Post your questions and read the answers and respond with your own. Questions and answers can be posted in the Comments section below. This section of rebornpipes is a forum to provide discussion on the work of pipe restoration and refurbishing. Post your questions here and check in regularly to see what answers may be given.
rebornpipes
reclaiming old and worn estate pipes
I received a pipe from eBay. Went to unscrew the stem and POP!! Someone was a bit careless with the superglue. Some got onto a small section of the stem and the pipe sticking the 2 together. Until I unscrewed it and the piece of stem and meerschaum that was stuck together dropped to the floor and separated. The shank part seems like a simple repair. The piece fits perfect, no chips missing and can be glued. I think I need a new stem though. When it broke, a couple very tiny pieces are missing. I think its only on the exterior. I’m going to try to glue it and see if it seals. If not I have a source for a replacement stem. My question is should I get the new stem and not bother with the repairing the original, or see how the repair goes? I think, if the chips are a bother that they can be filled with the super glue. Do they make amber colored superglue or something to color it with? Other than black or brown. Thanks
Before & After Restoration Balm
Hi, love the website and the work you do. Your pictures look great. What do you use for lighting/light box and what kind of camera? I have tested a few ways to take pictures of my pipes and havent had a lot of success. Thanks!
HI Matt I use my iPhone X for photos and I am amazed at the clarity of the photos when I dont shake and mess them up… I don’t have a light box at this point I just use a blue cloth in front of a window above my desk.. Seems to work well
You could make a rest for your phone out of simple pvc. Or use something to steady your hands. A piece of wood will suffice. Anything really. But you can assemble a phone rest with pvc. Build ia rectangle to fit your phone. The legs you can make one length, or you can have several lengths.
Instead of a rectangle you could make a square.
Instead of a rectangle, you could use a square.
Hello, I’ve looked at the forum many times over the past couple of years, but never signed in or got evolved in the Q&As. I really enjoy the posts and photos and always seem to pick up a tip or two. I’m a firm believer in the old adage “never stop learning.”
All that said, I have an old pipe on my bench that I’ve had for some time, but am just starting the restoration process. It’s in pretty fair shape, but was well loved. It has a horn stem with an unusual (to me) bayonet mount with two draft holes in the stummel. The stem has a few problem spots, but not too bad. A nice silver band on the shank. The briar is decent, but had quite a bit of pink putty to dig out. All ‘n all, I think it will be a nice old pipe when finished. But here’s the Q: the only markings on the pipe is C.A. inside an oval (fairly large). I have been completely unsuccessful in finding any info about the maker. Any thoughts or ideas are welcomed? Hal
Hi Hal… the pipe sounds like it is an old one. Can you send me pics to slaug@uniserve.com so I can have a look?
I just received a willard imported briar, and there is a chunk broken from the stem on the underside of the mouthpiece about a half inch long and 1/8 inch wide. the pieces were jammed into the stem, and as such are still present. I am trying to source a replacement stem or find a way to fix it.
Thanks for the comment. Replacement stems are hard to find and generally are picked up on ebay if you pay attention. You could try to rebuild the stem end using super glue and charcoal. Reshape and rebuild it.
Good afternoon !!!! Tell me what does Before & After Restoration Balm consist of ???? Is that carnauba wax? Or solid Danish butter ???? Very nice poluchaetsya !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the answer from all the pipe smokers of our society !!!!
Andrey.
Good afternoon !!! A very useful site. Sorry for my English. Write what it consists of …. Before & After Restoration Balm …. ???? Is that Carnauba wax ??? Or is it Danish butter ??? The tubes are very good after processing !!!! Thank you very much for the answer !!!!!!!
Andrey !!!
Good afternoon !!!! Tell me what does Before & After Restoration Balm consist of ???? Is that carnauba wax? Or solid Danish butter ???? Very nice poluchaetsya !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the answer from all the pipe smokers of our society !!!!
Andrey.
I am not sure what is consists of but is like a buttery texture
Thanks. If you didn’t do it but bought it, please write what is it called?
Thanks Andrey.
I have a Jobey Stromboli briar pipe. Nice smoke. The stem insert broke, twice, and I cracked the stem getting the second one out. I don’t think the crack goes all the way into the stem except where it is threaded for the stem insert. I’m guessing I can still smoke it with a new insert. But, I would like to close that crack if possible. Could I use a little premixed wood putty? Any other suggestions? Thanks
Can you send me a photo of the area to slaug@uniserve.com then I can assess it. Thanks
One more question. If you are familiar with the stem insert on the Jacoby pipes, any tips about how to keep them from breaking? It worked fine when I bought the pipe earlier this year. Best to turn the stem to the right so as not to unscrew the insert from the pipe. I managed to remove the broken insert and inserted a spare I had. But that one broke too turning the stem to the right per instructions when it was almost all the way in. The fit was very tight. Maybe a bit of olive or coconut oil might help?
