Restoring a Republic Era Shamrock 999 Rhodesian

Blog by Steve Laug

When I saw this pipe on Ebay I immediately threw in a low bid. The seller included two photos the clear side view of the pipe shown below and the second photo below – an out of focus picture of the stem end. It was obvious there was damage to the stem and that it would take some work but it was still interesting to me. I was the only bidder so the pipe became mine.

It was stamped Shamrock on the left side of the shank in capital letters (once it arrived I saw that on the right side of the shank it bore the stamping “A Peterson Product” over Made in the Republic of Ireland with 999 stamped next to that). While the seller never revealed the data stamped on the right side of the shank or the shape number it was clearly a Peterson 999 – one of my favourite shapes. I am particularly fond of the thick shanked older versions of the shape but this one looked workable. While I waited for it I did some research on the brand. I have several Shamrock pipes and fortunately all of them are very nicely grained briar.

I wrote to a favourite source of all things Peterson, Mark Irwin, to inquire about the mark. He responded with the following helpful information. “There were two Shamrock lines—the Rogers Import U.S.-only line with the nickel band, and the Peterson unmounted line with a white “S” stamped on the mouthpiece. This line—which is what your pipe is from—debuted in the 1945 catalog in the 30 classic shapes then being offered, in both smooth and sandblast, always with a fishtail mouthpiece, and continued with the same finish and “S” stamp until the 1975 catalog. It was a “Product” line, so look carefully for fills, as Peterson always strives to get the most mileage out of their briar. If it does indeed lack fills, someone messed up in the workshop, as it would normally have been released in a much higher line. The name was subsequently used on newer “Shamrock” lines with various finishes and stains until very recently, but always as an entry-grade line.”

I also was a bit more information on the stamping on the other side of the shank so I read more on dating Peterson Pipes in an article here on the blog by Mike Leverette. In it I found that pipes that bore the Republic of Ireland stamping came from the Republic Era which extended from 1949 until the present. “The Republic of Ireland was formed on 17 April 1949. From 1949 to present the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.”

Mike also addressed a further question on the stamping “A Peterson Product”. He wrote: “Also, we must address the stamp “A Peterson Product.” During the last few years of the Pre-Republic era and throughout the Republic era, Peterson began stamping their other lines, such as Shamrocks and Killarneys, with “A Peterson Product” over the COM stamp. So a pipe stamped thusly will have been made say from 1948 to the present with the COM stamp identifying it as a pre-Republic or a Republic pipe.”

That was helpful information. With Mark’s and Mike’s information I had learned a lot about my pipe even before it arrived. It came from the earlier Shamrock line which debuted in 1945 and continued until 1975. It certainly fit in the description of a classic shape and an unmounted line with a white S on the stem. It was a Republic Era pipe which put it after 1949 and bore the Peterson Product stamp which put it in the same time frame. That is as specific as I can get in dating this pipe.

When the pipe arrived I opened the box and took it out of the bubble wrap. The stem was frozen in the shank and did not fit against the shank. The grain was beautiful and the natural finish was dirty. The bowl had a thick cake and still had a half bowl of unsmoked tobacco. The rim had a build up of tar on it that was thick. The inner and outer edge of the rim was undamaged and the bowl was still round. The stem was oxidized and the button end had significant damage as can be seen in the third photo below.

I put the pipe in the freezer and left it overnight so that the temperature change would do its magic and loosen the stem in the shank. In the morning I took it out and was able to remove the stem with no problems. The photo below shows the damage to the button very clearly. There is also a sand pit visible in the side of the bowl. It is unfilled and from what I could see of the rest of the bowl there were not any fills. I left the tobacco in the bowl while I worked on the rim. I scrubbed it with saliva and cotton pads until I was able to remove all of the tarry build up. I also scrubbed down the rest of the exterior of the bowl and shank. I removed the tobacco with a dental pick and then reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and took the cake back to bare wood. I used the dental pick to also clean out the twin rings around the bowl. These were packed with dust and wax from previous buffing.I set up my retort and put the tube on the broken stem. I loosely stuff a cotton ball in the bowl and heated the alcohol over a tea light candle. I ran the alcohol through until it came out a rich brown. I emptied the test tube and refilled it with alcohol and repeated the process. The second time the alcohol came out clean. I removed the retort and cleaned out the shank and bowl with cotton swabs and pipe cleaners.

I debated for a long time what to do with the damaged stem. I could try a stem splice or replace the stem. I could also cut off the stem and reshape the button. In looking over the stem I decided there was enough length and material to allow me to cut if off and reshape it. I used a Dremel with a sanding drum to remove the broken part of the stem. I squared it off on the topping board and I was ready to recut the button.

I use needle files to cut the lines of the new button. They give me a good square edge and let me cut the basic shape of the button.

Once the line is cut I use a variety of tools to trim back the taper from the line back toward the shank. I used an emery board to work on the shape of the stem. Often this is all I need but in this case it was not enough.

I used a knife blade shaped needle file to shave the stem back to the button. With this blade I removed a lot of the excess material and the button began to take shape. I also used the file to begin to shape the oval of the button and to open up the slot in the end of the button. I continued to work on the taper of the stem and smoothed out the flow o the stem to the button using 220 grit sandpaper.

