Tag Archives: Algerian French Made Briar

Rebirthing a French made DM over UNIC Algerian Briar Panel Sitter

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on was an interesting octagonal Panel. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Saint Cloud, Florida, USA on o4/12/2024. The finish was very dirty but some great mixed grain stood out around the bowl and the shank. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads either DN or PM horizontally and vertically it is stamped UNIC. I have never heard of the brand at this point. Below these stamps it is stamped Algerian Briar [over] France. There was also a faint DN or PM in an oval stamped on the side of the saddle stem. The bowl had a moderate cake with some light lava overflow and scratching on the rim top.  The shape is almost a Skater but the Octagonal panels take away the shape point of the nose on the heel of the bowl. It had a vulcanite push saddle stem. The stem was oxidized and it was rough to touch. There were also some gouges in the top near the saddle that looked like marks from pliers and tooth marks and chatter. The worst part was that there was large chip from the button forward on the underside of the stem that gave me pause and made me think it would need to be restemmed. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. 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 cake in the bowl and the darkening, scratches and light lava coat on the inner edge and rim top. He also took photos of the stem. It is dirty and has a large chunk out of the underside of the stem from the button forward. Jeff took some photos of the sides of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos show the smooth finish on sides and heel of the bowl and shank, highlighting grain. Under the dust it was some great looking briar on the panel sides of the octagonal bowl. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The DM or PM stamp over UNIC does not ring any bells with me in terms of the maker. Any help would be greatly appreciated…Jeff did a thorough clean up on the pipe before he sent the box to me. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. It was smooth and in great condition. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners, shank brushes and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush at the same time as the bowl. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. Once it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. The damage on the stem underside was clearly visible. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took close-up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition after cleaning. It looked great. I also took photos of the stem surface to show the condition of the stem and the large chip on the underside. I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. I also took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to give a sense of size and perspective.I sanded the rim top and sides of the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the debris. I polished the smooth side of the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. It really began to take on a real shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the smooth briar with my finger. 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 wood while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. Now I had a decision to make regarding the stem. I could try a repair on the huge chip but I was uncertain how well it would hold up. I could try though. I could also fit a new stem on the pipe. I could not find any stem that was similar but I found one that would give the pipe a jaunty look. Here is a photo of the two stems. I decided to fit the new stem to the shank just to have a look at its appearance. I really wanted to know if the stem would work and what the pipe would look like with the stem. The pipe almost has the appearance of an interesting cross between a French and a Danish pipe.I sanded the casting marks and marks on the new stem with 220 grit sandpaper and files to clean it up and make it look fitting. The change of appearance was quite different. I am excited to see how the finished stem looks on the bowl.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and debris. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look very good.I heated the stem with the flame of a lighter and then bent it over the curve of the lighter. The bend was perfect and once polished I looked forward to see what it would look like on the finished pipe.I polished it 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. I buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect it. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it looks better than when we picked it up. As always, I put the new stem on the DM UNIC Algerian Briar France 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 and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished All Briar stem. This DM Algerian Briar French Octagonal Panel is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.29 ounces/65 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by French Pipe Makers. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

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.

The Second of Two Algerian Briar French Made Pipes – a Bent Bulldog

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Blog by Steve Laug

I have quite a few of the pipes in this collection that we purchased from the older gentleman. He sent me the photos and I was amazed at what I saw. You have seen many of the pipes that he had. These included Dunhill, BBB, Orlik, Barclay Rex, a cased Ben Wade, an H. Simmons all briar, Hardcastles and some Meerschaums. There were also some assorted others that I will get to in the days ahead. It was a great collection.

Now it was time to work on some of the single pipes that he had. The next one of these is a beautifully grained Bulldog that is stamped on the top right side of the diamond shank. It reads ALGERIAN BRIAR [over] Made in France. The stamping is clear and readable. It is a nice looking Bent Bulldog. The vulcanite saddle stem does not have any stamping on either side. It is the top pipe in the above photo.

Jeff took some photos of the ALGERIAN BRIAR BULLDOG before he worked his magic in cleaning up the pipe. It is a an interesting pipe with a lot of potential and what appears to be some great grain under the grime and debris of the years.Jeff took photos of the bowl, rim top to show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the thick lava on the rim top. The rim top and both inner and outer edges are so thickly covered that it is hard to know their condition. It appears that there are some nicks and chips on the outer edge that visible but not deep. All of the issues will become clearer after the clean up. He took photos of the top and underside of the vulcanite stem showing the oxidation, calcification, tooth marks, chatter and wear on the stem and button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the briar. You can see the beautiful shape of the bowl and some interesting grain even through the dirt and debris of many years.   Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the top left side of the shank to show the clarity and readability of the stamp. It reads as mentioned above.This Algerian Briar French Made Bulldog is a great looking pipe. Because the old gentleman that we bought the pipes from intimated that he purchased it at the Manhattan Barclay-Rex store I wonder if these were pipes made for them. I was unable to pin down any information regarding the date this pipe was made but the fact that it is among the old timers I have been working on makes me think it is older as well.

