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Restoring an interesting Hjerte-Brier Denmark Freehand

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by Steve Laug

This next Freehand is a bit of an interesting one. I see a lot of similarities to a Soren carved pipes. We picked it from a seller in Saint Cloud, Florida, USA on 04/12/2024. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Hjerte-Brier [over] Denmark. It is clear and readable.This particular pipe has a pedestal on the heel of the bowl and has some leaves carved around the bowl and shank. It has plateau on the rim top and the shank end. The combination of dark and medium stains highlights grain that runs like flames across both sides of the bowl culminating at the flat pedestal heel of the bowl. This is another well-loved pipe as you can see from the thick cake in the bowl and the lava on the plateau rim top. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge of the bowl due to the lava on the edges. The outside of the bowl and plateau portions are dirty and dusty but the grain pops through. The vulcanite stem was oxidized, dirty and dusty with tooth marks on the blade just ahead of the button on both sides. Jeff took these photos before he started his part of the restoration. He took close up photos of the bowl and rim top from different angles to show the condition of the plateau finish. The bowl has a thick cake that lining the walls and overflowing into lava. There was lava and build up on the rim top and flowing over the inner edge of the bowl onto the plateau. It is hard to know if there is damage or if the lava protected it. He also took photos of the stem to show the surface of the top and underside of the vulcanite stem. You can see the tooth marks and damage both sides ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the lay of the grain and the leaves carved around the pipe. It is a beautiful piece of briar. The top of the bowl and shank end are craggy and rugged looking. Jeff took several photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank to capture all of the stamping. It was clear and read as noted above. I had never heard of this particular brand of pipes from Denmark so I turned to Pipephil to see if there was any information (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-h3.html). I did a screen capture of the information that was on the brand. The stamping on the one I am working on is slightly different as it is missing the Kobenhavn Denmark stamp. It is a great looking pipe.I turned to Pipedia then for more information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Hjerte-Brier). I have copied the limited information from the site. I have included that information below.

Hjerte-Brier (Heart-Briar) pipes were made in Copenhagen, Denmark. They were stamped Kobenhavn instead of Copenhagen, suggesting they were not made for export. Little else is known about these pipes.

With that information my initial thoughts were confirmed. Hjerte-Brier translated Heart-Briar and the pipe was not made for export but for the Danish market. The freehand rage occurred in the late 70s and I am pretty sure it was made sometime during that time period.

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, shank brushes, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted 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 shank brushes, 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 some photos of the rim top and stem to show the condition of them both when it arrived. It looked good. There is some darkening and damage to the inner edge of the bowl. The stem had some deep tooth marks ahead of the button and on the button surface on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank to capture it. There were faint in spots but readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe.To begin my part of the restoration work I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth. The bowl is starting to look very good. I restained the valleys in the plateau top and shank end with a Black Sharpie Pen. It is amazing how good the plateau looks once it is cleaned and stained.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and into the plateau rim top and shank end with a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The stem was very clean so I filled in the tooth marks with clear super glue and set it aside to cure. Once it had cured I flattened out the repairs and sharpened the edge of the button with a needle file. I sanded out the tooth chatter with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and debris. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look very good. 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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This is a beautiful Hjerte-Brier Pedestal Freehand with a fancy, turned, black vulcanite stem. It has a great look and feel. The shape fits well in the hand with the curve of the bowl and shank junction a perfect fit for the thumb around the bowl when held. I polished stem and the bowl with Blue Diamond polish on the buffing wheel. 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 rich combination of browns and black in the smooth finish with carved leaves and the plateau areas took on life with the buffing. The rich colour of the briar works well with the polished vulcanite stem. I like the grain and finished look of this Hjerte-Brier Freehand pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ¾ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.86 ounces/ 81 grams. This Danish Freehand is a real beauty. 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 Pipemakers Section shortly if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for your time.