Once I had the shape and the taper of the stem correct I put a washer on the tenon and inserted it in the shank so that I could work on the stem. I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the oxidation and then sanded it with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge. I carefully avoided damaging the logo stamp on the stem. I also rubbed the bowl down with a little olive oil on a cotton pad. It really enlivened the grain on the pipe. I buffed it lightly with White Diamond and then gave it several coats of carnauba wax.

Once the oxidation was taken care of I used some liquid paper to re-whiten the S on the stem. The photos below show the shape of the button and the stem at this point in the process. The new button works well and the shortening of the stem did not too seriously damage the appearance of the pipe.

I wet sanded the stem with 1500-2400 grit micromesh sanding pads and dry sanded it with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil between each set of three grits of micromesh sanding pads.

I rubbed it down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and once it had been absorbed into the vulcanite I hand buffed it with a soft cloth and took the next two photos to show the finished look of the stem.

The finished pipe is shown below. The two profile photos show the look of the new button and the revised taper of the stem. It feels great in the hand and in the mouth. The bend matches my other 999 pipes and the overall length actually is the same as the chunkier stemmed early 999s that I have in my collection. I buffed the pipe and stem with White Diamond and gave it several coats of carnauba wax. I buffed it with a soft flannel buff to raise the shine on the pipe. It looks and smells fresh and clean. It is ready to load with a bowl of Virginia and give an inaugural smoke. In closing look at the grain on this old Shamrock – for the life of me I can find no fills in the briar. It is clean – two or three smalls sandpits but they in no way effect the overall look of the pipe. Amazing, I think that it did indeed slip through during production. No problem for me, I will enjoy it.

A Review – a Jobert Olive Liverpool

A Unique Town and Country Squat Round Bottom Rhodesian – Robert M. Boughton

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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 pipe with solemn interposing puff,
Makes half a sentence at a time enough;
The dozing sages drop the drowsy strain,
Then, pause and puff – and speak, and pause again. — William Cowper (1731-1800), English poet, in “Conversation,” 1782

INTRODUCTION
When this odd little pipe arrived in the mail a couple of months ago, as part of an estate lot, it stood out, to be sure. Amongst a beautiful Kaywoodie Standard mixed Sandblast/Smooth Grain Billiard, an elegant LHS Park Lane DeLuxe Dublin, a vintage WDC Full Bent Billiard with 14K ring, an Ehrlich Rusticated Billiard and two others – yes, it stood out. I will leave it to the reader to determine the nature of the deviation.

Still, it did force me to reconsider the true form and figure of a Rhodesian, and to imagine the turmoil I could incite if I threw this pipe as an example into the ongoing brouhaha that is the Bulldog versus Rhodesian debate. I do have a touch of Old Nick in me that way (and I don’t mean St. Nick).

Yet how else can I describe this weird pipe, at its basest, but as a Rhodesian, despite the squatness of its stature and the roundness of the bottom of the bowl? The fact is that this Town and Country (made by the Bradberry Briar Pipe Corp. of New York) has a rounded bowl with two slits carved into its upper end below the rim and a round shank.

RESTORATION
Part of me did not want to mess with the original stain, but some impulse screamed at me, “Drown this thing in Everclear and see what lies beneath!” And so, that I did. As it turned out, the voice was right. All kinds of scratches and other flaws became apparent where they were obscured before.

Beginning the process of removing the various blemishes with a thorough sanding (except for the nomenclature)using 220-grit paper, I was careful to make smooth, even runs in the directions of the grain. After some time at this task, rubbing the fine briar dust away with a rag as I progressed, I was at last satisfied with the results.

To prep the wood for staining, I brushed the surface with super fine steel wool, which returned the natural color of the briar and created a light sheen. Then I commenced a thorough de-wrinkling treatment with micromesh pads, starting with 1500, then 1800, 2400, 3200 and 4000. Again, I rubbed the wood clear of any residue between each micromesh pad.

The obvious next step seemed to be a full cleaning of the pipe’s interior. Expecting to find the usual massive buildup of crud associated with the shanks of most estate pipes, I was in fact shocked to see the wire-handled, heavy-duty bristly cleaner, dipped in Everclear, emerge from the exercise almost un-befouled the first time and spotless the second.

Still wary, I sanded the pinky-sized circumference of the chamber with a Lilliputian-sized scrap of 220-grit paper and succeeded in removing a fair amount of carbon. Then I inserted an alcohol-soaked square of gun cleaning cotton cloth and twirled it with the aforementioned pinky until most of the carbon residue was cleared from the chamber.

Despite the failure of the wire cleaner to dig up more than trace elements of old tobacco, and determined to assure the shank was truly ready to pass anyone’s test, I employed my newly acquired proficiency in retorting. To my utter dismay, despite my certainty that I had performed the retort without error, the remainder of the boiling alcohol – which had surged all the way into the chamber and left the cotton there somewhat dirtier than it started – returned to the Pyrex test tube clear enough to drink, if I were so inclined. Disbelieving the unheard of result, I re-boiled the alcohol in a second and sent it packing again whence it had returned once empty-handed, so to speak. The second try came back as clean as the first.

At last, my mind exploded in dizzying exultation, a clean shank at the outset!

I turned to the stem, which, other than being a uniform military green, was all but devoid of scratches or chatter. There was one small ding, but given the usual mauling of stems I encounter, this one was a gift from Heaven. As I have yet to come up with a formula for a solution in which to treat stems, I was compelled to do it the old fashioned way: by hand, using 320-grit paper to restore the stem from green to black. This step required several passes, more and more localized each time.

