Tag Archives: Bertram Washington DC pipes

Restoring the last of 11 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram 30 Bent Billiard

by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes (actually as mentioned on the last pipe I can’t count) but going over it again I found I was right the first count. There were six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite, Citation in need of a stem and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.The last pipe I had to work on was a Bertram Bent Billiard that needed to be cleaned up and restored. This last one is from Jack’s 11 pipes – a dirty, dull Bertram with an oxidized tapered vulcanite stem that I swapped with a straight billiard. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. There is a shape number 30 on the underside of the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the bowl and some nicks and flaws where the fills were shrunken or broken around the sides. The bowl was moderately caked with a light lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The new stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside ahead of the button. The photos show the condition of the stem surface. There were no markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the stem show the calcification, tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside of the stem and the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. The Bertram stamp was clear and readable as noted above. Once restored again it will have a long life ahead of it. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe.As I have worked on a lot of Bertram pipes in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

I have included the following link to give a bit of historical information on the pipe company. It is a well written article that gives a glimpse of the heart of the company. http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html#

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Bent Billiard has some mixed grain around the bowl. This pipe has a Grade 30 stamp on it. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. The darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl would need to be dealt with. I cleaned up the inner edge and the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove the darkening. I also started to sand the shank repair at the same time. The old warrior is visible in the photos below.I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man. Since I was restemming the pipe I would do the clean out on the new stem when I got to it.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. The darkening on the rim top came away clean. Once I cleaned the bowl with the soap I brought it back to the work top and examined it. This was a pipe full of fills around the rim top and the right front side of the bowl. All were shrunken and need of repair. I filled in all of the damaged fills with clear CA glue. I smoothed them out with a dental spatula. Once the repairs cured I sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the briar. Once finished it looked much better. I sanded the bowl it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further remove the stain and make a more transparent finish on the rim top, the bowl and shank. The light spots blended in better. I wiped the briar down with a drop of Olive Oil to see if I have any areas that I still needed to work on. The briar began to take on a rich shine and the repairs to the repairs blended in better with work. The photos tell the story. I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1200-15000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain started to rise to the surface and the repairs blended even more as I polished it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I laid the bowl aside and turned my attention to fitting a new stem. I made a decision about putting the short taper stem to the bent Billiard and putting a nice saddle stem on the straight Billiard. This new stem was the right length for this smaller Bent Billiard and was very close to the diameter of the shank – slightly larger but very workable. It would take some work to clean up but it would look good once it was finished. The taper stem had a small bite through on the underside ahead of the button. I greased a pipe cleaner and inserted it in the airway below the small hole. I filled in the tooth marks in the top of the stem as well. I removed the pipe cleaner to continue working on the stem. I cleaned out the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was a dirty stem. I sanded the stem surface and repairs with 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to flatten the repairs and also remove some of the oxidation. It would need more sanding but I turned to the make the slot in the button. I reshaped the entrance of the airway in the stem end with needle files. I used oval and round files to reshape the entrance into an oval shape. It looked much better. I used my heat gun to soften the vulcanite. Once it was soft enough to shape I bent it at the right angle to match the flow of the curves of the bowl. I set the bend in the stem with cold running water and took a photo of the newly bent stem. I removed the stem from the shank and sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to adjust the fit to the shank. By the time I was finished sanding it the stem very well to the shank and the transition was smooth.I sanded the surface of the new vulcanite stem with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to clean up the sanding marks on the stem surface. By the final 3500 grit pad the stem started to really shine. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I am excited to finish this Bertram Washington DC Smaller Bent Billiard 30 with a newly fit taper stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful grain on the smooth portions and the rustication depths all around it. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This Bertram Bent Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 47 grams/1.69 ounces. This final pipe of Jack’s is another beautiful pipe that I will send to him later this week. I look forward to hear what he thinks of this resurrected beauty. It should be a great smoking pipe.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring the 10th of 11 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram Straight Billiard

