Tag Archives: Bowl – finishing

Breathing Life into a LHS Certified Purex Imported Briar 97 Bulldog

by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on was purchased from an online auction on January 22, 2024 in Jordan, Minnesota, USA. I have worked on a lot of LHS pipes through the years and many of them had the LHS Certified Purex stamp on the shank. This large flat Bulldog is very nice with great grain around the bowl. There are a few worm trail rustications on the sides of the bowl. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads CERTIFIED PUREX arched over a diamond the LHS in the centre. Underneath that is stamped Imported Briar. On the left underside of the diamond shank it is stamped with the shape number 97. The stamping is clear and readable. The saddle stem also bears the silver (inlaid) diamond logo on the left side. The bowl had a thick cake and there was a lava overflow on the rim top. The inner edge of the rim thickly covered with lava so it was hard to know the damage at this point. The outer edge and rim cap showed nicks and light damage. The stem is oxidized, calcified and has tooth marks and chatter on both sides at the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up. Jeff took photos of the bowl, rim top to show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the lava on the rim top. The bowl had a thick cake that overflowed in lava on the inner edge and rim top of the bowl. I am hoping that the thick lava coat protected things underneath it from damage to the edges and top. He took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth chatter, scratching, calcification and oxidation on the stem surface and wear on the edges of the button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the briar. You can see the beautiful shape of the bowl even through the dirt and debris of many years. You can also see the nicks in the rim cap and the side of the bowl. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. You can see that it is clear and readable as noted above. Jeff took photos of the pipe taken apart. It shows the shank insert that is screwed into the shank end. You can also see the threaded stinger/tenon apparatus as well.I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-lhs.html) and found a pipe with the same stamping as the one that I am working on. There was a brief history of the brand at the top of the page. It read as follows:

The L&H Stern Inc. was established by Ludwig Stern (1877-1942) in 1911. His brother Hugo (1872-?) acted as vice-president & secretary. The firm moved to 56 Pearl St. Brooklyn in 1920. It closed down in the 1960s. LHS was one of the main pipe supplier for US soldiers during WWII.

I turned to Pipedia to try and place this pipe in the timeline of the brand and was able find some helpful information which I have included below (https://pipedia.org/wiki/LHS). Again it had a brief history. It read as follows:

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

There were also Notes from Geyer’s Stationer on the page below this. It read as follows:

Thoroughly organized in all departments, and housed in a well-lighted and ventilated modern office and manufacturing building, the firm of L&H Stern Inc. is located near the first arch of the Manhattan bridge, near the river and convenient to the Brooklyn bridge, which makes it accessible from all the hotels in the metropolis for visiting buyers. The structure is six stories with a seventeen-foot basement, with light on three sides through prismatic glass windows, the first floor being seven feet above the sidewalk. Light enters the upper floors from all four sides.

L&H Stern is known to every important wholesaler and jobber in the country. LHS manufactures a complete line of briar pipes. Ginmetto wood pipes are also made, as well as Redmanol goods, the man-made amber. The first substitute for amber. Everything, even down to the sterling silver and other metal trimmings are made under one roof.

LH Stern was a fascinating company that literally covered the manufacture of all the pipe parts. I was not able to pin down the date on it with the information but it was a nice piece of briar. Now on to the pipe.

Jeff carefully cleaned the pipe. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals of the shank, stem and shank extension with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. He 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 lava on the rim top. The finish looks much better and has a deep richness in the colour that highlights grain of the briar. The rim top had some darkening and there was some damage to the inner edge of the bowl. The aluminum on the shank end and on the stem were slightly oxidized but clean. Jeff soaked the stem in bath of Before & After Pipe Stem Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation on the rubber. He worked it over with Soft Scrub All Purpose Cleaner to remove any remnants of oxidation. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver and I finally started my work on it I was amazed it looked so good. Here are some photos of what I saw. I took some close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. The inner edge of the rim was nicked around inner edge of the bowl. The rim cap was nicked and damaged as well. I took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the surface and button. There was some remaining oxidation near the shank and the tooth marks and chatter were evident near the button on both sides.I took a picture of the stamping on the shank sides and it was all clear and readable as noted above. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe with the stem. It is a good looking pipe and very unique. The stinger apparatus and integrated tenon were a single unit.I started my work on the pipe by addressing the damage on the inner edges of the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to work over the inner edge to clean up the damage. I also worked over the rim top and outer edges at the same time.I sanded the nicks and scratches in the rim cap and bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down between sanding pads with a damp cloth. By the last pad the pipe began to take on a shine. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. The grain real shone through with the polishing. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank 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 polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry 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 gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil. With the bowl and the stem finished I put the LHS Certified Purex Imported Briar Bulldog 97 back together and buffed it on the wheel using Blue Diamond to give it a shine. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and then buffed it with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It really a nice looking sandblast. The dimensions of the pipe are – Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of this large pipe is 2.01 ounces /57 grams. This LHS Certified Purex Imported Briar Bulldog was a great find. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the American Pipe Makers Section soon. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. This is another pipe that has the possibility of transporting the pipe man or woman back to a slower paced time in history where you can enjoy a respite. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.