Next I turned to micromesh and gave the stem the same care I provided the wood: 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200 and 4000. I tend to enjoy re-staining the wood of a pipe when necessary, and my biggest question so far had been what shade of brown to use if not marine (burgundy) red. This pipe I wanted to do as a two-tone, with the beautiful natural color and grain of the rounded rim left unchanged and the rest of the bowl and shank dark enough to show the difference. And so the only question was whether to use medium brown, which is darker than it sounds, or marine? I admit to having a fluttery, nervous feeling in my stomach when I opted for the marine. Although the result was better than okay, I won’t be showing it here for reasons that will soon be apparent.

Having stained the majority of the wood marine and left the round rim plain, I flamed out the alcohol from the boot stain, buffed the greater part of the wood with its resulting ash using 3200 micromesh and then waxed the wood and stem – from which I had removed the superfluous metal tenon extension by heating it with my Bic and yanking it out – and achieved a definite high contrast. The grain still showed through the stain, but I knew it wasn’t right.

Therefore, wishing to have a little fun and test my mentor, Chuck Richards, I took the “almost finished” product to him for his opinion. True to form, Chuck scrutinized every angle of the pipe through his glasses and handed it back to me. His critique was like the ultimate New Yorker bad book review: no comment. He still has no idea how good that made me feel!

Pleased with myself, I later returned home with the dark red body of the pipe topped by a blond head and with care again applied the super fine steel wool to remove the wax and stain on all of the wood but the rim. Ready for the correct approach, I re-stained most of the wood medium brown, went through all of the steps as before to prepare it for waxing on my two buffer machines, and applied white and red Tripoli, White Diamond and carnauba. The result was much more satisfying, and I felt no need to run it by Chuck again before submitting this blog, as I had already messed with him enough, albeit unbeknownst to my good friend.

CONCLUSION
All fun and pranks with my big-hearted but not coddling mentor aside, I ended this restoration with more work than was necessary. I should have learned by now not to disregard the advice of that little fluttery feeling of unease I had in my stomach when I chose marine over medium brown. In the end, the stomach almost always wins in all matters over the mind.

Narrowing Down a Date for Kaufman Brothers & Bondy’s KBB and KB&B Pipes

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Blog by Steve Laug

Over the years I have refurbished many older KBB and KB&B pipes. I have kept many of them and others I have passed on to other pipemen and women. The KBB and KB&B stamping on these old timers are stamped in a cloverleaf on the side or top of the shank of the briar pipes. In more recent years the KBB and KB&B stamping is no longer present. Kaufmann Brothers and Bondy was the oldest pipe company in the USA, established in 1851. The Club Logo predated Kaywoodie with the “KB&B” lettering stamped within the Club, and a multitude of KB&B lines were in production long before “Kaywoodie” first appeared in 1919. I have several of these old timers including a Borlum that was made before Kaywoodie became the flagship name for pipes from Kaufman Brothers & Bondy (KB&B). It was made before the Kaywoodie invention of the “Stinger” was added, and even before shank logos, model stamps and other features invented by Kaywoodie came to be standards of the pipe making industry. It comes from the time when names like Ambassador, Heatherby, Melrose, Suez, Rivoli, Cadillac and Kamello dominated the pre-Kaywoodie scene. Borlum is one of those vintage names. That information helps date pre-1919 KB&B pipes. There is still a long history following that for which I wanted further information. I was left wondering about the variations in the stampings on the Kaufmann Brothers and Bondy pipes. I had seen a pattern in that the Yello-Bole pipes made by Kaufmann Brothers and Bondy that were stamped without the ampersand (KBB) and other pipes made by them that had the ampersand (KB&B) and wondered about whether I had stumbled upon something. I had no idea why there was a variation in stamping. I decided to do some digging online to see if I could get more information regarding this variation. The purpose of this article is to collate what I found in order to provide some guidelines on dating the older pipes and to differentiate between the two stampings.

In the past when I had questions about KB&B pipes, Yello-Bole pipes and KW pipes I have found that the Kaywoodie Forum http://kaywoodie.myfreeforum.org/ftopic13-0-asc-0.php has been an invaluable source of information on the brand. The information found there on the KBB and KB&B pipes is very useful. Dave Whitney has an article on the topic of KBB pipes. I will summarize what I have found there to help with my search. I have several older Yello-Bole pipes with the shovel drinkless mechanism and the KBB-in-a-clover logo on the left side of the shank (not KB&B). These also have the yellow circle on the stem. From what I can ascertain from Dave’s information, pipes with this configuration seem to have been produced between the years of 1938-42. The lack of the aluminum stem ring and the drinkless mechanism that came out in the later period of KBB history 1945-50 (World War II) point to the earlier period. The shape/style of the drinkless mechanism helps to date the pipe. Let’s summarize what we know so far. The Kaywoodie stamp appeared in 1919 thus any pipes with the KB&B in a cloverleaf stamped on the shank pointed to a pre-1919 pipe. From 1919-1938 the combination of the KBB stamping and the shovel mechanism in the tenon help date those pipes. The metal drinkless attachment came out in 1945 and following. I have KB&B pipes and KBB Yello-Bole pipes from this early era.