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by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes (actually as mentioned on the last pipe I can’t count) but going over it again I found I was right the first count. There were six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite, Citation in need of a stem and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.I chose to work on the Bertram Straight Billiard that needed to be cleaned up and restored. This next one is from Jack’s 11 pipes – a dirty, dull Bertram with an oxidized tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. There is no shape number to be seen. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the bowl and some nicks and flaws where the fills were shrunken or broken around the sides. The bowl was moderately caked with a light lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside ahead of the button. The photos show the condition of the stem surface. There were no markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the stem show the calcification, tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside of the stem and the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. The Bertram stamp was clear and readable as noted above. Once restored again it will have a long life ahead of it. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe.As I have worked on a lot Bertrams in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram).Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Bent Billiard has some mixed grain around the bowl. This pipe does not appear to have a Grade stamp on it but the fills make my think a lower grade due to the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. The darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl would need to be dealt with. I cleaned up the inner edge and the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove the darkening. I also started to sand the shank repair at the same time. The old warrior is visible in the photos below.I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man. Since I was restemming the pipe I would do the clean out on the new stem when I got to it. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. The darkening on the rim top is very clear. Once cleaned the bowl with the soap I brought it back to the work top and examined it. This was a pipe full of fills around the heel of the bowl. All were shrunken and need of repair. I filled in all of the damaged fills with clear CA glue. I smoothed them out with a dental spatula. Once the repairs cured I sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the briar. Once finished it looked much better. I sanded the bowl it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further remove the stain and make a more transparent finish on the rim top, the bowl and shank. The light spots blended in better. The briar began to take on a rich shine and the repairs to the repairs blended in better with work. The photos tell the story. I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1200-15000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain started to rise to the surface and the repairs blended even more as I polished it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I laid the bowl aside and turned my attention to fitting a new stem. I made a decision about switching the short taper stem on this pipe to one of the other Bent Billiards that I needed to restem. I went through my stems and found one that did not have a tenon but was very close to the diameter of the shank – slightly larger but very workable. I would use the original stem on the bent. I chose this saddle fishtail stem for this one. It would take some work to clean up bu tit would look good. I cleaned out the the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was a dirty stem.To fit the tenon to the shank I used several flat files and reduced the tenon size. I cleaned it up with a Dremel and sanding drum, flat files and sand paper until the fit was snug in the shank. It was going to work well.I sanded the saddle portion of the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to adjust the fit to the shank. By the time I was finished sanding it the stem very well to the shank and the transition was smooth. I sanded the surface of the new vulcanite saddle stem with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to clean up the sanding marks on the stem surface. By the final 3500 grit pad the stem started to really shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I am excited to finish this Bertram Washington DC Straight Billiard with a saddle stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful grain on the smooth portions and the rustication depths all around it. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This Bertram Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 51 grams/1.73 ounces. It is another beautiful pipe that I will send to Jack after I finish working on the last of the pipes. I look forward to hear what he thinks of this resurrected beauty. It should be a great smoking pipe.

Restoring the 9th of 12 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram 60 Bent Billiard with a new stem

