Tag Archives: article by Kenneth Lieblich

Restoring a Handsome Peterson Deluxe System 9S

by Kenneth Lieblich

This is the second of the Deluxe Petes I restored recently. You can read about the other one here. This one is a good-looking bent billiard, with a sandblast finish. It comes from the Republic era, has a sterling silver band, and has the classic Peterson P-lip. This one has already been sold, but I thought I’d show it to you anyway. Let’s have a look at the markings on this pipe. The underside of the stummel reads, Peterson’s [over] DeLuxe [over] Made in the [over] Republic [over] of Ireland. Next to that is the shape number, 9S. The band has markings too. First are the words Peterson [over] Dublin. Next to that are the words Sterling [over] Silver. Finally, it has a set of proper hallmarks: Hibernia, which indicated that it was made in Dublin. Next is the Harp Crowned, which indicates sterling silver. Third is the date letter. In this case, it’s a stylized H. Checking the Irish hallmarks chart tells me that this pipe dates from 1975 – almost fifty years ago. For more information on Peterson Deluxe System pipes, click on the link to my previous article and it will provide some useful information.Time to get on with it! The stem was pretty dirty. It had some calcification on it and I used a sharp edge to carefully scrape that off. Once done, I scrubbed the stem with oil soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame in order to lift the few bite marks and dents. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. You can see just how filthy it was inside. I wiped down the stem with cleanser to remove surface oxidation. Then the stem went for an overnight soak in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. The next day, I used the cleanser again with some cotton rounds.I also took the opportunity to clean up the aluminum chimney with some isopropyl alcohol, then sanded with some 0000-grit steel wool.I built up the small tooth marks on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure. I then used my needle files, Micromesh pads and Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil to make it look great. Onto the stummel – it was both beautiful and a mess! The first thing I did was to ream out the mountain of cake inside the bowl. I used the PipNet, and some sandpaper taped to a dowel. Fortunately, there was no damage to the interior walls. I used cotton rounds and a toothbrush with some oil soap to scrub the outside of the stummel. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I followed that up by de-ghosting the pipe and the bowl was nice and clean after this. I then cleaned the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. In the process of cleaning, however, I noticed something unfortunate. The underside of the stummel has a small crack. After inspecting it closely, I saw that it wasn’t too serious at all and would be an easy fix.Repairing the crack first involves drilling a tiny hole at each end of the crack to stop it from elongating any further. I took my micro drill bit and delicately drilled a hole into the briar. I then administered a dose of CA glue (mixed with briar dust) along the crack and let it cure. It came out really well and, after sanding it smooth, I touched up the colour with my furniture pens. I then worked on cleaning up the sterling silver band. I taped it off, as I didn’t want to damage the wood. This worked well and I was pleased. I followed that up with some Before & After Restoration Balm. I let it sit on the wood for 20 minutes or so, then buffed it off with a microfibre cloth. I took the pipe to the buffer. I gave it a good application of conservator’s wax, since carnauba wax will gum up in the grooves. This made all the difference. It really sparkled after that. I also polished the silver with my jewellery cloth. This Peterson Deluxe System 9S Bent Billiard is such a good-looking pipe. I’m sure my customer will enjoy this one for many years. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did in restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Peterson Sterling Silver Deluxe System 11S Pipe

1 Reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

Ah, the Peterson Deluxe System – such a lovely pipe. Good fortune has provided two such pipes for me. First is the one you’re about to see restored and the second in a few days time. The two pipes didn’t come into my possession together, but they are being restored together. Despite both being Deluxe Systems, they have different finishes, come from different eras, and had different challenges in restoration. This 11S is really a fantastic pipe with wonderful grain. I am delighted with the way it cleaned up and I hope you are too! Our first Pete is this handsome fellow. It’s an 11S shape, has a smooth-finish, comes from the Republic era, and has the classic Peterson P-lip. Let’s have a look at the markings on this pipe. The left side of the stummel reads, Peterson’s [over] DeLuxe. The right side of the stummel reads, Made in the [over] Republic [over] of Ireland [over] 11S. The band has markings too. It has a set of faux hallmarks which read K&P. Over that are the words Sterling [over] Silver. To the right, are the words Peterson [over] Dublin. Finally, the stem reads Hand [over] Cut. In order to find out a bit more about the Deluxe System, I looked at Peterson’s own website and they furnished this information:

While the Deluxe stamp first appeared on our System pipes in 1940, the design itself dates to our 1896 and 1906 catalogues and, with the exception of the Supreme, has always marked our highest tier of System pipe. Like the System Standard and System Spigot lines, the Deluxe System pipe incorporates Charles Peterson’s patented System design, including a deep reservoir to collect excess moisture from the smoke; a graduated-bore mouthpiece that funnels the smoke and allows moisture to collect within the reservoir; a sturdy sterling silver military mount, which allows the pipe to be broken down and cleaned without damage or warping; and our patented P-Lip bit, which draws the smoke upward, thus reducing tongue bite. The Deluxe differs from those aforementioned lines, comprised of bowls with only the finest grain patterns and featuring a sterling silver mount and a push-gap stem, which was never designed to be flush-fitting, the space between the mount and stem base gradually decreasing with prolonged use. The Deluxe also elevates the System pipe by fixing each stem with a traditional chimney, an aluminum fitment that extends the tenon past the chamber’s airway for optimal System performance. Created for Peterson enthusiasts interested in acquiring the finest System pipe on the market, the Deluxe System will serve as the crown of any collection.

Then, over at Pipedia, there is the following commentary:

The handsome and very distinctive Deluxe system pipes, include the Darwin, Mark Twain and the Charles Peterson 140 year anniversary Pipe. These pipes are at the top of the ‘system’ series in terms of quality and finish. Each Peterson Deluxe is made from carefully selected, age mellowed root briar. In matt finish with hallmarked sterling silver mounts and a unique space fitting mouthpiece to allow for years of wear. They are available in a wide range of shapes numbered, as follows: 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 8s, 9s, 11s, 12.5s, 20s, XL5s, 20FB and 11FB. The pipes are well carved and construction, engineering and workmanship, is outstanding. The stems are well drilled and aligned. Silver work is excellent, finish very good, and the often maligned briar is of outstanding quality. The design is a very typically Peterson classic shape. Apart from the Darwin, the balance can be stem heavy, the bit is thick and chunky, especially in the larger versions. I also enjoy the sense of presence they give to the pipe, particularly if smoking in company with friends or strangers. They have a sophistication about them. The smoking qualities are excellent, dry and cool. The draw is good, and the flavour is particularly great in new pipes. The Mark Twains are outstanding in this department. As for the aesthetics and ergonomics, I find some shapes much more attractive than others. Favourites for me are the 1s, 2s, 3s, the Mark Twains and the Darwin deluxe. As a clencher most are very good to hang, except the beautiful Darwin which is more of a ‘hand holder.’ The one weakness I find is the modern orange/golden colour, (the so called natural) it is, in my opinion, less attractive than that found in the older Walnut finish of the eighties. As far as value and cost is concerned, for the excellent quality finish, these are competitively priced at around $135 to $250 depending on size and briar grade. For what it is worth, I reckon the Deluxes are probably the best value range of pipes that Peterson produce, both in terms of functionality and value. There is not a thing wrong with these pipes. Those who malign the brand because they’re made by the hundreds using machines, are very wrong, in my opinion. I like them a lot and the bang for the buck is the best I’ve ever seen for new pipes of this quality.The Deluxes are all excellent smokers. The Darwin, of course, is a truly outstanding pipe, its only “flaw” being that it’s not a clencher. One particular aspect of this pipe that appeals to me most is its physical beauty and presence. They are a pipe like no other. For me, they also offer a bowl capacity that I like and a balance in the hand that I appreciate. They are well named Deluxe s for giving that special experience.

