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Do you ever regret walking away from a pipe deal?

Blog by Steve Laug

This story starts like many of my blogs when I am travelling. On my last visit to Budapest I was able to visit Gallwitz shop and visit with Viktor Zollner. I enjoyed looking through the estate pipes that he had there – both those he had finished restoring and those yet to be restored. I purchased the interesting Japanese Tatu pipe which I restored and wrote about on the blog (https://rebornpipes.com/2023/11/06/restoring-a-budapest-purchase-a-tatu-pipe-1126-freehand/). Here is the regret that the title hints at. When I returned to Canada I was haunted with the regret that I had walked away from a beautiful and unique LASSE SKOVGAARD Tadpole sandblast pipe shown to the below. I loved the unique look of the pipe and was intrigued by it. I turned it over in my hands looking at the blast, the carving, the construction and the well-made stem in the shank end. I looked it over many times before I set it aside and chose the Tatu. I regretfully set it aside and left the shop and Budapest. Inside I was hoping that perhaps I could sell a few of my own pipes to fund the purchase of the Skovgaard but that was a gamble. I took a few “horrible photos” of the pipe so that I could remember it! I really had no idea if it would be available when I had the funds ready to buy it. Here was hoping and regretting! I remember meeting Lasse Skovgaard in Chicago in 2004 when he was introduced to the pipe world and missed the opportunity then and again when he was there in 2005. I had wanted to add one of his pipes to my collection at that time but he sold out and I went home empty handed. Since them I have looked for one of his pipes that called my name on eBay and other sales sites to add to my collection. I have looked at online sellers as well and have not found the pipe that spoke to me. I don’t know how to explain it other than this description. Then in Gallwitz shop in Budapest I saw this one and it spoke to me. It was one I wanted to add to my rack.

Sadly, I walked away and left it there while I tried to sell a few pipes to finance this purchase. A month went by after my return from Budapest, finally I had sold enough pipes to help with the purchase of this one. I figured it would be a great present for my early December Birthday. In the middle of November, I was ready to see if the pipe was still available and to put it on order. I sent Viktor an email about the pipe and sent him the above photos so he would know which pipe I was speaking of… I think the funniest part of the transaction for me was the fact that in the month since I had returned home my old brain had totally dropped Lasse’s name but I knew it was one that I was looking for. I am sure Viktor must have laughed when he received my email about the above pipe without a name attached and asked him to remind me of the maker’s name.

It is one of those moments when it is almost embarrassing to admit that you have forgotten the name of a maker that you have been saving for! But I did forget and Viktor was kind of enough to not only send me the information I had asked for as well as four far better photos of the pipe than the ones that included in my email to him. I have included is photos along side of these paragraphs.

Viktor replied that the pipe was stamped Lasse Skovgaard on the underside of the shank and had a small symbol stamped on it as well. I believe that the shank is boxwood but I am not certain. The photos capture what I saw when I had held the pipe in my hands when in his shop in Budapest.

The sandblast briar bowl and the curved tail wrapped around the shank make a unique and memorable pipe even for my old brain and “shaky memory”. (Keep in mind I did not forget the pipe just the name of the maker!)

It was very tactile and I think that as it heats up during a smoke it would be warm and even more so.

The blast on the bowl and around the tadpole twisting tail is stained dark and the contrast with the smooth wooden shank and black stem is quite stunning. The smooth shank has the look of a piece of bamboo in terms of colour but not in terms the finish on the wood. It does not have the knuckles or the striations that I expect in a piece of bamboo but the colour is very similar. The fit of the shank to the bowl is quite unique. When Dunhill fit bamboo to a briar bowl there is generally a bit of briar shank to attach it too. Other pipemakers use a piece of stainless steel or Delrin to attach the shank and bowl together. My guess is that this one is attached with either of those.

I really like the way that the briar tail curves around the boxwood shank. The sandblast on the briar continues down the bowl sides and all around the tail. The grain that shows through the blast is quite nice and mix of different patterns. The contrast between the sandblast and the smooth wooden shank is quite nice.

It appears to me that the stem is Ebionite or high-quality vulcanite. There was no oxidation on the stem which speaks to either it having been recently buffed and cleaned or to the quality of the material. There were light tooth marks and chatter on the stem surface on both sides ahead of the button. The slot in the stem is well done with rounded ends on each side. It should easily pass a pipe cleaner.

I wrote back to Viktor and asked him tell me the details of the stamping on the underside of the smooth shank. He said that there was a hard to read symbol above the stamp that read LASSE [arched over] SKOVGAARD. He also included a photo of the stamping to show me. The issue for me was that the stamp curved around the underside of the shank. You can see portions of the stamping in the photo to the left. You can also see remnants of the small symbol above the stamp. My guess is the symbol will give me the information I will need to grade the pipe when it arrives.