Thanks much, Roger
Sent you an email. the gist of the response is that you should be careful how far you screw it into the shank. Always remember less is more when putting it in the shank.
Hi all,
I have this pipe which is broken.
I don’t know how to fix it. Can I use glue? Won’t that give off something toxic when I use the pipe?
I feel it already held with glue before
Thanks a lot !
Lucie it appears that the tenon broke off in the shank. It should be pulled out and a new tenon drilled and fitted in the stem. Don’t glue it!
This weekend I received a lot of pipes. One is a Frankau’s Snapfit. The problem is that the stem just turns and is a bit sloppy. I will try putting it the freezer for a bit, but is there a particular trick to these pipes?
Never figures one out. Google and see if you can find a patent diagram
I’ll keep working on it! Thanks for reply and thanks for all write ups and tricks.
Hi I recently bought a lot of 18 estate pipes and have been restoring them. From filling chips and repairing cracks to simple cleaning and polishing. One of the pipes is a smooth medium shaped Dublin. After removing layers of grime I was able to read the nomenclature which reads Middleton Silvay. From what I am able to find it could be made by comoys or royal ascot. My question is are you familiar with this brand as to when production ended? As it looks like they started being produced in the 1930s. Thanks for any help you might give.
Jon
Have a look here http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-m5.html The brand is made for John Middleton Tobacco Company. Have a look at the link and you will see the Silvay there as well.
Is it expensive to have a pipe restored? I have a couple of pipes that I would love cleans up. They aren’t fancy pipes but I really like them? Thank you.
Depends on the condition of the pipes. A general restoration by most folks runs about 30-35USD
I have some pipes that were recently recovered from a humid storage unit and are covered in mildew inside and out. Is there a reliable pipe repair place that could restore them? I’ve looked for someone I could send them out to, but can’t find anyone.
Hello,
Excellent site! Really enjoy the history and craftsmanship for tobacco pipes. Just started my first restoration of an older Butz Chaquin “Virginia”, made in Claude France with the numbers 2403 stamped on it. It also has a screw on horn stem. I am taking it down to raw briar and then waxing it for a natural finish and aging. I really love the pipe, and wanted to make it my virginia smoking pipe. The only problem is that before my salt bath I wanted to run a pipe cleaner through with some alcohol and found that I could not get it down the shank. I looked in and saw a smaller hole inside and down from the screw hole, and it seemed to run to a smaller hole after that. I believe its a stinger of some sort, but I don’t know how to remove it. The threads for the stem are attached to metal band that clamps down to the shank and does not appear to be removable. I don’t know much about stingers that sit inside the shank, but would really like to get it out.
I love this pipe and really want to restore it and not have the stinger. Any advice?
I can send pics if needed.
Thanks!
Sounds like an integrated stinger/tenon and not readily removable. You can send a pic to me at slaug@uniserve.com and I will have a look
Hello from Montana
I have cleaned up a few Linkman pipes and I have a question about one of the bowl shapes and how common they were. The bowl is shaped like a four sided bolt. It is a linkman dr grabow deluxe bruyere pat no. 1896600 shape no. 9707 so if you are familiar with this one I am curious as I haven’t seen another one on the web
Hi Jonathan, there may well be some information on the The Dr. Grabow Collectors Forum on Facebook. There used to be forum independent of the Facebook group that had a lot of helpful information
Hello,
I am starting the pipe restoration hobby.
This site is really my guide, so first i would like to say thank you for that!
I am currently trying to understand the different products and their uses.
I am not completely clear about the differeces between the following products:
– before & after balm
– paragon/halcyon II wax
– Tripoli (buffing wheel)
– white Diamond (buffing wheel)
– carnauba wax (buffing wheel)
I mostly understand what these products do individually but when I read about them they have simmilar purposes. When do you use which one?
Thanks in advance!
Greetings from Belgium
Jorne
Hello Jorne. I will try prioritize these items according to when I use them.
1.Before Buffing – Before & After Balm is used to rejuvenate and protect the briar. I use it once I have polished the bowl with micromesh.
2.Order of Buffing – Tripoli is the coarsest of the list you give. I don’t always use it. Typical on really rough stems and briar. White Diamond is the next one up and is a polishing compound. I use this most of the time before giving the bowl and stem wax.
3. Waxing – Carnauba is the wax I use on the wheel on virtually every smooth pipe and every stem. It can only be applied with the wheel or a Dremel and miniwheel. Paragon and Halcyon were created for those without wheels. I use Halcyon or Conservators Wax on rusticated or sandblast finishes so that i do not get the build up in the grooves that come with buffing in carnauba.
Hope that helps.
Thank you this helps alot!