These Petes with the faux-marks are a bit tricky to nail down in date. Mark Irwin, who runs the great Peterson Pipe Notes blog, has a whole page here on this topic. He writes:

Pipe smokers new to Peterson sometimes wonder what the “K&P” stamp is all about, not realizing the company was known as “Kapp & Peterson” until the 1970s and is still referred to as “Kapps” by the old hands who work in the shop. Most Peterson pipes with metal mounts (and all nickel-mount Systems) have a “K & P” Maker’s Mark, also called a Sponsor’s Hallmark, which is used by The Company of Goldsmiths of Dublin (est. 1637) to identify the silversmith or goldsmith responsible for making the article. The “K & P” maker’s mark was registered at the assay office shortly after Kapp & Peterson’s incorporation and appears either in capital letters (on early sterling and later nickel mounts) or capital letters in shields (on sterling). The maker’s mark was later placed in shields, which may be flat or pointed at the top. After 1938, the K&P maker’s mark became a stand-in for the Company of Goldsmiths (aka Dublin Assay Office) date letter and was usually accompanied nearby by the STERLING over SILVER stamp. The practice of stamping sterling with the date letter wasn’t resumed at Peterson until 1969, for rather humorous reasons explained in the Peterson book.

Sadly, I don’t have the Peterson book, so I cannot enlighten you on the humorous reasons. It would seem from Mark’s words that this pipe falls into the period between 1938 and 1968. However, we can refine that a bit, as the pipe’s markings clearly indicate that it’s a republic-era pipe. Ireland became a republic in 1949, so a date range of 1950-1968 seems suitable for this pipe.

Time to get on with it! The stem was pretty dirty. It had some calcification on it and I used a sharp edge to carefully scrape that off. Once done, I scrubbed the stem with oil soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame in order to lift the few bite marks and dents. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. You can see just how filthy it was inside. Also, it’s worth noting that the aluminum chimney that often goes with these pipes is missing – but a replacement could be sought from Peterson’s. I wiped down the stem with cleanser to remove surface oxidation. Then the stem went for an overnight soak in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. The next day, I used the cleanser again with some cotton rounds. I built up the small tooth marks on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure. I put a tiny piece of hockey tape over the “Hand Cut” words, so I wouldn’t accidentally sand them. I then used my needle files, Micromesh pads and Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil to make it look great. Onto the stummel, and the first thing I did was to clean up the rim a bit. I took a piece of machine metal and meticulously scraped away the cake without affecting the finish of the wood.Then I reamed out the stummel and removed all the cake. I used a bit of everything to get it all out: PipNet, KleenReem, knife, sandpaper, etc. Fortunately, there was no damage to the interior walls. I used cotton rounds and some oil soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with oil soap for the lava on the rim of the pipe. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I followed that up by de-ghosting the pipe and the bowl was nice and clean after this. I then cleaned the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. I then worked on cleaning up the sterling silver band. I taped it off, as I didn’t want to damage the wood. This worked well and I was pleased. There were a couple of very small knocks in the wood and I opted to use a damp cotton cloth and an iron to help. By laying the wet cloth over the affected area of wood and applying the hot iron, steam is generated in a way that can often swell the wood back into place.Next, I sanded all of the wood down with my Micromesh pads and made it lovely and smooth. I followed that up with some Before & After Restoration Balm. I let it sit on the wood for 20 minutes or so, then buffed it off with a microfibre cloth. I took the pipe to the buffer. I gave it a good application of White Diamond and a few coats of carnauba wax. This made all the difference. It really sparkled after that. I also polished the silver with my jewellery cloth.

This Peterson Deluxe System 11S pipe looks amazing now. It’s really a beautiful pipe and it is ready to be enjoyed by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Irish’ Pipemakers Section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6 in. (152 mm); height 3⅔ in. (93 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (37 mm); chamber diameter ⅔ in. (17 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2¼ oz. (67 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Uncovering the Identity of a Classic Metal Pipe

4 Replies

by Kenneth Lieblich

This pipe is one of those that makes you raise an eyebrow and wonder. I acquired it a while ago in a large lot of pipes and, although it was a mess, it always had appeal and intrigue. Initially, I didn’t know what the pipe was or who made it. Why? Alas, no markings of any kind! It turns out that Steve restored a pipe very much like it about four years ago, but because I had no way of searching for it (I had no brand name), I had to be creative – or, perhaps, I had to be the opposite… I went to a very fine resource on metal pipes, a website called www.smokingmetal.co.uk, in hope that I could learn more. I hunted around somewhat randomly for a while but came up empty. Then came the stultifying part. I started going through the entire list of pipes in order to find a match. There were a couple of times when I though I had found it, but it just wasn’t quite right. Eventually, after going through nearly 200 listings, I found it. This is an L&H Stern (aka LHS) pipe and – boy-oh-boy – was I ever relieved. When Steve last restored one of these, more than four years ago, he described it as follows:

It has a briar bowl with the screw holding it to the top of the metal tube that forms the shank. The smooth finished bowl is either a buldog or Rhodesian bowl with the twin rings around the cap. The shank piece is oxidized aluminum with cooling fins and a threaded end cap that is removable for cleaning. The stem is plastic (perhaps nylon or an early acrylic).

It certainly does have a futuristic look, very characteristic of mid-twentieth-century industrial design. Unfortunately, SmokingMetal didn’t have any information on LH Stern as a company, but they did have these two photos of similar pipes: Pipedia has an article on L&H Stern and I would encourage you to have a look: https://pipedia.org/wiki/LHS. Among other things, they write

Ludwig Stern, a successful pipe manufacturer since 1893 and closing around 1960, reorganized his company along with his brother Hugo Stern, opening a factory in 1911. They named the company L&H Stern Smoking Pipes & Holders. The newly formed company was moved into a six story building on the corner of Pearl and Waters street Brooklyn, NY.