A New Home for a Brebbia Bent Pocket Pipe

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by Kenneth Lieblich

A young gentleman came to me with the desire for a small pipe he could use on the go. We ultimately settled on a charming little pipe made by Brebbia. It’s a black, sandblasted bent billiard pocket pipe. Despite its diminutive size, it’s a very handsome pipe and promises to be a good smoker. It will serve this fellow very well for a long time to come. Only two words constitute the entirety of this pipe’s markings. On the underside of the stummel are the words Brebbia [over] Italy. I’ve worked on some Brebbia pipes before, so I went and looked up my previous articles. I learned from Pipedia and Pipephil that the Brebbia pipe company was named after the locality of Bosco Grosso di Brebbia in Lombardy, Italy. The company was founded by Enea Buzzi and Achille Savinelli in 1947, but they parted ways in 1953. Mr Savinelli went on to form his eponymous company, while Mr Buzzi kept the factory and created Maniffatura Pipe Brebbia – they produce MPB and Brebbia pipes. Mr Buzzi’s family still run the company today. Let’s this pipe cleaned up! On the whole, the pipe is in good shape. Nothing major is wrong with either the stem or the stummel. Great news!First, I used oil soap on a few cotton rounds and wiped the stem down to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning comes next. I cleaned the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was 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 is a hideous brownish mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some de-oxidation fluid. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface. This is a major aid and important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew the stem out from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.Once clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. This is 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 reduce the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I want to remove the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I use 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 apply pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.Now that the stem is (nearly) complete, I can move on to the stummel. The first step for me is to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplishes a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleans the bowl and provides a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake is removed, I can inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there is damage or not. In this case, there was none. I used a reamer and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensure that all the debris is removed.The inside of the stummel needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Similar to the stem, I then cleaned it with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. Fortunately, it wasn’t too dirty.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 any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I also wiped down the outside with some oil soap on cotton rounds (and a toothbrush). This does a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process is to scour the inside of the stummel with some soap and tube brushes. This is the culmination of the work in getting the pipe clean.No sanding needed for a sandblast. So, I rubbed some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench buffer and carefully polished it – first with a white diamond compound, then with three coats of conservator’s wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and stem glows.This Brebbia bent billiard pocket pipe is very handsome and will provide many years of smoking pleasure. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 3⅔ in. (93 mm); height 1⅜ in. (36 mm); bowl diameter 1⅛ in. (30 mm); chamber diameter ⅔ in. (17 mm). The weight of the pipe is ⅞ oz. (25 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

New Life for a Peterson’s System Standard 303 Smooth Apple with a 9mm Filter P-lip Stem

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is another smooth finished Peterson’s System – this time a System Standard shape 303. It came to us from our source in Copenhagen, Denmark on 01/29/24. It had a P-lip stem. The finish was smooth with some nice grain around the sides and shank. It was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [arched over] System [over] Standard. On the right side of the shank it was stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines) over the shape number 303. It was dirty with grime ground into the finish around the bowl and shank. There was a moderate cake in the bowl and some light lava spots on the inner bevelled rim edge. The nickel ferrule was in good shape but had some scratches that would need to be polished. It is stamped as well and reads K & P [over] Peterson on the left. The vulcanite P-lip stem was unstamped and there was some light oxidation and light chatter near the button that would polish out. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started my work. He took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top looks good. The bevelled edges have a spotty lava overflow. The stem looks good but it has light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the grain that was very visible around the bowl and shank. He took photos of the stamping on the shank sides and the ferrule. It read as noted above and was clear and readable. 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.

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 equalled, 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 Late Republic Era between 1950 and the present day. Personally, I think this is probably a 60s-70s pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. Somewhere along the way as it sat here it picked up some stickiness on the top of the stem that looks a lot like what is left behind by a gummed label. I took photos of the pipe 3 years later when I finally got around to working on it. As you can see it is another beautiful looking pipe. I took photos of the rim top and bowl as well as the stem to give a sense of the condition of both. The rim top and the inner edge looked very good and the bevelled edge showed no damage. The stem was clean but had light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. They are clear and readable as noted above. I took the stem out of the shank and took a photo of the overall look of the pipe. It is another beauty. There are a few small dings from the journey of the pipe that will remain as a part of its story. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. 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 to work on the stem. I polished the 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. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I fit the stem with a Vauen 9mm filter and took photos of it in place. This was a first for me – I have not ever seen a 9mm filter P-lip stem until this one.This Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 303 Bent Apple with a vulcanite, P-lip saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The stem is a 9mm filter stem. The beautiful grain that shines through 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. I polished the nickel ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to protect it and raise the shine. The finished Peterson’s System Standard 303 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 ½ 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 putting this pipe on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Restoring a Thompson 530 Italy Freehand