Breathing New Life into a Ben Wade Golden Walnut Hand Made in Denmark Freehand

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by Steve Laug

To me there is always something electric about handling and working on a pipe designed and carved by Preben Holm. I can’t describe adequately the feeling I have when I turn the bowl and stem over in my hands even before I start working on the pipe. There is an energy that flows through the way he carved and shaped the pipes of his making. This Ben Wade pipe was no exception. We picked it from an Antique Shop in Ogden, Utah, USA on 09/16/2019. It has a smooth finish with a carved groove on the right side of the bowl. It has plateau on the rim top and the shank end. The shank is almost rectangular. The combination of dark and medium stains highlights grain that runs like flames across both sides of the bowl culminating at the flat heel of the bowl. This is another well-loved pipe as you can see from the thick cake in the bowl and the lava on the rim top. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge of the bowl due to the lava on the edges. The outside of the bowl and plateau portions are dirty and dusty but the grain pops through. The vulcanite stem was oxidized, dirty and dusty with tooth marks on the blade just ahead of the button on both sides. Jeff took these photos before he started his part of the restoration. He took close up photos of the bowl and rim top from different angles to show the condition of the plateau finish. The bowl has a thick cake that lining the walls and overflowing into lava. There was lava and build up on the rim top and flowing over the inner edge of the bowl onto the plateau. It is hard to know if there is damage or if the lava protected it. He also took photos of the stem to show the surface of the top and underside of the vulcanite stem. You can see the tooth marks and damage both sides ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the lay of the grain around the pipe. It is a beautiful piece of briar. The top of the bowl is craggy and rugged looking. Unique! The shank end is also a unique mix of plateau and smooth. Jeff took several photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank to capture all of the stamping. It was clear and read Ben Wade in script at the top. Under that it read Golden Walnut. Under that was stamped Hand Made in Denmark. I turned to Pipephill’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-benwade.html) and did some looking at the section on Ben Wade Pipes. The second photo in the screen capture below is a Golden Walnut Pipe.  The finish and overall look is the similar. The stem I have is not stamped, or at least it is worn from buffing. The stamping on the shank is identical.I am including the background history that I included on the previous blog. It includes the idea that the Preben Holm pipes were marketed under the Ben Wade label in the US and imported through Lane Ltd. I quote below:

I turned to Pipedia and read the listing on the brand to refresh my memory and flesh out the knowledge of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade). I have included a photo from that site that was taken from a Tinderbox advertisement.

Ben Wade Ad in a Tinder Box catalog, courtesy Doug Valitchka

I quote the portion of the article that summarizes the history of the brand.

Young Copenhagen master pipemaker Preben Holm had made a meteoric career heading a pipe manufacture employing 45 people at the age of 22! But around the turn of 1970/71 he was in major financial difficulties. His US distributor, Snug Harbour Ltd. in New York City, left him in the lurch. Holm had three unpaid invoices on his desk and another large shipment was ready for the USA, when Snug Harbour’s manager told him on the phone that there was no money at all on the account to pay him.

So the Dane went to New York for an almost desperate search for a new distribution partner. He made contacts with Lane Ltd. and met Herman G. Lane in February 1971. Lane Ltd. had no interest in Holm’s serial pipes produced at that time but so much the more in the hand-carved freehands because the hype for Danish freehands and fancies in the States was still on its way to the climax then. The meeting resulted in an agreement to start a cooperation. Lane insisted to improve the quality considerably and in return he assured to be able to sell essentially larger quantities.

Holm went back home to work on new samples with all-new designs and altered finishes for Lane. Both, Lane and Holm, agreed that it would be unwise to sell the pipes under Preben Holm’s name as long as Snug Harbour had a considerable stock of Preben Holm pipes and might sell them pipes at very low prices just to bring in some money.

So, on Mr. Lane’s proposal it was determined to use the name Ben Wade belonging to Lane Ltd. Lane spent considerable amounts of money for advertising the new brand in the big magazines– the centerpiece being whole-page ads showing a very exclusive Seven Day’s Set.