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by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes (actually as mentioned on the last pipe I can’t count) There are 12 pipes – six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite, Citation in need of a stem and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.I chose to work on the Bertram 60 Bent Billiard that needed to be restemmed next. This next one is from Jack’s 12 pipes – a dirty, dull Grade 60 Bertram with a ruined tapered vulcanite stem. It is of note that the pipe had a previously snapped and repair shank. The work was well done but would need to be touched up a bit. The pipe is stamped on the underside side near the stem with the Grade 60 number. On the left side it is stamped Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some nicks and flaws around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was moderately caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The ruined stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and cracks on the top and underside of the button and ahead of the button. I believe it is a replacement as the tenon is short and the stem too long for the proportions of the pipe. The photos show the condition of the stem surface. It will need to be replaced. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the thick cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the damaged (I would say ruined) stem show the thick calcification, tooth marks, bite throughs, cracks in the button and heavy damage in the vulcanite on the top and underside of the stem and the button. I took photos of the briar plug in the heel of the bowl and the crack around the shank just ahead of the bowl. It has obviously been repaired and there are places that the repair has chipped and shows wear and damage. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. The Bertram stamp was faint but still readable as noted above. The 60 stamp was more faint on the underside but is visible with a lens. This was obviously someone’s favourite pipe and went through multiple large repairs to keep it working. Once restored again it will have a long life ahead of it. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe. As I have worked on a lot Bertrams in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram).Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Bent Billiard has some stunning mixed grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 60 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. The darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl would need to be dealt with. I cleaned up the inner edge and the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove the darkening. I also started to sand the shank repair at the same time. The old warrior is visible in the photos below.I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man. Since I was restemming the pipe I would do the clean out on the new stem when I got to it.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. The darkening on the rim top is very clear. Once cleaned the bowl with the soap I brought it back to the work top and examined it. Not only had the cracked shank been repaired which I had already seen clearly, there was also a plug in the bottom of the bowl where some one had repaired a burned through area. This was a pipe full of surprises.I decided to address the two repairs – the shank and the damage around the plug first. I sanded the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to clean them up further. Once smooth I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth and then filled in the damaged areas with clear CA glue and briar dust. Once the repaired areas cured I sanded off the mixture with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth them out and start the process of blending them into the surrounding briar. With the repairs larger than life and very obvious with the current finish on the pipe, I decided to stain it. I used a Dark Brown Aniline stain. I applied it with a dauber and flamed it with a lighter to set it in the briar. I set it aside to let the stain cure. Once the stain cured I wiped the bowl down with isopropyl alcohol on cotton pads to remove some of it and make the stain more transparent. It took some work but sanding it further would do the job and blend in the light spots as well. I sanded the bowl it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further remove the stain and make a more transparent finish on the rim top, the bowl and shank. The light spots blended in better. The briar began to take on a rich shine and the repairs to the repairs blended in better with work. The photos tell the story. I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1200-15000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain started to rise to the surface and the repairs blended even more as I polished it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I laid the bowl aside and turned my attention to fitting a new stem. I went through my stems and found one that was very close to the diameter of the shank – slightly larger but very workable. I would pitch the chewed and cracked stem in light of this fishtail one. This new one would need a lot of work to clean up but it would look good. To fit the tenon to the shank I used several flat files and reduced the tenon size. I cleaned it up with a Dremel and sanding drum, flat files and sand paper until the fit was snug in the shank. It was going to work well.It was a used stem so it had some tooth marks and chatter on the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to lift them. I was able to lift some. I filled in what remained with black rubberized CA glue. With the work done other than fitting the stem to the shank perfectly I decided to bend the stem to fit the shank. I heated the stem with a heat gun, moving the stem over the hot air until it became soft and flexible. I bent it at the angle needed over the round of the bunch buffer in the background.I worked on the diameter of the stem at the shank first with my Dremel and sanding drum to get it close to what I wanted. I followed that by sanding it with 220 grit sandpaper. I constantly checked the fit on the shank and once I had it ready I wiped the stem down with a bit of Obsidian Oil and took the photos below. It began to really look very good.I sanded the surface of the vulcanite with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to clean up the sanding marks and remaining casting marks on the stem surface. By the final 3500 grit pad the stem started to really shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I cleaned out the drilling and sanding debris from the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was clean other than the dust.I am excited to finish this Bertram Washington DC 60 Bent Billiard with a newly fit taper stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful grain on the smooth portions and the rustication depths all around it. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This Bertram Bent Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 50 grams/1.80 ounces. It is another beautiful pipe that I will send to Jack after I finish working on the other 2 pipes. I look forward to hear what he thinks of this resurrected beauty. It should be a great smoking pipe.

