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Refurbishing An Early Butz Choquin “A Metz” Bent Billiard

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

This pipe too came to me in that lot of 40 pipes purchased from Etsy.fr of which I have restored a few, the ROPP PNEUMATIC being the latest project. This pipe is a large billiard with a swan neck like graceful bend to the shank that extends over to the horn stem. The stummel appears dull and lifeless and yet through this, beautiful cross grains can be faintly made out over the sides of the stummel with bird’s eye grain at the foot. A copper band adorn the shank end with it’s crimped shank end edges covering the shank face. It is stamped over the left shank surface as “BUTZ-CHOQUIN” over “A” over “METZ”. The copper band has minuscule cartouche with some mysterious stampings that are neither visible under bright light nor under magnification.A couple of years ago, I had worked on an early Butz Choquin pipe that was very similarly stamped. I had studied the brand then and also before that when I had refurbished my inherited CHOQUIN PIPE from first era 1858. Given below is the link to the write up on the similarly stamped pipe. For the sake of brevity, I have avoided reproducing the information and implore readers to follow the link for better understanding the brand and establishing the provenance of the pipe (https://rebornpipes.com/2022/04/17/restoring-a-beautiful-older-butz-choquin-a-metz-pipe/).

After reading through the material and correlating the dates, I can, with certainty, claim that this pipe (broadly) is from pre 1951 when Berrod- Regad took over Butz Choquin and moved production from Metz to St. Claude as evidenced from the A METZ stamping.

Further narrowing down the period, I strongly feel that this pipe dates to pre 1920. This conclusion is based on the fact that; firstly, the stem and tenon material used is horn and bone respectively which were the preferred material after Amber during this period for making stems as hard rubber/ vulcanite gained prominence during 1920s. Secondly, the round orifice at the stem end was commonly used until 1920s when vulcanite/ hard rubber with elliptical slot end gained prominence subsequently. Thirdly, use of cork lining inside the mortise to firmly seat the bone tenon in to the mortise.

Any inputs and corrections to my above understanding are solicited and encouraged. Such healthy discussions not only promote interaction between us but also enhance knowledge about pipes and establishing its provenance by sharing information.

Initial Visual Inspection
The elegant swan neck shape of the shank that extends into the stem is the USP of this pipe. The chamber appears to have an even thin layer of cake that appears to have been meticulously maintained by the previous owner. There are a few minor dings to both the inner and outer rim edges. The stummel boasts of beautiful cross grains over the surface with bird’s eye grains at the foot of the stummel. The briar looks dull and lifeless. The mortise has residual old oils and gunk making the draw hard. The horn stem with bone tenon is dull, dry and shows signs of beginnings of cracks over the surface. Both the tenon and orifice slot are clogged with old tars and grime. This one will require a ton of work to spruce it up to its former glory. Following pictures should provide a better understanding of the condition of the pipe before I begin my work. Detailed Visual Inspection
The first impression that I got at a glance of the chamber was an even well maintained layer of cake with practically no darkening of the rim surface or accumulation of carbon overflow. This definitely was either a well cared for pipe or the seller had done so for bargaining a better price. There a few dings on the right and left side of the outer rim edge (encircled in blue). The inner rim edge is intact save for some very minor divots that should be easily addressed with a couple of passes of a piece of 180 grit sandpaper along the edge. The rim top is nicely even and clean, requiring no topping, which I tend to avoid as much as possible. The stummel is dull, lifeless and lacklustre. Under all the dullness and poor appearance, lurks some beautiful cross grains and bird’s eye over the feet of the stummel awaiting exposure. The stummel has developed a deep dark patina from all the years of smoking and handling. There is one fill (encircled in yellow) that would need to be refreshed. Also a couple of minor divots (encircled in red) mark the stummel surface. The mortise is chock-a-block with old oils, tars and gunk and this leads me to the conclusion that it was the seller who had reamed the cake and cleaned the rim surface to ask for a better price. The copper band at the shank end is dull and covered in dust, grime and oxidation. The first issue that I noticed on close examination of the stem surface were a number of cracks all over the upper and lower surfaces. I drew out my magnifying glass and had a hard look at the cracks under bright light. Thankfully, almost all of these cracks were minor and very superficial, save for a few (encircled in red) over the upper surface and would need to be addressed. These cracks are caused because of drying of the horn material due to lack of usage and hot weather conditions. These cracks would need to be stabilized, repaired and hydrated. There are deep tooth indentations in the bite zone, very close to the button edges on either surface of the stem. The long bone tenon has darkened considerably and is covered in grime with the opening showing accumulation of oils, tars and gunk. This condition is similar at the orifice slot. The seating of the stem in to the mortise is very loose. The Restoration Process
The process of this restoration started with stem repairs. I first cleaned the stem airway by running a few hard bristled and regular pipe cleaners dipped in isopropyl alcohol followed by further cleaning with anti oil dish washing soap and thin shank brushes. The pipe cleaners pictured below and the gunk that was removed while cleaning with the shank brushes of which pictures were not clicked, tell a story of how dirty the stem internals were. I continued cleaning of the stem air way till white foam was seen coming out from the air way. I also scrubbed the stem surface with a Scotch Brite pad and soap. The next step was to stabilize the cracks on the top surface of the stem. Using a 1 mm drill bit mounted on a hand held rotary tool, I drilled counter holes at the start and end points of these cracks. These counter holes prevent the further expansion of the cracks in either directions. I filled these holes, cracks and the tooth indentations in the bite zone with CA superglue and set it aside for the glue to harden. I was still sometime away from hitting the sack and with the stem set aside for the repairs to cure; I decided to work the stummel. I began with reaming the chamber with size 1 head followed by size 2 head of the PipNet reamer. The heap of dislodged carbon did surprise me as I had anticipated a far less cake formation along the walls. I further scraped the chamber walls with my fabricated knife to remove the remaining carbon deposits where the reamer head could not reach. Once the cake was reamed back to the bare briar, I used a 220 grit sand paper to remove all the traces of remaining cake and also to smooth out the inner walls of the chamber surface. Finally, to remove the residual carbon dust, I wiped the chamber with a cotton pad wetted with 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. The chamber walls are solid without any heat lines or fissures.While I was handling the bowl, the copper band at the shank end came loose and it was then that I saw the cork lining along the walls of the mortise that was in place to ensure a snug fit of the long bone tenon in to the mortise. This cork lining has dried and needs to be revitalized. This lining also means that I would have to be careful while I clean the mortise so as not to erode and break the cork thus disturbing the seating of the stem.As observed above, the mortise is completely clogged with old oils, tars and ash resulting in a very hard and laborious draw. This was the issue that I addressed next. Using dental tools and fabricated poker, I scraped out the entire gunk from the walls of the mortise taking care that the cork lining is not damaged in the process. I used the drill bit from the Kleen Reem to remove and open up the shank airway. It was a tedious and time consuming work, but well worth the caution and efforts. The heap of crud extracted from the shank confirms the reason for the hard and laborious draw. I ran a few hard and regular pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol through the mortise and airway to remove residual gunk. The mortise is now clean with a much better open and easy draw. I shall continue with the cleaning process when I clean the stummel surface.The last agenda for the night was the external cleaning of the bowl and further internal cleaning of the mortise. I cleaned the external surface with a hard-bristled toothbrush and concentrated Murphy’s oil soap. I scrubbed the rim top and stummel surface with the soap and Scotch Brit pad. I rinsed the stummel under warm running water and dried it with paper towels and soft cotton cloth. The grains are now clearly visible and awaiting a nice polish to pop out. This cleaning also brought a few dents and scratches over the stummel surface and outer rim edge to the fore that would need to be addressed and the fill observed near the foot has loosened that would need to be refreshed. I extended my work time for a while and cleaned out the shank internals. I cleaned the shank walls by scrubbing it with shank brushes and anti-oil dish washing soap while being careful around the cork! The bowl is now clean and fresh. I set the bowl aside to dry under a heat lamp.The next evening with the stummel now dry and the stem repairs completely cured, I had the option of either working on the stummel or the stem. There was this small step that was needed to address the fill that required to be refreshed and that is where I began. With sharp dental tool, I removed the old fill and cleaned the area with alcohol. Next, I mixed briar dust with CA superglue to form putty and applied this mix over the area to be filled. I set the stummel aside for an hour or so for the mix to harden, which is almost instantaneous over the surface.I set the stummel aside and worked on the stem repairs next. The repairs had completely hardened and all that needed to be done was to blend in these repairs with the rest of the stem surface. I began by sanding the fills with a flat needle file to achieve a rough match followed by sanding the entire stem with a worn folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper. The button edges were also evened out and sharpened during the process. The fills will be further blended during the polishing cycle using various grit sandpapers and micromesh pads. I applied a generous layer of EVO and massaged it in to the horn stem to hydrate it and set it aside for the oil to be absorbed into the horn.Using the same tools and sandpaper, I blend in the stummel fill with the rest of the briar surface. This blending of the fill will be further fine-tuned when I sand the stummel surface with 220 grit sandpaper to address the issue of dings and scratches over the surface.I addressed the dents and dings to the outer rim edge by creating a bevel with a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper pinched between fingers and running them evenly over the outer edge surface. I am quite happy with the appearance of the bowl with the bevelled outer rim. Next, I cleaned the copper ferrule at the shank end with “Pitambari”, a powder that is available all across India that is used to clean and shine brass, copper and silver ware. This compound is a very fine powder and is least abrasive with fantastic results. The band is now a nice shining piece and will provide a nice contrast between the shining horn stem and the dark brown stummel. I attached the band at the shank end with all-purpose glue.The next step was to sand the entire stummel surface with sandpaper to remove the scratches and dings that are visible. I used a well worn piece of 180 grit sandpaper to sand the surface. The sanding marks that are now visible will not be so once the bowl is subjected to polishing regime with micromesh pads and compounds. There are a couple of dings and scratches that are still visible, but I shall let them be as part of the pipe’s century old existence! I followed it by wet sanding the entire stummel with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads, wiping frequently with a moist cloth to check the progress. I rubbed a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” deep in to the briar with my finger tips and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works its magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful grain patterns displayed in their complete splendor. The contrast of the dark browns of the Bird’s eye and cross grains with the natural patina of the rest of the stummel adds an interesting dimension to the appearance of the stummel which cannot be sufficiently described in words and be rather seen in person. I really like the looks of the stummel at this point in restoration. The grains and the clean lines of this piece of briar is really appreciable. With the stummel set aside, I polished the stem by wet sanding, starting with 400 and progressing through 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. I rubbed a good amount of EVO in to the stem surface and set it aside to be absorbed.A few hours later, I wiped the stem surface with paper towels and began the polishing cycle using micromesh pads. I wet sanded the stem surface going through 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I set the stem aside after rubbing it down with EVO again.To complete the restoration, I mount a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand held rotary tool and polished the stummel and stem with Blue Diamond compound. This compound helps to remove the minor scratch marks that remain from the sanding. With another cotton buffing wheel that I have earmarked for carnauba wax, I applied several coats of the wax. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further. The finished pipe looks amazingly beautiful and is ready to join my collection. I only wish it could share with me its life story of the past years while I enjoy smoking my favorite Virginia blend in it or maybe an English blend or maybe just keep admiring it! Big thank you to all the readers who have joined me on this path by reading this write up as I restored and completed this project.

Pipe Gods Smiled and I Got Not One But Three Les Wood Pipes…Restoring the Last of the Three Les Wood Pipes; a Smooth Bent Bulldog “Reo”

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

With this write up, I have reached a personal statistical milestone of 200th contribution on rebornpipes.com, a journey that I was encouraged to embark upon, helped and supported at each hurdle by my Guru, mentor and now a dear friend, Steve and without whom I would have remained alienated from this fantastic world of pipe repairs, restorations and pipe collection.

So, thank you Steve for making this platform available to me for learning and enjoying myself! And now, back to the pipe on my work table!

I had purchased three Les Wood pipes from a gentleman and had restored two of the three pipes and have added it to my personal collection. Given below is the link to the first write up posted on Reborn pipes and is a recommended read to know how I came to be in possession of this lot and brief research on husband wife duo of Leslie Wood and Dolly and the pipes they make.

https://rebornpipes.com/2022/08/05/pipe-gods-smiled-and-i-got-not-one-but-three-les-wood-pipes-restoring-a-les-wood-poker/

Below is the link to the second Les Wood pipe that I have refurbished and added to my personal collection. I would request you to read through the write up as the stampings are totally at a variance from those seen on the Les Wood Poker pipe.

https://rebornpipes.com/2023/07/15/pipe-gods-smiled-and-i-got-not-one-but-three-les-wood-pipes-restoring-second-of-the-three-les-wood-pipes-a-bark-silver-spigot/

The third pipe from this lot of Les Wood pipe is a large smooth bent pipe in classic English bulldog shape in dark brown and red color. The pipe oozes very high quality briar and a well cut handmade vulcanite stem, all in the hallmark of a Les Wood pipe! The pipe is stamped on the lower panel of the square shank with three stars one below the other on the far left side. It is followed by “FERNDOWN” in an arch over “REO”, all in block capital letters. These stampings are followed by “HAND MADE IN” over “ENGLAND” over “LES WOOD” towards the sterling silver shank end band. The Sterling silver band bears the stamp “L & JS” in a rectangular cartouche over “.925”. The vulcanite saddle stem is stamped on the left side of the saddle as “LJS”. In addition to the information that I have assimilated while working on the two Les Wood pipes above, I would like to reproduce the following snippet of information from pipedia.org

To many pipe smokers, Les Wood’s pipes embody the revival of great English pipe making initiated by Ashton in the early 1980s. The high-grade Italian and Spanish plateau he prefers is oil-cured in the tradition of both Dunhill and Ashton. The pipes are renowned for their pleasant, slightly nutty flavor and remarkable smoking characteristics. They feature impeccable craftsmanship extending to very good stem/bit work, though many pipes are often a bit heavier. The hallmark of his work, of course, is the excellent silver work. Almost all of his pipes feature rings or ferules for spigot stems. Grading is by finish: “Bark” (ca. 90%, rusticated, dark brown and black), “Antique Bark” (tan rusticated), “Reo” (brown and red, smooth), “Root” (orange, smooth), and “Tudor Root” (orange and brown smooth) and by size (one to four stars). He also designates straight grains with SG.