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by Steve Laug

This pipe has been in my to-do box for almost a year now and some how I continue to pass over it and go on to something else. It came to us from an eBay seller in Jordan, Minnesota, USA on 01/22/2024. This afternoon I picked it up to fit in between my restoration of Peterson’s Pipes that I am working. This one is stamped Thompson in script on the left side of the shank. On the right side of the shank it reads 530 the shape number. On the underside of the shank it is stamped ITALY. It is well grained freehand shape with a faux plateau rim top that has been stained with a mix of black and brown stains. The shank is banded with three brass bands. The stem is amber acrylic and looks quite nice. The pipe is dirty and the stain and finish has come off the sides of the bowl and there is a lot of oils and hand grime ground into the finish on both sides. The shank still has some heavy varnish on it that leaves it shiny. The bowl has a thick cake and there is a lave overflow into the rusticated/faux rim top. The stem is also dirty and has some tooth chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Otherwise the stem is in better condition than the bowl. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. He took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and the rim top and edges have a significant lava overflow. The stem looks good but it has light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the grain and the damaged finish that was very visible around the bowl and shank. He took photos of the stamping on the shank sides and read as noted above and was clear and readable. Before I started working on the pipe itself, I turned to Pipedia and looked up Thompson and in this case Norm Thompson. I found a bit of information that gave me the background I was interested in finding. Here is the link (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Thompson,_Norm).

Norman Anchor Thompson, Sr. (known as “Norm Thompson”) was an immigrant from Britain. He had settled in Salt Lake City before fighting for Canada in World War I. After the war he lived briefly in Los Angeles before settling in Portland, Oregon. Norm Thompson started a mail order only business in 1949 as a way to sell his homemade flies for fly-fishing by placing an advertisement in Field & Stream. I understand tobacco products were sold via the mail order business, as well, to a limited degree. Around 1951 he handed over the mail order business to Peter Alport, his son-in-law. Alport worked to expand the company’s product offerings beyond fly-fishing items and into clothing and other outdoor merchandise, plus he developed the company’s slogan of “Escape from the ordinary”.

Norm Thompson would go on to own seven pipe shops, the first one in 1959, and later two nightclubs, all in the Portland area. Norm Thompson Pipe Shops sold higher end pipes, from the likes of Dunhill, Charatan, and Savinelli. Norm Thompson died in 1968 from complications related to his exposure to mustard gas during his World War I military service in Europe.

The First Edition Norm Thompson Pipe Catalogue (right column of this article) was likely a publication that was a product of Peter Alport, as the slogan “Escape from the ordinary” (a slogan credited to Alport) is clearly seen in the publication. No date can be seen on the publication, but we conclude it is late 1960s to early 1970s. Of interest, is the evidence of collaboration between Norm Thompson and Charatan, with Charatan credited with making the Norm Thompson “Regent”. This would have been during the Lane Era. It is also likely that Norm Thompson pipes stamped “Made in Italy” were a Norm Thompson – Savinelli collaboration.

I did some more searching and found an interesting thread on the brand on Pipesmagazine.com (https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/thompson-pipes.72989/). There was a comparison between pipes made for the Thompson Cigar Company and those made for Norm Thompson.

I stumbled on to a pipe that has impressed me. Thompson. Initially, I found a Thompson pipe commissioned by an American company known as, Thompson Cigar Company. They have a following and a fine reputation. I assumed the Thompson pipe I had acquired was a Thompson Cigar Company pipe. I was wrong. In fact, I had purchased a “Norm Thompson” (only designated as “Thompson”) : out of England. Norm Thompson (a B&M tobacco shop in England) had pipes commissioned as well. Both Thompsons were old school B&Ms that had pipes manufactured by reputable pipe makers. From what I have ascertained, Thompson Cigar Company had a lot of free-hands made. Norm Thompson (England) had more traditional English pipe-shapes made (makes sense). Thompson-USA display the name “Thompson” in cursive. Thompson-England display Thompson in block letters. Both Thompsons get rave views from those who own them. You can still find them for reasonable prices on EBeast.

