Tag Archives: bite marks

Restoring a Shamrock Billiard made in Ireland 105 Billiard with a Maltese Cross on the shank

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe was a mess and one that obviously had been “ridden hard and put away wet”. The finish and condition were filthy. It was definitely a stranger to any cleaning! This one is a smooth Billiard that has a rich coloured finish around the bowl sides and shank under the grit and grime of years. This pipe was purchased from an antique mall on 08/31/2024 in Hillsboro, Oregon, USA. The finish is dark and dull, so dirty that it obscures the grain in the finish. It was stamped on the left side of the shank and read SHAMROCK. It was stamped to the right of the shank and reads MADE IN IRELAND (in a circle) with the shape number 105 preceded by what looks like a Maltese Cross. Together they are next to the bowl. It was filthy when Jeff brought it to the table. There was a thick cake in the bowl and lava on the rim top and the inner edge of the bowl. There were nicks in the inner edge all the way around. The polished nickel band was stamped with a Shamrock [over] three faux hallmarks – a shamrock, an Irish Wolfhound and a tower with a door. The vulcanite stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work.
Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked so it is hard to know the condition of the edges under the lava overflow. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks on the top and underside. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain that was around this bowl. You can see the mix of grain and the small sandpits in the finish in the photos below. Even so, it is a nice looking pipe. He took a photo of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. He also captured the stamping on the polished nickel band on the shank. It is also very clear. I always try to research the brand and the stamping on a pipe so I can better understand its background and history before I start my work on it. The stamping on this pipe have a rich history that I wanted to understand. I am including the link to the Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson).

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Shamrock Pipe. On page 312 it had the following information.

Shamrock (c1941-2009) Originally stamped SHAMROCK with no brand name, an inexpensive line first described in George Yale (New York) mail order booklet in 1941, imported by Rogers Import. The line was actively promoted beginning in ’45, aggressively promoted in US by Rogers from early ‘50s when they registered the Shamrock logo with US Patent Office, claiming propriety since ’38. Over the years offered with P-lip or fishtail mouthpiece, with or without nickel band, with or without Shamrock logo on the band, with or without S stamped in white or later in gold on mouthpiece. Appearing in 2008 as unstained smooth and rustic, fishtail mouthpiece with gold impressed P on the stem. COMS of MADE IN over IRELAND (C1945-1965), MADE IN IRELAND forming a circle (c1945-1965), “A PETERSON’S PRODUCT” over MADE IN IRELAND (c1945-1965), MADE IN THE over REPUBLIC over OF IRELAND9c1948-1998). Model is always difficult or impossible to date.

Judging from the description above, the pipe I am working on is stamped with the stamp noted in red above. Made in Ireland in a circle which narrows the date to between approximately 1945-1965. It is just stamped SHAMROCK with no brand name and no stamping on the stem.

From there I turned to page 302 in the above book to unpack the stamping on the nickel band on the shank. There was a listing on the nickel mounted markings such as those used on the band on the shank of this pipe. I quote:

Nickel-Mount Markings. Often called faux hallmarks or faux marks by Peterson collectors, this set of three little images of a shamrock, an Irish wolfhound and a round tower appear within rectangular shapes as decorations on nickel mountings. Very early nickel mounts (1891-c. 1920) had no such decorations, only the same stamps used on sterling but without the hallmarks. As a stamp, the set of decorations began to appear at the beginning of the Irish Free State era, sometimes alone but often under K&P and over block lettered PETERSON over DUBLIN, although the  three emblems appeared on K&P’s Irish Carving Shamrocks pipes since 1896. The stamp was used until about 1963, when hand soldered nickel bands and ferrules were replaced by pressed ferrules and premade bands…The shamrock is the emblem of Ireland; the Irish wolfhound has long been used for both hunting and protection, and is an emblem of strength; the round tower a symbol of Ireland’s early religious power. These decorations were stamped at the factory on non-sterling mounts only, and the assay office has nothing to do with them…

I have also included the following photo of the stamping on the nickel band below. It is as described above.That still not cover the Maltese Cross on the right side of the shank ahead of the shape number 105. I have seen these before but I wanted to document what I had found on Peterson’s Pipe Notes blog. I have included that below (https://petersonpipenotes.org/276-kps-pipes-for-the-illuminati-na-heireann/). I quote:

Two of the foremost researchers among the P.G. (Peterson Geeks) Irregulars are Lance Dahl and Scott Forrest, who independent of one another came up with compelling evidence regarding an unknown stamp on a number of pipes in their collections. The stamp looks like a Maltese cross and appears either singly or doubled on pipes from the Patent era through the Éire and Early Republic. Because pipemen can sometimes be quite dogmatic about what they read in a forum or imagine the case to be (“don’t confuse me with the facts, my minds made up”), I should let everyone know that Scott’s background is in historical research and Lance worked in government intelligence before his retirement, giving them that “Thinking Man” spirit we routinely find in our fellow CPGs…

… SCOTT: It’s crazy to speculate on the such scanty information, but since that’s what pipe smokers do almost every day regarding the origin of their pipes, here’s my take. This wasn’t an auxiliary of the Irish republicans. The Maltese cross is always thought of first as a symbol of protection, although to be sure numerous religio-political military organizations attached themselves to its use (like the Order of St. John, but there’s dozens of them). I say that because of what we know Charles Peterson’s own political views. But his cousin Conrad wasn’t adverse to using violence to bring about political change and neither was his own wife, right? So who knows? But it’s interesting that the Maltese cross pops up in these “Peace” advertisements in the 1910s, isn’t it?

… LANCE: I think I’d have to agree with Scott’s theory, based on the text at St. Patrick’s. The motives and purpose of the group seem outside the normal purview of the Irish republicans. While the book is about anti-Papal groups, but the two paragraphs on this group don’t say they were anti-Catholic per se so much as suggest they should be considered anti-Catholic because they were motivated by some kind of tolerance or pacificism like we find in the Mennonites of Ukraine, the Moravians, Quakers, Molokons or whoever. But the use of the Maltese crosses (three), the all-seeing Eye and the shamrock is interesting, isn’t it? Obviously the “watching” thing is there, the idea of enlightenment or secret understanding. Then there’s the symbol of Ireland, which is also a symbol of the Trinity used in the St. Patrick legend. The last line of the text from the seminary reads Hic coetus doctrinam suam non a Patriciis, sed a Sanctis Celticis habere videtur, something like “the society takes its spiritual doctrine not from Patrick but the Celtic saints before him.” So I don’t know, at least not until something more turns up.