Reading further led me to ascertain that the KBB in a cloverleaf stamp dates a pipe back to the ’30’s. I also learned that the 4 digit shape numbers stamped on the right side of the shank are older than 2 digit ones. The pipes with the logo inlaid on top of the stem are older than ones that have it on the side. I learned that in the past, Kaufman Brothers and Bondy would sort shipments of briar and send the culls to be used for Yello-Boles, meaning they got some quality briar. One fellow on the web believes that is why Yello-Bole pipes tend to be smaller over all, working around flaws. He also said that he thinks calling these pipes Kaywoodie seconds is a bit of a misnomer, being that Kaywoodie was one of the largest briar purchasers in the world at the time (’20’s-50’s) and got some fantastic wood.

Armed with this bit of information on the brand I did some more research and came across the SM Frank website http://www.smfrankcoinc.com/home/?page_id=2. There I found a wealth of historical information on Kaywoodies, Yello-Boles and the merger between KBB and SM Frank and later Demuth. It was a great read and I would encourage others to give the website a read. The information in the next paragraph was condensed from that site. I found confirmation for the statement above that the Yello-Bole line was an outlet for lower grade briar not used in Kaywoodie production. Yello-Bole’s were introduced in 1932 and manufactured by Penacook, New Hampshire subsidiary, The New England Briar Pipe Company. Advertising from the 1940′s, pictures the Yello-Bole “Honey Girl” and urges the pipe smoker to smoke the pipe with “a little honey in every bowl.” Honey was an ingredient of the material used to line the inside of the bowl. It was said to provide a faster, sweeter break-in of the pipe.

I went hunting further to see if I could find information on establishing dates for Yello-Bole pipes and found that there was not a lot of information other than what I had found above. Then I came across this link to the Kaywoodie Forum: http://kaywoodie.myfreeforum.org/archive/dating-yello-bole-pipes__o_t__t_86.html I quote the information I found there as it gives the only information that I found in my hunt to this point.
“OK so there isn’t a lot of dating information for Yello-Bole pipes but here is what I have learned so far.
– If it has the KBB stamped in the clover leaf it was made 1955 or earlier as they stopped the stamping after being acquired by S.M. Frank.
– From 1933-1936 they were stamped Honey Cured Briar.
– Pipes stems stamped with the propeller logo they were made in the 30s or 40s no propellers were used after the 40s.
– Yello-Bole also used a 4 digit code stamped on the pipe in the 30s.
– If the pipe had the Yello-Bole circle stamped on the shank it was made in the 30s this stopped after 1939.
– If the pipe was stamped BRUYERE rather than briar it was made in the 30s.

The pipes with propeller logos appear to be made in the 1930’s or 1940’s. The pipe with the yellow circle logo imprinted into the shank of the briar was made in the 1930’s. Those with the brass O seem also to have been made in the 1930’s.
One further item was also found on that site. It was just a passing comment in the midst of some information on Kaywoodie pipes. I quote: “The pre-Kaywoodie KB&B pipes were marked on the shank with a cloverleaf around KB&B. Some early Kaywoodies had this same marking on the shank, but the practice was dropped sometime prior to 1936. Yello-Boles also had KBB in the leaf on the shanks, but did not have the ampersand found on Kaywoodies.” (Highlighting is mine)

That is all the information I have gathered to date. I don’t have anything on the multitude of stem stampings or any other age indicators. In summary, it seems that the stem logos, the stamping on the shanks of KBB and KB&B, the type of stinger apparatus in the tenon as well as aluminum decorative trim all are a part of dating the KBB and KB&B pipes. From the final paragraph above I have the answer to my question on the difference in the ampersand or lack of it – until 1936 the KBB and KB&B in a cloverleaf were stamped on the shanks of pipes made by Kaufman Brothers and Bondy. After 1936 that stamping disappeared and was replaced with the various Yello-Bole and Kaywoodie designation stampings. If anyone has more definitive information or other methods of determining date please feel free to post it in the comments below and I will add them to this piece.

If you would like to have a look at the KBB pipes that I have restored do a search on the blog for Kaufmann Brothers & Bondy, KBB, Yello-Bole and Kaywoodie pipes. The search will bring up quite a few of the pipes that I and other contributors to the blog have posted here.

ADDENDUM
I received two photos of the stinger apparatus that Andrew Selking removed from the KBB Doc Watson that he wrote about here. I am including them here. We both think that they predate the shovel like apparatus that I picture above.

Restoring a KB&B Doc Watson – Andrew Selking

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Blog by Andrew Selking

My wife and I enjoy browsing antique shops and last weekend checked out a new shop. They didn’t have many pipes, most were worn out drug store pipes, but this one little pipe stood out. The first thing I notices was the fantail stem and interesting inlay on the stem. I picked it up and discovered that it was a rusticated panel billiard shape, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I pulled the stem from the shank and saw a very unusual stinger/tube apparatus. The stem looked like it was hand cut, very thin and the button had nice clean angles. From what I found out about KB&B pipes, the clover leaf without the ampersand was from the 1930s. The best part was the price, $4.95! Here is what the pipe looked like, thick cake, but otherwise not too bad.

I missed some of the documentation process, but I cleaned the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a toothbrush. I decided to remove the stinger, which I accomplished with a heat gun, but still save it for the historical value. I then soaked the stem in Oxyclean. It had a lot of tar build up as you can see from this picture. Next I turned my attention to the bowl. This is a very small bowl, my smallest reamer didn’t fit, so I ended up using a pen knife to carefully remove the cake.