Pipedia also provided a photo of a pipe like mine from a 1946 catalog. It’s difficult to be accurate in dating the pipe, but the late 1940s seems to be a reasonable supposition.Time to get to work. This pipe was a bit of a mess. The metal was dirty and dull, and the insides were filthy. The stem was worn and had some micro-cracks in it. In the following picture, you can see the pipe as I disassembled it. There are seven pieces, even though the photo appears to show only five. Allow me to explain: there is a stem, a shank (or main section of the pipe), the briar bowl, a nut on the underside of the bowl, a screw that attaches the bowl to the shank, a valve screw at the far end, and a gasket to go along with it.First things first. Before I started working on the stem, I put the metal pieces in an acetone bath. Who knows what sort of horrors might be stuck to the metal and I wanted to get it as clean as possible. I left that to sit for a few hours.The stem was first on my list. As usual, I wiped the outside down with oil soap on some cotton pads. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was dirty, but not terrible. I’ve seen far worse.As the photos show, there was a small chunk missing from the end of the stem and, although it didn’t affect anything significant, I wanted to ensure that it was repaired. I rolled up a piece of duct tape and fitted it snugly inside, before making a repair with amber cyanoacrylate adhesive. I used duct tape because the outside does not stick to CA glue. I built up the adhesive on the stem and let it fully cure. At this point, I also added some extra, clear CA glue to the end because the fit was very loose. I then sanded the adhesive with some sandpaper to meld seamlessly into the stem. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to smooth the entire stem and highlight the variegated design on the stem. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. I’m not convinced that this did anything, but it’s just what I do! I yanked the metal bits out of the acetone and wiped them down. Since most of the pipe was made of aluminum, the cleaning procedures were different than usual. The inside of the shank was much more cavernous than normal, too. I started with pipe cleaners and Q-tips for the inside, but that only worked so well. I ended up using some of my usual cleanser to clean the metal shank, including the interior – and I made extensive use of some tubes brushes to get it all really clean.Polishing up the metal was tricky because the cooling fins were relatively deep and would need to be addressed separately. I used some very fine sandpaper to work on those grooves. I then used some 0000 steel wool to give a beautiful polish to the shank. This worked spectacularly well, but it’s such a mess! I laid out some newspaper to catch the debris because it goes everywhere. I did all the same stuff on the two metal screws as well. Now for the briar bowl. This is more standard fare, since I’m working with wood again. I took a small wedge of machine metal and, holding it at a 45-degree angle, gently scraped the lava and carbon off the rim.I reamed it with the KleenReem, and 220-grit sandpaper taped to a dowel to eliminate as much build-up as possible. I took the chamber down to bare briar to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the wall. Fortunately, there were none. Then I used cotton rounds and some oil soap to scrub the outside. However, this wasn’t good enough. There were some odd blemishes to the wood and I had to fix that. I went back to the acetone and removed the blemishes thoroughly. I was amazed at how much better the bowl looked after that. I used the Micromesh pads on the bowl and made them beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, there was a small nut in the underside of the bowl. This popped out while I was working and I cleaned it as I had the other metal parts – then I glued it back in place. I then applied the Before & After Restoration Balm on the wood, as this always makes the briar sing. The buffing procedure was different because of the metal – although the briar bowl did receive the normal White Diamond and carnauba wax treatment. I used Red Tripoli first and White Diamond second to polish the metal nicely. It came out so well! When I went back to my workbench, I cleaned the grooves in the metal with some soft pipe cleaners – just to remove any slight, remaining polishing compound. I then took a microfiber cloth to wipe the metal parts of the pipe to make it shine! This L&H Stern looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘American’ Pipe Section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 4⅞ in. (125 mm); height 1⅔ in. (43 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (38 mm); chamber diameter ⅔ in. (17 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¼ oz. (39 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading, and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Very Handsome Custombilt Lovat

1 Reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

My last blog post was the restoration of an Oversize Kaywoodie and, in that article, I mentioned that it reminded me of a Custombilt. Well, lo and behold! I have a Custombilt to present to you all. I was rummaging through a box of junk (and calling it ‘junk’ is being kind) and came upon a really good-looking, substantial Lovat with a great saddle stem (which is ever-so-slightly bent). It’s a pipe that instills confidence. An interesting coincidence (or is it?) is that both the Kaywoodie and this Custombilt were made at almost exactly the same time. Read on. As you can see, the pipe has the classic Custombilt rustication on it. There’s something quite satisfying about this rugged rustication. These marks are reminiscent of Tracy Mincer’s original work and are seen as something of a hallmark of the brand. On the left side of the shank, the markings were as follows: Custombilt [over] Imported Briar. No markings on the right side and no markings on the stem. The history of Custombilt pipes is an interesting one and the most comprehensive source of information comes from Individual as a Thumbprint: The Custom-Bilt Pipe Story by Bill Unger. It is a very good book. Since the last time I worked on a Custombilt, I acquired a copy and it is an excellent resource on these pipes – as well as an entertaining read.

Unger’s book gives us some good information about the dating for this pipe. He displays five different logo stampings and this particular pipe corresponds to stamp number two. Unger writes:

The second stamp, which was used during the Eugene Rich years, from 1946 through 1952 (at the latest; it could have been 1950 or 191), is also quite unmistakable. Custom-Bilt became Custombilt in 1946, and the stamp reflects the major advertising campaign that was undertaken. The script letters do not slant, but the major feature is the big, looping C, which extends over the t (although, in some cases, it extends just to the top of the t). The t has a longer cross than on the Custom-Bilt stamp, but a shorter one than would be used during the Wally Frank era. Remember that the Eugene Rich-era stamp was used on pipes still being made in [Tracy] Mincer’s Indianapolis factory.

Pipedia’s article on Custombilt consists primarily of reviews of Unger’s book. It offers a cursory view of the markings and their approximate dating. This information confirms what I found in Unger’s book. Meanwhile. Pipephil provided a bit more information on the brand, although not strictly related to my pipe. In short, I think it’s fair to say that this sturdy pipe dates from the late-1940s.Let’s get on with cleaning up this pipe. I worked on the stem first and, I must say, I was surprised at its good condition. Not too dirty, not beat up at all.I wiped the outside with some oil soap on some cotton pads. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. The stem had a bit of oxidation, so I let it soak overnight in pipe stem oxidation remover. The following day, I cleaned all of the de-oxidizing mess off with a toothbrush. The oxidation had migrated to the surface and I scrubbed with SoftScrub on some cotton pads to remove the leftover oxidation. The stem turned out very well. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) all over the saddle stem to remove any scratch marks and make it smooth and lovely. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing.All that finished, I set the stem aside and I began work on the very dirty stummel.Firstly, I decided to ream out the bowl. This is a large bowl and I used the PipNet Reamer’s biggest blade to remove the built-up cake, and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper taped to a couple of dowels to eliminate as much as I could. I took the chamber down to bare briar, as I wanted to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the wall. Fortunately, there were none. As the photos show, there was quite a mound of debris.I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. It was ridiculously dirty and took up the country’s supply of cotton to get it clean. To exorcise the demons of tobaccos past, I decided to de-ghost the pipe. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. Spic and span after that. There was still quite a bit of debris on the ample rim and it was time to address it. I took a piece of machine metal and meticulously scraped away the cake without affecting the finish of the wood. This quite a while – but it is most certainly worth it. Following that, I used some oil soap and a toothbrush to clean up the balance of the rim – especially the grooves of the rustication. I was really pleased with the results.Then I sanded the stummel down with the Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit). The smooth areas got all nine pads, whereas the rusticated areas on received only the last three or four. I then coated the pipe with restoration balm and let it sit for 20 minutes or so, before polishing with a microfibre cloth and a horsehair brush. The balm does wonderful things to the wood and makes the whole stummel sing. Finally, I took it to the buffer and applied some White Diamond and a few coats of Conservator’s Wax. The lovely shine made the wood very attractive. This is a very handsome pipe and will provide many years of smoking pleasure.This handsome Custombilt Lovat looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘American’ pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 7 in. (177 mm); height 2⅛ in. (53 mm); bowl diameter 1⅝ in. (41 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2¼ oz. (65 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Terrific Handmade Oversize Kaywoodie