Due to the vagaries of international trademark law, he sold his earlier pipes as ” L.&J.S Briars”, “Ellwood”, “Les Wood” or “L. Wood”. Until recently, an average of 1500 – 2000 pipes a year were sold as “Ferndown” — named for the mansion he lives in — in the UK and US, but as “L. Wood” pipes in Germany.

Thus, from the above, the pipe currently on my work table is an early Les Wood pipe made in US/ UK and is one of 10% smooth pipe made in that year.

Initial Visual Inspection
The pipe is heavy! That’s the first thing that I noticed, heavier than even the Poker that I had restored earlier. The finish is dark and dull with dust and grime ground in to the surface. There is some darkening of the rim top surface, more noticeably towards the back of the rim in 6 ‘O’ clock direction. The rim edges are sans any damage. There is a thick layer of cake inside the chamber with a wad of unburnt tobacco at the heel of the chamber. The hand cut, high quality vulcanite stem is deeply oxidized with some very light bite marks in the bite zone. The mortise has some serious accumulation of old oils and tars that needs to be cleaned. There are serious ghost smells emanating from the chamber and the mortise. Overall, with some TLC, this pipe should regain its former glory when it first left Ferndown Mansion. Detailed Visual Inspection
The chamber has a thin layer of cake with some unburnt residual tobacco at the heel of the bowl. However, if my experiences of working on two previous Ferndown from this same estate are anything to go by, then I think the cake layer is thick, but evenly maintained. The chamber smells a rather strong fragrant hinting at being used to smoke English blend or an aromatic. The rim top surface is clean, smooth and even and so are the rim edges. I do not envisage any issues related to heat lines/ fissures along the chamber walls. The stummel surface is covered in a layer of dust and grime giving the surface a dull and lackluster appearance. From underneath this grime, a mix of bird’s eye swirls and cross grains can be seen that waits to be brought to the fore. The twin rings separating the cap of the stummel from rest of the bowl is without any nicks/ chips/ dents or dings. The mortise shows presence of some oils and tars, but should be easily cleaned. The Sterling Silver band is deeply oxidized and tarnished at places. Once cleaned and polished, this band will add a nice classy bling to the appearance of the pipe. The beautiful vulcanite stem is hand cut and oozes very high quality of material use and also craftsmanship of highest quality. The stem is oxidized with very minor tooth chatter and bite marks seen in the bite zone on both the upper and lower surfaces of the stem. These tooth chatter and tooth indentation should be easily addressed by heating the affected areas to raise the vulcanite and thereafter sanding it down to match the rest of the stem surface. The tenon end and the horizontal slot end show very minor traces of accumulation of dried gunk and grime.The Restoration Process
I started the refurbishing of this Les Wood by working the stem first. Since there were other stems that were ready to be put into the stem deoxidizer solution, I decided to clean the internals of this stem first so that it could be put in the solution with other stems. I cleaned the stem airway with a thin shank brush and anti-oil soap. I used a sharp dental tool to clean the horizontal slot and further cleaned the internals with regular and bristled pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol.The stem was immersed in the Deoxidizer solution, a product that has been developed by Mark Hoover. This solution helps raise the stem oxidation to the surface thus helping in easy removal and subsequently imparting a nice shine to the stem after polishing cycle. The pipe is indicated with a red arrow. The stem is allowed to soak into this solution overnight.The pipe next to the one indicated in the picture above, is also a Ferndown which is the next pipe in line. This one is a NOS un-smoked pipe that too came from the same gentleman’s collection as these three Les Wood pipes and was the last one that he intended to pass on to his family members. However, for reasons best known to the gent, he voluntarily offered the pipe to me at the price which I had first quoted for the very first Les Wood from his collection. I could sense a feeling of sadness in his communication and I made him a payment without further queries. The pipe made its way to me as I worked on the REO.

Now it was time for me to work on the stummel. I did this by first reaming the chamber with size 3 and 4 PipNet reamer heads. I further scraped the chamber walls with my fabricated knife to remove the remaining carbon deposits where the reamer head could not reach. Once the cake was reamed back to the bare briar, I used a piece of 220 grit sand paper to remove all the traces of remaining cake and also to smoothen out the inner walls of the chamber surface. Finally, to remove the residual carbon dust, I wiped the chamber with a cotton pad wetted with 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. The huge pile of carbon dust that was reamed out is an indication enough to the amount of carbon that had accumulated in the chamber while the smaller heap is that of the un-burnt tobacco from the chamber. The chamber walls are solid without any heat lines or fissures. I further cleaned the mortise by scrapping out the dried gunk with a dental tool. I ran a few pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol to moisten the dried gunk and assist in its removal. I shall further continue the internal cleaning of the chamber and mortise with cotton and alcohol soak.I continued the cleaning of the chamber and shank internals with a salt and alcohol bath. I use cotton balls which is an at par substitute to Kosher salt as I have realized over the years. I draw out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner; insert it in to the mortise and through the draught hole in to the chamber. Thereafter, I packed the chamber with cotton balls to about quarter of an inch below the inner rim edge and soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next morning, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise, fulfilling its intended task. I removed the cotton balls and ran pipe cleaners through the mortise to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk and further cleaned it with alcohol and q-tips. With the internal cleaning now completed, I undertook the cleaning of the external surface. I wiped the surface with Murphy’s oil soap on a cotton pad and further cleaned it with a wet cotton swab to remove all the soap from the surface and wiped it dry with paper towels and cotton cloth. The usual process that I follow while cleaning the external surface is to scrub the stummel with oil soap and rinse under running warm water. However, in this case, I was keen to preserve the stain and finish to max extent possible and hence the slight modification to the process. I further dried the surface with a heat gun to ensure that there is no moisture in the surface. My exuberance to see the shine and gloss that this pipe is capable of, thanks to the processes employed by Les Wood’s wife; I decided to continue with the stummel refurbishment. I dry sand the surface with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads, wiping frequently with a dry soft cotton cloth to check the progress made. Once the micromesh polish cycle was completed, I massaged a small quantity of ‘Before and After Restoration Balm’ in to briar surface and set it aside for few minutes. Once the briar was rejuvenated, I hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to a deep and luxurious shine. It was here that I noticed that all the cleaning of the stummel had left the finish over the rim surface a bit splotchy and light. Using a dark brown wood stain pen, I stained the rim top surface and set it aside for the stain to set.Now that the internal and external cleaning of the stummel was nearly done and also the stem had now been soaking for more than 24 hours, I removed the stem from the solution. I first scrubbed the stem surface with a Scotch Brite pad, always being mindful of the stem logo on the left side. I followed this scrubbing with a nice cleaning of the surface using a 0000 grade steel wool. I rinsed the stem under running water to rid the stem of the thick deoxidizer solution. I ran a couple of pipe cleaners to remove any residual deoxidizer solution from the airway.To address the minor tooth chatter on either surface, I heated the bite zone with the flame of a soft flame lighter. The heat from the lighter expands the vulcanite and fills up the tooth chatter. The results are not always perfect, but in this instance, the results are very satisfactory.I followed it up by wet sanding the entire stem surface using320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and finally with a piece of 2000 grit sand paper. This progressive sanding with higher grit sandpapers serves to reduce the sanding marks of the more abrasive sand papers. I also sharpened the button edges while sanding. I wiped the stem with a moist cotton swab to remove all the oxidation and sanding dust from the surface. I applied a little Extra Virgin Olive oil over the stem and set it aside to be absorbed by the vulcanite.With a jeweller’s cloth, I polished the sterling silver band at the shank end to a nice shine.On the way to complete the project, I polished the stem and stummel surface with White Diamond. Next, I replaced the buffing wheel on the rotary tool with the one that has been earmarked for Blue diamond compound and polished the entire pipe. I like the way the pipe is polishing up at this stage. With a cotton buffing wheel that I use for carnauba wax, I applied a coat of carnauba wax and continued to work on it till the complete coat of wax had been polished out. I mounted a clean cotton cloth buffing wheel and gave the entire pipe a once over buff. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further. The finished pipe looks beautiful and is ready to be added to my personal collection of pipes. P.S.: The finished pipe has a fantastic glass like shine which has been a hallmark finish from Dolly and the pipe looks very beautiful. This entire project has been very close to my heart for a reason and shall find a place of pride in my Les Wood collection.

I wish to thank readers of rebornpipes.com who have spared their valuable time in reading through this work. I look forward to your comments and suggestions for improvements. I wish to make a mention of one follower of Reborn Pipes who had been regularly in touch. However, since last month there has been no communication. If you are reading this blog my friend, a simple message of your well-being will be highly appreciated. Cheers…

An Interesting Project : Resurrection Of a Pre-1920 KB&B Pembroke

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

The next pipe is stamped as “PEMBROKE” over KB & B” on the left shank surface and came to me as part of inherited pipes that predominantly constituted pipes from various English brands, most notably LOEWE, BBB, COMOY’S, PETERSON’S, BARLING’S etcetera. However, this lot did also contain many pipes from American pipe makers like WDC, KB & B/ KAYWOODIE and others. I have researched and worked on a few of the KAYWOODIE pipes from this collection and recollect that KB & B changed their name to KAYWOODIE in 1920s to promote their Kaywoodie line of pipes or was it for some other reason? For clarification and recollection of history of this renowned brand from USA, I re-read the history from https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaufmann_Bros._%26_Bondy#Brands and have only reproduced that information that helps to date the pipe:-

Early History

Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy (KB&B), Kaywoodie has been making pipes since well before the Civil War – around 1851. They peaked in the late 1950’s along with most American Briar works. In the early 20th century, their pipes were the standard others were measured by, along with Sasieni, Charatan and Comoy’s. There were few other world-class American pipe-crafters (William Demuth Company, early L & H Stern). Their pipes were as good as any of the renowned British firms. Kaywoodie just did not merely produce quantity, they provided quality: in the 1920’s they bought the exclusive rights to some of the choicest briar fields in history, hauling out 250 year-old roots the size of 27″ TVs and fashioning masterpieces out of this spectacular-grained ancient briar.

Early KB&B (non Kaywoodie)

Kaywoodie was the name a pipe offered by Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy Company (KB&B), first appearing in February of 1919.

The origin of the name Kaywoodie is a combination of the K from Kaufmann and wood, as in briar. Not much is known of the original KB&B company other than it was started in 1851 by the German born Kaufmann brothers when they opened a small pipe shop in the Bowery section of New York City.

When one of the men from the New York office got “gold fever” he carried a large supply of pipes with him to California that he sold along the way. This early “national distribution” did much to build the reputation of KB&B. By the late 1800’s, branches of KB&B were opened in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and St. Louis with family and friends acting as agents. The trademarks, for the inlaid cloverleaf and the cloverleaf with the KB&B initials inside, were issued in 1881.

Pre-Kaywoodie KB&B

According to Hackert, the firm of Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy (KB&B) began producing the Kaywoodie Pipe in 1915.

Business thrived and in 1854 the Kaufmanns took in a partner named Bondy. … The three partners retired in 1898, but their relatives continued on with the firm, which had begun to manufacture their own briar pipes under the KB&B trademark. In 1915 the Kaywoodie brand was created as a marketing umbrella for a new briar pipe which the KB&B Company introduced. …”

Hacker concludes his history of Kaywoodie Pipes by noting that: “The KB&B briar pipe brand existed from 1900 until just after World War I (with some overlapping with the Kaywoodie from 1915 — 1917), and collectors refer to the KB&B as a Kaywoodie transition pipe.

The pre-Kaywoodie KB&B pipes were marked on the shank with a cloverleaf around KB&B. 

In March of 1955, when S.M. Frank & Co. Inc. bought Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy, The Kaywoodie Company, Reiss-Premier Corp., The New England Briar Pipe Co. and – of course – Yello-Bole.

Thus, comparing literature notes with the stampings as seen on the pipe that I am working on, I am certain that it dates as to being pre- 1920. Another pointer is the orific slot which was gradually replaced by more elliptical slot from 1920 and progressed further to the horizontal slot that we see on pipes today.