Hi I have a question about a KBB Yello Bole century model. It is a Canadian oval shank. Just wondering what year it might have been made. I know certain dating items i.e the kbb clover being before 55 when they were bought out by s m Frank. But besides this I am not sure as it has no date code or one of the slogans marked on the pipe. So my guess is between 47 to 55. Just curious in Montana. Thanks.
Sounds like your logic is spot on. I am not sure you can get it much closer than that for a date.
Hi All,
greetings from the U.K !
I am looking for information regarding the restoration of a Redmanol pipe stem from an old CPF( I think) meerschaum. It has a portion of the tenon stem missing (about 1 half of the tenon thread in the stem)
My question is, Can this be fixed without re stemming the pipe or other invasive procedures, also will redmanol bond with other materials/glues
Greetings! I have worked on a lot of old CPF pipes with Redmanol stems. If the tenon is broken I have used a small drill bit and screwed it into the tenon and turned it out. If that does not work you can drill out the old bit. There are replacement tenons online through JH Lowe and Vermont Freehand…
Thanks, your help is appreciated, the old tennon is stuck fast in the shank, its where it screws into the tennon end of the bit where the problem is ,as approx. a third to a half of this is broken off and missing (one side of the threaded bit in the bit)so would need to fabricate suitable material to fill the area, so its a tennon end stem rebuild if you understand what I mean.
my thoughts were to fabricate and fix the stem in place on the pipe,this would make it non removable but functional?
Any ideas would be most welcome as you guys are the oracle(s) of pipe restoration!
Many thanks
Greetings,
I’m taking care of a mistreated full bent billiard meerschaum lady, and I would like to give her a blackened rim (e.g. Lee van Cleef’s meerschaum in “For a few dollars more”). I would highly appreciate any hint or advice about how to get the above mentioned finishing.
Best regards,
Piper is Calling
I have done that with either a Black Stain Pen or a Black Sharpie pen with good results. Let us know how it works!
Thanks for your suggestion. I was thinking on something like the old “Vienna meerschaum” or Peterson meers have. It seems to me they burn the rim with a torch, but I tried that without positive results.
Hello, can anyone tell me if it’s possible to fix a hole in a sandblasted Oom Paul? It’s at the very bottom and goes all the way through to the bowl.
Yes it is possible. It needs to be drilled out and a plug put in the bowl.
Hello! Regarding BBB Christmas pipes : Which year was the first Christmas pipe made ?
Sincerely J.A.Winther
I am not sure
Hello I’ve recently purchased an interesting pipe stamped cpf and would like to know more about this pipe. I believe it is a horn stem(2 piece) and looks like a English bull dog.
Here is a link to my reflections on the CPF history. There are also a lot of restorations on CPFs as it is a brand I collect.
https://rebornpipes.com/2013/04/14/some-reflection-on-the-historical-background-on-cpf-pipes/
Greetings,
I have what I think is a Dr. Grabow rusticated Billiard with a threaded stem that was over screwed by an eighth of a turn or so. I used the boil the stem in the microwave method to realign the stem and by golly it worked. The little teeny white spade emblem came off the stem in the boil and I lost it, its so dang small. I was thinking about buying some white epoxy resin on Amazon for 6 or 7 dollars and fill in the inset and sand it down. Seems a little pricey seeing that I think I paid $2 for the pipe. Do you have any thoughts on this or perhaps a better alternative? I enjoy your website. Thanks in advance, Mick
Mick, I have used acrylic white paint and filled in the hole in the stem and then sanded it smooth. It took a couple of fillings with the paint but it worked well.
Greetings Brother-I bought a cheap Missouri meerschaum hardwood pipe to take hunting and just about had it right when I was removing the stem and the shank separated from the bowl. How should I secure it back into place or should I just trash it? I will not buy another just to have the same thing happen. You expert advice would be truly appreciated . I really hate to even bother you with such. Best Regards, Thomas Brown
Thomas you can glue the shank into the bowl wood glue or Elmers works great and an easy fix
Hi,
Saw a restoration for a Aluminum Featherweight Airograte by Yello Bole, I have one I want to restore and am looking for a new bowl and screen to restore this pipe. It currently has a yellow ceramic, coated wood bowl. Not sure it is useable. Anyone have one or know where to get one?
Thanks
Dave
Alex since you are not eating either one you can still use it! It dries hard and is neutral….
Why coat the bowl at all?
LOL! That is the question right. Most who use them do so to aid in the speedy building of cake. The idea is to protect the briar until a carbon coat forms.
Why is a layer of burnt crud desirable? I always clean my pipes pretty thoroughly every time I smoke them as part of the ritual. The last time I tried baking cakes in a few pipes I had to bring them to you because they stank. (Full disclosure: I don’t eat cake either!)
Is there a vegan alternative? 😉
How do you make a bowl coating to protect a pipe? Some use honey and charcoal powder while others of us use yogurt or sour cream with charcoal powder…
Is there a vegan alternative? 😉
I use maple syrup with activated charcoal. Seems to work well.