1 Reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

Next up is this interesting, rugged pipe from Kaywoodie. It is from the handmade Oversize Kaywoodie line and has wonderfully thick walls. When I first saw it, this nifty pipe reminded me, in style, of a Custombilt pipe. It is not that, but it is reminiscent of that. This was a bizarre and challenging restoration, but the results are terrific. Let’s examine the markings on the pipe. The left side of the shank shows HandMade [over] Kaywoodie. The right side of the shank shows, merely, Imported Briar. Finally, the stem has the famous cloverleaf logo on the top. As you can see, it is a white circle with a black leaf inside. Unfortunately, there was no shape number, no shape name, nor any other markings. Hmm… Dating this Kaywoodie is a bit of a head-scratcher. I think I’ve figured it out, but the historical details of many a pipe have been lost in the mists of time. This is an Oversize Handmade Kaywoodie and it doesn’t help that, as I mentioned, there isn’t any shape number on the pipe. Perhaps the cloverleaf logo on the stem can help. Pipephil says:

The cloverleaf logo: the round logo (black cloverleaf in white circle or white cloverleaf in black circle) was first used in 1937. Up until the late 40’s this logo was used on all of the upper-grade pipes. The concomitant use of the plain white cloverleaf and the disk inlaid logo continued until the early 80’s. Up until the late 1940’s/early 50’s, the logo was on top of the stem. After that the logo was moved to the side of the stem (exceptions exist).So, perhaps this is a better-quality pipe! From what little I understand, this was, indeed, considered to be a better pipe. Pipedia laid this information out:

Throughout much of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, the Kaywoodie family of pipes consisted of 11 basic grades of briar pipes; though new grades were frequently added to the line and some older grades were discontinued or downgraded. These 11 basic grades of pipes, listed in ascending order of quality, were:
Drinkless
Hand-made Super Grain
Super Grain
Relief Grain
Flame Grain
Silhouette
Oversize Kaywoodies
Meerschaum Inlaid Kaywoodies
Connoisseur
Ninety-fiver
Centennial

Given how singularly rare the last two were (Ninety-fiver and Centennial), this would indicate a very good quality pipe. Pipedia gave me reason to think this particular pipe was from 1947. Part of the article entitled “Collector’s Guide to Kaywoodie Pipes”, states:

The 1947 Kaywoodie catalog shows 12 grades of briar pipes and introduces the Kaywoodie Block Meerschaum. The briar pipes were available in 69 shapes. In addition to these individual pipes, the 1947 catalog shows two- and seven-pipe matched grain sets. The Oversize Kaywoodies were, as the name implies, “Giants”. Lowndes notes that these pipes were stamped simply, “Hand-Made”. The pipes were all roughly “bulldog-ish” in appearance and were available in the following styles and grades:

Hand-carved “Colossus” ($10)
Walnut finish, banded “Hercules” ($20)
Hand-carved “John Henry” ($10)
Virgin finish, specimen grain “Paul Bunyan”
($25) Virgin finish, banded specimen grain “Goliath”
($25) Walnut finish “Atlas”
($20) Hand-carved, Meerschaum-Inlaid “Samson” ($15)Now, there is no model number or name on my pipe, so it’s not clear to me if this pipe one of the model names mentioned above or some other.

Let’s get on with restoring the pipe. The stummel was in good shape. The main issue with this pipe was the stem. The photos demonstrate that the bit had a small bite through. No big deal, I thought. I’ve repaired those before. Alas, this ended up being much more challenging than I had expected.I worked on the stummel first. In order to clean out the cake in the bowl, I used the Pipnet reamer and followed that up with a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. I sanded down the cake until I hit the briar walls, so that I could inspect them for potential damage. Everything looked good on the inside, which is great.I proceeded to clean out the inside of the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was a bit dirty in there, but I got it clean in the end.When that was done, I set up to clean the pipe’s insides with soap and some tube brushes. The pipe was beautifully clean after that.As I was cleaning, I noticed that there were a few minor dents on the rim. I wet a piece of cotton cloth with water, heated up my iron, and set about trying to raise the dents. Often, the hot, moist air created by the cloth and iron can lift the wood back into shape. This technique worked really well on this occasion.After this, I used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to remove the scratches in the wood (especially on the rim) and make everything smooth. Then a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm brought out the best in the stummel’s grain. The grain on this pipe is pretty great! Moving on to the stem – I started out by cleaning the inside of the stem with lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was dirty, but not too bad. I also cleaned the stem with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. As you can see, the stem wasn’t too dirty and won’t need a soaking.Now it was time to fix the bite-through. Obviously, one option here would be to get another stem from my stock and replace the broken one, but I always try to use original materials wherever possible. I noticed that a repair had already been attempted on this stem at some point in the past. Someone had used some soft rubber (from one of those stem bits) to bridge the gap in the stem.I figured that adding my black carbon and rubber infused cyanoacrylate adhesive to this existing repair would be a good idea. I first plugged up the stem’s draught hole with a pipe cleaner coated in petroleum jelly. This ensured that any of the cyanoacrylate would not accidentally plug up the air passage in the stem.I then used a miniature file to shape the button and make it suitable for sanding. Uh oh – big problem. The soft rubber repair was not nearly good enough and broke off completely while I was sanding. Sigh. I repeated the process of building up the bit with black cyanoacrylate glue. This time I used a piece of cardboard coated in petroleum jelly (rather than a pipe cleaner). I then sanded the stem down with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. I also used a sanding sponge to ensure that it keeps its shape and looks like it should. I won’t bore you by repeating myself, but I had to add black cyanoacrylate adhesive two more times until it was satisfactory. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) on the stem to make it look as good as possible. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. It is worth noting that a repair this big on a stem will never be invisible or perfect, but I was pleased with how the stem finished up. Off to the bench polisher to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave it a thorough (but light-handed) going-over with White Diamond compound. One doesn’t want to use too much for fear of gumming up the rustication. Following that, several coats of conservator’s wax created a beautiful seal on the pipe.All done! This Handmade Oversize Kaywoodie looks fantastic and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “American” section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6 in. (152 mm); height 2 in. (51 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2¼ oz. (64 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Spiffing Up a Rare Caminetto Masterpiece

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

Roll up! Roll up! Come and see the amazing Ascorti Radice Caminetto New Dear Chimney! What a stunning pipe! I picked up this pipe while I was visiting the historic town of Bellingham, Washington. I wish I knew some of this pipe’s individual history, but – alas! – the shop purveyor had no information. It is a remarkable pipe – with the recognizable rustication of the New Dear line and an astonishing chimney elevation. This is your chance to get your hands on an extraordinary pipe – one of the original Caminettos. The markings on this pipe were just what one would hope for. They read Ascorti [over] Radice [over] Cucciago [over] Cantu-Italy. Next to that is a little shield symbol. Further to the right are the words “Caminetto” [over] New Dear. Finally, at the end, is a letter G. There is also, of course, the moustache logo on the stem. This information is worth its weight in gold, as it will help us to get a reasonably accurate date on this beauty.First, let’s talk about Caminetto. There is quite a bit of information to be had on Pipedia about the company and I won’t attempt to reproduce it all here. However, I enthusiastically recommend reading the general Caminetto article here, the Caminetto history article here, the Ascorti article here, and the Radice article here. If you’re really keen, you could even read the Castello article here.