The thread went on with more information as well as folks expounding on the qualities of the pipes. They also confirmed that the Thompson Italy pipes were more than likely collaborations with Savinelli. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. Somewhere along the way as it sat here it picked up some stickiness on the top of the stem that looks a lot like what is left behind by a gummed label. I took photos of the pipe 3 years later when I finally got around to working on it. As you can see it is another beautiful looking pipe. I took photos of the rim top and bowl as well as the stem to give a sense of the condition of both. The faux plateau rim top and the inner edge had some darkening and burn damage on the inner edge on the back of the bowl. The bowl is slightly oval and out of round. The stem was clean but had light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. They are clear and readable as noted above. I took the stem out of the shank and took a photo of the overall look of the pipe. It is another beauty. There are a few small dings from the journey of the pipe that will remain as a part of its story. The sides of the bowl had some darkening on the sides of the bowl caused by the oils from the hands. I scrubbed the walls down with acetone on cotton pads to remove the oils. It looked better but still showed some darkening. I was still not happy with the situation on the sides and rim top of the bowl. I scrubbed the briar with a tooth brush and some Before & After Briar Cleaner to remove more of the oils. I wiped off the cleaner with a paper towel and took some photos of the pipe at this point. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to smooth out the finish and remove the scratches and small nicks in the finish. It looked much better once I had finished. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. 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 to work on the stem. I polished the 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. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. This Thompson 530 Italian Made Freehand is a nice looking pipe. The Medium Brown stain highlights some excellent grain around the bowl sides and the heel. The faux plateau on the rim top looked very good. The finish on the pipe is in excellent condition and the contrasting stains work well to highlight the grain on the pipe. The polished amber acrylic saddle stem adds to the mix. With the grime and debris gone from the finish and the bowl it is eye-catching. I put the stem back on the bowl and 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 it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Thompson 530 Freehand is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.76 ounces/50 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This pipe will be added to the Italian Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you want to add it to your collection send me an email or a message! Thanks for your time.

New Life for a Peterson’s System Standard 301 Smooth Pot

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by Steve Laug

We received the next pipe from our source in Copenhagen, Denmark on 01/29/2024. It is another fitting New Year’s restoration. It is a Peterson’s 301 Bent Pot. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] System [over] Standard. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) [over] the shape number 301. The nickel ferrule on the shank is lightly oxidized and stamped K&P [over] Petersons. The pipe is dirty, obviously another favourite smoker. There is grime ground into the finish. There is a thick cake in the bowl and a thick overflow of lava on the inner edge and the smooth rim top. The nickel ferrule is lightly tarnished and stamped as noted. The stem is dirty, very oxidized but does not have tooth marks of chatter on either side. Jeff took photos of it before he started his clean up work. I have included those below. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was some darkening and a lava overflow on the rim top and the inner edge. The stem looks amazingly good for a pipe of this age. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the look of the sandblast that was around this bowl. The blast really highlights the grain underneath and is quite beautiful around the sides of the bowl and shank. It is another nice looking pipe. He took photos of underside of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below and is as noted above. The stamping on the nickel ferrule is clear and readable as noted above. I have included a link to the Pipedia article so that you can read the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). Take some time to read through it as it is a great read.

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.

Peterson’s over System – Pipes stamped Peterson’s System have been documented as early as 1920. A ’20 brochure is the earliest printed reference to the Peterson System. The pipe came in three quality grades (no mark, 2, or 3) until 1959, thereafter as De Luxe (no mark), Premier (the old 2) and Standard (the old 3).

Peterson’s over System over Standard (c1945-)

I learned previously that the shape 301 was not introduced until 1975. Considering the Republic stamp, this one would likely date between 1975 and 2000. My guess is that the pipe was made somewhere between 1975 and mid-80s. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

With that information at hand I turned to work on the pipe itself. 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 as much of the oxidation and calcification as possible. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started to work on it. I took close up photos of the bowl and the stem. You can see the reamed bowl and the clean rim top and edges. It looks good. There is a bit of darkening on the inner edge at the back. The stem surface was clean but there are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides on and ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is faint in spots but 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. It is really quite nice looking. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down between pads with a damp cloth to remove any sanding debris. The briar really took on a rich shine. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads and wiped it down with a cloth and Obsidian Oil to remove the debris. It began to take on a rich shine.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This nice looking Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 301 Bent Pot with a classic Peterson’s P-lip vulcanite stem looks much better now that it has been restored. The rim top and edges cleaned up very well. The dark brown stains on the bowl came alive 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 multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax 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. I left a few of the wounds in the briar left by the journey as they do not detract. The finished Peterson’s System Standard 301 is a beauty and fits nicely 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: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 59 grams/2.01 ounces. I will be putting it in the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Republic Era Petersons System Standard 301 Sandblast Bent Pot

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by Steve Laug

We received the next pipe from our source in Copenhagen, Denmark on 11/21/2023. It is another fitting New Year’s Day restoration. It is a Peterson’s 301 Bent Pot. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] System [over] Standard next that is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) [over] the shape number 301. The nickel ferrule on the shank is stamped K&P [over] Petersons. The pipe is dirty, obviously another favourite smoker. There is grime ground into the finish. There is a thick cake in the bowl and a light overflow of lava on the inner edge and the sandblast rim top. The nickel ferrule is lightly tarnished. The stem is dirty, but is shiny and well cared for. Jeff took photos of it before he started his clean up work. I have included those below. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was some darkening and a lava overflow on the sandblast rim top and the inner edge. The stem looks amazingly good for a pipe of this age. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the look of the sandblast that was around this bowl. The blast really highlights the grain underneath and is quite beautiful around the sides of the bowl and shank. It is another nice looking pipe. He took photos of underside of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below and is as noted above. The stamping on the nickel ferrule is clear and readable as noted above. 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 System Line. On page 314 it had the following information.