Here are the pictures of the stampings as seen on the PEMBROKE: Initial Visual Inspection
The PEMBROKE, currently on my worktable, is a medium sized classic bent billiards with a decent sized bowl in dark reddish brown color. The well seasoned briar is covered in dirt, dust and grime from decades of use. There are a couple of deep scratches on the stummel surface. There is a thick cake in the chamber with heavy overflow of cake, oils and tars over the rim top surface. The inner rim edge is uneven and charred. The outer rim edge, likewise, is peppered with dents and dings. The high quality hard rubber stem is oxidized with flattened bite zone on either surfaces of the stem. The tenon has a narrow extension at the end and is covered in dried oils and tars. The round orifice slot is similarly clogged with dried gunk. The stem does sit flush with the shank face and the seating is too damn tight within the mortise. Following pictures will give the readers a general idea of the condition of the pipe before I start to work on the pipe. Detailed Inspection
The chamber has a thick hard cake that has spilled over the rim top surface. The cake is thicker around the upper half of the chamber. The outer rim edge has dents and dings all around but is most severely damaged along the front half portion (encircled in yellow), a damage that can result only due to repeated strikes against a hard edged surface. The inner rim edge, prime facie, is sans any damage. The condition of the inner walls of the chamber can be commented upon after the cake has been taken down to the bare briar. There is a strong ghost smell in the chamber which is all pervading. There are remnants of un-burnt tobacco at the bottom of the chamber.The stummel surface is covered in dust, dirt and grime giving a dull, lifeless and lackluster appearance to the pipe. However, the briar has taken on a nice dark patina which has been a result of more than 100 years of usage and would be worth preserving. However, eliminating/ addressing the deep scratches (encircled in green) on both side of the stummel and the few dents and dings would entail sacrificing the patina. This is a call that I would need to take at some stage in the restoration process. The mortise is chock-a-block with old oils, tars, ashes and grime making for a laboured draw. The thick cake and blocked mortise hides the draught hole from the view. These issues need to be addressed. The high quality hard rubber stem is deeply oxidized. The unique feature of the stem is that the stem surface is flattened in the bite zone on either surface with defined cut edges. Now, the question that came to my mind was if these flattened surfaces were original to the stem or carved out by the piper who owned it, probably for ease of clenching? Well, to me it appears that this unique carving of the bite zone is machined and not handmade since the edges are too well defined and sharp to be handmade using home tools. But that the flattening of the bite zone makes it comfortable for clenching is unquestionable. There are no significant bite marks or chatter in the bite zone or over the button edges. The orifice slot shows dried accumulated oils and tars that would need to be cleaned. The tenon has a stepped hard rubber (?) extension similar in shape to the ones seen on Peterson’s Deluxe line of pipes. The tenon and extension too is covered in a thick layer of dried crud. The stem does not seat flush in the mortise and is fit is very tight. I think the seating issues would address itself once the tenon and mortise is cleaned.The Process
I began the repair and refurbishing process with reaming of the chamber. I reamed the chamber with head sizes 1 and 2 of the PipNet pipe reamer. I removed the carbon from the areas where the reamer head could not reach with my fabricated knife. To completely remove the residual carbon from the walls of the chamber and smooth out the walls, I sanded the chamber walls with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper followed by cleaning the chamber with a cotton swab wetted with isopropyl alcohol. The chamber walls are in pristine condition. I gently scrapped off the lava build up over the rim top using a sharp knife to avoid damage to the surface. I cleaned the mortise and shank walls of the pipe using dental tool. I scraped out the dried oils and tars from the walls of mortise and shank walls. The pile of crud that was scraped out is indicative to the amount of gunk that was lodged in the mortise and shank internal. At the end of this step, I still was not able to pass a pipe cleaner through the mortise. Out came one of the many modified tools in my arsenal and after some deft use of this poker, I was able to dislodge the blockage from within the mortise. I ran a bristled pipe cleaner and q-tip dipped in alcohol through the mortise and out through the draught hole further clearing the passage. I will continue this further cleaning during the course of refurbishing of this pipe.Next, I decided to subject the chamber and mortise to cotton and alcohol bath. I packed the chamber with cotton and drew out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner, inserted it into the mortise and through the draught hole into the chamber. I tightly packed cotton balls into the remaining portion of the mortise. Thereafter, I soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next afternoon, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise. I removed the cotton balls and the dirt can be gauged by the appearance and coloration of the cotton balls and the pipe cleaner. I ran pipe cleaners through the mortise and draught hole to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk that was lodged in the draught hole and mortise. The chamber and mortise now smelled clean, fresh and looked it too. I set the stummel to dry out naturally.Once the internals of the chamber and shank were cleaned, I cleaned the external surface of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil soap and cotton swabs followed by scrubbing the surface with a toothbrush and dish washing soap. This rid the stummel surface of all the accumulated dust, dirt and grime. Using a piece of Scotch Brite scrub, I deliberately cleaned the rim top and removed the crud from the surface. The damage to the rim edges is now amply evident.Simultaneously, I also cleaned the shank internals with dish washing soap and a shank brush. I set the stummel aside to dry out naturally while I worked the stem.I began the process of refurbishing the stem by first scraping off the dried gunk from the tenon and tenon end extension using a sharp thin knife. I was careful not to damage or break the extension or the stem face. I cleaned the tenon extension with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol and ran a pipe cleaner through the airway to check if the airway was clear of any blockage. Fortunately, it was.Using thin shank brushes and anti-oil dish washing soap, I cleaned the stem airway. I have modified this process of cleaning the stem airway by doing away with pipe cleaners and alcohol as it saves me a ton of pipe cleaners, which is a precious commodity for me here in India. I continued this cleaning till only white clean foam came out of the stem airway, indicating that the airway was nice and clean. I ran a couple of pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol through the airway to dry it out and make sure that there are no traces of soap and gunk hidden in the airway. I also scrubbed the stem surface to remove surface oxidation and rubbed a small quantity of EVO in to the stem surface. Since there were no damages to the stem, I set it aside and shall return to polishing the stem after I am done with the stummel repairs.Next, I got around to addressing the rim top damage. The extent of the damage to the outer edge, caused due to banging against a hard surface, would necessitate heavy topping off of the rim surface, and I for one, absolutely wish to avoid any loss of briar. Also topping to the extent that was required to eliminate the dents/ dings and chipped areas would completely alter the original shape and symmetry of this pipe.  So, I planned on first filling up these dents and dings on the rim edge using briar dust and superglue to roughly match the surrounding intact rim surface and some more and then topping it to achieve a smooth even surface. Theoretically, this sounds logical.

I resorted to the layering method again; first I layered superglue along the damaged surfaces of the rim followed by sprinkling of briar dust, another layer of superglue followed by a final layer of briar dust. This final layer of briar dust reduces the probability of air pockets (or so I thought). In the second picture, you can see that the layering has not been done to the level of the rim surface but above the surrounding intact rim surface as I would be sanding the rim subsequently. I set the stummel aside to cure. I revisit the stummel the next evening after the repairs are completely cured and hard. Using flat needle files, I sand the repairs to achieve a rough match with the surrounding briar surface. Once I had achieved a rough match, I top the rim surface over a 220 grit sandpaper to even out the surface and achieve a perfectly even rim top surface. The inner and outer rim edges are still slightly uneven and shall be addressed next.To get the inner and out rim edges back to round, I created a bevel over the edges with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper. I am pretty pleased with the progress being made thus far. It was now that I decided to address the numerous scratches over the stummel surface and the process of steaming these out is the best way forward. I assembled the items that are essential to this process; a wet Turkish towel, a knife and a candle. I heated my fabricated knife over the flame of the candle till it was really hot. I covered the scratched surface with the wet towel and placed the hot knife over it. The steam that is generated expands the briar raising the scratches to the surface. I repeated the process over the areas till the issue of scratches was addressed over the entire stummel surface. Though these scratches were pulled to the surface, I would still need to sand the stummel to eliminate them.Using a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper, I sand the scratched surfaces till these were completely eliminated. I followed the 220 grit sandpaper by sanding the surface with a piece of 800 grit sandpaper. However, here I also realized that this also resulted in losing the patina that I so dearly wanted to preserve. You win some and lose some, that’s how it always is!To further clean and highlight the grains, I sand the stummel with micromesh pads, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I wiped the stummel after each wet pad with a moist cloth to remove the resulting dust and note the progress being made. I rub a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” in to briar and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works its magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance. I further buff it with a horse hair shoe brush. I set the bowl aside and took to working on the stem. I once again cleaned the stem surface using the Scotch Brite sponge and followed it up by a scrub with 0000 grade steel wool. This helps in further removing the oxidation from the surface. I also ran a thin shank brush through the stem airway to ensure that it was clean and clear of all the soap deposits. I rubbed the stem with some EVO to hydrate the surface.To impart a deep black shine to the stem while getting rid of the oxidation from the stem surface, I wet sand the stem surface with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers. I again rub the surface with some EVO to hydrate the stem and prevent oxidation from again creeping over the surface due to exposure to natural elements and set the stem aside.To bring a deep shine to the hard rubber stem, I polished the stem, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I rubbed it down with Extra Virgin Olive oil to rejuvenate the hard rubber. The finished stem is shown below.With the stem refurbishing nearly completed, I took a long hard look at the stummel now bereft of the patina and the original dark reddish brown stain. I discussed with Abha about the difference in the appearance of the stummel at this stage in restoration from the way it appeared at the start. The unanimous decision was to stain the stummel to its original color or as close to it as possible and with the decision made; I decided to stain wash the stummel using Feibing’s Cordovan leather dye.

Using a heat gun, I warm the stummel to open the pores in the surface to accept the stain. I mix a small amount of alcohol with the dye to dilute it and apply it over the heated surface with a folded pipe cleaner. I set the stain by flaming it with the flame of a lighter as I went ahead to different self designated zones of the surface. This helps in the setting of the stain into the grain of the briar and set the stummel aside. The next evening, approximately 18 hours later, as Dal describes, I began to unwrap the stain in the hope to see beautiful grains. I mount a felt cloth buffing wheel on my hand held rotary tool and setting the tool at its slowest speed, I began to peel off the stain from the stummel surface first using Red compound. The stain was peeled out gradually revealing a nice shining surface and grains underneath the stain.Next, I mount a fresh felt cloth buffing wheel and polish the stummel with White Diamond compound. This further lightens the stain, highlighting the grains while imparting a nice shine to the stummel surface. The similar coloration achieved at this stage to the original color, uplifted my spirits sky high. I shall continue the polishing regime further using Blue diamond and finish off with carnauba wax polish.I have now reached the homestretch in this restoration project. To complete the restoration, I mount a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand held rotary tool and polished the stummel and stem with Blue Diamond compound. This compound helps to remove the minor scratch marks that remain from the sanding while further highlighting the grain and lightening the stain. I mount another cotton buffing wheel that I have earmarked for carnauba wax and applied several coats of the wax. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further. The finished pipe looks amazingly beautiful and with the Cordovan stain, as good as original. In fact, the pipe looks much more endearing and beautiful in person than it does in the pictures below. It shall find a place of pride in my “American pipe makers” section of my personal collection. P.S. – This then is one project which has given me greatest of satisfaction that I have experienced after it’s completion.

I am not too concerned with successes or failures of any project. What matters to me is the journey.

Transforming an Old, Battered and Abused Brigham #417 Four Dot

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

This pipe has been in my possession for so long that details of how, when and where of this pipe have faded away from my memory. However, years after procrastinating on the restoration of this pipe, it’s finally on my work table.

This is a partially rusticated straight Rhodesian with smooth side panels and a smooth shank bottom that bears the stampings of this pipe. The rustications are worn down and at some places the rustications have completely smoothed out, signifying that it had been in regular use of the previous pipe man/ woman and has been extensively used. Though the stampings are quite worn, they are easily discernible under bright light and magnification. It is stamped towards the shank end as “BRIGHAM” in script at an upwards angle moving from left to right over “CANADA” in straight capital letters. Towards the bowl end, faint shape code # “417” can be seen. The left of the stem towards the tenon end and shrouded beneath all the oxidation and grime, four dots arranged in a diamond shape are visible. I have a post-patent era (1956- 1969) Brigham that I had got from Steve and had read through the entire write up. It provided a deep insight in to the genesis, history and the dating of Brigham pipes. Here is the link to the write up and is highly recommended read.

https://rebornpipes.com/2019/01/13/restoring-pipe-16-from-bob-kerrs-estate-a-brigham-3-dot-canadian-691/

Next to ascertain the date and significance of the dots, I visited pipedia.org and went through the complete article written by well known to me pipe restorer, researcher and author of an authoritative book on Brigham pipes, Charles Lemon of Dad’s Pipe. I have reproduced an extract of relevant information related to the pipe that I am working on.

 “I have dubbed the decades between 1980 and 2000 the Late Canadian Era, a period that saw several changes at Brigham that are of note to the collector. First, the traditional 8-grade pinning system (the famous Brigham “Dots” which denoted the quality of the pipe) was changed to a 7-grade system to simplify pinning (more on this below), and the Norsemen and Valhalla series were merged to form the President Series, which represented the very finest pipes coming out of the Toronto factory. Early pipes from this era (left, below) are stamped with a shape number and “Brigham” over “Canada”; later pipes (late 1980s+, on right below) are stamped simply with a shape number and the Brigham logo.”

The Original Brigham Dot System 1938 – 1980
Brigham pipes are reknown in the pipe world for their famous “Brigham Dots”, a system of brass pins inset in the stem to denote the grade of each pipe. The original 8-grade pinning system, used for 42 years between 1938 and 1978 (spanning the Patent, Post-Patent and Canadian Eras) looked like this:The pipe on my work table, thus, is from the early 1980s and a “Director” grade Brigham.

With the provenance of the pipe now established, it was time to move ahead with the initial/ detailed inspection and restoration.