The cooperation with Lane Ltd. proved to be an eminent business success for both partners. Within a very short time Ben Wade Handmade Denmark sold in much larger quantities and at higher prices than they had ever dreamed of. And the hype these freehands and fancy pipes caused went on unbroken long after Herman G. Lane deceased. Preben Holm – obviously much more brilliant in pipe making than in pipe business – was in major troubles again in 1986 and had to sack most of his staff. The Ben Wade production was significantly lowered but continued until his untimely death in June of 1989.

Up to now Preben Holm made Ben Wade pipes are cult and highly sought for on the estate markets.

With that information my initial thoughts were confirmed. This pipe was another Preben Holm made Freehand distributed in the US by Lane Ltd under the name Ben Wade. The freehand rage occurred in the late 70s and the pipes were made until Preben’s death in 1989. My guess would be that this pipe was made sometime during that time period and potentially in the late 70s.

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, shank brushes, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with undiluted 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 shank brushes, 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 some photos of the rim top and stem to show the condition of them both when it arrived. It looked good. There is some darkening and damage to the inner edge of the bowl. The stem had some deep tooth marks ahead of the button and on the button surface on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank to capture it. The was faint in spots but readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe.To begin my part of the restoration work I restained the plateau top and shank end with a Black Sharpie Pen. It is amazing how good the plateau looks once it is cleaned and stained.I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth. The bowl is starting to look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and into the plateau rim top and shank end with a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The stem was very clean so I filled in the tooth marks with clear super glue and set it aside to cure. Once it had cured I flattened out the repairs and sharpened the edge of the button with a needle file. I sanded out the tooth chatter with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and debris. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look very good.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Briarville’s No Oxy Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This is a beautiful Preben Holm made Ben Wade Golden Walnut with a fancy, turned, black vulcanite stem. It has a great look and feel. The shape fits well in the hand with the curve of the bowl and shank junction a perfect fit for the thumb around the bowl when held. I polished stem and the bowl with Blue Diamond polish on the buffing wheel. 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 rich combination of browns and black in the smooth finish and the plateau areas took on life with the buffing. The rich colour of the briar works well with the polished vulcanite stem. I like the grain and finished look of this Preben Holm Ben Wade Golden Walnut pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches wide x 2 inches long, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.40 ounces/ 69 grams. This Danish Freehand is a real beauty. 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 Pipemakers Section shortly if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for your time.

Restoring and Restemming a Clogged and Filthy Italian Lorenzetti Billiard

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by Steve Laug

A fellow in Victoria, Brian has had me work on a few of his pipes this past few months. The pipes are generally very dirty with plugged airways and a thick damp, tarry mess in the heel of each bowl. The airway in the shank was also clogged so there was no exchange of air going through the pipe. The pipe was stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Lorenzetti in script [over] Italy and on the right side it is stamped Augustus [over] Caesar. On the underside it is stamped 03. There is a thick cake in the bowl that is wet in the bottom 1/3 of the bowl. The rim top was quite clear of heavy lava. The finish on the bowl and shank has a thick peeling coat of varnish on the bowl that looks terrible. There is an acrylic shank end with an insert of briar between the acrylic pieces. The stem acrylic stem is a filter stem and the button end has a large chunk missing that is severely damaged. I will need to restem the pipe. But I have included photos of the pipe before I started working on it. I 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 thick lava overflow. The photos of the stem show the damage and broken part of the stem. It really is a mess and the acrylic is not repairable.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe without the stem to show the proportions of the bowl and stem. I also went through my stems and had a saddle stem that was made for a filter. I called Brian and asked if this would work for him and he was happy with the options. I wanted to gather some background information on the brand. I turned first to Pipephil’s site to see what I could learn (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l6.html). I was able to get a screen capture of information on the brand. I have included that below along with the sidebar info.Brand created 1934 by Otello Lorenzetti.Currently (2009) the company is managed by Alessandro Lorenzetti. Address: via A.Giunta, 51, 62019 Recanati (MC) – Italy.