The blog also includes a lot more information on the Maltese Cross or Crosses on Peterson’s Pipes. Give it a read as it very interesting. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I was utterly surprised when I took this pipe out of the box and compared it to the before photos. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. Surprisingly the walls looked unscathed from the heavy cake. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, shank brushes and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. The cleaned up rim top revealed very damaged inner edge and the top. There were nicks in the surface of the rim and the edges. I took some close up photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of both. You can see the deep tooth marks and damage to the button edges on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is faint but still readable. It reads as noted above. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear and readable. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to have a look at the parts and overall look. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the inside edge of the bowl and smooth out the damage on the rim top. I gave it a slight bevel to minimize the damage.I sanded the bowl and rim with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a shine by the final pad. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. The bowl developed a rich shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to lift some of them. I filled in the remaining marks in the surface with extra strength, rubberized CA glue. I set it aside to cure. I sanded the marks smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend the repairs into the stem. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look much better.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I am excited to finish this Older Made in Ireland Shamrock 105 Maltese Cross Billiard. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful mixed grain all around it, looks great with the new black vulcanite stem. This smooth Classic Shamrock 105 Maltese Cross 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: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 42 grams/1.48 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Any questions or observations are always welcome.

A Lovely Ropp Cherrywood Carre France 841 Octagonal Panel Poker Sitter

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This rusticated Bent Cherrywood with a fancy saddle stem and square bit is quite lovely and lightly smoked. It was one of a lot purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a smooth Bent Cherrywood with octagonal panels on the of the bowl. The saddle stem is vulcanite and has the Ropp logo on the left side of the stem. The bowl is four smooth panels on the front, back and two sides. The remaining panels of the octagon and the shank still have the Cherry back. It is stamped on the smooth panel on the underside of the bowl and reads Ropp in an oval [over] Carre [over] France [over] the shape number 841. The bowl had a thick cake on the lower half of the bowl while the top half was clean. The rim top and the bevelled inner edge were quite clean. There was grime ground into the finish which left the bowl and shank dirty and dull. The vulcanite saddle stem has light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it.   Jeff took photos of the rim edges and top to show the condition of the bowl and rim. It was surprising how clean it was. He took photos of the stem surface as well to show the condition as noted above.Jeff took photos of the bowl sides, heel and front of the bowl and the shank to give a sense of the condition of the bark around the sides of the pipe. It is a unique one. He took a photo of the stamping on the heel of the bowl and the inset Ropp oval logo on the left side of the stem. Both are readable and clear as noted above. I turned to Pipephil (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-ropp.html) to get a bit more background on the brand before I did my work on the pipe. No matter how many I have worked on I seem to forget the history of the cherrywood pipes. I quote:

Brand created by Eugène-Léon Ropp (1830 – 1907) and continued throughout 3 generations. “GBA Synergie” run by Bernard Amiel (†2008) bought back Ropp in 1988 and owned it until 1991. The company was taken over by Cuty-Fort Entreprises (Chacom, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix…) in 1994.

I have also included a screen capture of a Cherry wood pipe. The one I am working on is significantly different that this but it has he bark left on the pipe as noted below. Below the photo is the side bar information. The stamp on the stem on this one is different it is a silver oval with the name ROPP stamped in it.Cherry wood pipe with bark. Ropp stamped a cursive R on the stems of some of their export pipes.

I turned to Pipedia for a bit more detailed history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ropp). I quote below.

Eugène-Léon Ropp (1830 – 1907) had acquired a patent for a cherrywood pipe (wild cherry, lat.: Prunus avium) in 1869. In 1870 he established a workshop to manufacture such pipes in Büssingen (Bussang, Vosges mountains). Around 1893 the business moved into the former mill of Sicard (part of the community of Baume-les-Dames – Département Doubs, Upper Burgundy – from 1895 on).

The pipes were a big success in the export as well. Shortly before 1914 Ropp designated A. Frankau & Co. (BBB) in to be the exclusive distributor in the UK and it’s colonies.

Probably in 1917 a workshop in Saint-Claude in the Rue du Plan du Moulin 8 was acquired to start the fabrication of briar pipes. In 1923 a small building in the environment of Saint-Claude, serving as a workshop for polishing, was added.

Even though cherrywood pipes were the mainstay of Ropp until the company finally closed down in September 1991. The company was taken over by Cuty-Fort Entreprises (Chacom, Jeantet, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix…) in 1994.

Reminded about the background on the Ropp Family and their Cherrywood pipe it was now time to turn to the pipe itself and do my part of the work.

As usual Jeff had done a thorough cleanup on the pipe. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and followed up with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub and a cotton pad. Once finished he soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water and cleaned out the airway in the stem with alcohol. Other than the damaged rim top the pipe looked good. I took a photo of the rim top and stem to show the condition. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl had some damage and darkening on the front and the back of the bowl. The vulcanite saddle stem had light tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button.The stamping on the heel of the bowl is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. It is a nice looking octagonal panel with a slight bend in great condition.I polished the bark and clean cherrywood with micromesh sanding pads, dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiping it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank both (smooth and bark covered) with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for about 10 minutes then buffed it with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The Balm did its magic and the grain stood out. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. The photo below shows the polished stem. This nice Cherrywood finished ROPP Carre France 841 Octagonal Panel with a black vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe. The rugged bark finish on four of the octagonal sides and the smooth panels on the other four highlight the grain on the cherrywood bowl front, back and sides. The black saddle stem works really well with the pipe as a whole. The wood is clean and really came alive. The rich medium brown of the wood gave the grain a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. The grain really popped. 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. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished ROPP Carre 841 Cherrywood is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.05 ounces/58 grams. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a La Strada Centurion 160 Italy Bent Cherrywood