Peterson’s over System over Standard (c1945-)

With that information at hand I turned to work on the pipe itself. 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 as much of the oxidation and calcification as possible. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started to work on it. I took close up photos of the bowl and the stem. You can see the reamed bowl and the clean rim top and edges. It looks good. The stem surface was clean but there are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides on and ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is faint in spots but 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. It is really quite nice looking.The briar was in such good condition that I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips and a shoebrush 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 sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads and wiped it down with a cloth and Obsidian Oil to remove the debris. It began to take on a rich shine.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This nice looking Peterson’s System Standard 301 Sandblast Bent Pot with a classic Peterson’s P-lip vulcanite stem looks much better now that it has been restored. The rim top and edges cleaned up very well. The dark brown stains on the bowl came alive 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 multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax 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 Peterson’s System Standard is a beauty and fits nicely 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: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.62 ounces. I will be putting it in the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Decided to work on a carving kit today and see what I could do with it

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by Steve Laug

When Kenneth and I visited a fellow pipe repair guy near Vancouver, Washington this past Fall he gave us a bunch of pipe parts and some pre-drilled partially shaped pipe kits that needed a lot of work to finish. Mind you, the shaping was roughed in and the drilling was finished. Some of them it was not too bad and some were drilled high or off to the side of the bowl bottom. Anyway you looked at it they would be fun to fiddle with. Kenneth and I both took several of them to add to the “to do list”.

This afternoon I chose a block to work on as the internet was giving me fits with poor connections. It was making blog writing downright frustrating. I was not in the mood for an unshaped block so I chose a partially shaped Billiard with a stem made to give a hint of a military bit. The bowl was smooth externally with one small flaw on the right-side mid bowl toward the front. The inside of the bowl had a dark bowl coating – maybe water glass. The shank had been roughly shaped with a file and knives. The shape of it pointed toward being oval. The shank was not long enough to be a Canadian so I called it a Billiard. The corners of the shank end had been knocked off or partially rounded and the stem was an oval taper to help the person who took on the project go the right direction with it. I liked the inward bevel of the rim top and the grain on it was nice. The bowl looked good. The shank would need a lot of work no matter which direction I went with it. Here are some photos of the kit when I started this afternoon. I brought out the big guns this afternoon instead of fiddling around with files. I put a sanding drum on the Dremel and headed out to the front porch. It was chilly here today so I bundled up accordingly with a warm coat and a toque and took the tool and the block to the porch. I plugged in and worked over the shank with the Dremel and sanding drum. I had an idea in my minds eye that I was aiming for. I shaped and rounded the shank to make a rounder oval than perhaps the block cutter had imagined. I flattened out the knocked off corners and carried the shank straight through to the end. I was thinking that I might fit a ferrule on the shank end and reshape the stem to truly be a military style stick bit. Like most of these projects you have to have some idea in mind but hold it loosely while shaping it. You never know what is going to show up as you shape the briar. I have heard carvers speak of briar having a mind of its own so I truly hold my idea loosely and work away at it. By the time I had it rough shaped the way I wanted I was chilled so I packed it in and headed back to my basement desk top. I took some photos of the pipe at this point in the process. I had removed a lot of briar but still a lot more remained to be shaped and moved. Have a look. Now it was time for a cup of tea and a lot of sanding. First I made the tea and then I removed the stem from the shank. I used many pieces of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the Dremel marks and remaining file marks on the shank and the transition between the shank and the bowl. It took a lot of sanding and several cups of tea. But it was getting there. I sanded the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a cloth and a drop of olive oil to remove the debris. It certainly is beginning to look quite good at this point. I rounded the shank end with my Dremel and sanding drum and a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wanted to have the curves on the shank match the nickel ferrule. Once I had the fit correct I pressed it in place on the shank end. There were two flaws in the briar – one on the left side toward the top and one mid bowl on the right side. I filled them in with briar dust and clear CA glue. Once it cured I flattened out the repair with a small file. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the surface of the briar. It began to look very good. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a drop of olive oil and a paper towel. The briar began to take on a rich glow and the grain began to stand out. The briar was in looking good at this point in the process. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem that came with it. I used a file to flatten out the sharp edges on the shank end. I wanted it to be more or a flowing military style bit.I shaped it with 220 grit sandpaper a bit more then switched to 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with some Obsidian Oil. By the end the shape was right and the fit was perfect. It began to take on a shine.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I finished carving my Pipe Kit Billiard this afternoon. The shape came out looking very good and the polished nickel ferrule works well with the pipe. I oiled the bowl with another coat of EVO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). The oil brought the grain out very well and the oil gave it a rich reddish brown look. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Pipe Kit Billiard is a beauty and fits nicely in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 44 grams/1.55 ounces. This was a fun one to carve for me. I like how it turned out and look forward to enjoying a bowl in it very soon. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Restoring another Republic Era Peterson’s Dublin 2 101 Billiard