I turned to Pipedia to gather more information on the brand. It gives some great history of how the brand developed (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzetti). I quote some portions of the article below. There was also a photo of the same pipe that I am working on the site. I have included that below.

Smooth Pot, courtesy SmokersHaven.com

Otello Lorenzetti, the founder of our manufacture, was born in Castelnuovo, Recanati in 1911. He is the fifth of five children from a modest, but enterprising family, in fact they own a tavern where the young Otello, already at the age of seven, actively collaborates. He goes on his own, with a small handcart, to S. Agostino di Recanati where he purchases fizzy drinks and other soft drinks and then resells them with his mother in their small family run tavern….

After the precocious interruption of his studies he begins to work as an employee at “Catena Remigio” an old pipe manufacture in Recanati. The grand personality of Otello, who is inclined to make any art a passion, does not delay in emerging. In 1934, after having concluded 18 months of military service in Cividale, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, he decides to work on his own pondering the first bases of the actual pipe manufacture, that, in this period, operates under the company name “Otello Lorenzetti.” At that time the capital of our actual company, that was and still is his house, was constituted by: “A few rented tools and my own hands” – as Otello himself tells us. The production consists of 20-30 pipes per day. Every morning, in company of his bicycle, he tries to sell them to the tobacco shops in the area or as he says the “neighbouring shops”. With only the strength of his legs he goes to Macerata, San Severino and Civitanova Marche. His pipes are appreciated, so much so that he decides to work more than 12 hours a day to be able to increase the production. This does not constitute a sacrifice for him as his neighbours remember hearing him tirelessly working and singing everyday.

Two brisk interruptions mark the history of our pipe manufacture: the first was in 1935 -in the summer of this year Otello was enrolled in the army and then left for “the African Campaign” from which he returned in January of 1937; the second was in October of 1940, other long months spent in the service of the Italian Army after which he returned home in 1943 the year of Armistice. In 1940 Otello got married to Marinella who became, other than his wife, a great and indispensable business collaborator.

In 1947 Otello succeeded in building, alone, machines the same as the ones he used to rent up until that moment. Many of the pieces most difficult to mould by hand were designed by him and were made in a craftsman workshop in Civitanova Marche. Production increased and permitted Otello and Marinella to buy a “Vespa” helping them to, a part from the province of Macerata, also reach Abruzzo in order to successfully sell their pipes.

The Sixties-Seventies bring on the beginning of exportation abroad (Europe, Africa, America). The company begins to expand, now a part from Marinella, with the help of their children Luciano, Gabriella, Alessandro and some employees. The production begins to perfect itself to the point of being appreciated in almost all the world and by one of the biggest and most famous pipe collectors of all times: our ex-president of the Republic Sandro Pertini.

I knew that I was dealing with a Lorezetti that was probably a recent manufacture. It had some great shape and form and should clean up well once I have the varnish coat removed. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and the 2nd and 3rd cutting heads to remove the heavy cake. I took it back to bare briar and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. It took some scrubbing to clear off the debris on the rim top and the surface of the bowl and shank. I rinsed the bowl off with warm water to remove the grime and debris along with the soap on the pipe. It looked much better. To begin the process of breaking through the peeling varnish coat I wiped the bowl and shank down with acetone on cotton pads. It broke through a lot of the varnish and I began to see what was underneath the varnish. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. By the final pad it was looking much better. I cleaned out the mortise and airway in the shank as well as the airway in the newly chosen stem with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. It was a dirty bowl and shank.I polished the bowl and the shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 git sanding pads. I wanted to make the new stain coat a bit more transparent. I wiped it down with a cloth and some Obsidian Oil. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem to reduce the diameter of the saddle portion and give it a slight slope or taper. I used my Dremel and sanding drum to start the process. I cleaned up the sanding marks from the Dremel with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I smoothed out the marks and the stem started to look better.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads to further smooth out the surface and remove the light residual oxidation. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the debris and further protect the stem.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 the finished Lorenzetti Italy Augustus Caesar Billiard with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches. I gave the bowl and the newly fit saddle stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and 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 smooth briar with the medium the brown stain wash works very well with the black stem. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. I have worked on several Lorenzetti’s over the years and I have always been impressed by his ability to a craft a comfortable and functional smoking pipe. It looks far better with the varnish coat removed. The beautiful Lorenzetti Augustus Caesar had the following dimensions. The Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 inches. The weight of the pipe is 51 grams/ 1.69 ounces. I have two more of Brian’s pipes to work on and then they will go back to him. This is an interesting group of three pipes to bring back to life.