Initial Inspection
The pipe, as it sits on my work table, does not present a very promising picture. However, having worked on a couple of hundred pipes, some in much worse condition that this one, I am sure with some TLC and repairs, the beauty of this pipe can be restored to its former glory. The smooth rim top shows damages consistent with having been knocked against hard edges and is covered with overflowing lava. The partially rusticated stummel surface is covered in dirt and grime giving the surface a dull and lacklustre appearance. The rustications are worn down at places to nearly a smooth surface. The vulcanite stem is deeply oxidized and is missing a chunk of vulcanite from the bite zone on the lower surface. The seating of the stem in to the mortise is loose. The following pictures will give you a clear idea to the condition of the pipe as I start the restoration work. Detailed Inspection
The stummel is smooth towards the tapered upper ½ inch and extends over the rim top surface. The rim top surface is uneven, a result of being knocked against a hard edge of a table. I suspect that this damage is more severe on the left side between 6 and 9 o’ clock direction (encircled in green). The cake is thick and hard and overflowing over the rim top surface. It is also observed that the cake is thicker towards the upper half of the chamber and has a strong sweet molasses like smell permeating from the pipe. The condition of the chamber walls is hidden beneath the thick cake and will be ascertained only after the cake has been taken down to the bare briar. However, after careful external examination of the surface, I am confident that there is no damage to the chamber walls as the stummel surface is hard and solid all around.The partially rusticated stummel surface is covered in dirt, dust and grime giving the surface a dull, dirty and lifeless appearance. The nooks and crannies of the rustications shows accumulated oils, tars and dust that have darkened over time. There are flecks of white paint embedded within these crevices of the rustications. These rustications have worn down significantly and have smoothed out at many places. The stummel surface is solid to the touch signifying less likelihood of any chamber damage. The stummel has taken on a nice dark patina from 40 years of heavy usage and I would like to preserve it through all the cleaning and polishing. The mortise is relatively clean as expected since the long metallic tenon housing the trademark maple wood filter sits close to the mortise face. The vulcanite stem is deeply oxidized and appears dirty green. The lower surface of the stem has a large chunk of vulcanite missing from the bite zone, including the button. The four brass dots are covered in oxidation and would need to be cleaned and polished. Once the stem has been cleaned and polished, these brass dots will add an element of dazzle to the entire pipe. The long aluminum tenon which houses the Brigham trademarked Maple wood filter is covered in dried oils and tars. The filter is completely stuck in to the tenon and wouldn’t budge and the sweet smell too is very strong.The Process
The first issue that I tackled was that to separate the maple filter from the aluminum tube tenon. I chucked the stem in to the freezer for a couple of hours. Thereafter, I gently and lightly heated the tenon with a Bic lighter. This loosened the oils and tars and gunk that held the filter in to the tenon. Using a pair of nose pliers, I gently pulled out the maple wood filter. The following pictures will give you an idea as to how filthy and dirty the filter was and made me ask myself whether the filter was ever replaced/ cleaned.In preparation for immersing the stem in to the oxidation remover solution, I cleaned out the aluminum tenon and stem airway using dish washing soap and shank brushes. I further cleaned the stem airway using hard and regular pipe cleaners and alcohol. The stem internals are now clean and ready for further processes.I immersed it in “Before and After Deoxidizer” solution along with the stems of other pipes in line for restoration. This solution works to draw out all the deep seated oxidation from the surface making its subsequent cleaning and polishing a breeze. I would definitely recommend this product as it saves on to time and efforts. The pipe has been marked with a blue arrow for easy identification. At this stage, I called it a day as it was well past midnight.The next afternoon, I removed the stems that had been soaking in the deoxidizer solution overnight. I cleaned the stem and the stem airway under running warm water and scrubbed the raised oxidation from the stem surface using a Scotch Brite pad and the airway with thin shank brush. I further removed the oxidation by scrubbing the stem with 0000 grade steel wool and applied a little olive oil to rehydrate the stem. I used the steel wool to clean the aluminum tenon and it did make a world of difference to the appearance of the tenon.Continuing with the stem repair, I inserted a triangulated index card covered in transparent tape in to the slot. The tape prevents the mix of superglue and charcoal from sticking to the index card. I mixed superglue and activated charcoal powder and generously applied it over the bite zone, including over the buttons and set it aside for the fill to cure.Once the repairs had hardened, I shaped the button and the bite zone using a flat needle file. I roughly matched the freshly shaped surface with the rest of the stem by sanding the patch with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper. At this stage, I noticed air pockets in the patch on the upper surface of the stem (encircled in red) and also the horizontal slot needed a rebuild. I mixed a fresh batch of activated charcoal and superglue and rebuilt the entire bite zone on the upper surface and also the horizontal slot. I set the stem aside for the fills to cure. While the stem repairs were set aside to cure, I moved on to reaming the chamber with my PipNet pipe reamer. I started the reaming process with head size 1 of the PipNet reamer blade and progressed through to head size 2. I used my fabricated knife to remove cake from areas inaccessible to the reamer blades and completed the process of removing the cake by sanding the walls smooth with a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper. I wiped the chamber with a cotton swab wetted with alcohol to clean the residual carbon dust. The chamber walls are solid and the hard layer of cake had worked well to protect the chamber walls.Next, I cleaned the mortise by scraping out all the dried oils and tars from the walls with a dental tool. I further cleaned the mortise using bristled and regular pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol. Continuing with the internal cleaning of the chamber and mortise, I subjected it to a salt and alcohol bath. I used cotton balls which is an at par substitute as I have realized over the years. I drew out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner; inserted it into the mortise and through the draught hole and further into the chamber. Thereafter, I packed the chamber with cotton balls to about quarter of an inch below the rim inner edge and soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next afternoon, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils/ tars from the chamber and mortise and loosened out any residual cake and tar build up, fulfilling it’s intended task. I removed the cotton balls and ran pipe cleaners through the mortise to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk. Using my fabricated tool, I scraped out the entire loosed gunk from the mortise and further cleaned it with alcohol and q-tips. The large blobs of now moistened gunk that was removed from the mortise should give the readers an idea of how filthy the mortise was when I started the process of cleaning. The chamber now smells clean and fresh. I cleaned the external surface of the stummel with undiluted Murphy’s oil soap and a hard bristled toothbrush. I cleaned the smooth rim top surface with the soap and Scotch Brite pad. I scrubbed the rim top surface with a wire brush to remove the lava overflow and followed it up with a scrub using Scotch Brite pad. The stummel was dried using paper towels and soft cotton cloth. The clean rim top presents charred surface between 6 and 9 o’clock and in 12 o’clock direction (encircled in yellow) and also a couple of dents with thinning of the rim (encircled in red). I simultaneously cleaned the mortise with dish washing soap and shank brushes till all the loosened oils, tars and gunk, a result of the salt and alcohol bath, were completely removed. I dried the shank internals using paper towels and pipe cleaners.The external cleaning had revealed all the issues to the stummel surface that needed to be addressed and I decided to tackle the darkening and dents/ dings to the rim top surface. To address the rim top damage, I topped the rim top on 220 grit sandpaper till the surface was nice and even. I hate losing any briar and restrict it to the barest minimum that is required. The damage to the inner rim edge, though greatly eliminated, can still be seen to the back and left side of the rim edge (encircled in green) and the chamber too appeared to be out of round. These issues would be addressed next. To get the chamber back to round and address the still visible chipped surfaces over the inner rim edge, I created a bevel over the inner and outer edge with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper. I am pretty pleased with the progress being made thus far. Next, I subjected the smooth surfaces over the stummel to a complete cycle of micromesh polish, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I wiped the stummel with a moist cloth after every grit pad to remove the sanding dust left behind by the pads. This also helps in monitoring the progress being made and ensures early corrective action. I am happy with the progress being made until now. I massaged a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” into the briar surface with my finger tips and worked it deep into the surface and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works it’s magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful bird’s eyes and cross grain patterns on full display. Now that the stummel repairs are completed, I turned my attention back to the stem repairs. The second attempt fills were well cured and I moved ahead with the process of filing and shaping the button end with a flat head needle file. With a flat needle file, I reshaped the horizontal slot end. For a better blending, I further sanded the entire stem with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. The few minor air pockets that are visible will be completely eliminated as I progress with the sanding and polishing process. I continued to work on the stem and progressed to wet sanding the entire stem with a folded piece of 320 followed by 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers. Thereafter, I polished the stem by dry sanding the stem with 3200 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I strictly avoided running the lower grit sand papers over the four brass dots, polishing them with 6000 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I rubbed a small quantity of EVO into the stem surface and set it aside for the vulcanite to absorb and hydrate. Before moving on to final polishing of the entire pipe using polishing compounds, there was one aspect, though not critical, but important and that was to clean the gaps between the two rings separating the cap from the rest of the stummel. I used a sharp dental tool to clear out all the debris that had lodged between the rings.To complete the restoration, I mounted a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand held rotary tool and polished the stummel and stem with Blue Diamond compound. This compound helps to remove the minor scratch marks that remain from the sanding. I wiped/ buffed the pipe with a soft cotton cloth to clear it of any leftover compound dust. With a cotton buffing wheel that I use for carnauba wax, I apply a coat of carnauba wax and continue to work on it till the complete coat of wax had been polished out. I mount a clean cotton cloth buffing wheel and give the entire pipe a once over buff. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further. The finished pipe looks beautiful and is ready to join my other Brigham that I had received from Steve. Looking forward to enjoying my leisure time with this beautiful and gorgeous looking pipe, smoking my favorite tobacco!! P.S.: No Brigham pipe is complete without it’s trademark Maple wood filter. I replaced the old and clogged filter with a fresh filter and now it’s truly ready to deliver it’s unique smoking experience that I have come to appreciate after smoking the one in my collection. I storngly recommend that every pipe smoker must experience the pleasures of smoking a Brigham pipe at least once.

Refurbishing a C.G.F Majestic Bruyere

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

The next pipe that I chose to work on is a pipe from the lot of 50 odd pipes that Abha, my wife, had cleaned up for me way back in early 2018.

It’s a beautiful Dublin shaped pipe with an oval shank and a short saddle stem. The pipe has rustications that are somewhat similar to the micro rustications seen on BRAKNER pipes, but not as fine, much more widely spaced and uneven in orientation. It is stamped on the upper flat surface of the oval shank as “MAJESTIC” over “BRUYERE”. The oval upper stem surface bears the letters “C.G.F” in a rhombus.I had never worked on this and of pipe before and was keen to understand more of this brand. My first visit to unearth the mystery of this pipe to pipephil.eu and pipedia.org did not yield the answers that I was looking for except on pipedia.org which had few pictures under the name MAJESTIC; one picture was that of C.G.F PARIS and another one was that of A. Pandevant & Roy. Given below is the link to the webpage.

https://pipedia.org/wiki/File:2070-01.jpg

The name A. Pandevant & Roy immediately brought back recollection of the research that my friend Dal Stanton aka The Pipe Steward had done on this pipe maker way back in 2019. It makes for a very informed read and his research of this brand has been included in pipedia.org, a remarkable and praise worthy achievement for sure. I implore readers to read through this research, the link to which is given below.

https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/22/discovering-the-history-with-the-reclamation-of-this-petite-epc-majestic-bent-horn-stem-billiard/

I have reproduced excerpts from the write up as condensed on pipedia.org (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A._Pandevant_%26_Roy_Co.)

  1. Pandevant & Roy Co. of Paris had its beginning in 1884 and disappeared with the commencement of WWII in the late 30s or early 40s. “E.P.C.”, “La Savoyarde”, “MAJESTIC”, “La Parisienne” and “E.P.” were registered trademarks of the company.

Note: The follow example and the information for this article is courtesy of Dal Stanton, The Pipe Steward

Thus, from the above information, it is evident that the pipe currently on my work table is from the stables of A. Pandevant & Roy Co. and definitely pre dates to early 1940s when the company became one of the many victims of World War II.

Initial Visual Inspection
As expected, my wife had not taken any “Before” pictures of the pipe prior to working her magic on this pipe and here I am talking about the year 2018 and even today she conveniently forgets to take pictures of the pipes that she works on initial cleaning. However, she did enclose a note with each pipe giving out the issues that need to b addressed and the note with this pipe pointed out to a through hole in the stem’s bite zone.

Initial Cleaning By Abha…
The initial cleaning on this pipe was done by Abha, my wife (she has cleaned up around 40-50 pipes and these have now reached me for further restoration). She reamed out the complete cake and further smoothened out the chamber walls with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper. She further cleaned out the internals of the shank with pipe cleaners and alcohol and cotton buds. She followed the internal cleaning of the shank with external cleaning of the stummel using Murphy’s Oil soap and hard bristled tooth brush and dried it with paper napkins and cotton cloth.

Next she cleaned out the internals of the stem air way and immersed it in “Before and After Deoxidizer” solution along with the stem of other pipes in line for restoration. Once the stem had soaked overnight, she cleaned the stem under running warm water and scrubbed the raised oxidation from the stem surface using scotch brite pad. She further removed the oxidation by scrubbing the stem with 0000 grade steel wool and applied a little olive oil to rehydrate the stem.