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by Steve Laug

We received the next pipe from our source in Copenhagen, Denmark on 01/08/2024 – almost a year ago. It is a fitting New Year’s Day restoration. It is a Peterson’s 101 Military Bit Billiard. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] Dublin 2 and the stamping is very clear. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) and the shape number 101 is next to the bowl shank junction. The ferrule on the shank is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin next to that it is stamped Sterling [over] Silver. Following the r in Silver are three hallmarks – 1. Hibernia seated with her arm on a harp, 2. A crowned harp for the silver quality and finally 3. A date letter stamp, in this case a lowercase “l” that dates the pipe to 1977. The pipe is dirty, obviously a favourite smoker. There is grime ground into the finish. There is a thick cake in the bowl and a light overflow of lava on the inner edge and rim top. The silver ferrule is lightly tarnished. The stem is dirty, but is shiny and well cared for. Jeff took photos of it before he started his clean up work. I have included those below. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was some darkening and a light lava overflow on the rim top and the inner edge. The stem looks amazingly good for a pipe of this age. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain that was around this bowl. The grain is quite beautiful around the sides of the bowl and shank. It is another nice looking pipe. He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below and is as noted above. The stamping on the silver ferrule is clear and readable as noted above. As with the blog just previous to this one, I turned to an earlier blog on a pipe with the same stamping that I had restored. I am quoting from what I learned in writing that blog below.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Dublin 2. On page 298 it had the following information.

Dublin (1906-2003) Although DUBLIN appears under PETERSON’S on many pipes over the decades, it has served mostly as part of the brand name. The word first appeared on pipes hallmarked 1906-11, stamped PETERSON’S over PATENT over DUBLIN. The simpler PETERSON’S over DUBLIN first appeared on pipes hallmarked 1912 after the expiration of the patent. Illustrations of pipes in the ’37 catalog show a random dispersion of the stamp PETERSON’S over OF DUBLIN together with the ordinary PETERSON’S over DUBLIN on every model offered. Specimens of the former will bear either an Irish COM or LONDON MADE over ENGLAND COM and almost certainly date from 1945-62. It was first mentioned as part of a model name in the ’68 price list, as K&P DUBLIN, in ’92 for a Danish market line and in the 2017 (see below).

“Dublin” (1992-2003) An orange-brown smooth line with a brass-nickel-brass sandwich band, vulcanite fishtail mouthpiece, consisting mostly of D shapes released for the Danish Market. Stamped PETERSON’S in script over “DUBLIN”. A tenth anniversary pipe for the line was produced with a sterling band stamped 2001. Market demand fell shortly thereafter and several pipe stamped “DUBLIN” were released in ’03 for the Fourth of July commemoratives for the US Market.

I wrote to Mark Irwin again and asked for his help in clearing up the mystery and helping to date this pipe. I asked him to provide any additional information for me. He responded with the following:

Steve… It’s first decade of Early Republic (1948-1958). The 2 and 3 numbers were discontinued int in 1958. Great little pipe! The “w” = today’s Premier grade.

I had forgotten to include the hallmarks on the silver so that left me even more in a quandary. So, I wrote Mark back about the date stamp on the silver and the conflicting stamping on the pipe.

How does that work with the date on the ferrule seeming to point 1975 (in this case 1977)? It has the standard stamping – woman on a chair, harp and the letter “h” (in this case “l”),

Mark responded as follows with regard to that pipe (the material fits this pipe very well).

Haha! I love it. You have just entered the Twilight Zone of Peterson Pipes, because the “2” and the small “h” for 1975 cancel each other out. I would prefer to leave it there: “a dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.” If, however, you want to get mundane about it, there are only two possibilities: it was rebanded in 1975 (highly unlikely but not impossible) or someone picked up the old stamp (and they have dozens and dozens) who was new to the hand-stamping job. For myself. I’d rather leave it in the imponderables, but there are always skeptics who prefer the easy explanation to the miracle.