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

Restoring a Bjarne Hand – Crafted Made in Denmark Freehand

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe came to us from an antique store in Vancouver, Washington, USA on 10/20/2022. It is mixed finish Freehand pipe that feels great in the hand. Even though it was dirty it had some charm showing through the grit and grime of the years. The grain on the smooth top half of the bowl and panel on the shank is quite nice. The sandblast is deep and revealing around the lower part of the bowl and shank. On the underside of the shank it was stamped Bjarne [over] Hand-Carved [over] Made in Denmark. The finish is filthy with dust and grit ground into the briar of the bowl and shank sides. The bowl had a thick cake and heavy overflow of lava on the plateau rim top and inner edge. The variegated brown acrylic stem dirty and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. The interior of the stem and shank were quite dirty with tars and oils. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show its overall condition before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the good the pipe bowl looked inside. The rim and the inner edge were heavily coated with thick lava. It still appeared to be in good condition under the lava coat. The photos show the contrast of the bowl’s general condition with the overall condition of the fancy acrylic saddle stem surface. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl and shank to give a picture of what the mixed finish of sandblast and smooth looked like on the bowl. The grit and grime on the finish is very obvious in the photos below. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl and shank to give a picture of what the mixed finish of sandblast and smooth looked like on the bowl. The grit and grime on the finish is very obvious in the photos below.I turned to my favourite go to sites on the background of brands. The first is Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-b5.html). There I looked up the Bjarne brand. I have copied the pertinent information below.

Bjarne Nielsen (1941 – † 2008) distributed his own “Bjarne” brand and pipes carved by Danish pipemakers (Mogens Johansen, Tonni Nielsen or Ph. Vigen). High grade pipes were stamped “Bjarne Nielsen” without any logo on the mouthpiece and graded A, B, C and D. Bjarne second brand: Viking.

I have included a screen capture of the section on the brand below. I turned to Pipedia and looked up the brand for a bit more information on the pipes that were stamped like the one that I am working on (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Bjarne). It is a great history of the brand and a good read. Toward the end of the article I found what I was looking for. I quote:

Among the pipemakers that worked for Bjarne were Johs (for the lower priced high volume pieces), and makers like Ph. Vigen, Ole Bandholm and Tonni Nielsen for high grade pieces. The cheaper line was stamped “Bjarne” while the highest grades were stamped “Bjarne Nielsen” (never with the pipemakers’ name) and graded, from highest to lowest, by the letters: AX, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J.