Once The Pipe Is On My Work Table…
The overall condition of the pipe is very encouraging without any major damage to the stummel. The only damage visible is on the stem where a chunk of button along with a portion of the bite zone is missing. The stummel surface appears dull and lifeless. Here are a few pictures of the pipe as it sits on the work table. Detailed Inspection
The chamber walls are nice clean and fresh. There are no ghost smells and the rusticated rim top surface is clean and undamaged.The rusticated stummel surface is without any fills or dents or dings. The only issue that I see is the dull and dry appearance of the stummel. This stummel will turn out beautiful and the rustications will stand out once I have polished the surface. The mortise and shank internals are nice and clean. The vulcanite saddle stem on this pipe is where there is max damage and would take a considerable time and work to repair. To start with, the step tenon end has a chunk of vulcanite missing (encircled in green) and would need to be rebuilt. The lip on the upper stem surface has deep tooth indentation (encircled in red) while the bite zone of the lower surface has been completely chewed off and there is no button/ lip (encircled in red). These issues would need to be addressed. The stem stamping is slightly worn out with the letter C being more worn out than the other letters.The Process
I started the process of restoration of this pipe by cleaning the internal and external surfaces of the stem even though Abha had cleaned them earlier as the pipe had been lying around for more than five years! Using anti oil dish washing soap, I cleaned the external surface with a Scotch Brite followed by 0000 grade steel wool. The stem airway was cleaned using the soap and thin shank brush.Continuing with the stem repair, I inserted a triangulated index card covered in transparent tape in to the slot. The tape prevents the mix of superglue and charcoal from sticking to the index card. I mixed superglue and activated charcoal powder and generously applied it over the bite zone, including over the buttons, on either surfaces of the stem and set it aside to cure. I shall rebuild the step end of the tenon once these fills are cured and completely hardened.While the stem repairs were set aside to harden, I decided to freshen up the already clean stummel surface. To enliven the briar wood, I rubbed a little quantity of “Before and After” balm in to stummel surface and set it aside for 20 minutes for the balm to be absorbed in to the briar. Thereafter I hand buffed it with a microfiber to deepen the shine. The stummel looks nice and vibrant. While I revitalized the stummel surface, the stem repairs had cured sufficiently to allow me to work on rebuilding the broken step tenon end. I tightly wound a transparent tape around the tapered end of a pipe cleaner and inserted it in to the airway from the tenon end. The rounded pipe cleaner will help in achieving a better thickness and shape profile of the tenon end while the triangular shaped index card that I used for the slot helped in achieving the desired V shape and horizontal thickness of the slot. Using a mix of CA superglue and food grade activated charcoal powder, I rebuilt the tenon end. I made sure that the fill is in excess of the requirement as that would provide me with more material to work on and shape the tenon end. I set the stem aside for the fills to cure overnight. By next afternoon, the stem and tenon rebuild patches had cured perfectly and was fit to work on. I moved ahead with the process of filing and shaping the button end with a flat head needle file. For a better blending, I further sanded the entire stem with 320. I used a folded piece of 320 grit sand paper to sand the tenon end patch and achieve an even match with the rest of the tenon surface. I shaped the opening of the rebuilt tenon for smooth and even airway surface using a round needle file and topped the tenon face on a piece of 220 girt sand paper to achieve a perfect seating of the step tenon into the mortise. I covered the slightly worn out stem stamp with a tape to protect it and wet sand the stem progressing through 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand paper. I wiped the stem after each grade of sandpaper to view the progress being made and also identify areas on the stem surface that were still covered with traces of oxidation. I wiped the stem with EVO at the end of 2000 grit sanding and set the stem aside.I followed it up with dry sanding the entire stem using 3200 to 12000 grit micromesh pads to completely smooth out the surface and bring out the deep black shine of the vulcanite.

I have reached the stage in this project which can be considered as the home run. I polished the entire stem with blue diamond using a cotton wheel mounted on to my hand held rotary tool. The blue diamond compound helps to eliminate the minor scratches that remain after the use of micromesh pads. I completed this project by hand polishing the stummel with Halcyon II wax. I rubbed this polish deep into the rustications and after a couple of minutes, vigorously hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to a deep shine. I polished the stem with carnauba wax using my hand held rotary tool. This is a gorgeous looking pipe and I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to work on this beauty and it is ready for the next pipeman or pipewoman who wish to carry forward the trust in this pipe till it is time to pass it on to others. If this pipe calls out to you or to someone that yo care for, please feel free to either get in touch with Steve or send me a mail on deshpandeparesh@yahoo.co.in.  Here are a few pictures of the completed pipe for you to appreciate while I take the opportunity to thank you each of you for sparing your valuable time in joining me on this journey.

Refurbishing an Ultra Lightweight Amphora X-Tra #728 Tall Pixaxe

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

The pipe currently on my work table came to me in the year 2018 from eBay. It’s a beautiful pipe with shallow sandblast, tall pickaxe shaped and very light in weight. I had worked on other Amphora billiards from my Mumbai Bonanza (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/10/11/restoring-16th-pipe-from-the-mumbai-bonanza-lot-an-amphora-x-tra-726/) but it was selected by a very dear friend of mine and I couldn’t refuse him. The moment I selected this pipe to work on, I had decided to add it to my personal collection given the beautiful shape, ultra-light weight and the fact that I had no Amphora in my collection.

The pipe is stamped as “Genuine Briar” over “Amphora Holland” towards the bowl followed by “Amphora” over “X-tra – 728” towards the shank end. The stem bears the trademark stem logo “A” in a circle on the left side on the saddle portion of the vulcanite saddle stem. The stampings are clear and easily readable.Having worked on and researched Amphora brand earlier, I refreshed my memory by revisiting the write up, the link to which has been provided above. I re-read the addendum by Robert M. Boughton which points to a connection of amphora pipes to Dr. Grabow!!!! This does make for a very interesting read and is highly recommended. Here is the link to the write up:

https://rebornpipes.com/2016/08/24/about-the-winner-of-an-amphora-bent-billiard-and-more-information-on-the-brand/

With my memory refreshed, let’s move ahead with the initial visual inspection of this pipe.

Initial visual inspection

The pipe has some beautiful shallow sandblast with the bird’s eye grains showing as pits over the sides of the stummel while the horizontal sandblasts showing cross grains to the front and back of the bowl. There is a decent layer of cake in the chamber with overflowing lava on the rim top surface. The stummel tapers down to a very narrow point at the foot of the stummel. The mortise shows accumulation of dried oils, tars and gunk. The stem shows tooth chatter and indentation over the lower surface in the bite zone. The virgin finish of the stummel gives it a nice clean look and has darkened as it was smoked over the years. The light weight and the thin stem make it perfect for clenching. This should be a nice and easy project. Detailed visual inspection
The tall pickaxe shaped stummel has some beautiful shallow sandblast which highlights the bird’s eye grains over the sides of the stummel and shank surface while the straight cross grains adorn the front and back of the bowl and also over the top of the shank surface. The surface is covered in dirt, dust and grime from usage giving it a dull, dark and lifeless appearance. The stummel tapers towards the foot making for a prominent chin which than extends upwards to the shank. The bottom surface of the shank is smooth and bears all the stampings described above. The bowl is solid to the touch and i don’t foresee any major damage to the chamber walls. The mortise shows remnants of dried oils, tars and gunk. The chamber shows a thick layer of dry and hard cake. The rim top surface has darkened by overflowing lava. The steeply narrowing of the chamber towards the heel will pose a challenge while taking the cake down to the bare briar. The inner and outer rim edges are in pristine condition with no visible damage or discoloration. The condition of the chamber walls will be ascertained only once the cake has been removed. The step tenon saddle vulcanite stem has light oxidation over the surface. The bottom of the saddle portion is flat and sits flush with the flat bottom of the shank. There is some tooth chatter and bite mark in the bite zone over the lower surface with some bite marks over the button edge. The tenon end and the horizontal slot are relatively clean.The process
The process of refurbishing this pipe started with the cleaning of the stem. I cleaned the stem air way with regular and bristled pipe cleaners dipped in 99.9% pure alcohol followed by further cleaning of the stem internals with thin shank brushes and dish soap to remove the any stubborn residual gunk from within the airway.Once the stem internals had been cleaned, i gently sand the stem surface with a used piece of 220 grit sand paper and immersed it in “before and after deoxidizer” solution along with the stem of other pipes in line for restoration. The amphora is indicated with a green arrow.The next evening, I removed the stems that had been soaking in the deoxidizer solution overnight. I cleaned the stem and the stem airway under running warm water and scrubbed the raised oxidation from the stem surface using a Scotch Brite pad and the airway with thin shank brush. I further removed the oxidation by scrubbing the stem with 0000 grade steel wool and applied a little olive oil to rehydrate the stem.The deep tooth indentations are now clearly visible. I used a lighter to heat and raise these indentations to the surface. These tooth indentations were raised to the surface to some extent due to the heating; however, it would require a fill to complete the repairs. I prepared a mix of ca superglue and activated charcoal and carefully applied it over the damaged bite zone on the lower surface and lip and set it aside for curing overnight. I had applied this mix in sufficient thickness which would help during the filing and sanding to match the fills with the stem surface.With the stem repairs set aside to cure, i reamed the bowl with my Pipnet pipe reamer using the first head size. Using my fabricated knife, i cleaned the cake from areas which could not be reached by the reamer heads. I used a 220 grit sand paper, pinched between my thumb and forefinger, to sand the inner walls of the chamber. Once i had reached the bare walls, i wiped the chamber with a cotton pad dipped in isopropyl alcohol. This removed all the residual carbon dust and also allowed a clear inspection of the walls. The walls of the chamber are nice and solid with no signs of heat fissures or cracks. The beveled inner rim edge shows no charring or chipping. I cleaned the mortise and shank walls using q-tips, shank brush, regular and hard bristled pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol. I scraped the walls with a dental tool and removed the entire accumulated gunk. I shall further clean it with a shank brush and liquid dish soap once i clean the stummel surface. With the bowl internals clean, i move to clean the exterior of the stummel. I cleaned the surface using Murphy’s Oil Soap and used a hard-bristled tooth brush to scrub the stummel and rim top with the solution. After the scrub with briar cleaner solution, I washed the stummel under running warm water with anti-oil dish washing detergent till clean and dried it using paper towels and soft cotton cloth. I deliberately cleaned the rim top with a brass wire brush and Scotch Brite pad and set the stummel aside to dry out naturally. The stummel surface has cleaned up nicely with the intricate sandblast patterns on full display. I simultaneously cleaned the shank internals with the detergent and hard bristled shank brush. The pipe is now clean and fresh with no ghosting.Next, I rubbed a small quantity of “before and after restoration balm” in to the briar with my fingertips, working it deep in to the sandblasts and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works it’s magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful sandblast patterns displayed in their complete splendour. I further buffed it with a horse hair brush. I set the stummel aside and worked on the stem. The stem fills had cured nicely and using a flat head needle file, i sanded the fill to achieve a rough match with the surrounding stem surface. I further sanded the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper to further blend in the repairs.I followed it with wet sanding the entire stem with 400, 600 and 800 grit sandpapers and further with 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. I wiped the stem with a moist cloth to remove the dust and monitored the progress being made after every three grit papers. Here there is something that i tried new. Instead of resorting to polishing with micromesh pads, i polished the stem with white compound followed by red Tripoli and blue diamond compound. The stem polished up nicely and had a rich deep black shine to it. I applied a little extra virgin olive oil to rehydrate the vulcanite and set the stem aside. To complete the restoration, I mounted a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand held rotary tool and applied several coats of carnauba wax. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further and remove any residual wax from in between the sandblasts. The finished pipe looks amazingly beautiful and is now ready for its long second innings with me. If only this pipe could share with me its life story of the past years!

A Simple Refurbishing Of A Meerschaum Bulldog From Renowned Turkish Pipe Carver Ismet Bekler

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

I had completed the restoration and repairs of an early (probably 1920s) cased pair of meerschaum pipes with Amber stems and had sent this pipe out to its new owner. Though the end results were very satisfying, this pair had proved to be more than handful and had tested all my skills and patience. Well, all’s well that ends well! The feedback I got from my friend as to the smoking qualities and aesthetics was greatly satisfying.

From amongst the pile of 10 odd Meerschaum pipes that awaits restoration, I selected a cased Meerschaum pipe that appeared to be in great condition requiring minimal work. That being one reason for selecting this particular pipe, the second and important reason was the classic Bulldog shape which I am quite fond of (in fact I just love all the classic British shapes). This is a large sized meerschaum pipe with a tortoise shell acrylic stem that is beautifully cut, most likely hand cut. The following picture is of this meerschaum with a group 4 sized Dunhill Bulldog and should give you an idea of the size of this pipe.The only stamping that could be seen on this pipe is on the left shank surface and is stamped as “I. BEKLER”. The stem is devoid of any stampings.This is the first time that I have worked on a pipe that is stamped as such. Curious to know more about this pipe maker, I visited pipedia.org and a search on this site lead me to a Turkish pipe company, CAO. (https://pipedia.org/wiki/CAO)

It was revealed that Ismet Bekler was a pipe carver who had carved many meerschaum pipes for CAO. I have reproduced certain relevant snippets of information from that article on pipedia.org.

C.A.O International, Inc. is the producer of one of the country’s top lines of premium cigars, cigar accessories, Meerschaum pipes, and pipe tobaccos. CAO’s Meerschaum pipes are smoked by presidents, senators, actors and other dignitaries. CAO was founded in 1964 by Cano A. Ozgener. Using his initials as the company logo.

Cano Ozgener’s interest in tobacco began on the banks of the Bosporus. Born on January 19, 1937, Ozgener was raised in his birthplace of Istanbul, Turkey, by his Armenian parents. His father was a jeweller, his mother a homemaker. He studied at a Jesuit French grammar school before being accepted into the American-run Roberts College in Istanbul, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1960.

As a student in Turkey, Ozgener enjoyed smoking pipes, especially those made from meerschaum.

Graduating from Columbia in 1964 with a professional engineering degree, Ozgener was recruited by DuPont to work in the firm’s Kinston, North Carolina, plant. It was during his stint in the textile division at the age of 27 that he came across some imperfect Turkish meerschaum pipes. In his spare time, he decided to use his engineering abilities to improve the pipes.