I could not have said it any better! The Twilight Zone of Peterson’s Pipes. So I have a pipe that was made between 1948-1958 with a silver ferrule that is dated 1977. What a great mystery. 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. 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. It looked better but still dark. 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 rim top looked better but there were some issues with some roughening on the inner edge and scuffing on the top. I took a closeup photo of the rim top and edges to show the issues I spoke of. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the stem.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and reads as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to have a look at the parts and overall look. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the darkening on the rim top and damage on the inner edge of the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the damage on the inner edge and also to smooth out the darkening on the rim top. It began to look much better.I worked over the surface of the rim top and the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to look good. 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. 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 worked on the stem. The stem was clean and the light tooth marks were minimal. 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 wiped it down with another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am excited to finish this beautifully grained Peterson’s Dublin 2 Military Mount 101 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. I polished the twin golden bands on the shank with a jeweller’s cloth. This smooth Classic Peterson’s Dublin 2 Military Mount 101 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 27 grams/.95 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 this restoration with me. I am always glad to answer questions or clarify if you would like more information.

New Life for a Republic Era Peterson’s 101 Military Bit Billiard

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by Steve Laug

We received the next pipe from our source in Copenhagen, Denmark on 01/08/2024 – almost a year ago. It is a fitting New Year’s Eve restoration. It is a Peterson’s 101 Military Bit Billiard. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] Dublin 2 and the stamping is blurred from overstamping. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) and the shape number 101 is next to the bowl shank junction. The final 1 in the shape number has a small fill that also makes it blurry. The ferrule on the shank is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin next to that it is stamped Sterling [over] Silver. Following the r in Silver are three hallmarks – 1. Hibernia seated with her arm on a harp, 2. A crowned harp for the silver quality and finally 3. A date letter stamp, in this case an uppercase “P” that dates the pipe to 1981. The pipe is dirty, obviously a favourite smoker. There is grime ground into the finish. There is a thick cake in the bowl and a heavy overflow of lava on the inner edge and rim top. The silver ferrule is lightly tarnished. The stem is dirty with light oxidation and tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of it before he started his clean up work. I have included those below. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and there was a heavy lava overflow on the rim top and the inner edge. The stem is lightly oxidized and grimy. It has some light tooth marks on the top and underside near and on the surface of the button itself. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain that was around this bowl. The grain is quite beautiful around the sides of the bowl and shank. You can see some flaws or sand pits in the briar or pits but otherwise it is great grain. It is a nice looking pipe.He took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is readable in the photos below and is as noted above. The blurriness of the left side stamp is accurate and not a camera issue. It has been double stamped and the result is the blur. The stamping on the silver ferrule is clear and readable as noted above. I turned to an earlier blog on a pipe with the same stamping that I had restored. I am quoting from what I learned in writing that blog below.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Dublin 2. On page 298 it had the following information.

I wrote to Mark Irwin again and asked for his help in clearing up the mystery and helping to date this pipe. I asked him to provide any additional information for me. He responded with the following:

Steve… It’s first decade of Early Republic (1948-1958). The 2 and 3 numbers were discontinued int in 1958. Great little pipe! The “w” = today’s Premier grade.

I had forgotten to include the hallmarks on the silver so that left me even more in a quandary. So, I wrote Mark back about the date stamp on the silver and the conflicting stamping on the pipe.

How does that work with the date on the ferrule seeming to point 1975 (in this case 1981)? It has the standard stamping – woman on a chair, harp and the letter “h” (in this case “P”),

Mark responded as follows with regard to that pipe (the material fits this pipe very well).

I could not have said it any better! The Twilight Zone of Peterson’s Pipes. So I have a pipe that was made between 1948-1958 with a silver ferrule that is dated 1990. What a great mystery. 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. 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. It looked better but still dark. 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 rim top looked better but there were some issues with some roughening on the inner edge and darkening on the top. I took a closeup photo of the rim top and edges to show the issues I spoke of. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the light tooth marks on the surface near ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and reads as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to have a look at the parts and overall look. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the darkening on the rim top and damage on the inner edge of the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the damage on the inner edge and also to smooth out the darkening on the rim top. It began to look much better.I worked over the surface of the rim top and the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to look good. 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. 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 worked on the stem. The stem was clean and the light tooth marks were minimal. 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 wiped it down with another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am excited to finish this beautifully grained Peterson’s Dublin 2 Military Mount 101 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. I polished the twin golden bands on the shank with a jeweller’s cloth. This smooth Classic Peterson’s Dublin 2 Military Mount 101 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 33 grams/1.16 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 this restoration with me. I am always glad to answer questions or clarify if you would like more information.