Restoring the 7th of 11 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram 30 Bent Billiard with a new stem

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by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes – six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.I chose to work on the Bertram 30 Bent Billiard that needed to be restemmed next. This next one is from Jack’s 11 pipes – a dirty, dull Grade 30 Bertram with a ruined tapered vulcanite bite proof stem. The pipe is stamped on the underside side near the stem with the Grade 30 number. On the left side it is stamped Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was moderately caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The ruined replacement twin bore, or bite proof stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and many bite throughs and chips on the top and underside near the button. The photos show the condition of the stem surface. It will need to be replaced. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the thick cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the damaged (I would say ruined) stem show the thick calcification, tooth marks, bite throughs and heavy damage in the vulcanite on the top and underside of the stem and the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. The Bertram stamp was clear and readable as noted above. The 30 stamp was more faint on the underside but is visible in person. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe. I took a photo of the bite proof stem end showing the twin bore airways in the button. As I have worked on a lot Bertrams in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram).Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Prince has stunning straight and flame grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 30 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. The darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl would need to be dealt with. I cleaned up the inner edge and the rim with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove the darkening.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. The darkening on the rim top is very clear. As I cleaned it up, I noticed that the fills on the right side and the front mid bowl were shrunken and damaged. I filled them in with clear CA glue and briar dust. Once the repair cured I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to flatten the repair and blend it into the surface of the briar.I sanded the bowl it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to finish the rim top, the bowl and shank. The briar began to take on a rich shine and the darkening on the top was gone and the fill blended in better with work. The photos tell the story. I remembered that I had forgotten to clean the pipe. I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man. Since I was restemming the pipe I would do the clean out on the new stem when I got it.I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain started to rise to the surface as I polished it. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I laid the bowl aside and turned my attention to fitting a new stem. I went through my stems and found one that did not have a tenon but was very close to the diameter of the shank – slightly larger but very workable. I would pitch the chewed up twin bore stem in light of this fishtail one. I pushed a tenon in the stem for the photos below. I would need to secure once I started.I gave the threaded end of the tenon a coat of black CA rubberized glue and pressed it into the stem. I turned it until all was aligned and straight and then secured it until the glue hardened and the tenon was solid.Since there was little to do on the stem other than cosmetic adjustments I decided to give it a slight bend to match the damaged stem and the flow of the bowl. I have found that if I “paint” the area where I want the bend with a lighter until the surface softens I can save getting my heat gun out. I do this while the stem is on the pipe. Once the surface was soft I press the top of the bowl and the stem down against my worktable to get the bend in place. I let it sit that way with pressure from my hand until the rubber of the stem cools. You can speed up the process by putting the stem under cold water but I did not do this on this pipe. Once cooled I took a photo of the look of the bent stem. Those paying attention to the photos of the bowl work will see that I bent the stem before I did any of the clean up on the bowl 😉I worked on the diameter of the stem at the shank first with my Dremel and sanding drum to get it close to what I wanted. I followed that by sanding it with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the rest of the stem to clean up the casting marks on the sides and button end. I constantly checked the fit on the shank and once I had it ready I wiped the stem down with a bit of Obsidian Oil and took the photos below. It began to really look very good.I sanded the surface of the vulcanite with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to clean up the sanding marks and remaining casting marks on the stem surface. By the final 3500 grit pad the stem started to really shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I cleaned out the drilling and sanding debris from the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was clean other than the dust.I am excited to finish this Bertram Washington DC 30 Bent Billiard with a newly fit taper stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful grain on the smooth portions and the rustication depths all around it. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This Bertram Bent Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 49 grams/1.73 ounces. It is another beautiful pipe that I will send to Jack after I finish working on the other 4 pipes. I look forward to hear what he thinks of this next beauty. It should be a great smoking pipe.

Restoring the sixth of 11 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram 25 Pot with a Bite Proof Stem