As Cano and the tobacconists were not happy with the quality of Turkish meerschaum, he decided to take the meerschaums and change the stems, make modifications and work with the carvers to improve them,” One day a tobacconist from Wilmington, Delaware, asked him where had he found the meerschaum, that he had never seen such quality. Cano told him that he had modified them. The tobacconist then ordered a dozen or two. That was just the beginning.

Ozgener kept his engineering job as he built his company. He worked constantly; his vacations from DuPont were spent attending tobacco conventions, which left little time to relax with his wife and two young children. Finally, in 1977, he left his engineering position to devote more attention to his growing business and to spend more time with his family.

The preceding article is reprinted here with the permission (forth coming) of Bennington Tobacconist

Ismet Bekler carved many meerschaum pipes, which were signed by him and sold by CAO, beginning in 1977. CAO actually trademarked his last name for use in 2001. Other carvers also provided pipes to CAO, and at least one other, Kural, also signed pipes made for CAO.

I surf the net to know more about the pipe carver Ismet Bekler. I chanced upon a website that had some beautiful pipes on sale and most prominently, had many un-smoked meerschaum pipes carved by Ismet Bekler. Here is the link to the website. I have also noted some information about Ismet Bekler which is given in the introduction on this website.

https://www.therightpipe.com/meerschaum-pipes/ismet-bekler-c382.html

Ismet Bekler was a prolific and popular carver. He began carving in the early 1970’s. Bekler is known as one of the best carvers in the history of Turkish Meerschaum. Master carver Bekler passed away in 2018 at the age of 84.

In 1980, the CAO Meerschaum Company contracted with Bekler to sell all of his carvings to them. CAO wanted to make Bekler a more well-known carver in the US and it was at this time he began signing his pipes.

Thus, from the above, my guess would be that this pipe is from the period post 1980 but could be pre- 2001 since it is signed in full. However the lack of CAO in brass logo on the stem makes matters murky. Any inputs on this would definitely help me and other readers to know more about this pipe maker whose demise has left a void in the pipe carver’s community.

Initial Visual Inspection
The pipe, as compared to the many pipes that I have worked on till date, is in excellent condition. The case that housed this pipe and the green velvet inner lining is also in good condition. The chamber has a thick layer of cake with the rim top surface covered in overflowing lava. The stummel is in pristine condition with just a few hand stains and dust covering the stummel. The meerschaum has started coloring at the shank end. The stem too is in pristine condition with just faint traces of accumulation of old oils and tars on the metal tenon. Here are a few pictures of the pipe as it sits on my worktable. Overall, this pipe is in excellent condition and should be an easy refurbishment project.

Detailed Inspection
There is a heavy build up of cake in the chamber with a thicker layer seen at the bottom half of the chamber. The cake has dried and is crumbly due to prolonged storage. The condition of the inner walls of the chamber can be ascertained only after the cake has been removed completely. The rim top has darkened due to thick overflow of lava. This should be a fairly simple cleaning of the chamber.The stummel, likewise, is in good shape. There a few specs of dirt and grime on the surface that have accumulated due to oils on the human palms. These should clean up easily by wiping the stummel with oil soap. There are a couple of very light scrub marks on the base of the stummel. The mortise is not visible due to the small opening in to which fits the brass metal tenon. This would need to be cleaned using bristle and regular pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. The stem is a beautiful acrylic tortoise shell with beautiful transparency, sharp buttons and a nice slot end. The bite zone in the stem shows slight calcification with no tooth chatter. There is a slight build up of oils and tars in the stem airway that can be seen. The brass tenon too has traces of dried oils and tars. This stem should clean up clean up easily and I just can’t wait to see the stem after all the cleaning and polishing process.The Process
I started the refurbishing of this gorgeous pipe by cleaning the stem first. I cleaned the brass tenon and stem surface with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs. I ran a few bristled and regular pipe cleaners, also dipped in alcohol, through the stem airway till it was clean and transparent.I followed this cleaning up with internal cleaning of the chamber. Using my fabricated knife, I carefully scraped the accumulated cake from the walls of the chamber. I avoid using a pipe reamer while cleaning the chamber as the rotational movements of the reamer head exerts outward longitudinal forces on the walls of the chamber and may damage the walls of the chamber. Next, I used a 220 grit sand paper, pinched between my thumb and forefinger, to sand the inner walls of the chamber of the pipe. Once I had reached the bare walls, I wiped the chamber with a cotton pad dipped in isopropyl alcohol. This removed all the residual carbon dust and also rid the chamber of all ghost smells. The walls of the chamber are nice and solid with no signs of cracks. Using a sharp knife, I gently scraped out the overflow of lava from the rim top. Though the lava flow over the rim top surface had been scraped out, the darkening persisted. I would further clean out the rim surface while I cleaned the stummel surface using oil soap.Next, I cleaned out the mortise and shank airway using shank brush and pipe cleaners. I started the process with cleaning the shank internals using shank brush dipped in isopropyl alcohol (I use only 99.9% pure alcohol). I ran this shank brush wetted with alcohol through the shank a few time and thereafter ran a couple of bristled pipe cleaners through the shank to draw out the loosened gunk. I continued the cleaning of the shank internals with pipe cleaners and alcohol till the pipe cleaners came out clean.I cleaned the surface of the stummel with cotton swab and Murphy’s oil soap. I also cleaned the rim top with the soap on a cotton swab. I further wiped the surface with a moist soft cotton cloth till all the traces of the soap were removed from the stummel surface. Thereafter I dried the stummel with a soft dry cotton cloth and set it aside to dry out naturally. The dark areas on the rim surface are still visible and would need to be addressed using higher invasive methods. While the stem was drying out naturally, I worked the stem. I began the process of polishing the stem by wet sanding the stem surface with 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. I wiped the surface with a moist cloth and wiped the surface with a little EVO just to clean and bring a shine to the stem surface.I addressed the darkening over the rim surface by sanding the rim with a folded piece of 320 grit sandpaper. I sand the rim surface with minimum force as my intent was only to remove the dark stains and not removal of any meerschaum material from the surface. The rim looks much better now at this stage in restoration. I polished the stummel and specifically the rim, dry sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped the stummel regularly with a dry soft cloth. I like the pristine look of the stummel after this polishing. Thereafter, I polished the stem by wet sanding the surface with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. The last item that required cleaning was the leather covered case that housed this pipe. Using a hard bristled toothbrush and soap water, I cleaned the velvet lining on the inside of the case. I dried the lining with paper napkins. Next, I cleaned the external surface with a moist cloth and polished the surface with a neutral color shoe polish. Once the wax was absorbed, I polished the surface with a horse hair shoe brush.Since this Meerschaum pipe is now looking fresh and the coloration is not too developed, I decided to forego the step of polishing the stummel with beeswax. I gave a final rub down to the entire pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. This is one gorgeous looking pipe which I am happy to include in my personal collection. Here are a few pictures of the finished pipe.

Pipe Gods Smiled And I Got Not One But Three Les Wood Pipes….Restoring Second Of The Three Les Wood Pipes; A Bark Silver Spigot

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

I had purchased three Les Wood pipes from a gentleman and had restored the first of the three pipes and have added it to my personal collection. Given below is the link to the write up posted on rebornpipes and is a recommended read to know how I came to be in possession of this lot and brief research on husband wife duo of Leslie Wood and Dolly and the pipes they make.

https://rebornpipes.com/2022/08/05/pipe-gods-smiled-and-i-got-not-one-but-three-les-wood-pipes-restoring-a-les-wood-poker/

The second pipe that is now on my work table is a beautifully rusticated paneled Apple Half bent Silver Spigot. It is stamped on the bottom smooth surface of the shank as “FR LOUIS HESTON” over “FERNDOWN” in a slight arc over “BARK”. The sterling silver ferrule at the shank end bears the stamp “L & JS” in a rectangular cartouche over “.925”. The sterling silver mounting at the tenon end of the stem also bears similar stampings as seen on the ferrule. The vulcanite stem is stamped on the left side as “L J S”. Now this stamping varies significantly from the one that I had worked on earlier in that this pipe does not bear the stamping LES WOOD, HAND MADE IN ENGLAND and star (*) marking to denote the size. I referred back to pipedia.org to understand the variation in stamping. Here is what I found out and also the link to the write up is given below.

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ferndown

Due to the vagaries of international trademark law, he sold his earlier pipes as ” L.&J.S Briars”, “Ellwood”, “Les Wood” or “L. Wood”. Until recently, an average of 1500 – 2000 pipes a year were sold as “Ferndown” — named for the mansion he lives in — in the UK and US, but as “L. Wood” pipes in Germany.

From the above, I assume that this pipe is from the recent past while the poker was from the earlier period. Truth be told, I am not 100% convinced on this and would really appreciate input, clarifications and detailed information on this variation in stampings observed from learned readers of rebornpipes.

There was not much that I could find about Fr. Louis Heston. An internet search of the name threw up data about Rev. Edward Louis Heston who left for heavenly abode in 1973. This period definitely does not coincide with the time period when Leslie Wood started making pipes under the FERNDOWN! Well, this too then is a grey area and would request readers to fill us all on this name and establish a relation between the name Fr. Louis Heston and this Les Wood pipe.