Phew! After all that reading, I would like to quote a bit of the history from Pipedia:

Caminetto’s history started in 1959 when Guiseppe Ascorti, from Cucciago, and known to his friends as “Peppino”, was hired by Carlo Scotti to work at Castello, located in nearby Cantu. Since it’s foundation in 1947 Castello had contributed substantially to regained glory for Italian pipemaking.

Talent and assiduity soon made Ascorti one of Scotti’s most notable pipemakers – a man he counted on for the future. But, Ascorti had his own far reaching plan: He wanted to work as a self-employed pipemaker! After his wife, Paola, had taken over her parent’s small greengrocery in the early 1960’s this plan became more concrete. The additional income from the shop enabled him to buy tools and machines little by little to furnish his own workshop. By the end of 1968 he was ready and left Castello. Ascorti also persuaded his co-worker, the young and highly-talented pipemaker Luigi Radice (born 1939), to join him – the two were neighbors in Cucciago. Carlo Scotti, whom is known as a perfect gentleman, is reported to have spoken unreservedly about this development.

Ascorti & Radice started to manufacture pipes on their own. One of the first who agreed to market their pipes was Gianni Davoli, proprietor of a tobacco shop in Milan. The situation was perfect–two pipemakers in search of a distributor, and a pipe merchant in search of a mainstay brand to market. Davoli – via friends and relations in the States – had made flourishing contacts with US pipe wholesalers and traders. He shipped some pipes across the pond for inspection and received excellent feedback for the very high quality of the pipes. He, shortly after, offered to be the sole distributor worldwide, and Ascorti & Radice happily accepted.

Then came the legendary evening when Ascorti, Radice and Davoli gathered around the fireplace after a hard day’s work enjoying their pipes, a glass of wine, and humorous conversation. Davoli is said to be the one who associated the pipes with the fireplace or chimney, which is “camino” in Italian. Hence “Caminetto”, the diminutive (smaller) singular version of camino, was coined as the brand’s name.

It is, of course, so fitting, so appropriate that this pipe is, itself, in a chimney shape. Fantastic! Reading on, I learned more about the time period in which this was made. This history was originally provided by a fellow named joshoowah on brothersofbriar.com. It is now on Pipedia. I’ve actually taken a screenshot of the relevant information so that it is easiest for you to see and understand.So, based on the above information, I can safely state that this pipe is from the earlier time period of 1968/9-1974/5.

Let’s take a closer look at the condition of the pipe. It’s actually in great shape, all things considered, and must have been greatly loved by its owner, as it was well smoked. The beautiful acrylic stem had some very minor tooth marks, but nothing of concern. The stummel was heavily caked inside the bowl and there was some definite darkening on the rim. I’d have to inspect that more closely after cleaning. Stem first. To be precise, it was stem and shank extension first. They are both acrylic, and the shank extension came off with ease, so they could be cleaned up together. I cleaned the insides with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, and isopropyl alcohol. It was pretty dirty, and I went through a good number of pipe cleaners and swabs. A lot of debris was trapped in there and I needed to do some significant scrubbing. I also tried using some cleanser with tube brushes on the inside and that did help. I gave it a thorough rinse and moved on.I filled the few tooth marks in the stem with some black cyanoacrylate adhesive (the shank extension didn’t need any). After allowing that to cure, I sanded the glue down with some sandpaper, then the whole stem with my Micromesh pads. For the last few pads, I also added some pipe stem oil. I forgot to take pictures, but I restored the moustache in gold too. On to the stummel, and there was some work to be done here! I needed to get the darn thing clean. I reamed out the stummel and removed all the cake. Fortunately, there was no damage to the interior walls.I used a dental tool to mine some chunks of gunk out of the mortise – yuck! Just like the stem, I also used pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to scrub the insides. It was quite dirty – much cotton was expended.I decided to de-ghost the pipe in order to remove any lingering smells of the past. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. The bowl was nice and clean after this. But, just to make sure, I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. Then it was really clean. I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with Murphy’s for the lava on the rim of the pipe. Once complete, I took a closer look at the darkness on the rim. It wasn’t too bad, but I thought it could use a little help. I mixed up a little oxalic acid and rubbed the dark spots with cotton swabs. This worked really well in removing a lot of the dark. I was pleased. I then rubbed some Before & After Restoration Balm into the wood. I gently brushed it into the rustication grooves and let the balm sit for twenty minutes or so. The BARB works so well at bringing out the best in the wood. I brushed it with a horsehair brush and buffed it with a microfibre cloth. Beauty! Later, I went to the bench buffer and applied some White Diamond to the stummel and stem. Then the final polish! The rusticated surface meant that I didn’t use carnauba wax – it gets gummed up in the grooves. Instead, I used Conservator’s Wax which worked like a charm.This Ascorti Radice Caminetto New Dear Chimney was a nifty restoration and I had fun with it. I think the result is terrific and it’s a stunning pipe once again. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Italy” pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6 in. (152 mm); height 2½ in. (65 mm); bowl diameter 1⅓ in. (33 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (18 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅝ oz. (49 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

A Beautiful Preben Holm Surprise

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and, much to my surprise, my parents gave me pipes for my birthday! I say “surprise” because my lovely folks were somewhat bemused when I got into the pipe-restoration hobby. However, this would seem to indicate that they have endorsed this great hobby of mine. This pipe is, by far, the nicest of the three I received. It is a Preben Holm 400 Free Hand. The grain is truly wonderful. Fortunately for me, the pipe was in decent condition when I got it. Not too much work required. Let’s have a look at the markings. On the underside of the shank, there are the words Preben Holm [over] Free-Hand [over] 400 [over] Hand Made [over] in [over] Denmark. My mother is of Danish extraction, so perhaps that played a role in this pipe’s selection. Over on the top of the stem, we see a crown above the letters PH (obviously standing for the man himself). In the past, I have often wondered about many Danish freehand shapes – especially Preben Holm’s. Sometimes (not always) they seem to be intricate merely for intricacy’s sake – or made to look like a piece of abstract art. However, Preben Holm is a true master of the craft and I don’t feel that sense of unnecessary complexity with this specific pipe. It is genuinely well made and beautiful. Let’s learn a bit more about Preben Holm and his pipes. Pipedia’s article about him says:

Preben Holm (1947-1989) has set some marks in pipe history. Just before his 16th birthday in 1963 he sold pipes to the legendary Pipe-Dan shop and at the age of only 22 he headed 45 employees. He was among the first Danish artisans who made “Danish pipe design” famous in the USA in the 1960’s. More than that he was one of the very first carvers who exceeded this moderate Danish Design which based on the classical shapes. “Chasing the grain” they turned out wild and dramatic fancy pipes. Combining smooth with blasted surfaces, showing big areas of the original bark at the top of the bowl and at the end of the stem, these pipes were quite shocking to many elder and more conservative pipe smokers. When he started to sell his pipes to Lane Ltd. under the Ben Wade label, he caused a hype fairly beyond comparison. Especially in the U.S., as most of his pipes were sold there.The Pipedia article also goes on to provide the very interesting tale of his business written by the man himself. I recommend reading it, although it deftly sidesteps discussing his own inner demons. In the same article, Poul Winslow says about Preben Holm:

Preben was a genius. Maybe a bit wild, always flying from idea to idea and impatient for results. But could he turn a pipe! Some of the most extreme free-hands came out of our workshop in the ’70s, and whatever his critics say, they sold like crazy, mostly in America. And when it came to finishing, he was the best in the business.There are a number of forums and websites that talk about his grading system. Unsurprisingly, much of this information is muddled, contradictory, or applicable to the Ben Wade pipes he made. From what I can understand – and I am happily corrected by those who know more – the era of pipes from which my pipe came used a grading system (ascending) of 100 to 500. Regardless of the accuracy of that information, my pipe is a 400.