With the bowl clean and the stem started, it was time for the retort. Normally when I put cotton balls in the bowl I can fit three or four, this bowl only fits one. Although the stinger allowed for a lot of tar build up, it kept the shank much cleaner than most. After a few q-tips it was clean. The stem was just as dirty as the shank, but the retort made the job of removing tar a breeze. You can see from what boiled out just how much tar the stem had. The first couple of fuzzy sticks dipped in rubbing alcohol came out very dirty, but it was mostly tar and it didn’t take long before they came out clean.

Since the outside of the bowl was already clean, I used a progression of micro mesh pads, starting at 6000 and worked up to 12,000 to polish the bottom of the shank and the high spots on the bowl. I used 400 grit wet/dry with water to remove the oxidation from the stem then switched to micro mesh pads (1500-2200) with water. I finished the stem with the full progression of micro mesh pads through 12,000 grit to get a nice polished finish to the stem. I tried something different this time. Rather than use the buffing wheel I just used the Halcyon II wax and a soft cloth. We’ll see how that holds up. Here’s what the finished pipe looks like.

Restoring a Patent-era Dunhill 137 – Andrew Selking

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Blog by Andrew Selking

I stumbled across this Dunhill while browsing eBay. A little bit of research indicated this was a desirable patent-era pipe from the collector’s range, which used a better of briar. The pictures indicated a lot of tar build-up (I actually don’t mind tar, it seems to protect the rim from some of the abuse of knocking out the pipe) and some dark spots that might hide scorch marks or burn through. The stem looked decent, free of significant chatter or bite through, so I decided to take a chance.

Here’s what the pipe looked like when it arrived.

The first order of business was to loosen the tar and heave cake, so I dropped the bowl in the alcohol bath. Next I turned my attention to the stem with the Oxyclean bath (yes it is taking a bath with another Dunhill stem, which I will write about later). After a good long soak, I broke out my Castleford reamer and removed the cake back to the wood. After cleaning the inside of the bowl, I used some 0000 grade steel wool in an attempt to remove the tar. Usually that works, but there was some rim damage that necessitated topping. I use a piece of glass that I found to ensure an even surface when topping. I also use a relatively fine grit (400 grit) paper when doing something like this. I find that it makes the final sanding easier and I don’t inadvertently remove more than I wanted to. Here is what the bowl looked like after topping. Next I tackled the inside of the shank using the retort. There is nothing like boiling alcohol to loosen up built up tar and tobacco. This is what the brush looked like after the first pass. In case you’re wondering what I do to clean the brush in between passes, I swish it in the jar I use for soaking the bowls. The sediment settles to the bottom and since soaking in alcohol is only one step in the process, I don’t worry too much about it.

Once the brush no longer captured a bunch of gunk, I moved on to q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol. In my opinion, rubbing alcohol works fine for general cleaning, but it does not work well for mixing with stain or for doing the retort. As you can see, it took a good amount of q-tips before the shank came clean. Next I used the retort on the stem. As always, I made sure to plug the end to ensure the dirty alcohol didn’t boil over and shoot out the end (that’s always hard to explain to your significant other). The stem was pretty nasty, as you can see from the residual alcohol in the test tube. After using a pile of fuzzy sticks (I get them in the craft section at Wal Mart, they’re cheaper than pipe cleaners and longer), the inside of the stem was finally clean. Starting with the stem, I used 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper with water to remove the oxidation. I then moved on to 1500-2400 grit micro-mesh pads with water. I find that the wet sandpaper does a good job getting into the little crease on the underside of the button. It’s also helpful to occasionally dry the stem off and see if there’s still any oxidation left, it’s easy to overlook when the stem is wet. I use the same progression of micromesh on both the bowl and the stem, although I don’t use water with the bowl. Here is the pipe after going through the entire progression 15000 through 12,000. I stained the bowl with Pimo Pipe Supply’s mahogany stain, diluted with denatured alcohol and flamed to set.

Next I took the bowl and stem to the buffing wheel, where I used some white diamond and a couple of coats of carnauba wax. Here is the finished result.

A Wally Frank Sandblast Unique Sitter Reborn

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Blog by Steve Laug

Every once in a while I get the urge to just sit and work my way through the estate pipes on the various Ebay sites. I rarely if ever pick anything up anymore unless it is something that is unique and just grabs me. The last time I did the scan of the various sales I came across this old Wally Frank sitter. It combined the look of a Rhodesian with a diamond shank like a Bulldog and a sitter base. It had a very English made pipe look in my opinion. The sandblast on the bowl and front portion of the shank appeared to be deep and craggy. The rustication of the last third of the shank, a feature that I find often on sandblasted Wally Frank pipes, looked good and the stamping was clear and readable. The bowl appeared to be in decent shape and finish looked good in the photos. The stem was oxidized and the seller noted that it sat off centre slightly or did not line up with the shank. I figured if it had a metal tenon that was fixable and if it was a push tenon it was a non-issue. I was hooked. I bid on it and won, only to find out that the shipper never shipped out of the US. We corresponded and he decided to send it on to me. For that I thank him. The next series of six photos were included by the seller in the Ebay write-up.

When the pipe arrived, I opened the box and removed the pipe. The blast was even better than the photos had shown. The stem oxidation was pretty much as shown above. The misaligned stem was no issue as the stem had a push tenon and was only a matter of turning the stem slightly. The airway was open but dirty with tars and grime. The bowl had a light cake that thickened toward the bottom of the bowl. The edges of the shank and the stem were sharp and clean showing that it had not been buffed much in its history. There were a couple of spots on the edge of the rim and shank at the union next to the stem where the stain was worn or missing. The rim itself was dirty with tars. The stem was clean though oxidized with no tooth marks or chatter. The button was crisp and sharp and the slot was an open oval that flared into the stem opening up into the airway like a funnel. I took a few photos of the pipe when I took it out of the box.

