautiful saddle stem. This unsmoked NOS Manx Meerschaum Bronze Elite 2 Rhodesian with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe. The shape of the bowl reminds me of a GBD 9438 Rhodesian in some ways. The stem fit and shank all say Manx or Laxley Pipes. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Manx Meerschaum Rhodesian is another pipe that fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 58 grams/2.08 ounces. I will be holding onto this one at least for a while as it ticks all the boxes for me and I have wanted to try a Manx Meer like this for a long time. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Hefty Jarl Chieftain Oil Hardened Billiard 02 with a 9mm vulcanite Filter Stem

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a beautiful shaped thick shanked Billiard. We recently purchased it from a seller in Wilkes Barr, Pennsylvania, USA on Facebook Auction on Facebook on 09/12/2021. It is a nicely grained large Billiard with mixed grain on the sides and birdseye on the front and the back of the bowl. The inwardly bevelled rim top is in great condition and had mixed grain across the top. It is stamped on the left underside of the shank and reads Jarl Chieftain [over] Made in Denmark. On the right side it is stamped with the shape Oil Hardened. On the underside next to the stem/shank junction it bears the shape number 02. There was a heavy cake in the bowl and some darkening around the top and inner edge and light lava spots on the rim top. The mortise smelled of oils and had a dirty 9mm filter in the tenon. The stem was lightly oxidized, calcified and there were some light tooth marks or chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. He took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the current condition. The inner edge and the rim top showed darkening and spots of lava as mentioned above. The photos of the bowl walls show the moderate cake on the walls. The stem photos show the oxidation and light marks on the rim top on both sides. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the condition of the bowl and the grain around the bowl. It is a beauty. He took photos of the shank sides to capture the stamping on the shank sides. They were clear and readable as noted above. Jeff did not capture the shape number on the underside of the shank which was also clear. Before I started working on it I did a bit of research on the brand to remind myself of what I knew of the maker. I turned to Pipephil’s site first (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-j1.html#jarl). I did a screen capture of the information on the site. I did a screen capture of the pertinent information and have included it below.I then turned to Pipedia and found that a very short article that confirmed that the pipes were made by Niels Mogens Jorgensen (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Jarl). I have included the article in its entirety below.

In December of 2010 Ellen Jarl wrote that Jarl pipes were made by her grandfather, Niels Mogens Jørgensen in a little factory in the town of Bramdrupdam, just outside Kolding, Denmark. We have no reason to doubt that Niels Mogens Jørgensen is the maker of these pipes.

Now it was time to work on the pipe. Since Jeff always follows the same pattern of work in his cleanup we do not include photos but rather just a simple summary. Jeff reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and followed up with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He was able to remove the spotty lava build up on the rim top and you could see the marks on the top and edges of the rim. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it with warm water to rinse off the residue. The stem was clean and the oxidation was gone. I took photos of what the pipe looked like when I brought to my worktable. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge looked good. The stem was clean and there were light tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is faint in spots but still readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl surface down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding dust. Once I finished the exterior of the briar was clean and the grain really stood out. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of oil and set it aside to dry. I fit the filter tenon with a clean Dr. Perl Junior 9mm filter. It easily slips into the tenon and the pipe is ready to smoke.I am excited to finish this Jarl Chieftan Made in Denmark Thick Shank Billiard 02 with a 9mm Filter vulcanite saddle stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the mix of grain on the sides of the bowl. Added to that the black vulcanite saddle stem was beautiful. This smooth Jarl Chieftan Thick Shank 02 Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 57 grams /2.05 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers section. If you are interested in adding it to your rack let me know by message or by email to slaug@uniserve.com. Thanks for your time reading the blog. I appreciate it.