Holm had a line of pipes called “Crown”, which, fittingly, had a crown on the stem – just like mine. However, all the examples of Crown pipes I’ve seen state that word on the pipe and that word isn’t on my pipe. The other point of mild frustration is that I seemingly have no way of dating this pipe, other than the unhelpfully and nebulously statement that it was made “in the ‘70s”. In 2020, Steve wrote an article about a PH Crown that he restored. It is not the same as mine and doesn’t have the same markings, but there is some indication that this pipe might have been distributed in the US by Lane Ltd under Preben Holm’s own name. Moving on…

I began work on the stem. Nothing especially remarkable here, but I needed to pay attention to the crown logo and PH because they were not as distinct as one would wish. I wiped down the outside of the stem with oil soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame in order to lift the little bit of tooth chatter. This helped a bit. Then, I cleaned out the insides of the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. Once this process was done, I used some cleanser and cotton pads to wipe down the stem. I covered the logo with a dab of petroleum jelly before throwing it in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover overnight. The following day, I cleaned all of the de-oxidizing mess and used a toothbrush to remove the leftover oxidation. This worked well.I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the lovely black lustre on the stem. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing.On to the stummel, and whoever previously had this pipe had done a decent job of cleaning the inside of the bowl. It didn’t need reaming, but I did use my pipe knife and some sandpaper to remove any cake. I took the bowl down to bare briar, as I wanted to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the walls of the bowl. Fortunately, there were none.Another important step in this process was removing the dirty remnants on the rim (as you’ve seen in the photos). I took a piece of machine steel and gently scraped away at this debris until it was gone. I love this technique because it is incredibly effective (more so than soaking) and does no damage whatsoever to the briar. The results speak for themselves.I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol. There was some filth inside this stummel, but it wasn’t too bad. I then moved on to cleaning the outside of the stummel with oil soap and some cotton pads. That removed any latent dirt. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some soap and tube brushes. I noticed some very minor dents in the wood (see the photos) and I felt confident that those could be raised. I took an iron and a damp cotton cloth and steamed them. The hot, moist steam can often cause those sorts of injuries to swell back into shape. In this case, it worked a treat! I sanded down the stummel with my some of my micromesh pads to make it smooth and lovely. You will have noticed that there were two small nicks on the end of the shank. I deliberately decided to not fill these in. Instead, I simply sanded them thoroughly as I just described. This was a good decision as the nicks were minimized and are part of the pipe’s history. Of course, I added some restoration balm to the wood and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth and – boy – did it look good! This balm does beautiful things to the wood and really generates a beautiful shine. I then took the pipe to my bench polisher and buffed it with White Diamond and a few coats of carnauba wax. All finished! This is a wonderfully crafted pipe and it really looks lovely. As it is a gift from my parents, this is one pipe that I am keeping for myself and adding to my collection. I am sure that I will be enjoying this one for many years to come. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6½ in. (165 mm); height 2¼ in. (57 mm); bowl diameter 1¾ in. (46 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅞ oz. (55 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Fixing the Unfixable

4 Replies

by Kenneth Lieblich

Strap yourself in – this is going to be a wild ride! My cousin-in-law likes to send me pipe projects that are a little off the beaten track. They also usually end up being quite tricky and this one is no exception. He sent me two meerschaum-lined pipes that have been badly damaged and require repair. One pipe is a Kiko, from Tanganyika in eastern Africa, and the other is from Ropp, the venerable pipe-maker of St Claude, France. Although the briar exteriors are fine, the meerschaum interiors of the bowls are a complete disaster. The Kiko looks as though it’s probably been dropped at some point. Meerschaum is quite fragile, so no wonder it cracked so badly. The Ropp is equally bad, but I think that’s because it was badly reamed rather than dropped. Who knows and, quite frankly, the answer is of academic interest. They both suffered from having a cake which is not a good idea for meerschaum. I subjected these pipes to my usual cleaning procedures – for both stem and stummel – but I’m going to gloss over those details today. To be clear, both stems were deoxidized, repaired, sanded, and polished. In addition, the briar parts of the stummels were thoroughly cleaned, sanded, and polished too. I also did a thorough, but exceptionally careful, cleaning of the insides. I needed to remove as much filth as possible, but liquids like water, alcohol, etc., don’t do well with meer. As an aside, the Ropp had a substantial crack in the briar and this only added to the complexity of the repairs.In this blog post, I’m skipping writing about the usual stuff in order to focus on the major issue with these pipes – the busted meerschaum lining and how to fix it. In consulting with Steve, he mentioned a post on a blog from a few years ago that talked about repairing this very thing. The blog is called ‘Baccy Pipes’ and the fellow’s name is Troy W. I want to give him full credit for starting me on my research for this job. Here’s the link to his repair: https://baccypipes.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/old-time-meer-lining-repair-method-on-a-1930s-kaywoodie-shellcraft-5651/. The curious thing about this repair was that Troy used a mixture of egg white and chalk to mend the broken meerschaum. As he writes:

I had read and heard from other pipe restores that a old late 19th-early 20th century druggist recipe for fixing broken meerschaum was egg whites and finely ground chalk, so that was what I was going to try and fix the meer lined rim with. It is said to have about the same porous properties of meerschaum and imparts no taste to the tobacco.I was immediately intrigued and my brain began to ruminate on this. In the past, Steve and I have both used plaster of Paris when repairing meer-lined bowls. What about egg and chalk? Putting together the ingredients would be no problem: chalk, that is to say, calcium carbonate is easy to acquire. And then a thought struck me – I wonder if I could do an experiment on the properties of both calcium carbonate and a product that’s much closer to meerschaum in composition. Meerschaum is a type of magnesium silicate – and so is talc. They are not identical substances, but surely closer than chalk. If I could buy some pure, unadulterated talc, that might prove to be a good option. Well, it turns out that getting pure talc with absolutely nothing else in it was not as easy as I thought. I did eventually find a small package for sale on Amazon and it ended up being shipped from Germany (no idea why) to my home on the west coast of Canada. Let’s have a quick look at the insides of the two bowls, because they have different problems and very different sized apertures. The Ropp had the much larger bowl, and its insides were more damaged at the bottom. There was a surprising amount of meerschaum missing at the bottom and it is difficult to convey this in photos. However, the photos do clearly show the large chuck missing from the rim. I suspected that, although the width of the bowl meant it would be easier to access, it would require the most work and be the most difficult to repair satisfactorily. The Kiko had its own set of problems. There were also missing chunks on the rim, but the cracks inside were devastating. The width of the bowl meant that I could get nothing larger than my pinky finger inside. A small piece of broken meerschaum fell out from one of the cracks while I was inspecting it. That didn’t bode well. Now let’s start cracking some egg! Obviously, I took two dishes and mixed up a batch of chalk and egg white in one and talc and egg white in the other. Both materials were powdered, so I had no concerns about overly large particles in either mixture. During mixing, the talc seemed grittier than the chalk, but it was difficult to assess this properly and difficult to know how much to mix into the egg white. I put the two blobs on a piece of cardboard for a couple of days and let them set. Once dry, I conducted my own absurdly unscientific compressive strength test on both materials as a way of determining straight away if one material was clearly superior to the other. There wasn’t any obvious difference – and any differences I may have detected could easily have been a figment of my imagination. Both materials seemed about equal. I opted to try the talc first – for no other reason than it was chemically closer to meerschaum.I took both stummels and wrapped all of the wood in painter’s tape. I had nightmarish visions of what could happen to these pipes if I got the eggy goo on them. Better safe than sorry. I started applying the egg/talc mixture to the Kiko first. I wanted to make sure than the cavernous cracks were completely filled with the stuff. I needed a good bond and I added more than I needed – assuming there would be some shrinkage in the drying process. Similarly, I smooshed the mix on the Ropp too, hoping for the best. There’s no way to sugarcoat this: the whole process was a mess. Really a mess. Once the pipes had dried overnight, I took a look and I wasn’t particularly impressed with my work. But a more detailed examination was needed, so I put on a sanding mask and set about removing the excess material. I used sandpapers of various grits on dowels, sandpapers on my fingers, and sandpapers on my topping board. Hmm. The results were ok, but no better than that – and ‘ok’ just isn’t good enough for me.I hadn’t put enough material inside the Ropp – there were still areas that needed to be built up. I also felt that the material on the rims of both pipes was just too brittle – especially on the Kiko. Perhaps I was wrong to try talc.Round two. This time I repeated the entire process with egg white and chalk. Old boys in days of yore used it, so why not me? I won’t bore you by rewriting the same slathering and sanding process as above, but, the chalk mixture yielded no better results than the talc. The extra layer of goo was good insofar as it added more protection to the walls – but the results may have been the same if I’d added more talc. Sadly, the chalk did not seem to improve the frangibility of the rim.Round three. More slathering and sanding. I added a bit more egg/chalk mixture to bulk up areas that needed it and I hoped that perhaps the rim would somehow magically be improved.Round four – yes round four. This time – a slight change. I opted to return to the material that Steve and I have both used successfully in the past – plaster of Paris. This was not a complete redo, as before, but merely touch ups (in some cases aided by a drop of glue). At this point, I was placated by the plaster and felt that the results were acceptable – not perfect, but acceptable. Once the sanding was done, I could remove the painter’s tape and finish the pipes off. The Kiko needed some colour added to the rim after all the topping. I used my furniture pens to match the colour and it came out very well.Both pipes went on the buffing wheel and they look great. This was a very timing-consuming and enormously frustrating process. In the end, I learned quite a few things about the repair of meerschaum. Just like everything else, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. I think egg/talc or egg/chalk is fine for small repairs, where the cracks are small and not structural. But larger repairs require something different: either grafting on a spare piece of meerschaum (which I have done successfully in the past) or using a more reliably solid goo like plaster of Paris.The Kiko and Ropp are much improved and I hope my cousin will like them. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of these pipes as much I as I did restoring them. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Having Some Fun with a Hilson Bolero Bulldog

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

Greetings, one and all! It’s been a little while since my last blog post, but, to my chagrin, life intervened in some challenging ways. Now I’m back with a nifty pipe that put a smile on my face and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you. It’s a charming, whimsical Hilson Bolero 40, partially sandblasted straight bulldog. Normally, when I think of Hilson, my mind meanders to resin (or ‘pipenite’, as they called it) stylings from the Fantasia line – but not today! This is a pure briar pipe, with a lovely vulcanite stem. I acquired it in a lot from FB Marketplace, but I don’t know the pipe’s individual history. It certainly was a favourite smoker for the fellow who previously had it. It showed all the hallmarks of a much-loved pipe.

What do the markings say? The underside of the shank shows, first, the shape number, 40, and to the right, Hilson [over] Bolero. Again, to the right of that are the words Made in Belgium. There are no other markings to mention.Let’s check Pipedia to see what they have to say about the Hilson brand:

Jean-Claude Hillen (other sources: Jean-Paul) founded a trading company in the City of Bree in 1846. He soon turned his main interest on pipes and other tobacco related goods. Particularly in the 1960’s and still throughout the 1970’s the brand Hilson of Broers Hillen B.V. (Hillen Bros. Co.) was quite successful in many European countries. They produced large numbers of machine-made pipes covering the whole range of shapes and finishes. The pipes were well respected for good quality and craftsmanship at very moderate prices. Rarely seen there are also nice freehands from this era stamped MASTRO and signed by A.M. Sanoul, who is otherwise completely unknown as a pipemaker. All the same, in 1980 Hillen faced major financial problems. At this time there was only a second manufacturer of briars pipes in the Benelux countries, the Elbert Gubbels & Zonen B.V. in the Netherlands. The Belgian competitor being in trouble, Gubbels used the favour of the hour and bought up the company. The reason is plausible: in some countries, particularly in Germany, Hilson held larger market shares than Gubbels’ mainstay brand Big Ben. The Hillen plant in Bree was closed down shortly after and ever since then Hilson pipes are manufactured in Roermond, NL.Likewise, there is a bit more to be found from our friends over at Pipephil:

In 1846 a German named Jean Knödgen started to produce clay pipe in Belgium. In the late 19th century Jean Hillen who married into the Knödgen family took over the company and changed the firm in order to manufacture briar pipe. Jean Hillen had 2 sons: Jos Hillen was responsible for sales and Albert Hillen was responsible for the production. After WWII Albert founded the HILSON brand (Hillen and Son) and exported his pipes all over the world. In 1980 after having gone bankrupt, the Belgian brand from Bree (Limburg) was taken over by the Royal Dutch Pipe Factory.It’s also worth noting that I’ve seen several posts over at the PipeMagazine forums that state that the older (and better) Hilsons are marked “Made in Belgium”, as this one is.