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This rusticated Bent Cherrywood with an acrylic shank extension and a military bit. It was one of a lot purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a rusticated Bent Cherrywood with a smooth panel on the underside of the shank and around the shank end. The stem is an acrylic black military push stem. The bowl is stained with a contrast of browns that give depth to the rustication around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the smooth panel on the underside of the shank and reads La Strada [over] Centurion [followed by] the shape number 160 and Italy. The bowl had a thick cake and some tobacco debris on the walls. There was an overflow of lava and debris in the inwardly bevelled rusticated finish of the rim top. There was grime ground into the finish which left the bowl and shank dirty and dull. The acrylic, black military stem has light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show what they looked like before his clean up. You can see the lava coat on the rim top and the cake in the bowl. The inner edge looks to be okay under the thick cake on the walls. He took photos of the stem to show the condition of both sides. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the uniquely stained rugged rustication around the bowl and shank. The mixture of brown stains adds depth to the finish on the pipe. Even under the grime it is a real beauty. The stamping on this one was on the underside of the shank and is shown in the photos below. There was also a shape number 160 is stamped perpendicular to the stem/shank junction. The stamping on both is clear and readable as noted above. The stem also has the La Strada logo stamped on the top side. The La Strada was a brand about which I remembered very little. I had some vague memory of seeing them sold through Tinderbox but was not sure about that memory. I did a bit of research and found that indeed they had been sold there. They were Italian Made. Here is a page from a Tinderbox catalogue showing the brand. The catalog describes the pipe as “a gracefully conservative style that has today’s favoured matte finish, enhance by the unexpected touch of random routing.” The price was a princely $8.95-$10.00.The pipe I am working on is a Bent Cherrywood with a shank extension and a military bit stem. The shape 160 was not shown in the above photos.

I turned to Pipephil to see I could learn anything more on the brand and the Centurion. There was nothing on the line but it confirmed the tie to Tinder Box (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l1.html). I did a screen capture of the section and have included the sidebar information below the picture.Export brand seen in Tinder Box catalogue

Given that information I was read to work on the pipe.

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. 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, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove the grime and calcification. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. The pipe looked very good when it arrived here in Vancouver. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim and the stem. The rusticated rim top cleaned up very well. The stem looks clean but still has light tooth marks and some chatter as noted above.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. The briar is quite beautiful and the stains really make the grain and the sandblast stand out.The pipe was in great condition after the clean up. I began my work by rubbing the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush to get into the nooks and crannies of the rustication. I let it sit for 10 minutes and the Balm did its magic. It enlivens, cleans and preserves the briar. It certainly brought this bowl back to life. I buffed it off with a clean cloth and took the following photos. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I touched up the La Strada logo on the stem top with white acrylic fingernail polish. Once it hardened I scraped of the excess and polished it with a 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad. It looked very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. I set it aside to dry. This rusticated La Strada Centurion 160 Bent Cherrywood with an acrylic shank extension and military bit is a great looking pipe with a beautiful combination of finishes. The mix of stains once cleaned up really highlights the grain and the depth of the blast. The polished finish is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. 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 La Strada Centurion 160 Bent Cherrywood 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 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 48 grams /1.69 ounces. I will be adding the pipe to the Italian Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in purchasing this pipe send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

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.

Breathing Life into a Stanwell Made in Denmark Vario 85 Bent Billiard

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This sandblast Bent Billiard with smooth patches on the front of the bowl with a black acrylic stem was purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a sandblast Bent Billiard with a smooth patch on the front of the bowl and around the shank end.  The stem is an acrylic black taper stem. The bowl is stained with a contrast of blacks and browns that give depth to the sandblast around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Stanwell [over] Made in Denmark [over] Vario. On the right side of the shank it is stamped with the shape number 85. The bowl had a thick cake and some tobacco debris on the walls. There was an overflow of lava and debris in the sandblast finish of the rim top. There was grime ground into the finish which left the look quite dull. The acrylic, black taper stem has light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it.   He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show what they looked like before his clean up. You can see the lava coat on the rim top and the cake in the bowl. The inner edge looks to be okay under the thick cake on the walls. He took photos of the stem to show the condition of both sides. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the uniquely stained grain and sandblast portions around the bowl and shank. The mixture of brown stains adds depth to the finish on the pipe. Even under the grime it is a real beauty.The stamping on this one was on the underside of the shank and is shown in the photos below. There was also a shape number 85 on the right side of the shank that is shown below. The stamping on both is clear and readable as noted above.

Before I started my work on the pipe I wanted to see if I could find any information that would help me get a sense of the line. I turned to Pipephil to see if there was any listing on the Vario Line (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-stanwell.html). There was nothing listed.

I then turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell) for more information. The article is great and gives a lot of history on the brand. But there is nothing specific on the Varios. I did a quick Google search and came up with a link for Smokingpipes.com that had a description for a Vario (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=345545). I have included that description below:

Stanwell’s Vario finish is characterized by a dark-stained sandblast interspersed with smooth, lighter-stained briar. The dual tone and mix of textures are found here on this classic 85 Bent Billiard — a rendition that caters to lovers of pipe chart standards and offers versatile appeal in its convenient size and light weight.

That pretty well captured the description of the pipe I have in my hands.

There was also a link to a shape article on Pipedia written by Bas Stevens that I originally published on rebornpipes. I looked up the 85 shape number to see who had designed that shape (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I quote that below

  1. Two versions of this shape number:
  2. a) Freehand; tall bent egg with a stepped stem, by Sixten Ivarsson (late 1950s).
  3. b) Bent Billiard saddle mouthpiece. (discontinued – 2006 and replaced with shape 246).

The pipe I am working on is a Bent Billiard but it has a taper stem. The shape 85 could also have been a Sixten Ivarrson design Tall Bent Egg with a stepped stem. I am fairly confident that the pipe I am working on is not an egg but rather a Bent Billiard – 85b above. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. 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, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove the grime and calcification. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. The pipe looked very good when it arrived here in Vancouver. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim and the stem. The rim top cleaned up very well. There is some debris in the sandblast of the rim top. The stem looks clean but still has light tooth marks and some chatter as noted above.I took photo of the stamping on the undersides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. The briar is quite beautiful and the stains really make the grain and the sandblast stand out.I started my work on the pipe by addressing the debris in the sandblast on the rim top and the inner edges. I used a brass bristle wire brush to clean up the top and the edges. It looked much better. I touched up the stain on the rim top to match the bowl sides with a Walnut stain pen. It looked much better.I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush to get into the nooks and crannies of the sandblast. I let it sit for 10 minutes and the Balm did its magic. It enlivens, cleans and preserves the briar. It certainly brought this bowl back to life. I buffed it off with a clean cloth and took the following photos. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. I set it aside to dry. This Stanwell Vario 85 Bent Billiard and an acrylic taper stem is a great looking pipe with a beautiful combination of finishes. The mix of stains once cleaned up really highlights the grain and the depth of the blast. The polished finish is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. 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 Stanwell Vario 85 Bent 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: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 44 grams /1.55 ounces. I will be adding the pipe to the Danish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in purchasing this pipe send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

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.