I wanted to refresh my memory about the background of the pipemaker himself. I turned to the two sites that I always turn to for background information offered by Pipephil and Pipedia as generally one of them gives me a short synopsis of the brand and the other gives me detail and history of the brand.

I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html) and found the information in the screen capture and the sidebar info as well below.Artisan: Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen (born 1983) is the son of Bennie Jørgensen. Production (2006): ~ 400 pipes/year. Grading (ascending): 1, 2, 3 and lion.

I think that I just figured out the symbol stamped on the pipe I have coming in. It is a lion stamp symbolizing the highest grade of Lasse’s pipes.

From there I turned to Pipedia to gather more information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Skovgaard). I was happy to learn that the article there was written by Lasse himself and included an email address that I could send him some questions about this pipe. Here is what I found including a photo of the carver.

By Lasse Skovgaard My name is Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen, I am 22 years old (2006). I live in Denmark on the southern part of Zealand, where I enjoy my life as a Danish pipe maker.

Since I was a little boy, I’ve been interested in what my father (Benni Jørgensen) was doing in his workshop. At the age of sixteen I started to make buffalo horn tampers for W.O. Larsen, and I also tried to make a couple of “pipes”, (my father did not think they looked like pipes) but they were not good enough.

After making like a hundred pipes, they started to look better and better and of course with just a little help from my father. I realized that it definitely was not easy to even make a pipe functional, and it also has to look beautiful and elegant. With lots and lots of practice it got easier, and when I was about eighteen I started to make “two tone” and “select” pipes for W.Ø. Larsen.

Along with my education in high school, I was practicing making pipes in my father’s workshop. I was nineteen years old when I started to make the W.O. Larsen straight grains.

Teddy Knudsen is a friend of my father; I spoke to him about the big pipe show in Chicago. Teddy told me to try and come to the show in Chicago and bring pipes stamped with my own name.

I went to the 2004 Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show with a batch of 12 smooth pipes.

I could not have wished for a better welcome; everyone treated me very friendly and it was a lot of fun to meet many of the other pipe makers in the world. I sold out all 12 pipes at the show.

The next year in Chicago 2005 I brought 75 pipes and a lot of them were sandblasted pipes. My sandblasted pipes seemed to be extremely popular and I sold out all my pipes again.

After attending the show in Chicago, I am now selling my pipes in many countries around the world.

The pipe arrived in Vancouver yesterday. It was a quick delivery by DHL from Budapest to Vancouver. The familiar yellow and red plastic package held a box inside. It came with no damage or tears in the package. I took it to the worktable and cut the yellow envelope open and removed the box inside. It was a good-sized box marked Passatore on the top. Passatore is the maker of fine accessories for cigar and pipe smokers. That was an appropriate box for what was inside.I opened the box and inside was a leather pipe pouch stamped with the Gallwitz logo over 1880 (the year that the shop opened). It was a nice-looking suede pipe sock with a draw string. To me it was another layer of fine packaging. It also was another layer that kept me from seeing the pipe that was on the inside! Sweet impatience!I removed the leather pipe sock from the box and then slid the second pipe sock that was on the inside of the first pouch. It was printed and read Lasse Skovgarrd Handmade Made in Denmark (three lines). It was a black felt draw string pouch with scalloped edges.I loosened the draw strings on the pouch and removed pipe from inside. I really is everything that I remembered. Amazing sandblast on the bowl, the tail of the tadpole wrapped around the Boxwood shank and the vulcanite stem look very good together. it was one of those moments when you know you made the right decision.Now it was time to examine the pipe itself more thoroughly. It was obvious that the pipe had not been cleaned at all other than a cursory polishing. That is what I actually like as I have my own methods and standards for the clean up of a pipe. Knowing that I examined the bowl and found that I was correct in that it had not been reamed or cleaned. The shank and airway in the stem were both dirty. The joint of the bowl to the boxwood shank is a glued joint but I think there is a tube inside joining the two parts together. It appears to have been repaired or at least the glue repaired around the joint. It was a little sloppy in that there were glue spots on the boxwood shank. They were under the first twist of the tadpole tail. The finish on the bowl looked very good and the blast was deep and rugged. The joint of the stem to the shank was well fit. The stem showed no oxidation though there were tooth marks on the top and underside just ahead of the button. There was no chatter on either side to speak of. I was pleased with what I saw and the clean up would be very straight forward. I took pictures of the pipe to show its condition. You can hopefully see why I am taken with it. It is different from every other pipe I have in my collection. I took a close up photo of the bowl and the rim top. You can see the cake in the bowl and it is a moderate cake. The rim top was in very good shape with no grime in the grooves of the sandblast surface. The inner and outer edges looked very good. The stem also looked quite good. There were tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. They were not too deep but would need work to lift and then repair.I took a photo of the stamping. It is hard to capture the whole stamp as it is wrapped around the shank ahead of the stem shank joint. It does read as noted above. The figure stamped over Lasse is hard to see in total but I am pretty sure it is a lion which makes the pipe a Lion grade pipe. I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the parts together to get a sense of the flow of the pipe.Now it was time to work on the pipe. I used a sanding stick with a pointed end to work on the glue around the shank/bowl joint. I also used it to sand the dark spots on the shank side under the first wrap of the tail.Now I turned to work on the inside of the bowl and shank. I reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer using the second reaming head. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and sanded the bowl walls smooth with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I checked the bowl walls and they were smooth and showed no heat damage or checking. I let out a sigh of relief as this is one of the invisible risks that you take when purchasing an estate pipe. I cleaned out the shank – mortise and airway and the airway in the stem. I used pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to clean out tars and oils in both. There was a lot of that in both.I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush. I carefully worked it into the twisted tail around the shank and the boxwood shank as well. I used qtips to get into the tight spots. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for fifteen minutes then buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the surface of the stem with the flame of a lighter to try and lift the tooth marks. They did not come up much at all. I filled them in with black CA glue and set it aside to cure. I used a small file to flatten the repairs and blend them into the surface. I sanded out the repairs to blend them into the surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. 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 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. I really like the both the craftsmanship and the artistry of this beautiful Lasse Skovgaard Hand Made Sandblast Lion Grade Tadpole. It is a real stunning example of the skill of the pipe maker. I carefully worked some Conservator’s Wax into the briar and the boxwood to polish and protect it. I did it by had so I would not potentially damage the twisted tail of the pipe. I buffed it with a shoe brush and a microfibre cloth to raise the shine. I buffed the stem with Blue Diamond on the wheel and gave it multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the stem with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I put the pipe back together and hand buffed it again with microfibre cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished boxwood shank and the vulcanite stem. The rugged sandblast on the bowl, rim top and twisted tail of this Lasse Skovgaard Tadpole make it a beautiful pipe that 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 ¾ 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 1.45 ounces/41 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I am looking forward to enjoying soon. I have some aged Seattle Pipe Club Deception Pass that should smoke well in this bowl. It will be a great afternoon smoke and one I will savour along with the memory of the trip and circuitous purchase of the pipe. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this 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.