Initial Inspection
As observed with the Les Wood Poker that I last restored, this half bent Apple Silver Spigot too is in excellent condition. There is an even layer of cake of medium thickness in the chamber that is very hard and completely dry. The smooth rim top is sans any crusting of lava over flow but darkened towards the front. The eight panelled rusticated stummel appears in good condition with no signs of hot spots or cracked surfaces. The stummel has a lot of dirt, dust and grime grounded in to the crevices of the rusticated surface. The black and dark brown stain is faded at places giving the stummel is dull appearance. The fishtail vulcanite stem is deeply oxidized with some tooth chatter on either surface of the stem in the bite zone. The stampings on the shank, silver spigot and stem are all crisp and easily readable. The following pictures will provide a visual description to supplement the description given above. I like the feel and heft of this large stummel in my hand. The rusticated panelled surface with it prominent ridges feels tactile in the hand and very comfortable to hold. There is a lot of dirt, dust and grime trapped in to the crevices of rusticated surface giving it a dirty grayish appearance. The entire stummel looks dull, dirty and lifeless. Heavy accumulation of dried oils, tars and gunk is seen clogging the mortise. The dark stain has faded in couple of spots further adding to the sorry appearance of the stummel. The sterling silver ferrule is oxidized and dull looking. However, once the stummel surface is cleaned up and rejuvenated, this will be one beautiful looking pipe. I like the feel and heft of this large stummel in my hand. The rusticated paneled surface with it prominent ridges feels tactile in the hand and very comfortable to hold. There is a lot of dirt, dust and grime trapped in to the crevices of rusticated surface giving it a dirty grayish appearance. The entire stummel looks dull, dirty and lifeless. Heavy accumulation of dried oils, tars and gunk is seen clogging the mortise. The dark stain has faded in couple of spots further adding to the sorry appearance of the stummel. The sterling silver ferrule is oxidized and dull looking. However, once the stummel surface is cleaned up and rejuvenated, this will be one beautiful looking pipe. The beautiful sterling silver mounted vulcanite stem is hand cut and oozes very high quality of material use and also craftsmanship of highest quality. The stem is heavily oxidized to an extent that it appears dirty green. Dark coloration and calcification is seen on either surfaces of the stem in the bite zone from prolonged use of rubber bit. Very minor tooth chatter and bite marks can be seen in the bite zone on both the upper and lower surfaces of the stem. These tooth chatter and tooth indentation should be easily addressed by heating the affected areas to raise the vulcanite and thereafter sanding it down to match the rest of the stem surface. The tenon end and the horizontal slot end shows accumulation of dried gunk and grime. The sterling silver mount is oxidized but shows no signs of any damage whatsoever.The Process
I started the refurbishing of this Les Wood by working the stem first. Since there were other stems that were ready to be put into the stem deoxidizer solution, I decided to clean the internals of this stem first so that it could be put in the solution with other stems. I cleaned the stem airway with a thin shank brush and anti oil soap. It took considerable time and elbow grease to get the stem airway clean. I used a sharp dental tool to clean the horizontal slot and further cleaned the internals with regular and bristled pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol.The stem was immersed in the Deoxidizer solution, a product that has been developed by Mark Hoover. This solution raises the oxidation to the stem surface and helps in easy removal and imparting a nice shine to the stem after polishing. The pipe is indicated with a red arrow. The stem is allowed to soak into this solution overnight.Now it was time for me to work on the stummel. I did this by first reaming the chamber with size 2 followed by size 3 and 4 PipNet reamer heads. I further scraped the chamber walls with my fabricated knife to remove the remaining carbon deposits where the reamer head could not reach. Once the cake was reamed back to the bare briar, I used a 220 grit sand paper to remove all the traces of remaining cake and also to smooth out the inner walls of the chamber surface. Finally, to remove the residual carbon dust, I wiped the chamber with a cotton pad wetted with 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. The huge pile of carbon dust that was reamed out is an indication enough to the amount of carbon that had accumulated in the chamber. The chamber walls are solid without any heat lines or fissures. However, the hard cake was getting increasingly difficult to dislodge. I shall try and remove residual the hard cake after it has been moistened during the salt and alcohol soak. I further cleaned the mortise by scrapping out the dried gunk with a dental tool. I ran a few pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol to moisten the dried gunk and assist in its removal. I shall further continue the internal cleaning of the chamber and mortise with cotton and alcohol soak.I continued the cleaning of the chamber and shank internals with a salt and alcohol bath. I use cotton balls which is an at par substitute to Kosher salt as I have realized over the years. I draw out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner; insert it in to the mortise and through the draught hole in to the chamber. Thereafter, I packed the chamber with cotton balls to about quarter of an inch below the inner rim edge and soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next morning, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise, fulfilling its intended task. I removed the cotton balls and ran pipe cleaners through the mortise to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk and further cleaned it with alcohol and q-tips.The cotton and alcohol soak had softened the hard and stubborn cake in the chamber and the mortise. Using my fabricated tool, I scrapped out all the hardened cake from the chamber and gunk from the mortise. The chamber now smells clean and fresh.Once the internals of the shank were cleaned, I cleaned the external surface of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil soap and cotton swabs followed by scrubbing the rusticated surface with a toothbrush and dish washing soap. This rid the nooks and crevices of all the accumulated dust, dirt and grime from the rusticated stummel. With a copper soft wired brush, I cleaned the rim top surface of all the crud that had accumulated over it. I wiped the stummel with a soft cotton cloth and set the stummel aside to dry out naturally. The charred inner rim edge (encircled in red) is now clearly visible and would need to be addressed. I simultaneously cleaned the shank internals with dish washing soap and shank brush.Next, I decided to address the issue of charred inner rim edge and getting the chamber back to round. I topped the rim top over a 220 grit sandpaper to reduce the charred surface. I checked the progress frequently to ensure that the topping is just adequate. I addressed the darkened inner edge by running a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper pinched between my thumb and index finger along the inner edge and crated a smart bevel. This bevel also helped to get the chamber back to round.I polished the smooth rim top surface by dry sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads.The polished rim top looks much lighter than the rest of the stummel because of the topping process to remove the charred rim edge. To match the dark browns and black stains over rest of the stummel surface, I decided to re-stain the rim top surface using dark brown stain pen. I applied a coat of brown stain using a stain pen and set it aside for some time. I wiped the rim top using a soft cotton cloth to check the stain color and found it to be a bit lighter. I repeated the process till I had requisite color match and set it aside for the stain to set in.I rubbed a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” into the briar with my finger tips and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works it’s magic and the briar now had a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful rustication patterns on full display. I have been using this balm ever since I embarked on this journey and it is this part of restoration that I always look forward to. I further buffed it with a horse hair shoe brush. This pipe really oozes of a very high quality, in fact similar to the Les Wood Poker that I had worked on earlier. The consistent quality is awesome, to say the least. The rim top appears lighter hued, but that’s due to the lighting when I took pictures. Now that the stummel refurbishing was nearly done and also the stem had now been soaking for more than 24 hours, I removed the stem from the solution. I first scrubbed the stem surface with a Scotch Brite pad, always being mindful of the stem logo on the left side. I followed this scrubbing with a nice cleaning of the surface using a 0000 grade steel wool. I rinsed the stem under running water to rid the stem of the thick deoxidizer solution. I ran a couple of pipe cleaners to remove the deoxidizer solution from the airway. The beauty of a high quality vulcanite hand cut stem in shining black can now be appreciated once the heavy oxidation has been eliminated. There are spots/ areas where oxidation is still visible, but that will be eliminated once the stem is subjected to sanding and polishing using sand papers and micromesh pads. The beauty of this stem will be enhanced once it has been all polished and waxed. A polish by wet sanding using all 9 micromesh pads (1500 to 12000 grit pads) brought out the deep black shine of the vulcanite. I rubbed a small quantity of EVO to hydrate the stem and deepen the shine.This was followed by removing oxidation from over the sterling silverware seen on the pipe using a locally made compound that Abha, my wife, uses to polish her silver and gold jewellery and silver cutlery. This compound is a very fine powder and is least abrasive with fantastic results. The silver ferrule at the shank end and the silver spigot are now nice shining pieces of silver and provides a nice contrast to the shining black stem and the dark brown and black stummel. I painted the stem logo L J S using a Gold paint glitter pen and wiped off the excess paint. The stem logo is now nice and prominently visible.I have reached that stage in this project which can be considered as the home run. I polished the rim top and the entire stem with blue diamond using a cotton wheel mounted on to my hand held rotary tool. The blue diamond compound helps to eliminate the minor scratches that remain after the use of micromesh pads. I completed this project by hand polishing the stummel with Halcyon II wax. I rubbed this polish deep into the rustications and after a couple of minutes, vigorously hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to a deep shine. I polished the stem with carnauba wax using my hand held rotary tool. This is a gorgeous looking spigot and I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to work on this beauty and, as my Guru Steve says, carry forward the trust in this pipe till it is time to pass it on to the next pipeman or pipewoman. Here are a few pictures of the completed pipe for you to appreciate while I take the opportunity to thank you each of you for sparing your valuable time in joining me on this journey.

A New Beginning For A 1978 Dennis Ruth Carved Freehand Pipe

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

This pipe had been lying around in the pile of pipes to be restored for a long time. How, when and from whom I got this pipe is now all but a completely faded memory.

Whenever I went through the pile and came across this pipe, the Acorn shape freehand always made me believe it to be Danish made. However, when I picked it up for restoration and checked out the stampings my assumptions were proved to be incorrect. This shallow sandblasted Acorn shaped twin heeled pipe with a wavy smooth rim top and a flared shank end is stamped on the left side of the shank as “HANDCARVED” over “BY” over “DENNIS RUTH” in freehand cursive writing while the smooth bottom of the flared shank is stamped as “8 – 18 – 78” denoting the date of carving this pipe. The stampings are crisp, clear and easily readable. The acrylic fancy turned stem is devoid of any stamping.This is one maker that I haven’t come across in the years that I have been working on pipes, it piqued my interest and I wanted to know more about this maker. I visited pipedia.org where there is very brief and concise information about the carver. Given below is the link to the brief on pipedia.org for those interested to view some of his work since the information is reproduced below.

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ruth,_Dennis

An American pipe maker working from Des Moines, Iowa, Ruth is independent craftsmen who, like others of his genus, prefer quality over quantity. He was an employee of a tobacco/pipe shop known as the Tobacco Bowl, where he custom made pipes to his customers requests during the 1970’s – 1980’s.

The date stamped on the pipe places it in the correct time period when Dennis Ruth carved pipes to his customer’s request. With a better understanding of the pipe and its carver, it was time to work on the pipe itself.

Initial Visual Inspection
This shallow sandblasted Acorn shaped freehand is perfectly proportioned and lightweight. There is a thin layer of cake in the chamber while the smooth wavy rim top surface is clean and in good condition. The stummel appears dull and lifeless. There is a slight bulge on the left side above the foot of the stummel which needs to be investigated. The shank end has what appears to be a fill. I need to check and confirm if the fill needs to be refreshed along the way. The mortise is nice and clean. The fancy acrylic stem with swirls of orange brown and grey perfectly complements the stummel and makes for a visual treat. Other than dullness of the surface, the stem is in decent condition. The following pictures will give you a general idea of the condition of the pipe. Detailed Inspection
The wavy rim top surface is pristinely clean with no damage to either the inner rim edge or rim top surface. There is a very thin layer of cake. For a pipe that is 45 years old, it has seen very minimal use and this makes me wonder what could be the reason for this? The answer could lie in the condition of the chamber walls which will be ascertained once the cake has been taken down to the bare briar.The warm honey brown colored Acorn shaped stummel has a very shallow sandblast with upper 1/6 th portion being smooth and showing beautiful straight grain. Though clean, the stummel appears dull and lifeless. A nice scrub and polish should make the briar look lively. However, there are two spots, one about half way down from the top on the left side of the stummel and the second one, continuing along the same plane to the front of the stummel (encircled in yellow) that have darkened and bulged. This definitely is not a good sign and could be the beginnings of a burn out. Whether these two spots are hot spots or otherwise will be confirmed after the chamber has been examined once the cake has been completely removed. The mortise is clean and the one fill at the shank end appears stable and solid. The variegated acrylic fancy stem has beautiful swirls of grey and orange browns that lend a trendy look to the entire pipe. The stem airway is clean and there are no bite marks/ tooth indentations or tooth chatter in the bite zone. The button edges are in pristine condition. However, there is on oddity at the slot end. The slot is rounded and seems as if the maker forgot to cut a horizontal slot. It’s definitely not orifice but appears unfinished and that is the oddity on this otherwise beautifully carved pipe. The tenon end and slot end are all clean and tidy.The Process
I ran a pipe cleaner dipped in 99.9% pure alcohol through the stem airway just to make sure that the airway is perfectly clean as appreciated and was pleased to note that it was. Now all that remained to complete the stem refurbishment was to subject it to the polishing regimen. I set the stem aside to work upon later.Using my fabricated knife, I scrapped out the little cake from the chamber walls. I further smooth out the chamber walls by sanding it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and wiped the walls with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol to remove the residual carbon powder from the chamber. Close observation of the walls confirmed that the walls have thinned out more along the mid left side and towards the front of the chamber (encircled in light blue). This damage is not deep and restricted only to being superficial, however, if not addressed now, a burn out is an imminent danger later during use. I wet sand the stem with 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. This helps remove the layer of grime and dullness from the surface, address minor tooth chatter and bite marks, while progressive use higher grit sandpaper helps remove the scratch marks left behind by the coarser grit sandpaper.I moved ahead with the polishing regimen of the stem by dry sanding the surface using 3200 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. The stem has a nice transparent shine to it and the swirls add another level of complexity to the beauty. I set the stem aside till I completed the repairs to the stummel.Turning my attention to the stummel, I continued with the internal cleaning of the stummel. Using a dental scoop, I scraped out the dirt and dust form the walls of the mortise. I further cleaned the walls of the mortise and airway using pipe cleaner and q-tips moistened with alcohol. The mortise is now clean and fresh.Once the stummel internals were cleaned and freshened up, I proceeded to the external cleaning of the surface. I cleaned the external surface of the stummel with undiluted Murphy’s oil soap and a hard bristled toothbrush. I cleaned the smooth rim top surface with the soap and Scotch Brite pad. I thoroughly cleaned the mortise with shank brush and anti-oil dish washing soap. As remarked earlier, the chamber wall on the left and towards the front had charred a bit and once the charred wood was reamed out, it left the walls slightly thin which would lead to a burnout when smoked if left unaddressed. I decided to address this issue by coating the walls with a layer of J.B. Weld. J B Weld is a two-part epoxy Cold Weld in two tubes; hardener and steel which are mixed in two equal parts (ratio of 1:1) with hardening time of 5-6 minutes and complete curing time of 6-8 hours. I poured the contents of the two tubes and mixed it well. I applied this mix over the entire chamber surface as a very thin coat. I worked fast to ensure an even coat before the weld could harden. I set the stummel aside for the application to harden and cure overnight. Next I sand the weld coating to a nice smooth and even surface using a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper.After I had applied and sanded down the JB Weld to a thin coat, I wanted to further protect the briar while adding another protective layer between the JB Weld and burning tobacco. I addressed this by mixing activated charcoal and plain yogurt to a thicker consistency, just enough that it would spread easily and applied it evenly all along the chamber walls after inserting a folded pipe cleaner through the draught hole to keep it open. Once dry and set, this will not only protect the walls but also aid in faster build up of cake. I set the stummel aside for the bowl coat to dry out and harden for a couple of days. Three days later, the bowl coating had completely hardened. I rubbed a small quantity of restoration balm in to the stummel surface and set it aside for about 20 minutes to be absorbed in the wood. The balm not only hydrates and rejuvenates the briar wood but also enlivens it. Thereafter I hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The stummel looks absolutely stunning at this stage. I completed this project by hand polishing the stummel with Halcyon II wax. I rubbed this polish deep into the rustications and after a couple of minutes, vigorously hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to a deep shine. I polished the stem with Blue Diamond compound and subsequently with carnauba wax using my hand held rotary tool. This is a gorgeous looking pipe and will be an integral part of my collection of contemporary American Pipe Carvers. Shown below are a few pictures of the completely refurbished pipe. Hope you have enjoyed the restoration journey of this project as much as I loved working on it. Cheers!

A Simple Refurbishing Of An Early Caminetto Business #149 Sitter

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

I am always on a look out for old and collectible estate pipes, especially those related to important evolving pipe history, to be added to my personal collection and this pipe on my work table precisely meets the above criteria.

The pipe that I selected to work on next is a deeply rusticated robust sitter with smooth surface on left and right side of the shank and a unique asymmetric acrylic saddle stem. It is stamped on the left smooth panel with model code “149” over “CAMINETTO” in inverted commas and in running italics over “BUSINESS” in block capital letters. The right side of the shank bears the stampings “ASCORTI” over “RADICE” over “CUCCIAGO” over “CANTU- ITALY”. The upper surface of the asymmetric saddle stem bears the logo of MOUSTACHE that resembles a bird in flight. I have worked and researched Caminetto pipes earlier and from what I recollect, Ascorti and Radice moved away from Castello and jointly made Caminetto pipes for a few years before separating to establish their own brands Ascorti and Radice respectively. Thus, pipes that bore the stamp of both Ascorti and Radice are early pipes and are highly collectible and fetch top dollars. For detailed information, I visited pipedia.org and have reproduced the relevant information below (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Caminetto).

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. Ascorti, Radice and Davoli later became famous as “I tre Camini” – the three chimneys. Maybe, they had more than one glass of wine each, but it’s not certain whether the distinctive mustache logo on the stem and the Caminetto slogan “La Pipa del Baffo” – “the pipe with the moustache” – was created the same night. In fact, Ascorti and Radice both wore impressively large moustaches, and a pharmacist in the neighborhood had been kidding them about that. (Davoli, for reasons of corporate identity, later wore a big moustache, too.)