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by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes – six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.I chose to work on the Bertram 25 Pot next. This next one is from Jack’s 11 pipes – a dirty, dull Grade 25 Bertram with a tapered vulcanite bite proof stem. The pipe is stamped on the underside side near the stem with the Grade 25 number. On the left side it is stamped Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was moderately caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the thick cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the stem show the thick calcification, tooth marks and damage in the vulcanite on the top and underside ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. It was clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe. I took a photo of the bite proof stem end showing the twin bore airways in the button. As I have worked on a lot Bertrams in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram).Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Prince has stunning straight and flame grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 25 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man. I cleaned the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners in the same way as I did the shank. It also was very dirty.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. The darkening on the rim top is very clear. The darkening on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl would need to be dealt with. I cleaned up the inner edge and the rim with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove the darkening.As I cleaned it up, I noticed that the fill on the right side, mid bowl was shrunken and damaged. I filled it in with clear CA glue and briar dust. Once the repair cured I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper and flattened the repair and blended it into the surface of the briar.I sanded the bowl it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to finish the rim top, the bowl and shank. The briar began to take on a rich shine and the darkening on the top was gone and the fill blended in better with work. The photos tell the story. I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1200-15000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The grain started to rise to the surface as I polished it. The repaired fill is large but it is smooth and solid. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I turned my attention to the stem. The calcification was thick on the areas where there were tooth marks and a potential bite through on the surface. To get things cleaned up, I “painted” the surface of the vulcanite where the tooth marks were with the flame of a lighter. I greased a pipe cleaner with Vaseline and inserted it in the left side of the twin bore stem. I filled in the bite through area and some of the deeper marks on both sides with a rubberized Black CA glue. After it cured I flattened the repairs with a small flat file. I flattened the repaired areas and recut the edge of the button with a small file. Once it was cleaned up I refilled the remaining tooth marks with more black rubberized CA glue. I set it aside to let the repairs cure then filed them with a small file. Once they were flattened I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the rest of the stem to clean up the oxidation and calcification on the surface. It began to really look better. I sanded the surface of the vulcanite with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to remove the remaining oxidation. I dry sanded the surface until I have removed all of the oxidation and the stem started to really shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. The repaired areas show some difference in the black but are very smooth. I am excited to finish this Bertram Washington DC 25 Pot with a twin bore bite proof stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful grain on the smooth portions and the rustication depths all around it. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This Bertram Pot is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 36 grams/1.31 ounces. It is another beautiful pipe that I will send to Jack after I finish working on the other 5 pipes. I look forward to hear what he thinks of this next beauty. It should be a great smoking pipe.

Restoring the fifth of 11 pipes sent for restoration – a Bertram 95 Classic Prince

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by Steve Laug

A while back I was asked by a customer and friend, Jack to take on some projects for him. I have worked on a few pipes for him over the years so we seem to have a standing agreement that I will clean up his pipes. This time he sent a batch containing 11 pipes – six Bertrams, an Arlington, a GBD, an old WDC Triangle Bakelite and one marked Texaco. All of them were in various conditions and would need different types of work. I took a photo of the pipes before I started working on them.I chose to work on the Bertram 95 Classic Prince next. This next one is from Jack’s 11 pipes – a beautifully grained Prince Grade 95 Bertram with a tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the underside side near the stem with the Grade 95 number. On the left side it is stamped Bertrams [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential damage on the back inner edge. The stem was calcified, oxidized, dirty and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams that Jack sent, this one had promise but it was very dirty. I took photos of the pipe before I started his cleanup work. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the thick cake in the bowl and overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the stem show the tooth marks and damage in the vulcanite on the top and underside ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank to capture it. It was clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe. As I have worked on a lot Bertrams in the past, I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Prince has stunning straight and flame grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 95 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

Yes indeed another Bertram Washington DC Pipe – An Ungraded Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to me from one of our estate purchases. Between us we pick up quite a few pipes for restoration. I try to work them into the restoration queue so that I can keep them moving. We picked up over 120 Bertram pipes from an estate that a fellow on the east coast of the US was selling. I keep fitting some of them into the restoration queue to get these great older US Made pipes back in circulation. The post card below was sent to me by one of the readers of the blog. It is a nice memento of the old shop. I thank him for thinking of us.This next one is from that estate – a beautifully grained smaller Bertram Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem. The pipe is stamped on the top side and reads Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. This is a bit of an odd one in that it does not have a grade stamp. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential burn damage on the back inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light tooth chatter on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams in this lot the pipe had promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the rim top. The lava was thicker toward the back of the rim and there were remnants of tobacco on the walls of the thickly caked bowl. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the chatter. Otherwise the stem is quite clean. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took a photo of the stamping on the topside of the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable.As I have worked on Bertrams I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/).