Now I knew that I was dealing with the cheaper line of pipe made by the company. It was stamped Bjarne while the higher grade pipes were stamped Bjarne Nielsen with a grade stamp. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife.  He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the debris on the plateau rim top and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I took photos of the pipe bowl once I received it. It really looked good.   The bowl looked very good though there was some darkening and damage on the plateau rim top. The inner and outer edges of the rim looked to be in good condition. The stem looks really quite good. There were some tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and read as noted above. I took the stem off the shank and took a picture of the pipe to give a sense of its overall look. It is going to be a great looking pipe once the restoration is finished.I decided to begin my work on the pipe by dealing with the darkening and damage to the plateau rim top. I worked it over with a brass bristle wire brush to knock off the grit in the grooves of the plateau and the dark coat on the high spots. When I was finished it looked a lot better than when I started. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the smooth surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips and into the plateau rim top, shank end and the sandblast finish with a shoe brush. The product works 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. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the issues with the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button with clear CA glue. I set it aside to cure. Once it cured, I flattened the repairs with two small files\. I smoothed out the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to further blend them into the surface of the stem. It was looking very good. I sanded the stem surface further with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to smooth out the repairs and blend them into the stem surface. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris and dust. It began to look very good.The stamping on the left side of the saddle stem was faint but I touched up what remained with white acrylic fingernail polish. I used a tooth pick to work it into the stamp. I sanded it with a worn 1500 grit sanding pad and buffed it with a soft cloth.I polished the scratches out of the 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 smooth finished Bjarne Hand-Carved Mixed Finish Freehand is a great looking pipe. It is a pipe made in Denmark. The fancy, saddle brown variegated acrylic stem works well and goes nicely with the browns of briar. I put the stem back on the bowl and 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 Bjarne Plateau Rim top Freehand fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 49 grams/1.73 ounces. I will be adding it to the rebornpipes store shortly in the Danish Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restemming and Restoring a Savinelli Extra Lumberman

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by Steve Laug

My brother and I have picked up a lot of bowl without stems over the years and boxed them for potential restemming at a later date. Unfortunately, we did not record where we picked them up. This one was a long shanked Canadian. Jeff had reamed and cleaned the pipe before we boxed it so it was clean, just needing finishing and restemming. It spots of rustication around the bowl sides and the shank. There was also a joint mid shank that was “hidden” under the rustication. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the bowl and shank and read Savinelli [over] Extra on the bowl heel [followed by] LUMBERMAN [followed by] Italy. The briar was clean and the rustications were also clean. The rim top had damage on the bevelled inner edge and some darkening on both. The joint of the two parts was well done and the rustication did a great job hiding it. There is a silver band on the shank is a repair band I believe that was added after carving. It is stamped with an arched Sterling Silver on the topside. I took some photos of the bowl before I started working on it. I took photos of the rim top and inner edge to show the condition of the bowl and rim. I also took photos of the junction of the two parts of the shank. Note the condition of the union of the two parts of the long shank. It is very well done and the connection is clean and undamaged.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. I did a google search on a Savinelli Extra Lumberman and found one on MBSD’s Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/p/DBu1kPTPCFF/). I captured one of the photos from the site and also the pertinent descriptive information that was in the side bar for the pipe.….…This is an interesting Savinelli. Though technically a Canadian, this extra long Lumberman model is not one you’ll find on Savinelli’s contemporary shape chart. In fact, I think this is a shape from before 1970 and the advent of the chart that Savinelli uses as standard today. It also features something that Savinelli has not done for a long time: spot carving. I.e., partial rustication, which lends the pipe a slightly rugged look, juxtaposed nicely with its virgin blonde stain. Finally, the pipe has vulcanite stem, which is also not very common on Savinellis anymore.

Now it was time to restem the pipe. I went through my can of stems to find a stem that would fit this pipe both in terms of the airway and the shank fit. I found a nice taper stem that would work well with this long shank Canadian. With a bit of work it would fit very well. It was close to a fit so I used a Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the tenon for a shank fit. I adjusted it further with some small flat files. Once I completed the clean up of the tenon I fit it in the shank on the pipe and took photos of the pipe at this point in the process. I still needed to adjust the width of the stem at the shank as well as the overall shape to match the shank end.I used 220 grit sandpaper to shape and adjust the stem to match the shank end. It took a lot of sanding and shaping but it began to look very good.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad to check the progress of the fit to the shank. It began to look very good.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 set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I used a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and a half sphere to work over the inner bevelled edge on the bowl. Then I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the inner edge some more. It started to look very good at this point. I sanded the briar with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to smooth out the scratching in the surface. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I worked over the inner and outer edge of the rim as well. After each pad I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It really took on a shine by the last three sanding pads. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a shoe brush to get into the carving on the bowl and shank. The product works 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 silver band on the shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a jeweller’s cloth to remove the debris and to polish the silver and remove the oxidation and prevent more from developing. I am excited to finish restemming and restoring this Savinellil Extra Lumberman. 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 with just a few small flaws in the briar. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This smooth Savinelli Extra Lumberman with spot rustications 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: 7 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.55 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will soon be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes by Italian Pipe Making Companies Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know.