New Life for a Made in Denmark Stanwell Vario Straight Bulldog 32

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Blog by Steve Laug

The rain has stopped for the moment here in Vancouver and I am up early so I decided to work on another pipe that was purchased on 01/26/2023 in a lot of pipes that came to us from Copenhagen, Denmark. This is a classic Danish Straight Bulldog with a mixed finish and a diamond shank. It is another Made in Denmark Stanwell. The finish on this pipe combines patches of smooth and sandblast portions. The brown stains highlight both the smooth and blasted portions. The pipe is stamped on the left underside of the diamond shank and reads STANWELL [over] Made in Denmark [over] Vario in script. On the right underside of the shank it has the shape number 32 stamped. The pipe was a well used pipe when Jeff received it. There was dust and grime ground into the finish. The mixture of brown stains highlights some beautiful grain and deep sandblast portions under the dirt. The bowl was moderately caked and there was a moderate overflow of lava on the smooth rim top. The inner edge looked quite good. The stem is vulcanite and was dirty, lightly oxidized and had light tooth marks, chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There is a stamped white crown S logo stamped on the top side of the diamond saddle stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up 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. It is interesting that the bowl bottom is clean. The inner edge looks to be okay. 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. It is clear and readable as noted above. You can also see the white stamped crown S on the top of the diamond saddle stem. 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 “32” Bulldog — 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 32 shape number to see who had designed that shape (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I quote that below

Two versions of this shape number:
a) Straight bulldog with a saddle stem; Stanwell’s first pipe shape (originally designed in 1942). b) Bent Dublin-strawberry hybrid with a rounded rim and saddle stem, by Sixten Ivarsson. Redesigned by Tom Eltang in the early 1990s.

Further down the article there was this note on the shape 32a. I quote it below:

32: Poul Stanwell’s 32(a), the first shape designed for Stanwell, a classical straight bulldog, released in 1942.

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 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 slight darkening and some nicks on the smooth 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 diamond 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 brown stains really make the grain and the sandblast stand out. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the darkening on the rim top and the inner edges. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the top and the edges.I polished the smooth portions bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the grit. The bowl began to take on a rich shine. It is a beauty. 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 set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the tooth marks on the vulcanite stem surface near the button with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove them all. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.I touched up the white stamp on the left side of the saddle stem with White Acrylic Fingernail polish. Once it dried I scrapped of the excess and sanded the surface until the excess was all gone.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 32 Straight Bulldog and a vulcanite saddle 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 32 Bulldog 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 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 32 grams /1.16 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.