Now, Davoli concentrated on marketing the Caminetto brand in the United States. His strategy was as simple as it was brilliant. There was a remarkable Castello hype at the time. Castello pipes were highly sought after but hard to get due to limited production. Davoli filled the gap, promoting the Caminetto to be absolutely equal to the Castello in terms of quality, while asking only half the price. And best of all: the Caminetto pipes were consignable! The Tinder Box International would be under contract with successful nationwide distribution. The brand’s success was overwhelming – far beyond any expectation, with the rusticated Business line becoming the most popular.

The boom continued strongly – especially in the US. Production increased steadily, from 3,000 to 5,000 and then 7,000 pipes being made per year, placing Caminetto at the top of US sales in their market segment. The 1974 Tinder Box catalog celebrated Gianni Davoli as “master pipe maker and designer” and “sole creator of Caminetto” without a single mention of Ascorti or Radice!

Caminetto prospered throughout the 1970’s. Everyone was hard at work, and sales continued to increase, but soon disagreements occurred among the three principles, marking the beginning of the end.

First, Luigi Radice became increasingly discontent with the factory-like production. Pipes were made by standard shape numbers, and there was no longer room for his own creative pipemaking and personal development. He was also afraid that the increased production would eventually lead to a reduction in quality. Radice started quarreling with Ascorti about the future course of Caminetto, and they were unable to find a solution. Radice, being an employed pipemaker, rather than a partner, could not assert himself. Ascorti shared Radice’s concerns about maintaining quality in the face of the higher production, but Davoli had gained almost total control by this time, and insisted on the higher production numbers.

The next controversy was regarding Roberto Ascorti. The young man had visited a school of arts and also completed his service in the army. Roberto did not want to attend a university, and instead started helping in the workshop with pipe repairs and making his first few pipes. His father wanted to hire him on as a full-time pipemaker, but Davoli refused, being afraid to lose influence to the potentially strong alliance between father and son.

The situation worsened in 1979. The foreseen quality issues occurred–there were complaints from the US. And, there is some indication that Carlo Scotti considered legal actions, asserting that Caminetto had copied some of Castello’s successful shapes too exactly. At this point Ascorti wanted to sever ties with Davoli, but Davoli was able to assert himself and maintained control.

‘I tre Camini’ disbanded in December of 1979, when Luigi Radice left, without prospects, knowing not where or how he would continue as a pipemaker. A clear indication that he had very strong feelings as to his future with Caminetto.

Ascorti vs. Davoli continued for a few more months. The Ascorti family offered to buy the brand, but they couldn’t afford it at the time. So, Guiseppe Ascorti hastily equipped a new workshop, and then he left company which was essentially his own. But the complete crew whom he had trained in the old Caminetto workshop followed him. And thus they were able to re-start making pipes within a few weeks in 1980. For three months they sold pipes under the name Sergio. Only 800 to 1,000 Sergio pipes were released. Then Giuseppe Ascorti and his son Roberto founded a new company under their own last name. – For the further history see Ascorti!

Gianni Davoli, last chimney standing, stayed behind, now owning a pipe workshop without any pipemakers. Strangely enough, the old Caminetto workshop caught fire shortly afterward and burned down to ashes.

At the end of this article, there is another link to Brothers of Briar forum where Joshoowah has written his further research of Caminetto, dating guide and shape codes. Here’s a link to the write up

https://pipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Caminetto_(shapes,_stamping,_articles,_etc.)

He picks up from the point where the Caminetto workshop was burned down to ashes after December 1980. He notes:-

It is at this point where details become hazy, as the brand Caminetto seems to have disappeared all but entirely from the market. Some claim Peppino continued to make pipes under the name Caminetto on into the 80s (see smokingpipes.com), but this is fairly unclear and uncertain, particularly because Divoli owned the Caminetto brand and the shop burning down between 1979-1981.

The story picks back up in late 1985 and early 1986, where Roberto Ascorti re-opens the line of Caminetto. Though the “Business” rustication changed somewhat, the original shapes and finishes have largely been left unchanged. From what I can gather, Roberto bought the name Caminetto sometime in 1985. “From who?” is the question, perhaps Divoli himself. Roberto revitalized the once great Caminetto line in memory of his father and the legacy of Caminetto in the Italian pipe industry, as well as to show his capability of producing high quality masterpieces. In saying such, Roberto has been his “flavor” on many of the Caminetto models over the years, stretching and adjusting some shapes to his own liking and style. It seems, by most accounts, he has done well in continuing the Caminetto legacy. One thing that has changed, however, are the prices of the newer lines, which sometimes reach the prices of Castello’s themselves.

That is the history of Caminetto as far as I have found in my years of appreciating the brand. It is key to note the particular brands that came out of the fall-out of the original Caminetto that now have a bit of good standing behind them:

  1. Luigi Radice — We all know Radice’s work. It is marvelous, fairly unique, and full of passion and heart for the art of pipe making.
  2. Roberto Ascorti — We, too, are familiar with Ascorti, which has produced quality pieces for a number of years, which resemble some of the later years of Caminetto (i.e. 1976-1981).
  3. Caminetto — This, too, is Roberto’s work but carries a different flavor to his Ascorti line, resembling some of the work of his father, Peppino, and the original Caminetto, which includes the wax-drip and new dear finish.
  4. Enzo Galluzzo — This is one many may not know about, particularly because the company closed in 1991. In the fallout of Ascorti, Radice, and Divoli, there was another aspiring pipe maker among them who went his own way — Enzo Galluzzo. Galluzzo invented a new line of pipes in which he branded “Capitello.” Capitello took on the character of Caminetto, including some of its shapes and finishes, but Galluzzo produced some real nice pieces for a fraction of the cost of Caminetto, Castello, and even Ascorti. One interesting fact is that Capitello’s were the only oil-cured pipes of the 80s, essentially carrying on the tradition of the oil-cured pipe of Caminetto. The company ran from 1982-1991.

Stampings and dating

First off, dating earlier Caminetto’s is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, there were three phases, some in which were much earlier, of development that occurred in the stamping process of Caminetto. Before that though, every pipe had the stamp of Caminetto in one of two ways: Caminetto in script or Caminetto within quotation marks in block letters (I do not know how it was decided which pipe got which stamp, as I have had EARLY Caminetto’s with both). The stampings:

ASCORTI

RADICE

CUCCIAGO

CANTU- ITALY

There are two other variations to the stampings, but I have not included them as they are irrelevant to the pipe that I am currently working on for the sake of brevity. Another aspect useful for dating Caminetto pipes is the style of moustache stamped on the stem. Joshoowah comments on this aspect as under:-

In addition to the above stampings, there was always the trademark mustache on the stem. The earlier models (1968/69-1974/75) had the iconic gold, sometimes white, “bird-in-flight” mustache and the later models (1975-1979/80/81) had a gold, or white, “double comma” mustache.

Pipes stamped like #1 are the most valuable Caminetto’s as they are the earliest production of the brand, as well as what some would claim the most perfect of Ascorti and Radice’s work.

The shape code chart that has been uploaded on this page is reproduced below and the pipe that I am working on is indicated by a red arrow.Thus, from the above, it is certain that the pipe currently on my work table is an earliest production of the brand made during the period 1968 to 1975.

Initial Visual Inspection
This deeply rusticated and perfectly proportioned sitter has a medium thick layer of cake in the chamber with darkening over the also rusticated rim top surface. The beautifully rusticated stummel surface is covered in dust and grime. This grime and dirt can be seen in the deep rustications and lends a dull and lifeless appearance to the pipe. The stummel sides are stained with the grime and hand oils from previous usage. The mortise is relatively clean and would be cleaned further during the refurbishing process. The grey acrylic stem with swirls of black and it’s golden bird-in-flight stem logo is also in decent condition. There is some light tooth chatter in the bite zone on either surface while the buttons are intact. Overall, the pipe is in very good condition requiring only a little TLC to get it back to its pristine condition. The following pictures will aid in your visual inspection too. Detailed Inspection
This pipe has a large bowl with a depth of 2 ¾ inch. The chamber has an even layer of thick hard cake. There is a heavy overflow of lava over the rim top surface. The rim top has darkened considerably. The condition of the inner walls of the chamber and the inner edge can be commented upon after the cake has been taken down to the bare briar. The ghost smells in the chamber are very strong.The deeply rusticated stummel surface has a very beautiful texture and hand feel to it. The stummel has a very natural Virgin stain and supposed to darken as it is smoked. The surface is covered in dust and grime. The fact that the rustications are dusty and filled with dirt is accentuated more due to the dark stains on the stummel sides on account of hand oils and sweat. The briar looks lifeless and bone dry and has taken on dull hues. The mortise is relatively clean with slight darkening of the mortise wall. The ghost smells are pretty strong and should reduce once the chamber and mortise is cleaned up. The asymmetrical saddle variegated acrylic grey stem with swirls of black beautifully compliments the stummel. There is minor tooth chatter on either surface of the stem. The moustache gold stem logo is in pristine condition. The tenon opening and the horizontal slot shows accumulated dried gunk and grime. The button edges are crisp and the slot end is undamaged.The Process
I began the process of refurbishing this pipe by reaming the chamber with a PipNet reamer tool, using the second and third head. Using my fabricated knife; I further took the cake down to the bare briar. With a 150 grit sand paper, the walls of the chamber were rid of all the remnants of the cake, revealing smooth chamber walls. I further wiped the chamber with a cotton swab wetted with isopropyl alcohol to completely remove the residual carbon dust. The inner rim edge appears darkened all around but more so on the left side of the chamber. There are a few minor heat lines crisscrossing the chamber walls. It is my experience that such fissures are usually addressed after a salt and alcohol treatment and subsequent sanding of the chamber walls since these are indicative of very thin layer of hard cake which is moistened during alcohol treatment and easily removed thereafter by sanding. I scraped the shank internals with a fabricated tool to remove all the crud that had accumulated along the shank walls and further cleaned it with bristled and regular pipe cleaners dipped in isopropyl alcohol.I continued the cleaning of the chamber and shank internals with a salt and alcohol bath. I use cotton balls which is an at par substitute as I have realized over the years. I draw out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner; insert it in to the mortise and through the draught hole in to the chamber. Thereafter, I packed the chamber with cotton balls to about quarter of an inch below the rim inner edge and soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next afternoon, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise, fulfilling its intended task. I removed the cotton balls and ran pipe cleaners through the mortise to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk. Using my fabricated tool, I scraped out the entire loosed gunk from the sump and further cleaned it with alcohol and q-tips. The chamber now smells clean and fresh. I set the stummel to dry out naturally.While the chamber was soaking in the salt and alcohol bath, I worked the stem, starting with cleaning the internals of the stem using thin shank brush and anti oil dish washing soap. I scrubbed the tenon end and the horizontal slot with soap and Scotch Brite pad till clean. Once the stem internals were clean, I ran a couple of pipe cleaners through the stem airway to get rid of any remaining soap as well as to dry it out. Next, I move to clean the exterior of the stummel. I generously applied Murphy’s oil soap with a hard bristled tooth brush and scrubbed the stummel and rim top with the soap. I washed the stummel under running warm water with anti oil dish washing detergent till the stummel surface was clean and dried it using paper towels and soft cotton cloth. I deliberately cleaned the rusticated rim top with a soft brass wired brush, Scotch Brite and soap. The stummel surface has cleaned up nicely with the robust rusticated patterns looking splendid. I simultaneously cleaned the shank internals with the detergent and hard bristled shank brush. I dried the mortise using paper towels and set the stummel aside to dry out naturally.While the stummel was set aside to dry out, I worked on the stem. Using a flat head needle file, I lightly sand the inner edge of the buttons on either surface to a crisp sharpness. I further sand the entire bite zone with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. This helps to even out the minor tooth chatter and also reduce the filing marks left behind by the needle file. The sanding marks will be further addressed during the sanding and polishing process.Next, I dry sanded the entire stem with 600 and 800 grit sand papers followed by wet sanding using 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers. This progressive use of higher grit sandpapers helps to, firstly,  reduce the sanding marks left behind by the more abrasive ones, secondly, completely eliminate the dullness from the years of use and imparting a clean shine to the stem surface. I went through with the micromesh polishing cycle by dry sanding the surface with 3200 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I applied a little EVO and set the stem aside for a few minutes. This stem, as the rest of the pipe, is a real beauty. I completed the polishing regimen by polishing the surface with a cotton wheel mounted on to my hand held rotary tool and Blue diamond followed by food grade carnauba wax polish.By the time I was done working on the stem refurbishment, the stummel had completely dried out. I decided to address the darkened inner rim edge by creating a slight bevel using a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper pinched between fingers and running it along the rim edge. The rim edge looks much better at this stage.Next, I rubbed a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” into the briar with my finger tips and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works it’s magic and the briar now had a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful rustication patterns on full display. I have been using this balm ever since I embarked on this journey and it is this part of restoration that I always look forward to. I further buffed it with a horse hair shoe brush. This pipe really oozes of a very high quality. I completed this project by hand polishing the stummel with Halcyon II wax. I rubbed this polish deep into the rustications and after a couple of minutes, vigorously hand buffed the stummel with a microfiber cloth to a deep shine. This is a gorgeous looking pipe and will be an integral part of pipe history in my collection. P.S.– Delving deep in to history of this pipe took me through the labyrinth of interconnectivity of Italian pipe carvers and marquees that have dominated our pipe world and given pipe smokers the world over some of their favourite smokers.

I wish to thank each one for sparing their valuable time to read through this write up and praying for the health and safety of you and your loved ones.