Remember we are the next in a long line of pipe men and women who will carry on the trust of our pipes until we pass them on to the next trustee. Thanks for your time reading this blog.

Breathing Fresh Life into a Sasieni Four-Dot Rustic “Buckingham” England Rusticated Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on was purchased on 08/24/2024 from a seller in Wheeler, Oregon, USA. It is a nice looking rusticated Billiard with 4 light blue or white dots on the left side of the taper stem. It was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Sasieni in script with the tail of the “i” short and tight. Underneath that it was stamped FOUR DOT RUSTIC in block letters [over] “Buckingham”. Next to the bowl shank junction it was stamped Made in England shaped like a football vertically. The rusticated finish was very dirty with dust and debris in the grooves of the rustication. The bowl had a thick cake in it with lava overflow into the rustication on the rim top. It was an incredibly dirty pipe. The stem was oxidized and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button The 4 light blue/white dots on the left side of the taper stem were in good condition and very light in colour. Jeff took these photos of the pipe before he started the clean up work on it. Jeff took close up photos so that I could have a clearer picture of the condition of the bowl and rim edges and top. The rim top photos confirm my assessment above. The cake in the bowl is quite thick and the rim top has a coat of lava and debris on it that will need to come off. You can also see the lava on the inner edge of the rim. You can also see the condition of the inner and outer edges of the rim and down the outside of the bowl. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. The bowl appears to be still round. His photos of the stem surface confirmed and heightened my assessment of the condition. You can see the oxidation, calcification and tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button. From the photos you can see the light blue four dot diamond the top of the taper stem they are in good condition. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the rustication patterns in the briar. It is a unique finish and in places the grain can be seen through the finish. He took a photo of the stamping on the smooth panel on the underside of the shank to capture what was stamped there. It is faint in spots but readable as noted above. I decided to do some work on the stamping of this pipe to get an idea of the time period it was carved. I turned first to Pipephil’s site to see what I could learn (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-sasieni.html). I found a pipe that was stamped the same way as the one I am working on. I is stamped on the underside of the shank like the one in the screen capture photo below. Mine is stamped the same way Sasieni in script without the fish tail. Underneath it is stamped FOUR DOT [over] “Buckingham”. To the left it is stamped with a football shaped Made in England stamp. I included the side bar notes below the picture. Pre-transition, 1946 – 1979. Four Dot Rustic: Name for a rusticated finish. One star near “Four”.

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

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

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

In reading the history of the brand on the page I also read through the various photos and brochures that were included in the article. I found a photo of a page from a catalogue describing the rustic briar that I have included below. The rustication pattern is very similar to that on the pipe one that I have here. It is interesting to read the descriptions on the page both of the rustication and the patent. The pipe on the table has the stinger apparatus, or Patented Extension, shown in the second paragraph and photo in the flyer belowNow that I knew the approximate dating of the pipe that I had in hand it was time to work on it.