Restoring a Truly Elegant Danish made Stanwell Brass Band 179 Apple

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Blog by Steve Laug

It is a cold and rainy day here in Vancouver and I am up early so I decided to work on another pipe that was purchased on 01/26/2023 in a lot of pipes that came to us from Copenhagen, Denmark. This is a classic Danish Apple with a smooth finish and a rectangular shank. It is another Made in Denmark Stanwell. The smooth finish on this pipe, around the bowl and shank has a mix of grain highlighted by the reddish brown stain. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads STANWELL [over] Brass [over] Band [over] Made in Denmark. Next to the Stanwell stamp it has the shape number 179 stamped. The end of the shank sports twin brass bands sandwiching a Cumberland acrylic spacer. The pipe was a well used pipe when Jeff received it. There was dust and grime ground into the finish. The mixture of brown stains highlights some beautiful grain under the dirt. The bowl was moderately caked and there was a moderate overflow of lava on the smooth rim top. The inner edge looked quite good. The stem is vulcanite and was dirty, oxidized and had light tooth marks, chatter and scratches on both sides ahead of the button. There is an inlaid brass crown S logo stamped on the top side of the taper stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up 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. He also took some 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 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 photo below. It is clear and readable as noted above. You can also see the brass inlaid crown S on the top of the saddle stem.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 Brass Band 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. There was also a catalogue page courtesy of Doug Valitchka that showed the line. I have included that below.There was also a link to a shape article by Bas Stevens that I originally published on rebornpipes. I looked up the 179 shape number to see who had designed that shape (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I quote that below and the connection between the 178 and the 179. The difference is in the bend of the stem. It is fascinating to see that design (at least of the mouthpiece) was by S. Bang.

Billiard, conical bowl, oval stem with panels, full mouthpiece by Bang.
Same as shape 178 but slightly bent by Bang.

Though it is listed as a Billiard I believe that is a wrong designation and should be noted as an Apple.

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 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 slight darkening on the back right side. The stem looks clean but still has light tooth marks and some chatter as noted above.I took photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is faint on the left portion of the stamping but it is still 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 reddish-brown stain really make it stand out.I started my work on the pipe by polishing the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the grit. The bowl began to take on a rich shine. It is a beauty. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. 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 my attention to the stem. I sanded out the tooth marks on the vulcanite stem surface near the button with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove them all. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.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 Brass Band 179 Apple with a rectangular shank and a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe and really looks like an S. Bang shape. The mix of stains once cleaned up really highlights the grain and 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 Brass Band Apple 179 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 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 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.

Restoring a Stanwell Buffalo Made in Denmark 146 Scoop/Horn

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Blog by Steve Laug

It is a cold and dreary day here in Vancouver so I decided to work on another one that was purchased on 01/26/2023 in a lot of pipes that came to us from Copenhagen, Denmark. This is a classic Danish scoop with a smooth finish and a variegated yellow/gold acrylic shank extension. It is another Made in Denmark Stanwell. The smooth finish on this pipe, around the bowl and shank has a mix of grain highlighted by the reddish brown stain. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank near the shank extension junction and reads STANWELL [over] Made in Denmark [over] Buffalo. Above that higher on the shank shank it has the shape number 146 stamped. The pipe was a well used pipe when Jeff received it. There was dust and grime ground into the finish. The mixture of brown stains highlights some beautiful grain under the dirt. The bowl was moderately caked and there was a heavy overflow of lava on the smooth rim top. The inner edge looked quite good. The stem is vulcanite and was dirty, oxidized and had light tooth marks, chatter and scratches on both sides ahead of the button. There is a faint white crown S logo stamped on the top side of the saddle stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up 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 thick lava coat on the rim top and the cake in the bowl. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge because of the lava but it looks to be okay. He also took some 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 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. You can also see the swirls in the acrylic shank extension. The stamping on this one was around the shank horizontally and is shown in the photo below. It is clear and readable as noted above. The third photo shows the white stamped crown S on the top of the saddle stem. 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 Buffalo 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. There were also links to a shape article by Bas Stevens that I originally published on rebornpipes. I looked up the 146 shape number to see who had designed that shape (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I quote that below.

Freehand, oval stem saddle mouthpiece by Jess Chonowitsch.

I found a listing on Smokingpipes.com that had a description of the Buffalo line of pipes (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=229371). I am including part of the description below.

A rather easy to spot Stanwell series, the pipes of the Buffalo line were distinguished by swirled pattern acrylic ferrules in colors reminiscent of water buffalo horn.