Rescuing an Old, Enigmatic Bamboo Meerschaum Sitter

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

This is an odd pipe, to be sure – but a charming one. A few years ago, I acquired it in a large batch of very old French pipes. There was a mix of lovely and dreadful in that batch – and this pipe was a part of it. It had a meerschaum bowl and rim, with a bamboo stummel (holding the meerschaum) and a bamboo shank. I could see a bone tenon emerging from the shank, but – alas – the stem was missing. I could tell just by sight that the bamboo was old and beautifully worn. I always had this pipe in the back of my mind and it sat in my boxes for a long time. Finally, I came up with a plan to restore it and give it a new lease on life. I think the results are terrific. I hope you will too. The markings on this pipe are intriguing, if somewhat unhelpful. On the underside of the bamboo bowl, we see the words JAVA [over] ECUME. I searched extensively for these words in a pipe context, but found nothing specific. However, I think we can figure it out. Let’s work backwards. The French word, écume, most generically, means ‘foam’. However, in this instance, it is also the French word for meerschaum. That makes sense. As I’m sure you know, meerschaum is a German word which literally means ‘sea foam’ (meer = sea and schaum = foam). Incidentally, schaum is also where we get the English word scum from. But where did the Germans get the meerschaum word from? Obviously, meerschaum is so called because it is white and light, but the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology further explains that the term is itself a translation of the Persian word kef-i-daryā – literally meaning ‘foam of sea’. Now you can impress friends at your next cocktail party.Meanwhile, the word Java made me think immediately of the Indonesian island, but I wasn’t sure if there was ever an Indonesian pipe company with that name. I certainly couldn’t find any evidence of one. There have been pipe makers in Java, but I don’t think this pipe was made there. Having said that, however, I don’t think the reference is too mysterious. The island of Java is replete with bamboo – in fact, there are approximately sixty species of bamboo on the island. I think it stands to reason that the use of the name Java is simply a reference to the origin of the bamboo or an attempt to provide an oriental name to the pipe.

Last year, I restored a meerschaum and bamboo pipe, and I mused about that particular mixture of materials – and I will muse about it again now. Meerschaum and bamboo pipes are certainly not unprecedented, but it isn’t that common either. Here is an example of an unbranded bamboo meer found on eBay. Not only does the pipe have no identifying marks, but the seller had no information about it either.One can find some spectacular examples of meerschaum and bamboo in pipes from Walt Cannoy, Ryan Alden, and the famous Turkish maker, Said Altınay. Here is a beautiful example from him:As a side note, Altınay’s website includes an interesting note on the history of bamboo in pipe-making. I provide a brief quotation:

Bamboo began appearing in briar pipe construction in the early 20th century. The earliest known pioneer of this style is believed to be Sixten Ivarsson, the Danish pipe-making legend, who introduced bamboo shanks in the mid-1900s as both an aesthetic and practical innovation. The concept soon spread, embraced by artisans such as Tom Eltang, Tokutomi, and Takahiro Hibi, who elevated the use of bamboo into a form of fine art. Its appeal was twofold: the natural lightweight strength and the distinctive, organic appearance. While traditional briar offered durability and familiarity, bamboo introduced character, contrast, and subtle resilience — giving each pipe a unique signature.

Obviously, the pipe I have is not on the order of a Cannoy, Alden, Altınay, or Ivarsson! But I also feel comfortable in saying that this pipe is a lot older than those fellows’ pipes. I would be interested in hearing from you if you know more about the marriage of meerschaum and bamboo in pipe-making. Thank you kindly.

Let’s examine the condition of this pipe. The bone tenon is soiled and cracked, so that will have to be changed. The shank’s bamboo is sound – and very attractive. It’s quite dirty inside, but I am confident that we can resolve that. The bamboo part of the stummel is equally sound and beautiful. The meerschaum is very nice, but – wow – the cake on the inside of the bowl is thick and oppressive. Meanwhile, there is some nice staining to the meerschaum and that adds character. First things first. I couldn’t get the tenon out of the shank, so I took my heat gun and warmed them both. After a while, the goo inside loosened up sufficiently for me to extract it. As I mentioned, it was cracked – so I will find another one in my boxes. Later.Next, I removed the cake from the inside of the bowl. I cannot adequately express how challenging this was. The cake seemed as hard as granite – and I had to be so careful with the extraction because the meerschaum is comparatively fragile. I used a pipe knife and some dental tools, and cautiously, agonizingly scraped and chipped away at the cake. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it took me 45 minutes to empty the bowl properly. Once complete, I gently separated the shank from the bowl. The photos show how dirty everything was. Obviously, if the bowl was as bad as indicated, you can just imagine what the inside of the shank was like.I disinfected the inside of the shank and the mortise entrance to the bowl with pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean. I used a ton of pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. I did this carefully because too much soaking can cause meerschaum to soften. I worked quickly, nothing softened, and everything turned out well.To tidy up the bamboo, I delicately wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds and cotton swabs (in the crevices). This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the bamboo.I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the meerschaum part of the bowl and finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the meerschaum and provides a beautiful smoothness to it. As the photos show, I masked the bamboo portion of the bowl with tape so as not to damage it while sanding.I only sanded the bamboo with the three finest micromesh pads. Then I rubbed it all with some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the bamboo and gives a beautiful depth to it. I then buffed the whole thing with a microfibre cloth. Next step was to reattach the bowl and shank. I carefully applied some wood glue into the mortise and replaced the shank precisely. As a measure of caution, I also stuck a pipe cleaner in the draught hole to prevent any glue getting in there.On to the stem and bone tenon. I found a stem in my workshop drawers that worked well with this pipe. I should point out that the stem is actually horn. I know that it looks like vulcanite in the photos, but it is dark horn. After settling on that, I dug through my boxes of bone tenons and found one that fit both ends. Then I set about sanding down the stem to ensure that it fit.I took my rotary tool to take off the bulk of the excess material. Then I sanded and sanded and sanded with my various micromesh pads. I neglected to photograph this process, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. As I was nearing completion, I applied pipe-stem oil with the last few micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done. I also glue the tenon into the stem for safety’s sake. For the final step, I took the stem (only) to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with carnauba wax.