The photo below shows the situation with the cake in the bowl. It was not centered or evenly built up around the bowl so it would need to be cleaned up and adjusted. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer and took the uneven cake back to bare wood. I used the smallest cutting head to begin with and worked my way up to the second cutting head. With these two I was able to clean out the cake. The bowl shape is kind of combination of a V and U shape. The sides are U-shaped to about a half-inch from the bottom of the bowl where it shifts to a V shape. I scrubbed the rim surface with a soft bristle brass tire brush to clean off the tars and oils built up there.

I scrubbed the bowl and rim with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. Once I had scoured it with the soap I put a thumb over the bowl and rinsed off the soap with running water. The photos below show the pipe after I had scrubbed, rinsed it and dried it off with a soft cloth.

After cleaning the briar I gave it a coat of Conservators Wax which is a microcrystalline wax cleaner. I buffed it with a shoe brush to bring a shine to the bowl. I put the stem in a jar of Oxyclean to soak and raise the oxidation to the surface. I let it sit overnight to soak. I then returned to the inside of the bowl. (NOTE: The reason I give the bowl a coat of wax before cleaning the inside of the shank and bowl is because I want to protect the finish when I am cleaning out the inside).

I cleaned out the shank with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs and the airway with pipe cleaners. I cleaned it until the cleaners came out with no grime on them. In the morning I took the stem out of the oxyclean and dried it off with a paper towel. The roughness of the paper towel removes the oxidation that has been raised to the surface of the stem. Once it was dry I slipped a plastic washer on the tenon and reinserted it into the shank of the pipe. The washer allows me to sand all the way to the edges of the stem without rounding the edges at the shank junction. I started with a medium grit sanding sponge and worked through a fine grit sponge and fine grit sanding block. I then wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit micromesh pads and dry sanded with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed down the stem between each group of three pads with Obsidian Oil and then moved onto the next set of three. When I finished I buffed the stem with White Diamond and gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and let it sit until it had dried.

(NB In the photo below I left the plastic washer in place on the stem while in the two above I removed it for the photo) I put the stem back on the bowl and gave it a final buff with a blue polishing bar on the buffer. This polishing compound is a plastic polishing compound (Blue Diamond maybe, can’t remember the name). I finished by giving the bowl a buff of carnauba wax (light touch so as not to gum up the blast finish) and then multiple coats of the wax on the stem. I buffed the whole pipe with a soft flannel buff for the finished shine on the stem and the bowl shown in the photos below. The pipe is ready to be christened with its inaugural smoke this afternoon while I go for a walk in the neighbourhood. I have chosen a Virginia Perique blend called Pilgrim’s Muse that I purchased from the Country Squire Tobacconist. It is a great smoking tobacco with a good flavour.

A Collection of Brigham Documents

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Blog by Bill Tonge & Steve Laug

Bill Tonge, who has written several blogs for rebornpipes has become a big collector and fan of Brigham pipes. He refurbishes them and enjoys their workmanship. Several months ago he talked with Brian Levine, the US Brigham representative and received these brochures and sales flyers for Brigham pipes. When he told me about the collection I asked him to photograph them for me so that I could post them on the blog. What follows is that collection. The text is hard to read in some of the brochures but the photos of the shapes and designs are amazing. There are shapes in there that I have never seen and I have had a lot of Brigham pipes over the years. Enjoy the photos. Thanks Bill for photographing these for us to read. Much appreciated.

A Review – A Brad Pohlmann Dublin with a Bakelite Stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

I met Brad Pohlmann at the Chicago Pipe Show many years ago now. Being a resident of Oregon for many years I was intrigued that he was a Oregonian and a pipemaker. I looked forward to meeting him as I saw in the adverts for the show that he would have a table there. I looked at his pipes at the time but could not afford one and none of them really grabbed me so I passed on from there to thinking that one day I would find a Pohlmann that caught my eye.

Then low and behold, one day at work while I was on a break I checked in on Smokers Forums and a seller had just posted a Pohlmann in the classifieds. The photo and price hit the front page of the site while I was reading over the latest posts. I actually don’t remember the date when I picked up this pipe but I remember buying it from a fellow on Smokers Forum. The pipe had a oxblood stain on the deep sandblast bowl that highlighted the craggy grain of the pipe. The rim was slightly crowned and smooth and fit well with the shape of the pipe and contrasted well with the sandblast finish on the rest of the pipe. The yellow retro Bakelite stem added a touch of class and distinction to the craggy blast of the pipe. The seller had listed it with a very reasonable and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I clicked on the buy it now button, emailed the seller regarding shipping costs to Canada then quickly paid the price and waited for it to arrive. I have always enjoyed learning about the carver when I buy a handmade pipe. I like to read about his philosophy of pipe making and some of the history of the brand. I find that learning this background information gives me a feel for the pipe that adds another dimension to the smoking experience. In terms of information on Pohlmann pipes, I googled his to his website and found the link http://www.pohlmannpipes.com/contact.php. On the site under the ABOUT tab I found the information I was looking for. Brad had posted a well written article regarding the history of his pipemaker and a bit about his pipes. I have included the following from his site as it set the stage for me in terms of enjoying this pipe. I quote in full from Brad’s own words: “This story begins in June of 1975; the place was New York City. I had just returned from a “pipe pilgrimage” to England, where I had visited all the great old shops of London, as well as a trip north to Perth in Scotland to visit the venerable firm of Rattray’s.”