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 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. You can see the darkening on the rim top and inner edge. The bowl is quite clean inside with marks from a previous reaming on the bottom of the bowl. The acrylic shank extension is in good condition. The stem looks clean but still has light tooth marks and some chatter as noted above.I took photo of the stamping on the underside and right side 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 dark and medium stains really make the grain stand out.I started my work on the pipe by polishing the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the grit. The bowl began to take on a rich shine. It is a beauty. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. 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 my attention to the stem. I sanded out the tooth marks on the vulcanite stem surface near the button with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove them all. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.I touched up the white Crown S stamp on the top of the saddle stem using white acrylic fingernail polish. I let it dry and scraped off the excess and sanded it with a 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad. It looks much better.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 Buffalo 146 Scoop/Horn with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The mix of stains once cleaned up really highlights the grain and 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 Buffalo 146 Scoop/Horn 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 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 43 grams /1.52 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 to slaug@uniserve.com . Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Restoring a Stunning Stanwell Made in Denmark Barok 53 Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

I moved on to work on another pipe. The next one I chose was another Stanwell that came to us from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark 01/26/2023. I have had a Barok that I have been smoking for over 20 years and I love the finish and it is a great smoker. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the underside of the shank it stamped on a smooth panel. It reads Stanwell [over] Made in Denmark [over] Barok. To the left of the stamping mentioned is the shape number 53. The shank has a silver band sandwiched between two brass rings that is tarnished. It is a standard feature on the Barok. The stem has a brass Crowned “S” Stanwell logo inlaid on left side of the saddle stem. The bowl had a moderate cake with tobacco debris on the bowl walls. There was some lava, dust and debris on the rim top and inner edges. The beautiful, rugged sandblast finish was in good condition with dust and grime ground into the briar around the bowl sides. The vulcanite saddle stem was lightly oxidized and there were light tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. It showed a lot of promise through the grime. Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw before his clean up. The next photos of the rim and the shank show the condition of the pipe at its arrival in Idaho. You can see the cake in the bowl and the thick lava on the rim top and inner edge. The stem looked good with light marks on the top and underside at the button edge. Jeff took photos of the rich stain highlighting the rugged sandblast on the sides and heel of the bowl and the smooth finish on the rim top. It really is a stunning piece of briar. The contrast stain really makes blast have dimension and depth. The next photo shows the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. Jeff also captured the Brass Crown “S” Stanwell logo on the left side of the saddle stem.I turned Pipedia for information on the shape number and potentially the designer of the shape for Stanwell (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). There was no information on the designer but the shape number 53 was listed as a medium sized Straight Billiard with a saddle mouthpiece. The description perfectly fit the pipe that I was working on.

I turned to the section on Stanwell history and info. The site had some photos of a Barok that had the same bands and finish as the one I was working on. I also found a page from a catalogue courtesy of Doug Valitchka (https://pipedia.org/wiki/File:Barok13.jpg). I have included that below.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. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs 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 with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem to show how clean they were. You can see that rim top and edges look very good. There is some slight darkening on the rim top that should come off with polishing. The stem is clean and the tooth and chatter on both sides ahead of the button is very light.I took photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. I took the stem off the shank and took a photo to give a sense of the flow and proportion of the pipe. It is a beautiful looking pipe – a classic Billiard with a great sandblast and a saddle stem.I started my work on the pipe by cleaning up the inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I removed the darkening that was on the inner edge of the bowl on the right side.I polished the smooth rim top with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the rim top down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. I touched up the rim top and the inner edge with a Cherry stain pen and blended it in with damp cotton pad. Once I buff the pipe on the buffing wheel it should look great. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes while I worked on the stem. I let it sit for fifteen minutes then buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the tooth marks on the vulcanite stem surface near the button with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove them all. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.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 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.I really like the Stanwell Barok Line of pipes and this 53 Billiard is no exception. 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 hand buffed it with microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the triple band on the shank and the polished vulcanite stem. The rugged sandblast on the bowl and the smooth rim top of this Stanwell Made in Denmark Barok Billiard 53 make it a beautiful pipe that 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 ¼ 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 1.62 ounces/46 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemaker Section on the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

Restoring another Stanwell City Pipe – a Rødovre 2001 Canadian 148

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Blog by Steve Laug

I moved on to work on another pipe. The next one I chose was another Stanwell in a Pipe Sock that came to us from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark 01/26/2023. This is another one that might be your birth year pipe is you were born in 2001 when this Danish City Pipe was made. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the topside of the shank is an engraved brass plate that reads Rødovre [over] 2001. On the underside of the shank it is stamped with a shape number 148 mid-shank. Next to the shank/stem joint it reads Stanwell [over] Made in Denmark. The stem had a brass Crowned “S” Stanwell logo inlaid on top of the saddle stem. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was some lava, dust and debris on the rim top and inner edges. The finish was in okay condition with oils and grime ground into the briar around the bowl sides. There is a small fill on the heel of the bowl that is blended in quite well. There is a thin brass decorative band on the shank. The saddle stem was acrylic and there were light tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. It showed a lot of promise through the grime. Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw it at this stage of his clean up. The next photos of the rim and the shank show the condition of the pipe at its arrival in Idaho. You can see the cake in the bowl and the thick lava on the rim top and inner edge. The stem looked good with light marks on the top and underside at the button edge. Jeff took photos of the rich stain highlighting the grain on the sides and heel of the bowl. It really is a stunning piece of briar. The contrast stain really makes it stand out clearly. In the last photo of the heel of the bowl you can see the fill. It is solid and undamaged. The next photos show the stamping on the shank top and bottom. It is clear and readable as noted above. The stamping on the brass insert is clear and readable. He also captured the Brass Crown “S” Stanwell logo on the topside of the taper stem. I had spent a fair bit of time trying to figure out the Stanwell City pipes when I was working on the Esbjerg Canadian. I did a quick check and found nothing more. The best I can find is that they were made for a pipe show or a slow smoking competition in those particular cities. I have several of them here that I have to work on. I do know that Rødovre is another city in Denmark.