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Canadian has a stunning a mix straight and flame grain around the bowl. Why it is not stamped with a grade number is a mystery to me. To my thinking it is at least a Grade 60 or higher.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. The rim top cleaned up very well. The grain really had begun to stand out. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. It really is a beautiful piece of briar. The rim top looked very good. The inner edge of the rim also looked surprisingly good. There was no damage to the edges. The stem surface looked very good with some light chatter on both sides near the button. I took photos of the stamping on the shank. The Bertram Washington DC is on the topside mid shank. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. Now it was time to do my work on the pipe. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Bertram Washington DC Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Smaller Bertram Canadian fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 30 grams/1.06 ounces. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly in the American (US) Pipe Makers section. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Beautification for an American Made Bertram Washington DC Grade 40 Dublin

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to us from one of our estate purchases in 2017. We picked up over 120+ Bertram pipes from an estate that a fellow on the east coast of the US was selling. This next one is from that estate – a beautifully grained Dublin Grade 40 Bertram with a tapered vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads 40. On the left side it is stamped Bertram [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the briar on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential burn damage on the inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertram pipes in this lot this one had promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the rim top. The lava was thicker toward the back of the rim and there were remnants of tobacco on the walls of the thickly caked bowl. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the chatter and tooth marks. Otherwise the stem is quite clean. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took photos of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. The grade number is 40. As I have worked on Bertram pipes I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best pipes that America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/). I have included the following link to give a bit of historical information on the pipe company. It is a well written article that gives a glimpse of the heart of the company. http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html#

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Dublin has a stunning a mix of grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 40 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the sandpits in the briar. But the Bertram Grading system remains a mystery to me.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe very well as usual. He has detailed his process other place so I will summarize it here. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl and rim top with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. The rim top had some darkening on the back of the bowl but otherwise looked very good. The inner edge of the rim had some burn damage on the front left and the back of the bowl. The stem surface looked very good with a few small tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I took photos of the stamping on the shank. The Bertram Washington DC is on the left side mid shank. On the underside of the shank is stamped the Grade 40 number. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is tapered. I started my work on the pipe by cleaning up the damage on the inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a cloth. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. It was in very good condition so I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. This Bertram Washington DC Grade 40 Dublin with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Bertram 40 Dublin fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of this pipe is 34g/1.20oz. I will be adding the pipe to the American Pipe Makers section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Beautification of an American Made Bertram Washington DC Grade 30 Bent Pot

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to me from one of our estate purchases. Between us we pick up quite a few pipes for restoration. I try to work them into the restoration queue so that I can keep them moving. We picked up over 120+ Bertram pipes from an estate that a fellow on the east coast of the US was selling. This next one is from that estate – a beautifully grained large Bertram Bent Pot Grade 30 with a taper vulcanite stem. The pipe is stamped on the left side near the bowl and reads 30. Following that it is stamped Bertrams [over] Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl around the sides of the bowl. There was some darkening on the backside of the rim top on the back side. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential burn damage on the back inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams in this lot the pipe had promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the rim top. The lava was thicker toward the back of the rim and there were remnants of tobacco on the walls of the thickly caked bowl. There were also nicks on the inner edge of the bowl toward the front. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the chatter and tooth marks. Otherwise the stem is quite clean. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. The grade number is on the left side near the bowl and reads 30.As I have worked on Bertrams I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/). I have included the following link to give a bit of historical information on the pipe company. It is a well written article that gives a glimpse of the heart of the company. http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html#