All done! This bamboo meerschaum sitter looks fantastic after a lot of hard work, and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Meerschaum’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6 in. (153 mm); height 1⅞ in. (47 mm); bowl diameter 1¼ in. (32 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (19 mm). The weight of the pipe is ⅞ oz. (26 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a House of Lords Ambassador 213 Lovat Made in London England

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This smooth Lovat with an orange acrylic stem was purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It really is a beautifully grained Lovat with a rich smooth finish.  The stem is an acrylic saddle stem. The bowl is stained with a contrast of browns that give depth to the grain around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the sides of the shank and on the left reads House of Lords [over] Ambassador. On the right side it is stamped Made In London [over] England. To the left of the stamp it reads 213 – shape number. The bowl had a thick cake and some tobacco debris on the walls. There was a light overflow of lava on the inner bevelled edge and the rim top. There was grime ground into the finish which left the look quite dull. The acrylic saddle stem has a Crown logo on the left side of the saddle. It had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the condition of the top and edges of the bowl. It is dull and has the lava on the bevelled edge of the rim. It is uniquely a beautiful pipe. The stem had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the finish around the bowl and the condition of the pipe. You can see the grime ground into the surface of the briar. The stain combination really makes the grain stand out. I look forward to seeing it once it is clean and polished. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The white Crown stamp on the left side of the stem is also clear and readable. I turned to Pipephil’s site (www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-h3.html#houseoflords). I did a screen capture of the section on the site. It shows the stamping on the left side of the shank that matches the stamping on the topside of the pipe I am working on. The crown stamp shown on the stem I have is a lot like stamping on the stem I have. I am including the information from the side bar that says that House of Lords is a brand from Samuel Gordon and possibly a Sasieni second (J.M. Lopes, op. cit.).Brand from Samuel Gordon. Maybe a Sasieni second (J.M. Lopes, op. cit.)

I further followed the link to “Gordon” and learned that Samuel Gordon had founded the brand “GORDON” in 1910-20 eras. This is the link for Gordon brand of pipes; www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-g4.html#gordon

From there I turned to the Sasieni listing on Pipedia and scrolled down to the list of seconds that was given there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Sasieni#Sasieni_Seconds). From that information I learned that the pipe was definitely linked to Sasieni. The fourth listing in the screen capture.Now I knew I was dealing with a probable Sasieni made pipe which helps explain the stamping on the pipe including the Made in England on the shank. I did a quick search of rebornpipes and found an article on a House of Lords pipe I had restored. I have included the link (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/10/25/cleaning-up-a-london-made-charleston-banker/).

It was time to work on the pipe. As usual Jeff had done a thorough cleanup on the pipe. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. He dried it with a soft cloth. The pipe looked good. I took a photo of the rim top and stem to show the condition. The finish on the rim top looked much better and had cleaned up well. The orange acrylic stem had some light tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button edges.The stamping on the sides of the shank is clear and readable as noted above. The logo on the left side of the saddle stem is clear and the white acrylic in the stem is in good condition. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. It is a nice-looking Lovat and should clean up very well.I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratching on the sides of the bowl and shank. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads to further remove the marks in the finish and to deepen the shine. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the debris. It looked much better. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the chatter and tooth marks. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It looked much better. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian after each pad to remove the dust and polishing debris. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. This richly finished, large bowled House of Lords Ambassador London Made 213 Lovat with an orange, acrylic saddle stem is in great condition. The briar is clean and really came alive. The rich brown stains gave the grain a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. 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. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished House of Lords Ambassador London Made 213 Lovat is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight is 1.27 ounces/36 grams. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for following the blog on this restoration.

Restoring and Replacing a Broken Stem on a Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard XL307

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is Peterson’s System pipe that a reader, Don sent to me to work on. It was stamped Peterson’s [arched over] System [arched over] Standard on the underside side of the shank in a smooth panel. It was stamped Peterson’s [over] System [over] Standard. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) [over] the shape number XL307. It has a a great looking smooth bowl with some nice grain around the bowl and shank that is dirty with ground in oils, debris and grime. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and a light lava overflow and darkening on the rim top. There was a very beautiful pipe underneath all of the buildup of years of use. The nickel ferrule on the shank end was oxidized and is stamped on the left side K&P [over] three faux hallmarks. That is followed by Petersons. It is not dented or damaged. The stem was broken midway between the button and the saddle. I would need to restem it with a proper stem in the process of my work. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the light lava build up on the top of the rim and the edges of the bowl. The rim top and edges look very good. Only clean up would tell the full story.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the bowl and shank. The stamping was faint in spots but readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. The nickel ferrule on the shank end is stamped on the top and left side K&P Peterson’s over three Peterson marks used on nickel ferrules.I have included the information on the shape number on this pipe that I picked up on researching the previous pipes. This is the second of two Peterson’s System Standard pipes in Bob’s collection marked with the 307 shape number. I have included a page from a Petersons Catalogue that I have on rebornpipes (https://rebornpipes.com/tag/peterson-hallmark-chart/). I have put a red box around the 307 shown in the catalogue page shown below. That should give a clear picture of the size and shape of the pipe. I am also including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

During the 1950’s and 60’s the Kapp & Peterson company was still in the ownership of the Kapp family. However 1964 saw the retiral of the company Managing Director Frederick Henry(Harry) Kapp.

Pipedia also included a section of information on the System pipes including a diagram of the systems look (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson#Republic_Era_Pipes). I quote a section of the article in part and include a link to another article on Pipedia on the System pipe.

The Peterson System pipes are the standard bearers of the Peterson pipe family, famous for the excellent smoking pleasure they provide. Often imitated but never equaled, the Peterson System smokes dry, cool and sweet, thanks to the scientific effectiveness of the original design. The heart of the System is the unique graduated bore in the mouthpiece. This makes the suction applied by the smoker 15 times weaker by the time it reaches the tobacco chamber. The result is that all the moisture flows into the reservoir and, thus cannot reach the smoker’s mouth. The Peterson Lip further enhances the effectiveness of the graduated bore by directing the flow of smoke upwards and away from the tongue. This achieves a uniquely even distribution of smoke and virtually eliminates any chance of tonguebite or bitterness. Furthermore, the shape is contoured so that the tongue rests comfortably in the depression under the opening. Each “PLip” mouthpiece is made from Vulcanite. For the Peterson System pipes to work properly, the stem/tenon has to have an extension, the tip of which will pass by the draft hole from the bowl and into the sump. Upon the smoker drawing in smoke, this extension then directs the smoke down and around the sump to dispense a lot of the moisture before the smoke enters the extension and stem. On the System Standards and other less expensive systems, this extension with be made of Vulcanite turned integrally with the stem. On the more expensive System pipes this extension will be made of metal which screws into the Vulcanite stem. This extension on the earlier pipes will be of brass and the newer pipes will be of aluminium. Most smokers not knowing this function of the metal extension, assumes that it is a condenser/stinger and will remove it as they do with the metal condensers of Kaywoodie, etc. Should you have a System pipe with this metal extension, do not remove it for it will make the System function properly and give you a dryer smoke (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_closer_look_at_the_famous_Peterson_Standard_System_Pipe).