“While on my rounds to the pipe shops of NYC, I chanced upon a Dane making pipes in a store window. The gentleman’s name was Finn Meyan Anderson, and he claimed to have worked in the Larsen workshop in Copenhagen. We had a friendly chat about pipes and I remember being favorably impressed with his pipes, and the fact that these freshly minted specimens were being sold in the same store as their manufacture.”
“A year later, at home in San Diego, California I decided my real desire was to operate my own Tobacconist store, stocked with pipes of my own design – not amateurish creations but pipes of quality and design. But how to make them?”

“I poured over several copies of The Pipe Smoker’s Ephemeris and made notes of the locations of all pipemakers between the West Coast and New York. Armed with this information, I mapped out my route, loaded my backpack, walked to the onramp of Interstate 5, and extended my thumb. One of the memorable moments along the way was a visit to Travers LaRue on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound, off the coast of Washington state. I might have apprenticed with him, but his new son-in-law had just acquired that position – Geezzz, what some people will do to become a pipemaker!”

“With far too many stories in between, I eventually made it to Manhattan but Finn had left and was reported to be working in Vermont. I had the names of two makers there – Andrew Marks in Middlebury and the The Briar Workship in Stowe. Finn had indeed been working in Stowe, but was gone by the time I arrived. However, Elliot and Jorg were making some very attractive pipes and after some fancy confabulation on my part, I joined in their work. A year or two later we had Jim Cooke join our team. It was a great five years altogether, working in Stowe & Hyde Park in Vermont, and Coral Springs in Florida. In 1980 I moved back to California, where I completed a 4 year Tool and Die apprenticeship to round out my machining skills in the pipe shop. Fate had other plans for the future, which led to a 16-year career in the computer industry and only a little time to make pipe for friends and the odd pipe repair.”

“Finally, in 2003 it was time to begin making Pohlmann Pipes, combining the skills learned at the Briar Workshop with the tool and die training, and now incorporating the newest trends in the internal construction of the pipe.”—Brad Pohlmann

My initial impressions of the pipe really include what drew me to this piece of pipe art enough to want to add it to my collection and make it a part of my pipe journey. It is a medium or group 4 sized pipe. Its dimensions are a well-balanced 5 inches long and 2 inches tall. The tobacco chamber is 1 1/2inches deep and 3/4 inches in diameter. There is a narrow band of briar that separates the shank from the stem and provides a smooth transition from the sandblast to the smooth finish of the Bakelite. The dark oxblood stain of the sandblast finish and the same colour smooth band and rim work well with the shape of the pipe. The stem is a handmade saddle shape from a yellow coloured Bakelite. The stem shape and colour work well with the oxblood stain of the sandblast and smooth portions of the bowl. The button on the stem is thin and comfortable. When the pipe arrived it was an impressive piece. The workmanship of the pipe, the deep and craggy sandblast ring grain around the entire bowl and radiating across the shank gave it very tactile feel that captured me. Some pipes like this one and the Roush leave a lasting impression in my mind. I still remember sliding the pipe out of the sleeve and enjoying the look and the way it sat in my hand. Brad had made a very beautiful pipe that was now mine. It had the faint aromas of the Virginias that its previous owner had smoked and the bowl had no cake at all. In fact it did not even look to have been smoked to the bottom of the bowl. The smooth rim has some swirling grain on it and the arched appearance gives it a touch of class. Examining it up close it is obvious that it is blasted with a master hand.

There is a smooth, oval medallion of briar on the bottom of the shank that provides a spot for the stamping. On the underside of the stem it is stamped with an arced Pohlmann over USA. The symmetry of the pipe is easy on the eyes. The balance between the height of the bowl and the length of the shank is perfect. The stain has variation and almost a sparkle when moved in the light. The yellow Bakelite stem stands in stark contrast to the oxblood stain on the bowl and together give the pipe a dressy and classic look. The inner mechanics of the pipe are perfect. The drilling is perfectly executed from the shank and into the bowl – coming out exactly centre in the bottom of the bowl. The airway from the bowl into the mortise is centered. It is smooth in its entrance to the mortise and the mortise itself is also smooth with no rough spot left by drill bit. The end of the shank is sanded smooth and is finished. There is a bevel in the shank end to accommodate the tenon and provide a snug fit against the shank. The bowl itself is U shaped and smooth from sides to bottom. The air way enters the bowl and is smooth and clean.The draught on the bowl is wide open and effortless.

Looking at the Bakelite stem one is struck by the retro look of the old stem material. The saddle shape works well with the material and the Dublin shape of the pipe giving it a classic style that works with just a little flair of modern. It is hand cut out of a piece of Bakelite. From the saddle back it is well tapered with good even angles top and bottom progressing to the button. There is a slight wavy pattern to the Bakelite that makes it have an amberlike look in the light. The blade of the stem that is put in the mouth is thin and comfortable. Brad did a great job shaping the stem and capturing a shape that really works with this pipe.