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Bent Bulldog has a nice mix of grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 30 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. He scrubbed the remaining oxidation with Soft Scrub and cotton pads and removed it. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It looked very good. The rim top had some slight darkening on the back of the bowl and some damage to the inner edge on the front. The inner edge of the rim is out of round from the damage. You can also see the fill on rim top on the right side. The stem surface had some pitting on the surface and some tooth chatter on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. The shape number 30 is followed by the brand stamp Bertram Washington DC is on the left side mid shank.I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is tapered and you can see the pitting in the surface of the stem in the photo below.I started my work on the pipe by cleaning up the inner edge and the rim top with 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to minimize the damage.I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a cloth. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded the pitted surface smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing with 400 grit wet dray sand paper. The quality of the vulcanite is quite high as the sanding dust was not the characteristic brown but was black. It was in very good condition so I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Bertram Washington DC Grade 30 Large Bent Pot with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Bertram 30 Pot fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of this pipe is 73g/2.57oz. I will be adding it to the rebornpipes store shortly. It will be in the American Pipe Makers section. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Beautification for another American Made Bertram Washington DC Grade 60 Dark Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table came to me from one of our estate purchases. Between us we pick up quite a few pipes for restoration. I try to work them into the restoration queue so that I can keep them moving. We picked up over 120+ Bertram pipes from an estate that a fellow on the east coast of the US was selling. This next one is from that estate – a beautifully grained Bertram Dark BIlliard Grade 60 with a vulcanite taper stem. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads 60. Next to that it is stamped on the top of the left side of the diamond shank it is stamped Bertrams [over] a faintly stamped Washington D.C. centered on the shank. The finish had a lot of grime ground into the smooth finish on the bowl and some darkening around the sides of the bowl. There are also some nicks on the backside of the bowl toward the back top. The bowl was caked with an overflowing lava coat on the top of the rim, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edges looked okay other than some potential burn damage on the back inner edge. The stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button. There were not markings or a logo on the taper stem. Like the rest of the Bertrams in this lot the pipe had promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava on the rim top. The lava was thicker toward the right front of the rim and there were remnants of tobacco on the walls of the thickly caked bowl. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the chatter and tooth marks. Otherwise the stem is quite clean. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable. The grade number is on the left side near the bowl and reads 60. As I have worked on Bertrams I have written on the brand and have included the following information. If you have read it in past blogs, you can skip over it. If you have not, I have included the link to Bertram history and information. I would recommend that if you don’t know much about them take some time to read the background. I include a link to the write up on Pipedia (http://pipedia.org/wiki/Bertram). Bertram pipes were based out of Washington DC. They were popular among famous politicians and celebrities of the time. They made many products for them from FDR’s cigarette holders to Joseph Stalin’s favorite pipe. They were considered some of the best America had to offer till they finally closed their doors in the 70s. Bertram graded their pipes by 10s and sometimes with a 5 added (15, 25, 55 etc.), the higher the grade the better. Above 60s are uncommon and 80-90s are quite rare. I have worked on one 120 Grade billiard. I have several blogs that I have written on rebornpipes that give some history and background to Bertram pipes. (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/06/16/an-easy-restoration-of-a-bertram-grade-60-217-poker/). I have included the following link to give a bit of historical information on the pipe company. It is a well written article that gives a glimpse of the heart of the company. http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html#

From this information I learned that all of these Bertrams were made before the closure of the shop in the 1970s. This Bertram Billiard has a nice mix of grain around the bowl. This pipe has a 60 Grade stamp on it which I am sure explains the quality of the briar. But like many of these Bertrams the Grading system is a mystery to me.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. The rim top had some slight darkening on the back of the bowl and some damage to the inner edge. The inner edge of the rim is out of round from the damage. The stem surface had deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. The shape number 60 is followed by the brand stamp Bertram [over] Washington DC (faint but readable) is on the top of the left side mid shank. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The stem is tapered. I started my work on the pipe by cleaning up the inner edge and the rim top with 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to minimize the damage. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a cloth. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. Of all the Bertram stems I have worked on from this lot this is yet another pipe that had deep tooth marks. They were tight against the button so they could not be lifted. I filled them in with black super glue and set the stem aside to let the repairs cure. Once the repair cured I used a file to reshape the button edges on both sides. I sanded them smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surrounding vulcanite. I started polishing with 400 grit wet dry sand paper. It was in very good condition so I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This darker stained Bertram Washington DC Grade 60 Billiard with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Bertram 60 Billiard fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of this pipe is 47g/1.66oz. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!