Jeff carefully cleaned the pipe. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals of the shank, stem and shank extension with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime and grit on the briar and lava on the rim top. The finish looks much better and has a deep richness in the colour that highlights the dimensions of the grain. The rim top nicks in the briar on the top the inner edge was darkened. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and scrubbed it with Soft Scrub to remove the remnants of oxidation. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver I was amazed that it looked so good. Here are some photos of what I saw. I took some close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. The top and edges of the rim looked good and there was some nicks and scratches on the top and outer edge. The inner edge had some darkening but looked good. The stem pitted and there was tooth chatter on the top an bottom of the stem ahead of the button and on the button surfaceI took a photo of the stamping on the top right side of the diamond shank. It is readable and clear.I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. I started my work on the pipe by dealing with the damaged rim top and edges. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the nicks on the outer edge of the rim cap and blend them into the surface of the briar.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank 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 my attention to the stem. The surface was rough but there were not any tooth marks. I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface of the stem and reshape the button. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper.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. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil. As I sanded it I was not surprised to find flecks of metal in the rubber of this stem as well which helped in dating the pipe to the war years of the 30s and 40s. With the bowl and the stem finished I put the beautiful Algerian Briar Bent Bulldog back together and buffed it on the wheel using Blue Diamond to give it a shine. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel. I buffed it with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It really is a great looking pipe with beautiful grain. The dimensions of the pipe are – Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inch, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of this large pipe is 1.27 ounces /35 grams. This Algerian Briar Bulldog is another great find in this collection. It is much more beautiful in person than these photos can capture. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store soon. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. This is another pipe that has the possibility of transporting the pipe man or woman back to a slower paced time in history where you can enjoy a respite. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.

 

The First of Two Algerian Briar French Made Pipes – a 421 Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

I have quite a few of the pipes in this collection that we purchased from the older gentleman. He sent me the photos and I was amazed at what I saw. You have seen many of the pipes that he had. These included Dunhill, BBB, Orlik, Barclay Rex, a cased Ben Wade, an H. Simmons all briar, Hardcastles and some Meerschaums. There were also some assorted others that I will get to in the days ahead. It was a great collection.

Now it was time to work on some of the single pipes that he had. The next one of these is a beautifully grained Canadian that is stamped on the underside of the shank. It reads ALGERIAN BRIAR [over] Made in France [over] 421. The stamping is clear and readable. It is a nice looking Canadian. The short taper vulcanite stem does not have any stamping on either side. It is the lower pipe in the above photo.

Jeff took some photos of the ALGERIAN BRIAR 421 CANADIAN before he worked his magic in cleaning up the pipe. It is a an interesting pipe with a lot of potential and what appears to be some great grain under the grime and debris of the years.Jeff took photos of the bowl, rim top to show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the thick lava on the rim top. The rim top and both inner and outer edges are so thickly covered that it is hard to know their condition. It appears that there are some nicks and chips on the outer edge that are quite deep. All of the issues will become clearer after the clean up. He took photos of the top and underside of the vulcanite stem showing the oxidation, calcification, tooth marks, chatter and wear on the stem and button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the briar. You can see the beautiful shape of the bowl and some interesting grain even through the dirt and debris of many years.   Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank to show the clarity and readability of the stamp. It reads as mentioned above.This Algerian Briar French Made Canadian is a great looking pipe. Because the old gentleman that we bought the pipes from intimated that he purchased it at the Manhattan Barclay-Rex store I wonder if these were pipes made for them. I was unable to pin down any information regarding the date this pipe was made but the fact that it is among the old timers I have been working on makes me think it is older as well.

Jeff carefully cleaned the pipe. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals of the shank, stem and shank extension with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime and grit on the briar and lava on the rim top. The finish looks much better and has a deep richness in the colour that highlights the dimensions of the grain. The rim top was in rough condition with nicks and gouges on the top and on the inner and outer edges. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and scrubbed it with Soft Scrub to remove the remnants of oxidation. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver I was amazed that it looked so good. Here are some photos of what I saw. I took some close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. The top and inner and outer edge of the rim were in rough condition. There was serious damage back outer edge of the bowl. The stem had deep tooth marks just ahead of the button and on the button surface. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe. I started my work on the pipe by dealing with the damaged rim top and edges. I worked on the inner edge cleaning up the bevel with 180 grit sandpaper. I rebuilt the damaged outer edge on the bowl on the back of the pipe with clear CA glue and briar dust. I topped the damaged rim top on a topping board with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the roughness on the outer edge of the rim. Next I turned to the gouges in the sides of the bowl. I filled them in with clear CA glue and briar dust. Once the repairs cured I sanded them smooth with 180 and 220 grit sandpaper. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down after each grit with a damp cloth. The grain began to really stand out. Once it was finished I stained the rim top and edges with a combination of Cherry, Maple and Oak stain pens to blend the areas I had sanded into the rest of the bowl.  I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank 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 my attention to the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to lift the marks. Many lifted all the way but those that remained I filled in with clear CA glue. Once it cured I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to blend them in the rest of the stem surface. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. As I sanded it I was not surprised to find flecks of metal in the rubber which helped in dating the pipe to the war years of the 30s and 40s.  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. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil. With the bowl and the stem finished I put the beautiful Algerian Briar 421 Canadian back together and buffed it on the wheel using Blue Diamond to give it a shine. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel. I buffed it with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It really has some great looking grain. The dimensions of the pipe are – Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ½ inch, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of this large pipe is 1.13 ounces /31 grams. This Algerian Briar Canadian is another great find in this collection. I try to use the same prop with the pipes I photograph to give a sense of size and proportion of the pipe. You can see from the dimensions given above this is a petite pipe that makes this small shell seem quite large. It is much more beautiful in person than these photos can capture. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store soon. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. This is another pipe that has the possibility of transporting the pipe man or woman back to a slower paced time in history where you can enjoy a respite. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.