With that information in hand I knew what I was dealing with in terms of the stamping and the age of this pipe. I knew from the information that the pipe was made during the Republic Era between 1950 and 1989. My guess is that the pipes is a 1960s era System pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I started with the bowl and reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I took the cake back to bare briar. I sanded the walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I scrubbed out the internals of the bowl, sump and shank with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. I also cleaned up the inside of the stem at the same time. It was ready for the rest of the restemming process.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime and grit on the briar and the lava on the rim top. The finish looks very good with great looking grain around the bowl and shank. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratches and dark marks in the briar. I worked over the bowl and shank with each pad and wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with each pad and wiping it down after each one with a damp cloth. The briar began to take on a rich shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips  to work it into the finish. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I went through my stems and found one that was the right length diameter of the shank and the tenon. It was on older Peterson’s P-lip that I had here that fits these 307 pipes. It was oxidized and had light tooth marks but otherwise was a duplicate of the original. It did not have the P logo on the stem side.I sanded the stem with 320-1500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil Cloth to remove the sanding dust. It began to look very good.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 an Obsidian Oil Cloth. The stem began to take on a rich shine. Once again at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when the Republic Era Peterson System XL307 is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and the new stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl and nickel ferrule. This Peterson’s System Standard XL307 Bent Billiard was fun pipe to work on. It is a stunning piece of briar whose shape follows the flow of the briar. The finished pipe is shown 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 the pipe is 2.12 ounces/59 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section if you would like to add it to your rack and carry on the previous pipeman’s legacy. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

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 a Large bowl Aristocrat London Made oval shank Billiard

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This large, smooth large bowled oval shank Billiard pipe was purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It really is a beautifully grained large Billiard with a rich smooth finish.  The stem is an oval vulcanite taper stem. The bowl is stained with a contrast of browns that give depth to the grain around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Aristocrat in script [over] London Made. On the underside it is stamped Made In England. The bowl had a thick cake with an overflow of lava on the inner bevel and the rim top – heavier toward the back-left side of the bowl. There was grime ground into the finish which left the look quite dull. The taper stem has a Diamond A the topside. It was oxidized and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the condition of the top and edges of the bowl. It is dull and has the lava in the rusticated surface of the rim. It is uniquely a beautiful pipe. The stem had oxidation, light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the finish around the bowl and the condition of the pipe. You can see the grime ground into the surface of the briar. The stain combination really makes the grain stand out. I look forward to seeing it once it is clean and polished. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The Diamond A stamp on the top of the stem is also clear and readable.In search of the origins of the Aristocrat, I first look in my autographed copy of Herb Wilczak & Tom Colwell’s, “Who Made That Pipe?” dated 3/3/97.  Tom Colwell’s gifting of this book to “Bruce” is in April of 2001, concluding with his signature.  There were several listings for ‘Aristocrat’ but only two fell within the correct UK parameters:

John Redman/Kapp & Peterson – ENGL
Comoy’s / Harmon Bros. LTD – ENGLPipedia’s entry for the John Redman Co. does not include much information.  I researched this company before as being the probable English manufacturer of pipes stamped with Boston’s Tobacconist Shop, L.J. Peretti name (see: A Christmas Gift in need of a stem splice – L J Peretti Squared Shank Billiard). This restoration started a fun hobby of collecting L.J. Peretti pipes and selling many too! Here is the information. John Redman Ltd. and British Empire Pipe Co.

Other lines include Aristocrat, Buckingham, Buckingham Palace, Canberra, Captain Fortune, Dr John, Golden Square, Redonian, Richmond (not Sasieni), Twin Bore.

Former factory located at 3-11 Westland Place, Hackney, London N1 7LP

Pipephil’s entry solidified the John Redman Ltd. And British Empire Pipe Co., with the Aristocrat and the ‘A’ stem stamping (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a7.html). The side bar stated that the Aristocrat is an export brand of John Redman Ltd. It was time to work on the pipe. As usual Jeff had done a thorough cleanup on the pipe. He reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. He dried it with a soft cloth. The pipe looked good. I took a photo of the rim top and stem to show the condition. The finish on the rim top looked much better and had cleaned up well. The vulcanite stem had some remaining oxidation and some light tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button edges.The stamping on the top and underside of the shank is clear and readable as noted above. The logo on the top of the stem is clear but needs a touch up of colour. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. It is a nice-looking rusticated Brandy and should clean up very well. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratching on the sides of the bowl and shank. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads to further remove the marks in the finish and to deepen the shine. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the debris. It looked much better. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the surface of the stem with a lighter flame to lift the tooth marks. It raised them slightly. I filled in what remained with some extra strength Black CA Glue and set it aside to cure. Once it cured I carefully flattened the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper. It looked better. I promptly forgot to take photos of the stem at this point but the photos that follow these show the overall condition of the stem at this point in the process. I touched up the diamond A stamp on the top of the stem with white acrylic fingernail polish. Once it cured it significantly better.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the oxidation and tooth marks. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It looked much better. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian after each pad to remove the dust and polishing debris. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. This richly finished, large bowled Aristocrat London Made Oval Shank Billiard with an oval vulcanite taper stem is in great condition. The briar is clean and really came alive. The rich brown stains gave the grain a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. 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. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Aristocrat London Made Billiard is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight is 1.83 ounces/53 grams. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for following the blog on this restoration.