Last evening, I had an idea about how to gather some information on the pipes. I thought that Jesper (a friend and blog reader) in Randers, Denmark perhaps would have information on the city pipes. I wrote him a message on FaceBook. This morning I read his reply. As usual he was extremely helpful. Thank you Jesper!

Hi Steve,

The city POY pipes were made (rather customized) for individual tobacco shows all over Denmark. The tobacconist chose a model and Stanwell would make them and do the engravings. So a Viborg 1995 might be a Bulldog while the Vejle 1995 is a Lovat.

I have no idea about how many tobacconists/cities did that but they were quite popular 20-30 years ago. When I worked at FF Pipes here in Randers around 200 we usually bought 3-4 dozens each year and they sold well for Christmas.

Cheers, Jesper

Thanks to Jesper, I now knew that the City POY pipes were customized for individual tobacco shows all over Denmark. The tobacconist would choose the model and Stanwell would to the do the engraving on them. I also learned that they were quite popular 20-30 year ago so I was dealing with a pipe at least that old.

I turned to Pipedia and looked at the Shape Numbers and Designers article to see if there were any specifics (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers) that could help. This is what I found there, the 148 shape was a Canadian with a short saddle mouthpiece and was designed orginally by Jess Chonowitsch. Now it was time to work on this interesting pipe with a great designer attached and a unique and fascinating pipe history also attached.

Restoring a Special Stanwell City Pipe – Esbjerg 1997 Long Shank Brandy 113

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Blog by Steve Laug

I moved on to work on another pipe. The next one I chose was another Stanwell in a Pipe Sock that came to us from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark 01/26/2023. This is another one that might be your birth year pipe is you were born in 1997 when this Danish City Pipe was made. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the topside of the shank is an engraved silver plate that reads Esbjerg [over] 1997. On the underside of the shank it is stamped with a shape number 113 mid-shank. Next to the shank/stem joint it reads Stanwell [over] Made in Denmark. The stem had a silver Crowned “S” Stanwell logo inlaid on top of the taper stem. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was some lava, dust and debris on the rim top and inner edges. The finish was in okay condition with oils and grime ground into the briar around the bowl sides. The taper stem was vulcanite. It had some light oxidation around the stem. There were light tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. It showed a lot of promise through the grime. Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw it at this stage of his clean up. The next photos of the rim and the shank show the condition of the pipe at its arrival in Idaho. You can see the cake in the bowl and the lava on the rim top and inner edge. The stem looked good with light marks on the top and underside at the button edge. Jeff took photos of the rich stain highlighting the grain on the sides and heel of the bowl. It really is a stunning piece of briar. The contrast stain really makes it stand out clearly. The next photos show the stamping on the shank top and bottom. It is clear and readable as noted above. The stamping on the silver insert is clear and readable. He also captured the Silver Crown “S” Stanwell logo on the topside of the taper stem. I spent a fair bit of time trying to figure out the Stanwell City pipes. The best I can find is that they were made for a pipe show or a slow smoking competition in those particular cities. I have several of them here that I have to work on. I do know that Esbjerg is a city in Denmark. If anyone can give me more information on these pipes that would be appreciated. Thank you.

ADDENDUM: Last evening, I had an idea about how to gather some information on the pipes. I thought that Jesper (a friend and blog reader) in Randers, Denmark perhaps would have information on the city pipes. I wrote him a message on FaceBook. This morning I read his reply. As usual he was extremely helpful. Thank you Jesper!

Hi Steve,

Cheers, Jesper

Restoring a Very Recognizable Stanwell Golden Contrast 124

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Blog by Steve Laug

I have always been intrigued by the Stanwell Golden Contrast finish regardless of the pipes it has been applied to. The contrast of dark and light playing across the grain is beautiful. To me the lines and the elegance of the pipe are stunning and the contrast stain makes the lay of pipe with the grain gorgeous. The stain highlights the birdseye and the flame grain and makes them pop from the surface of the bowl and shank. The slight flare of the shank and the saddle on the stem to the pinch of the blade behind the saddle all pointed to a hand that I had seen before. I did a little digging because I wanted to confirm my guess/my suspicions about the designer. What I found out confirmed the direction I was thinking. This Freehand shape with a long conical shank, short saddle mouthpiece was designed by Sixten Ivarsson. For a list of various Stanwell Shape numbers and who they are attributed to you can read this list compiled by leading Stanwell Collector, the late Bas Stevens on rebornpipes at: https://rebornpipes.com/2013/09/03/stanwell-shapes-compiled-by-bas-stevens/