Breathing New Life into a Well Seasoned Peterson’s Meerschaum Bent Pipe

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on is a smooth finished, well patinaed Peterson’s African Block Meerschaum pipe. This one is a Bent Meerschaum pipe in a classic Peterson’s Bent Billiard shape. The rim top is flumed in the style of the 60s and 70s. Jeff and I are unclear where we picked this one up. Our best guess was we found it during a pipe hunt in November, 2024 somewhere along the Oregon Coast. This rich butterscotch and golden coloured patina on the bowl and shank adds a touch of depth to the pipe. The pipe was dirty with grime ground into the finish on the pipe. It was thick and oily feeling to touch. The contrast on the meer of the rich colouration/patina on the bowl and shank with the flumed top made a beautiful pipe. It had nicks and chips in the outer edge of the bowl. The inner edge looked very good. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The Sterling Silver ferrule is oxidized and dirty. It is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. On the underside are three hallmark stamps – 1. Seated Hibernia (Ireland) 2. The Harp (symbol for the silver quality) 3. The upper-case italic letter “E” for the date of the pipe. The stem was in quite good condition with minimal oxidation, minor debris in the edge of the button and light tooth chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. I took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is dirty, lightly oxidized and has light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button.I took photos of the Sterling Silver ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above. I did not capture the hallmarks on the underside. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to give a sense of the proportion of the pipe. I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of these Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

Laxey Pipe Ltd. resided in a historical 19th century four-storey Man stone building at The Quay, Old Laxey, Isle of Man, which thankfully has been preserved. The company specialized in the production of Meerschaum Pipes using the Meerschaum mined by the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation in the Amboseli basin in Tanganyika (since 1964 part of the United Republic of Tanzania). Please note: you may often find names like “Manx Pipes Ltd.”, “Man Pipe Co.” and others more, but there is no indication of another Isle of Man pipe producer other than Laxey Pipe Ltd. at any time!

Laxey Pipe Ltd. marketed own brands like “Manxpipe”, “Manxman”, “Manxland” e.c. Names like “John Bull”, “White Knight” (unwaxed), “Domino” (black, or lined) indicated some shapes / colours of Laxey’s own series. The stems either showed the astronomical sign for “male” or “man” (circle + arrow), or the crest of the Isle of Man, the 3-legged X in a circle. Manxpipes and Laxey’s other brands were available through pipe retailers in general, but also were sold (mainly) to tourists through their own shop in Laxey.

Furthermore Laxey Pipe Ltd. manufactured the meer bowls for Peterson, Barling, Nørding and others from the later 1960’s until 2001. Man Pipe e.g. was a brand distributed by Comoy’s. The bowls usually showed no nomenclature indicating the orderer. “Genuine Block Meerschaum” was engraved frequently. Often, just the stems were different, while bowls were the same.

Supply of meer from East Africa run out (Kenya / Tanzania exhausted, Somalia inaccessible), and thus the last Laxey meers were supplied to trade in May, 2001. Laxey Pipe Ltd. tried to survive continuing with briar pipes – mainly in the Danish style -, but to no success. It closed down business in July, 2002.

As noted above the silver is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. On the underside are three hallmark stamps – 1. Seated Hibernia (Ireland) 2. The Harp (symbol for the silver quality) 3. The upper case letter “E” for the date of the pipe. I have included the Peterson’s Hallmark chart below as it is a very helpful tool that I have used repeatedly to date my Peterson pipes.I found a larger photo of the letter section of the above chart. The letter stamp is a upper case italic “E” which dates the pipe to 1990. I know that the pipe was made on the Isle of Man by Laxey Pipe Ltd. out of African Meerschaum. It was made for export for Peterson’s of Dublin. From the hallmarks on the silver I know that the pipe (or at least the silver) was made in 1990. The flumed top on the bowl seems to make it older and maybe it is but the silver is definitely from 1990. That was as much as I could figure out.

I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer and cleaned the reaming up with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls smooth with some 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. It looked much better. It was smooth to touch. I scraped the rim top with the edge of the Savinelli Fitsall to remove the lava build up. I cleaned out the stinky smelling tobacco oils and tars in the shank and the airway in the stem. I used 99% isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners and was able to remove the debris and the stench.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the inside of the bowl as well to remove more of the oils and build up there. I rinsed it off with warm running water and dried it with a soft towel. When I dried it off it was dull and a bit lifeless looking. The finish was spotty so I gave it a quick buff with a cotton cloth. It looked much better and the rim top looked clean. I touched up the nicks on the rim top and outer edge with a black stain pen. I had decided to leave them and not sand or remove them. It blended them in much better.I gave the meer a quick buff and then polished the Sterling Silver ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good even with a few small dents in the surface remaining. It has quite a nice sheen. I polished the bowl on the buffer with Blue Diamond polish and hand buffed it with a microfibre cloth to further polish it. I gave it multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba Wax and once it dried I had buffed it once again and gave it a quick buff with a clean buffing pad. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry 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 wiped the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil once again and set it aside to dry. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when it is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba Wax mixture 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 meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich patina of the bowl and the polished silver ferrule. This Peterson’s meerschaum was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Mann. The heavily patinaed finish on this pipe made it another fun pipe to work. It really is a quite stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 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 59 grams/2.08 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.