A New Home for a Dunhill Bruyere 127 Billiard

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

I thought I might take a moment to show you a Dunhill that recently came into my possession and, for the time being, is staying in my possession. This handsome Dunhill Bruyere 127 billiard was smoked quite heavily, demonstrating its status as a favourite of whoever owned it in the past. When I saw it, I really liked the thick shank and well-proportioned billiard bowl. There is some beautiful briar here and, despite the pipe’s portly appearance, it is light and comfortable to hold. I am pleased to report that the markings are very clear and well-cut on the shank. On the left-hand side is the model number, 127. Immediately to the right of this are the letters F/T. Then, to the right of that, is Dunhill [over] Bruyere. On the right side of the shank is Made in [over] England9. To the right of that is an encircled 4, followed by an A. Finally, the stem, of course, has the iconic white spot of Alfred Dunhill’s company. Here is a photo of Alfred, followed by the markings. Let’s have a closer look at what all of these markings mean. The model number 127 is one of the classic Dunhill billiard shapes. The ‘F/T’, as John Loring states in his book The Dunhill Briar Pipe, ‘is a stamping after the shape number indicating that the pipe has a fish tail bit’. The markings Dunhill [over] Bruyere refer (obviously and respectively) to the company that produced the pipe and the finish. The history of Alfred Dunhill, his company, and his family is fascinating. If you are interested in learning more, have a read of this article from Pipedia. The Bruyere finish is described by Pipedia as follows:

The Bruyère stands as Dunhill’s foundational pipe finish, introduced with the commencement of the company’s pipe manufacturing in 1910. It remained the sole finish available until the introduction of the Shell in 1917. The Bruyère is characterized by its smooth texture and a deep reddish stain, often described as ‘plum-coloured’. This distinctive appearance was achieved through a two-coat staining process, which involved a brown understain followed by the final deep red. The briar selected for this finish after 1920 was the ‘dead root’ of the Tree Heath, (Erica Arborea), sourced primarily from Calabria, Italy. This material was prized for its density and superior smoking characteristics, having been seasoned by nature itself. Positioned as a premium product from the outset, a Bruyère pipe in 1910 was priced at seven shillings and sixpence, more than double the cost of an average pipe of the era.The markings Made in [over] England9 give us an indication of when this pipe was manufactured. The number is the date suffix and provides us the information we need to figure out the date. I already knew the answer, but allow me to walk you through the process. I went to Pipephil’s Dunhill Dating Key (which you can find here) and I have reproduced (below) the two charts they use to date Dunhills. In the first image below, we are asked if our pipe has a date suffix. It does, so we follow the arrow and the chart asks if our pipe has a patent number. It does not, so we proceed. Then we are asked if our pipe reads Dunhill [over] London – again, it does not. As a result, we know that our pipe dates from after 1954.On to the second chart – and it is a bit more straightforward. The chart asks for the digit in our date suffix. In our case, it is 9. Then it asks if the digit in question is raised (in other words, is it a superscript). The answer is definitely ‘no’, so we know that the date of our pipe is the result of simple addition: 1960 + 9 = 1969. Now we know that the year of manufacture is 1969! The pipe is older than I am!Next, the encircled 4 and the capital A. This tells us about the size and finish of the pipe. Pipedia says:

The encircled group number indicates the size of the bowl (1, for example, is the smaller bowl). It is usually followed by a letter corresponding to the pipe finish. This number/letter code has been introduced about 1950 and was discontinued about 1976 replaced by a 4 or 5 digits code. They were reintroduced in March 2012, but only for commemorative versions.

In this case, the 4 indicates a medium/large size bowl and the A refers to Bruyere. As to why the letter A represents Bruyere, we again refer to Loring’s book: ‘When the Root finish was introduced in 1931 the “A” came to mean Bruyere but initially the “A” probably denoted that the pipe was of first quality’.Finally, the white spot. Have you ever wondered about it? Well, very briefly, here is the origin of the famous white spot (from Pipedia):

In 1912, the famous white spot was introduced for very practical concerns. With straight pipes, customers had trouble knowing which way to insert the handmade vulcanite mouthpieces. So Alfred Dunhill ordered white spots to be placed on the upper side of the stem. This very practical solution would become a definitive trademark of Dunhill pipes. The “white spot” soon became known as a symbol of quality.

Now let’s get on with restoring this beautiful pipe!

The pipe was, indeed, lovely, but – boy – was it dirty! The rim of the bowl had mounds of lava on it and the interior walls were coated in cake. I’m pleased to say that the exterior briar was in great shape. No problems at all. Meanwhile, the stem was quite oxidized and heavily calcified. It also had some tooth dents, but nothing too serious. I used a disposable lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame. The gentle heat of the flame can cause the dents in the vulcanite of the stem to expand back into shape. This certainly helped, but did not completely correct the situation. The stem’s calcification was quite substantial. I used an old butter knife and gently scraped some of the thicker accretion off. Doing this now helps later in removing the oxidation.I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some Briarville Stem Oxidation Remover. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface of the vulcanite. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew out the stem from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. This was done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on.

The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduced the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I removed the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to remove the lava on the rim. For this, I took a piece of machine steel and gently scraped the lava away. The metal’s edge is sharp enough to remove what I need, but not so sharp that it damages the rim. This work revealed some minor wear and a little burn on the rim. Nothing serious – and all part of this pipe’s history.My next step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed. I was pleased to see that the walls were in good condition, despite the heavy smoking.The inside of the stummel needed to be cleaned thoroughly. However, this pipe was so clogged, that I first needed to open the horribly occluded airway. So, I took a long drill bit, held in a drill chuck, and hand-cranked it to dislodge the dreadful detritus inside. Hand cranking is essential because it provides a precision and caution that a power drill cannot provide. Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. With a pipe this dirty, it took quite a while and much cotton to clean.I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the outside of the stummel and finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.

All done! This Dunhill Bruyere 127 billiard looks fantastic again and I am delighted with the results. This is one pipe that I am going to be adding to my collection – at least for now. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5½ in. (138 mm); height 1⅞ in. (48 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1½ oz. (43 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Resurrecting a Shattered Patent Sasieni London Made “Amesbury” Canadian

2 Replies

by Steve Laug

Not too long ago I received an email from a Andrew in Greece asking if I could work on some pipes for him. He had some that needed a stem and a couple of pipes with broken stems and a Canadian that had a crack down the back of the bowl and across the right side. We emailed back and forth and he sent me the following photos. I figured they would be some interesting pipes to work on so he sent them to me to work on. I received the box yesterday. When I opened it this morning I was amazed to see what he had sent. The Sandblast Canadian that needed restemming was stamped 264 Peterson’s Kapruf. The rest of the stamping was quite faint. The pipe needed to be restemmed and it had a small divot in the shank end and what looked like a crack. The second, a smooth Canadian was a BBB Ultonia 504 with a gold band. The two Sandblast with broken stems turned out to be Stanwells. The larger on is stamped Stanwell [over] Regd. No. 969-48. It is followed by the shape number 858 [over] Old Briar. The smaller one is stamped Stanwell [over] Regd. No. 969-48 followed by de Luxe followed by the shape number 87. The last of the five with the shattered bowl is an 8 Dot Sasieni [over] London Made [over] Pat. No. 1513428. It was also stamped “Amesbury”. They were going to be an interesting lot to work on.