This particular pipe was another of the interesting pipes in the recent shipment of estate pipes we purchased from a fellow in Copenhagen, Denmark on 01/26/2023. We have gotten some amazing Stanwell pipes from him. This Golden Contrast was in pretty decent shape. The finish was dirty but in great shape. The rim showed some darkening and a build-up of tars and oils. There was a thick cake in the bowl with tobacco debris on the walls. The internals were dirty with tars and oils. The stem had some light oxidation and calcification on the top and bottom of the stem from the button forward. There was some tooth chatter as well but no deep tooth marks. The brass crown S on the left side of the saddle appeared to be lightly oxidized as well but would take little to make it shine. The various photos that follow are ones that my brother took before he cleaned the pipe. They show the amazing grain on this beauty. The next photos of the rim and the shank show the condition of the pipe at arrival in Idaho. The grain around the rim top is quite stunning to me. You can see the cake in the bowl and the grime on the top. It was a mess but the contrast stain makes the grain even show through the lava on the rim top. Jeff took photos of the grain on the sides and heel of the bowl. It really is a stunning piece of briar. The contrast stain really makes it stand out clearly. The next photos show the various stamping on the shank sides and bottom. The left side of the shank reads Stanwell over Golden Contrast in script. The right side of the shank is stamped with the shape number 124. The underside of the shank is stamped Made in Denmark. All the stamping is sharp and clear. He also captured the golden Crown “S” Stanwell logo on the left side of the saddle stem. I turned to Pipedia to see if I could find specific information on the Golden Contrast line of pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell). There was a short note there that I have included in full below.

Golden Contrast: An old series. The blocks are cut on the cross grain. The pipes from this series exhibit Birds Eye grain only. Brass band and brass S in the stem. The pipes have a two-tone staining which really shows the beautiful bird’s eye grain. However, this staining simply takes too much work so the series is discontinued.

With that information I now knew about the discontinued Golden Contrast line. The pipe I was working on did not have a brass band but it did have the kind of staining and colour on the grain on the pipe. It was definitely a two tone stain on the pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Repairing a Cracked Shank and Restoring a Stanwell Regd. No. 969-48 Royal Guard 22

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I am working on was purchased on 01/26/18 from an eBay seller in Akron, Ohio, USA. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Stanwell [over] Regd. No. 969-48 [over] Royal Guard. It is stamped on the left side with the shape number 22. On the flattened underside of the shank it is stamped Made in Denmark. There was a thick cake in the bowl, debris in the bottom and on the bowl walls and some remnants of tobacco. The airway was dirty and tarry and there was a hairline crack in the thin underside of the shank. There was a light lava overflow on the back of the crowned rim top. The crowned and inwardly beveled rim top looked to be in good condition. The outer edge actually looked quite good with no visible damage. The finish was dirty and dusty and with grime ground into the sides and heel of the bowl. The stem looked fairly good but underneath the calcification and oxidation the tooth marks and chatter looked minimal. There was a gold Stanwell S Crown on the left side of the half saddle. When the stem was removed it was clear that it was a filter pipe. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took close-up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl. The rim top shows some thin lava spots on the smooth finish. The inner edge of the bowl also had some lava buildup. The outer edges of the bowl look very good. He took photos of the top and underside of the stem surface and button to show its general condition. It looked very good under the spotty oxidation. Jeff took a photo of the heel of the bowl and the shank to give a sense of the grain around the bowl sides. It is gorgeous looking pipe that has grain that chases the shape of the bowl. It should clean up very well.He took photos of the stamping on the shank sides. They are clear and readable as noted above. There was no photo included of the right side of the shank and the shape number there. The Crown Stanwell Logo was clear on the left side of the half saddle stem. It was interesting that the Royal Guard had that stem logo rather than the typical RG logo. Jeff took a closer photo of the hairline crack on the shank. It started on the thin bottom side of the shank end and curved upward through the Made in Denmark stamping before it disappears. I turned to Pipedia to see if there was any clear information on the Royal Guard line of pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell). I found the Royal Guard listed under the second lines of Stanwell pipes listed there.

I then followed a link there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). It took me to an article on Shape numbers and Designers. I quote from that below.

22. Two versions of this shape number:

a) Straight billiard with an oval shank and a tapered stem (early 1950s – see catalog).

b) Bent apple-horn hybrid with a half-saddle stem.