The pipe is in very nice shape and was well-loved. The stem had some tooth scratches and dents, plus it was coated with a lot of oxidation – a LOT. There were no significant issues with the stummel, although it did have a bit of lava on the rim and the bowl was choked with cake. I started out by cleaning the inside of the stem with 99% isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners. It was dirty, but not too bad. I also wiped the stem with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. As you can see, the stem was pretty filthy.This was going to take some work, so I went to the sink and scrubbed the stem with some cleanser on a few cotton pads. The photos testify to the icky oxidation that came off.After that, the stem went for a dip in the stem oxidation remover. I let it sit overnight, to allow all the oxidation to rise to the surface of the stem. The next day, I cleaned up the stem again with more cleanser on some cotton pads. This took some serious scrubbing, but, in the end, worked very nicely.Once complete, I filled the tooth marks with my carbon and rubber enhanced cyanoacrylate adhesive. Once cured, I took down the excess with my needle files. After that, I took my nine Micromesh pads and sanded the whole stem until it was shining like new. I also used my pipe stem oil in between the pads (from 3600 on) to bring out some extra lustre.This pipe comes with an innertube, so I cleaned that too. I used rubbing alcohol to remove all the tars and oils of the past, then scrubbed with some 0000 steel wool to make the tube shine.Onto the stummel. In order to clean out the massive amount of cake in the bowl, I used the Pipnet reamer and followed that up with a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. I sanded down the cake until I hit the briar walls, so that I could inspect them for potential damage. Everything looked good on the inside, which is great. I proceeded to clean out the inside of the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was surprisingly dirty in there! But I got it clean in the end.When that was done, I set up to de-ghost the pipe. I put some cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and soaked them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let that sit overnight so that any remaining smells and/or filth would leach out into the cotton. I also scrubbed the insides with some soap and tube brushes. It was beautifully clean after that!The stummel was in very nice shape, although the rim did have some lava on it, as previously mentioned. I soaked the rim in some Murphy’s to loosen this up, then used more Murphy’s to clean the whole stummel. This removed any external dirt and oils, and it was much improved.Most of the pipe was sandblasted, but there were three areas of smooth briar: the two shield-shaped patches on the sides of the bowl, and the underside of the shank where the markings were. On those smooth areas, I sanded down with the Micromesh pads to make it beautiful. I then took my restoration balm, rubbed it in the wood with a horsehair brush and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This balm is fantastic stuff and does wonderful things to nourish the wood. After letting it sit, I used a microfibre cloth and buffed it. Off to the bench polisher to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave the smooth sections (only) a thorough (but light-handed) going-over with White Diamond compound. Following that, several coats of conservator’s wax created a beautiful, glossy seal on the pipe.All done! This Hilson Bolero 40 straight bulldog looks fantastic and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner. It promises to be a great smoker and conversation piece. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Various” section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅔ in. (145 mm); height 1⅝ in. (41 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (37 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (18 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅛ oz. (35 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Cleaning Up a Bewlay Popular 510 Billiard

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

Next up is a handsome and modest Bewlay Popular 510 billiard. It is a simple, salt-of-the-earth type of pipe that I love. No muss, no fuss – just a solid, classic pipe. I acquired it from a local gentleman who had smoked a pipe once upon a time, but was finally divesting himself of his smoking paraphernalia. As some of the photos show, this one still has its original pipe sock to go along with it. The pipe is from The House of Bewlay – a chain of pipe stores and not a manufacturer itself – and is a classic billiard shape. The pipe’s markings on the left side of the shank read Bewlay [over] Popular. The right side of the pipe shows London Made [over] 510 (the shape number). Next to that is either a letter O or a number 0 (or maybe even a U) – it’s hard to know which, since it doesn’t look either like an O from the word “London”, nor like the 0 in the number “510”. Finally, there is a letter B on the left side of the stem.The shape number corresponds perfectly with a Bewlay catalogue from the late 60s, as you can see in the photo below. I do not know the exact date of the pipe, but it is likely from the 1960s or 70s.Let us read a bit more about Bewlay from the Pipedia article:

The English brand of Bewlay & Co. Ltd. (formerly Salmon & Gluckstein Ltd.), was in business from the early 20th century until the 1950s. The brand ended up being sold and taken over by Imperial Tobacco Co. The shop chain closed in the 1980s but there seems to be one shop still in business on Carr Lane in the city of Hull. Bewlay pipes were made by prestigious firms. Notably Barling, Charatan, Loewe & Co., Sasieni, Huybrecht, and Orlik. So understandably, the English considered a Bewlay pipe a quality pipe.

The website, Very Keen on Pipes, also includes the following information about Bewlay. I don’t know what the source of his information is, but I will reproduce here nonetheless:

One of the most famous English tobacco shops, Bewlay & Co. Ltd, was founded in 1870 at 49 W. Strand in London by the Jewish Elkan family, who immigrated from the Netherlands. At the initial stage, the business was positioned as retail trade in tobacco products; Bewley was one of the first to sell cigars. Of course, in the early 20th century, briar pipes became very popular, and Bewlay’s offered a range of Barling, Charatan’s, Loewe, Sasieni, and Orlik models. Bewlay’s was one of the first companies to export pipes to the United States. Some fans claim that Bewlay’s was the start of Joel Sasieni (Sassieni’s family were also Jewish immigrants, lived in the same area, and appear to have attended the same synagogue). In 1937, the family business was sold to Salmon & Gluckstein, which was already controlled by Imperial Tobacco. The chain of stores closed in the 1980s.

There is a long-standing confusion over determining who made which Bewlay pipes when. Bewlay used a several different fonts for the B of their logo. Equally, the pipes are marked with variations of “Made in England”, “London, England” and “London Made” (as this one is). The photo below is from Pipephil and the middle pipe is very similar to this one, in terms of markings. There is a multi-page thread in the forums of PipesMagazine.com on this topic and, if you’re interested, you can find it here. I’m not sure which of those companies might have made this pipe, but I would certainly welcome any information from someone who does know.The pipe is in very nice shape and was well-loved. The stem had some tooth scratches and dents, plus it was coated with a lot of oxidation and calcification. The previous owner must have treated this one like a lollipop. There were no significant issues with the stummel, although it did have some lava on the lovely rim. I started out by gently and carefully scraping off some of the thick layer of calcification on the stem with a butter knife. You can see in the photos that this created quite a bit of debris.I then cleaned the inside of the stem with 99% isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners. It was dirty, but not too bad. I also cleaned the stem with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. As you can see, the stem was pretty dirty, and will need a good soaking. In fact, it had a funny pattern of tiger stripes on the stem.After all that, the stem went for a dip in the stem oxidation remover. I let it sit overnight, to allow all the oxidation to rise to the surface of the stem. The next day, I cleaned up the stem with some cleanser on some cotton pads. This took some considerable elbow grease, but, in the end, worked very nicely. Forgot to take a photo though.I then renewed the colour on the stem’s “B” by painting some nail polish there and letting it set. After that, I took my nine Micromesh pads and sanded the whole stem until it was shining like new. I also used my pipe stem oil in between the pads (from 3600 on) to bring out some extra lustre. Beauty.Onto the stummel. In order to clean out the cake in the bowl, I used the KleenReem and followed that up with a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. I sanded down the cake until I hit the briar walls, so that I could inspect them for potential damage. Everything looked good on the inside, which is great news.I proceeded to clean out the inside of the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was surprisingly dirty in there! But I got it clean in the end.When that was done, I set up to de-ghost the pipe. I put some cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and soaked them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let that sit overnight so that any remaining smells and/or filth would leach out into the cotton. I also scrubbed the insides with some soap and tube brushes. It was beautifully clean after that!The stummel was in very nice shape, although the rim did have some lava on it, as previously mentioned. I used a piece of machine metal to ever-so-gently scrape off as much of this as I could so as to avoid damaging the rim. This worked perfectly. A good amount of debris came off, which was nice to see.

I then used some lightly diluted Murphy’s to clean the whole stummel. This removed any external dirt and oils, and it was much improved.I then took my restoration balm, rubbed it in the wood and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This balm is fantastic stuff and does wonderful things to nourish the wood. After letting it sit, I used a microfibre cloth and buffed it. Off to the bench polisher to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave it a thorough (but light-handed) going-over with White Diamond compound. Following that, several coats of carnauba wax created a beautiful, glossy seal on the pipe.

All done! This Bewlay Popular 510 billiard looks fantastic and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! As I mentioned before, it comes with its original branded pipe sock. If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “British” section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅔ in. (143 mm); height 1¾ in. (45 mm); bowl diameter 1¼ in. (32 mm); chamber diameter ⅔ in. (18 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1 oz. (30 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.