Restoring a Fraser River Straight Bulldog Made in Canada

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by Steve Laug

Last weekend Kenneth and I went to an antique show in New Westminster, BC. It is our third year going but still we have no idea what we are going to fine each time we go. It is always a part of the fun to wander through the various stalls and see what the vendors are offering on their tables. There are always surprising things – items that I grew up with that are now called antiques or at least collectibles. If only my foresight had been as good as my memory is now I could have sold many of the things I played with and ate from! But I digress. Back to the pipe hunting. We saw the usual offerings of things Grabow and Medico that were in very rough shape. I think we both have become much more selective over time and we passed on spending time with them. I did a few items that I picked up to restore. I took a picture of the group of fout pipes. In the left column from top to bottom there was a Peterson’s System Standard 1307 (Canadian number on a 307 shape), a Bulldog that was stamped Fraser Valley Made in Canada with a white dot stem and at the bottom was another Peterson – a K&P Dublin Made in Ireland Canadian with a Sterling Silver Band. The one on the right side is an older GBD Nosewarmer with an orific button on the short stem. Not a bad group of pipes to bring to the work table.The third of them I chose to bring to the table was the Bulldog the second on down on the left column of the above photo. It is a pretty pipe and bears the stamping on the top left side of the diamond shank that reads FRASER [over] RIVER. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Made in Canada in script. There is a single white dot logo on the top left side of the diamond saddle stem. The bowl, rim top and edges of the bowl are clean. The stem is heavily oxidized, almost brown looking and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work on it. I took a close-up photo of the rim top to show the condition of the bowl and inner edge of the bowl and the stem. You can clearly see the cake in the bowl and the darkening and lava on the rim top. The stem photos show the oxidation, calcification and tooth marks on the stem.I took a photo of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. It is a pretty pipe. There was something very familiar with the stamping that both Kenneth and I saw when we picked it up. The Fraser River stamp does not connect to anything for me that I can find. I have hunted and googled and not found a match. However, the Made in Canada stamping on the left side of the shank is what caught our eye. It is identical to the stamping used by Leonard Payne on the pipes that he carved. I have included a photo of the stamping on the Payne below. The Payne signature was not on the Fraser River pipe but the Made in Canada stamp is identical to the one shown in the photos.
I went back to earlier articles on rebornpipes regarding the Payne pipes. The first one I have included below is of a Payne brochure that I have on the blog. It gives a sense of the design and concepts Payne had. It is an interesting piece of Pipe history. Here is the link to the brochure on the blog (https://rebornpipes.com/2024/03/12/leonard-payne-pipes-ltd-british-columbia-canada-brochure/). I included the front and back cover of the brochure below.From there I reread an article by Kenneth on the blog about a restoration he did on a Payne pipe (https://rebornpipes.com/2022/10/10/restoring-a-payne-to-its-former-glory/). I quote below from what he found. I have also included Picture that he included from a source on Reddit.

In addition, there was a photograph that Steve found of Payne on Reddit that appears to date from the 1960s. The original poster on Reddit told me that the photo comes from the City of Surrey archives. I have no idea why it is in French (or why it’s in the Surrey archives). Kenneth his translation of the text next to the photo above the photo:

“Pipe makers are not on every street corner in Canada! Leonard Payne, originally from England, didn’t know the challenges he would face and that’s probably what influenced his decision to come and try his luck in Canada. After his arrival in 1957, he and his family settled in Vancouver, where he first found work as a tool maker – and made pipes in his free time. In 1959, he decided to become a full-time pipe maker, and since then he has had department stores in all parts of Canada among his clients. He imports briar blocks from Italy and pipe stems from England.” Of course, I have no solid proof that it is a Leonard Payne pipe. In my experience working on quite a few of them over the years I am convinced it is a Payne. To me the Made in Canada stamp lends proof to that.

The interior and the exterior of the bowl was very clean. The sandblast finish was clean and free of debris. The airway in the shank and stem, the inside of the mortise was spotless. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The heavy oxidation was going to be a big problem. Nothing seemed to work. I soaked it in some Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer for several hours and nothing happened to the oxidation. It did not even make a dent in breaking the oxidation on the stem surface. It seemed impermeable at this point. I changed it up and scrubbed the heavy oxidation with Soft Scrub and cotton pads. After using about a dozen pads it seemed that I had made very little progress in stripping of the oxidation on the surface. I set it aside for the evening then repeated the process with more pads and more soft scrub in the morning. The photos below show the stem after much scrubbing. With little progress on the oxidation I decided to fire up the “big guns” so to speak. I took it to the buffer and buffed it with red Tripoli. I worked over the stem repeatedly until I was able to finally cut through the heavy oxidation. While I was making progress for sure a ghost of the rustication remained on the body of the stem. There is some deeper oxidation around the saddle portion where it meets the shank, at the sharp edge of the saddle and on the edge of the button. I attacked the remaining oxidation in the body of the stem and the remaining issues one the saddle end and the button end. I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to work over the saddle, the sharp edge of the saddle and the edge of the button. Once finished it was beginning to look much better. I was getting hopeful that the oxidation might be conquered.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads and you can see how well the process had removed the oxidation on the stem surface. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad to remove the sanding dust.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 to further protect the vulcanite surface. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil and a cloth. It really looks very good. I am always excited to finish working on a pipe. This Fraser River Bulldog (probably made by Leonard Payne) is no exception. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with a microfibre cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the black vulcanite taper stem. This sandblasted Fraser River Made in Canada straight Bulldog with a thin saddle stem feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 33 grams/1.16 ounces. I will be hanging on to this old timer at least for the time being. It is a brand I have never seen before but it cleaned up very well. I will be putting the pipe on the Canadian Pipemakers Section of the rebornpipes store shortly. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.