I chose to deal with the cracked bowl on the 8 Dot Sasieni Canadian next. It was in badly damaged condition, questionably the worst in the lot. The stamping on the left topside of the shank was Made in England in a Rhombus shape near the bow and shank. That is followed by Sasieni in script with the flourish curling under the stamping [over] London Made [over] Pat. No. 1513428. On the right topside it was stamped “Amesbury”. It was faint in spots but still was readable. The cracks around the bowl went from the top right side down most of the bowl and curved around the backside and curved up to the top. There was also a crack that went from the vertical one across the right side of the bowl. The bowl was heavily caked and there were spots of lava on the rim top and inner edge. The inner edge was a little rough from previous reaming. The shank was solid and the stem was oxidized and had tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button. I took a photo of the bowl and rim top to show the condition of them bowl. There was lava on the rim top, some darkening and several cracks on the rim top that matched those on the bowl sides. The inner edge was also damaged. The shank and the stem were also shown. The stem is oxidized, lightly calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I also took a photo of the top underside of the shank to show the faint stamping that was present. It is faint in spots but is still readable as noted above.I took photos of the cracked bowl showing the damage around the sides and the rim top. They were deep cracks. My estimation was that they went all the way through to the inside of the bowl. Hard to know for sure because of the thick cake on the walls. Before I started my work on the pipe, I decided to do some work on the stamping of this pipe to get an idea of the time period it was carved. I turned first to Pipephil’s site to see what I could learn (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-sasieni4.html#doubleonedot).  I found a pipe that was stamped the same way as the one I am working on. It is stamped on the left side of the shank like the third pipe in the screen capture photo below. Mine is stamped the same way with Sasieni in script with the fish tail. Underneath it is stamped London Made [over] Pat. No. 1513428). The one I have is stamped on the top right side and read “Amesbury” rather than “Wimbledon” stamp in the same place. I included the side bar notes below the picture. From that I knew that the pipe was made during Pre-transition Period 1927-1949.

I then turned to Pipedia for more detailed information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Sasieni). I quote a section of that article below. It refers to the Patent Number that is on the pipe I have on the table. The underlined portion below is particular pertinent to this pipe.

To begin with, there are three main elements to dating the Sasieni pipe, the patent number, the style of the name “Sasieni” as it appears on the shank, and the Dots themselves. Naturally, there are exceptions to these rules (this hobby would be boring without them), but for the most part these guidelines apply better than 95% of the time. All Sasieni One, Four, and Eight Dot pipes made before W.W.II and destined for the U. S. market carried a patent number on the shank which usually started with the numbers “15″, with 150221/20 and 1513428 being representative of the group. Also, the name “Sasieni” was stamped on the shank in a very florid manner, with the tail of the last “i” sweeping underneath the name forming a shape which has been compared to a fish by more than one collector. This script was discontinued by Alfred almost immediately after he took over the company, so this alone tells you your pipe is pre W.W.II. Underneath in block lettering are the words “London Made”, with the patent number making the third line.

The dots will help you narrow this down further. As we mentioned, the short lived U. S. market One Dot was introduced around 1920, and was replaced by the early to mid 1920’s by the Four Dot. The 1920’s Four Dot is distinguishable by the florid Sasieni script, a patent number, and four blue dots, which are quite small compared to the pipes of post war years. Furthermore, by 1935 Sasieni began stamping pipes, based on the shape, with their own names, which were usually, but not always, English towns. For example, apples were stamped “Hurlingham”, bulldogs were “Grosvenor” or “Danzey”, and panels were “Lincoln”. One rare and interesting variation of this was the large bent, dubbed “Viscount Lascelles”. Even in this soft Sasieni market, these pipes regularly sell for $150 in their rare appearances in mailers.

The pipe I have is one that was made for the US market as established by the Patent Number on the shank. The flourished “i” confirms that the pipe was made Pre-transition, 1927 – 1935. The third line stamped is London Made in block lettering. With all that information I knew that this pipe was from the period before the transition so it was an old timer.

I reamed the bowl with a Pipe Net pipe reamer to carefully scrape out the cake that was present to get it back to bare briar. I had to be careful as the bowl was very fragile and could easily fall to pieces. Before I worked more on the bowl I wanted to repair the cracks in the bowl walls.I filled in the cracks around the bowl sides with clear CA glue to first stabilize the bowl sides and build a base. Once that was done I sanded the are smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. Once the repairs were flattened I filled in the gaps in the repaired cracks with briar dust and clear CA glue. I sanded the rim top and the repairs on the bowl sides with 320 grit sandpaper to smooth out the repairs to the briar. It looks much better but still needs sanding. Once I had smoothed out the repairs I cleaned up the reaming in the bowl. I scraped out the remaining cake in the bowl with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I then sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. It made the internal damage very clear.I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads blend them into the surface of the briar. They are very visible on the surface but they are solid and should hold up well. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I stained the briar with a dark brown aniline stain. I applied it with a dauber and flamed it to set it in the grain. I repeated the process to ensure a good coverage on the repaired briar. The coverage on the briar was spotty and showed the spots where I had done the repairs.I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded with each pad and then wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the debris. It began to look rich and smooth. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips to work it into the finish. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I cleaned out the internals of the shank and bowl with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol. The pipe is very clean. I like it clean to make a better fit for new stem. I cleaned out the airway in the stem I had chosen with pipe cleaners and alcohol.With the externals completed it was time to deal with the internal cracks matching those on the outside. I mixed a batch of JB Weld to repair the matching cracks on the inside walls of the bowl. I smooth out the repair with a dental spatula. Once it cured I smoothed out the repair with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I mixed a bowl coating charcoal powder and sour cream and coated the inside of the bowl with the coating to protect it while it developed a cake. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the tooth marks and nicks in the stem surface with Extra Strength Rubberized Black CA glue. I let it cure then used a flat file to recut the button edge and flatten the repairs in the surface. I sanded the repaired areas with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface. I sanded the stem with 320-1500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil Cloth to remove the sanding dust. It began to look very good. 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 an Obsidian Oil Cloth. The stem began to take on a rich shine. This older Sasieni London Made Pat. No. 1513428 “Amesbury” Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The “Humpty Dumpty” repairs on this shattered do not hide the beautiful grain on the briar. It still shines through the polished finish and is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. 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 Sasieni London Made Pat. No. 1513428 “Amesbury” 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 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 28 grams/.95 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I hold until I have finished working on the other two pipes that Andrew sent me. Once I am finished with the lot they will be heading back to Greece. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.