The tenon is white Delrin that has been inserted into the stem for durability and ease of use. The airway is funneled slightly for a smooth transition from the mortise when it is in place. There is a very minimal gap between the end of the tenon and the base of the mortise. The transition where the Delrin meets the Bakelite of the stem is seamless. There is no lip or rough spot at that junction. The draught of the stem is unrestricted and open. When the pipe is put together the draught is effortless. The fit of the stem to the shank is very well done. The button is cut to my liking with a good sharp inner edge and tapered to the tip. It is a thin button with material enough to provide an edge that fits behind the teeth. The slot is rectangular with rounded edges and deeply funneled to deliver a uniform airway from bowl to button. The inside of the slot is sanded smooth and polished. The airway is absolutely smooth from slot to tenon. The overall construction of this pipe is very well done. It is light in the hand and in the mouth. The shaping of the stem is exactly what I like in terms of the feel in my mouth. The blade from the button to the saddle is deep enough to give room for how it sits in my mouth. It is well balanced and tactile feel of the deep blast as it warms up during the smoking of a bowl is very pleasant. Like others in my American carver collection, I smoked the pipe at specific times in my life. It is a pipe I enjoy smoking when sitting on my porch or in my recliner. It is not one that I carry with me as an everyday pipe. That being said since I got it I have smoked it enough to have a good thin cake developed in the bowl. It is one that I have dedicated to Virginia and Virginia Perique tobaccos. It delivered a good smoke from the first smoke I had in the bowl and continues to do so to this day. It draws well; the lighting has never been a problem and continues to be an effortless smoke. Now that I am writing this review up, I have moved the pipe out of the cupboard and set it aside to enjoy Sunday afternoon. Thanks Brad for delivering a beautiful, well-made pipe that remains a very good smoking pipe to this day.

If you can acquire a pipe made by Brad Pohlmann I can assure you that it will not disappoint you and you will find that it will become a favourite in your rack. One of the things I love about pipes is that they live far longer than the original owner. I hold it in trust while it is in my care. The craftsmanship of this pipe gives the certainty that it will continue its journey well beyond the years that it is my companion.

Undressing a Stanwell Black Diamond

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Blog by Greg Wolford

A few days ago I received a Stanwell Black Diamond shape 185 in the mail, gifted to me from an Instagram friend. It was a pipe he’d bought as an estate and hadn’t touched. When it arrived it was a “dress black” pipe, covered with a matte black opaque finish that needed some TLC: the rim was a bit uneven from being bumped or tapped out, the finish was “thin” in a few spots, with the briar peeking through, and needed to be cleaned internally. I thought I was going to do a quick clean up and smoke it but the story developed into something more soon. So I didn’t plan on all that I ended up doing and didn’t take photos. I even forgot to take a before picture so I’m using a “stock” picture of this model.

I cleaned the bowl, stem and shank first. This pipe had almost no cake and was not very dirty at all; it took only half dozen or so pipe cleaners to get it done. As I said before, I thought this was be a really fast job when I saw how little use the pipe had had. But it, of course, didn’t turn out quite so simple.

I wiped the stummel down with alcohol to clean off the surface and prepare it for a treatment with a new idea I had: colored wax. Some time back, Steve had mentioned to me about a product that Hobby Lobby carried that was a rub on/rub off wax that comes in different colors and might be good to highlight stem or shank nomenclature. I picked up a tube of black and have tried it once or twice with less than great results. But I thought it might be just the thing to touch up the black finish on this pipe and shine it up, too. The alcohol removed a little of the black coat but not too much as I cleaned it so I knew the finish was removable at this pint, in case the idea didn’t work. After the briar dried I rubbed the ebony wax onto the pipe, let it haze and buffed it off by hand. I did about three coats of the wax and wasn’t really thrilled with the pipe, even though the color “took”.

The bumpy rim was irritating to me and I knew it would continue to be a distraction. Although I was worried about what lay under the opaque finish, I decided to top the bowl and go from there. The newly smooth rim pleased me and I couldn’t help but wonder what was under that black coat. So I began to sand the black away to see.

The coating was fairly thick and took some time to remove. I sanded with 220 grit paper until the black was mostly gone. It was a pleasant surprise that no fills were under that coat. In fact, the grain was pretty nice. So I moved on to 400 grit paper and then buffed the briar with tripoli to see how it looked; it was nice and the black would make a great contrast stain. I wiped the pipe down with alcohol again to remove the wax and dust and started sanding with 600 grit paper. After I was happy with the smooth surface of the pipe I removed the tape I’d applied earlier to the stamping to protect it and began to work gently around the black patches under the tape to make as little damage as possible to the nomenclature but break up the black.

I mixed up some Fiebing’s dark brown leather dye with isopropyl alcohol in a 1:3 ratio. I applied and flamed the stain several times to get a nice, even coat. Then I wiped the bowl down with alcohol wetted pads until I removed enough due to see the grain well. I moved to the buffer where I buffed with tripoli and white diamond before laying the stummel aside to deal with the stem.

The stem on this pipe is acrylic and was in good shape; there were no major scratches or tooth dents so I polished it with plastic polish and then reassembled the pipe. Then the entire pipe got several coats of carnauba wax and buffed to a shine on a clean flannel buff and then a bit more by hand with a microfiber cloth.

I’m really pleased with the “undress” pipe. And I’m relieved that the briar under the “coat” was as nice as it is. This large, heavy pipe will now have a spot on my rack, to be used and enjoyed, something that it hasn’t had much of in its life.

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