From that information I knew that I was working a 22 B – a bent apple-horn hybrid with a half-saddle stem. There was list of designers below that included the 22 in pipes designed by Sixten Ivarsson. The problem was that I did not know if it was referring to the a) or the b) design. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

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. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs 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 with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem to show how clean they were. You can see that rim top and edges look very good. The stem is clean and the tooth and chatter on both sides ahead of the button is very light.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping is readable as noted above. Royal Guard was a Stanwell second and generally was not stamped Stanwell. This one was! The stem on the Royal Guard was also stamped RG and this one bears the Stanwell Crown S.I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show that the tenon was drilled for a filter. I tried to fit a 9mm filter but it did not work. My guess is that it takes Vauen Dr Perl Junior 6mm size filter. I tried a Dr. Grabow 6mm filter it fit well but was too long. I would trim a Grabow filter to fit the proper length and whoever adds it to their collection will be able to use it until they are able to get some of the ones in the photo below. I also took a photo of the bowl and stem to get an overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. It really is a beautifully shaped pipe. I decided to start my work on the pipe by dealing with the cracked shank. I chose not to drill the crack end so as not to damage the stamping. Instead I put some glue on the cracked shank and held it in place until the CA glue set. I hand fit a band to the shank end. It sounds simple but it was an interesting challenge. The bottom edge of the shank was very thin which I think is why it cracked. There was no extra briar to work with. The other piece of the puzzled was that the bottom of the shank was flattened and the shape was not round any more. I went through my bands and found the one that had the proper diameter. It also had a curved edge that covered the shank end and would provide some extra thickness to the thin bottom of the shank. I gave the band a rough shaping by hand then put it on the shank and used a small furniture hammer to fit it smoothly to the shank shape. It fit nicely and it firmly held things in place. I used a folded pipe cleaner to paint the shank end with all purpose glue and then pressed the band in place on the glue. I took photos of the newly fitted band. It looked very good at this point and the crack was pressed together tightly. I polished the briar with micromesh because it was in such good condition. I polished it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes while I worked on the stem. After the time passed I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I have a box of Dr. Grabow 6mm filters so I took one out of the box, shortened it to fit and inserted it in the tenon. The fit is perfect and fills in the tenon. I then used some White Acrylic Fingernail Polish to touch up the white that remained in the Crown S stamp on the top of the stem. The S and part of the crown looked much better. There were some light spots on the top of the crown but otherwise it looked 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 Obsidian Oil. I polished it 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. This Sixten Ivarsson designed Stanwell Royal Guard 22 Bent Apple/Scoop with a half saddle vulcanite stem turned out very nice. The mix of brown stains highlights the grain around the bowl sides and bottom. The rim top and edges look very good. The finish on the pipe is in excellent condition. The thin brass band on the shank end looks good and adds strength to the shank stem fit. 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 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 Royal Guard 22 is very nice and feels great in the hand and can be used as a sitter with the wide base. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. It is a nice pipe whose dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 57 grams/2.10 ounces. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This one will be going on the rebornpipes store, in the Danish Pipe Makers Section shortly. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know by message or by email to slaug@uniserve.com. Thanks for your time.

Restoring a Peterson’s Republic Era Kildare 86 Taper Stem Apple

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table came to us from somewhere neither Jeff or I remember. I can tell you though that it has been sitting here for a long time. That happens a lot when I am working through a country in my boxes. This the last of the current Peterson Pipes that I have to work on at the moment (no worries as there are more coming). It is a beautifully grained Peterson’s “Kildare” 86 Apple. The shape follows the grain around the bowl which is a combination of cross grain and birdseye. The finish was clean and the pipe had been reamed in the past so I am pretty sure it has been through Jeff’s clean up. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Peterson’s [over] “Kildare”. On the right side of the shank Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines) followed by the shape number 86. The stamping is clear and readable on both sides. The stem was quite clean though there were light tooth marks and chatter on the stem near the button on both sides. There was the no Peterson’s “P” on the taper stem. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. I took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl has been cleaned but the rim top and the inner edge have some darkening. The finish on the bowl is quite clean. The photos of the stem show the oxidation, calcification and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. The P-Lip button and edges look good.I took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is faint but readable in the photos below and is as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to give a clear picture of what I see here. I am 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.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s System Line. On page 314 it had the following information.

Kildare (1965-) First issue of line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes, P-Lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue C.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on pipe surface. Third issue 2010, matte-brown, P-Lip or fishtail mouthpiece, no band. Fourth issue 2011-, burgundy sandblast finish, nickel army mount, fishtail mouthpiece, exclusive to smokingpipes.com.

Judging from the description above I believe that I am working on a First Issue of the line in the time period of 1965-1979. It is a late Republic Era Classic Shaped pipe with a matte-finish and a P-Lip stem. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

With that information at hand I turned to work on the pipe itself. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the inner edge and the rim top. It looked much better.I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove the dust on the surface. I did not need to restain the rim top and edge because with polishing the match is very good. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. The product works 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 my attention to the stem. I sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. 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’s “Kildare” 86 Apple with a saddle stem is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly 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 grain really pops with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl and thick shank. This Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 86 Apple was another fun pipe to work on. It is a nice piece of briar that cleaned up really well. The pipe feels great in the hand will be better when warmed up while smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.09 ounces/31 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.