Now that I was reminded of the history and background of the Sasieni Four Dot “Rustic” it was time to work on the pipe on my end. When I received it, Jeff had once again done an amazing job cleaning the pipe. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, shank brushes and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with Soft Scrub and soaked in Before & After Deoxidizer. It came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took photos of the rim top and the top and underside of the stem. You can see the clean bowl and rim top. The stem has light tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button. It is dirty but otherwise great. It is a nice looking pipe.The next photo shows the stamping on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank. It is faint in places but is still readable as noted above. I also took a photo of the four dots on the side of the stem. They appear white in the photo but may have a faint tinge of blue. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the overall look of the pipe. It is really a nicely looking pipe that will look great once it is cleaned up.I used a brass bristle wire brush to clean up the rim top. The rustication patterns on the surface came back to life with the brushing. The bevelled inner edge looked surprisingly good. I touched up the nicks and light spots on the top and the edges of the bowl with a walnut stain pen. The match was perfect and looked great with the other parts of the rusticated finish.I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the nooks and crannies of the rusticated finish, enliven and protect the briar. I hand rubbed it with my fingers and worked it into the deep rustication with a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit for 15 minutes to let it do its work. I wiped it off with a soft cloth. I buffed the bowl with a cotton cloth. It really began to have a deep shine in the briar. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem surface ahead of the button with 220 grit sandpaper to remove all of the tooth marks and chatter and smooth out the surface.I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2 x 2 inch sanding pads. After each pad I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the debris. It was looking very good.To polish the stem and repairs I use micromesh sanding pads and water to dry sand the stem with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pad as I find it does two things – first it protects the vulcanite and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. After finishing with the micromesh pads I rub the stem down with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the extra fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection from oxidizing quickly. This is another pipe I am excited to finish. It is a Sasieni Four Dot Rustic “Buckingham” Billiard. I put the pipe back together and buffed it lightly 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 polished vulcanite stem. It really was a beautiful pipe. The rusticated surface is quite unique and there is grain shining through the rich browns/black stain on the finish of this Sasieni Four Dot Rustic Billiard. It is nice looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.73 ounces/49 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be going on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

You Got to Love these Peterson’s Republic Era K&P Irish Made 101 Billiards

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by Steve Laug

This great looking Billiard pipe was purchased on 04/11/2024 from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and clearly reads K&P [over] Irish Made. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland [three lines]. The shape number 101 is stamped to the right of that next to the bowl/shank junction. The nickel ferrule is stamped K&P [over] Petersons. The bowl had a cake on the walls and fortunately little overflow of lava onto the rim top and edges. The inner edge had some damage and darkening. The smooth finish is dirty with debris and oils. The vulcanite taper, fishtail stem has no stamp or logo on it. It was lightly oxidized and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. It was a beautiful looking pipe even through the grime in the finish. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started cleaning it up. Have a look.Jeff took close up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition of the bowl and the rim top. In the close up you can see the light lava on the rim top, inner edge and the cake in the bowl. The damage on the rim top and the inner edge is also visible. He also took close up photos of the stem to show its condition as mentioned above. He also took photos of the tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem. He took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain around the bowl. The grain is quite nice even through the grime. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. The stamping on the nickel ferrule is also clear.I did not have a lot of back story on the Irish Made pipes so I turned to Peterson’s website to see what I could find out about the line specifically(https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/classic/irish-made-army/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_id=991). Turns out the Irish Made Army pipes were a series of pipes. The information was quite helpful and I have included it below.

About The Series

Since the 19th century, we’ve made army mounted pipes, defined by their inclusion of a sturdy mount reinforcing the shank and a push-style tenon that can be removed easily from the shank, without risking damage to the pipe. Our entry-level, Irish Made Army line is one of our oldest and most popular within that style, featuring nickel army mounts and reserved walnut finishes. Merging utilitarian design with practical grace, it’s available in a variety of classic, non-System shapes, including straight designs.

From there I turned to Mark Irwin’s Petersonpipenotes blog to see if he had specifically worked on or noted this line (https://petersonpipenotes.org/tag/peterson-kp-irish-army/). He had and I quote a short section below from the site.

The “K&P” in “K&P over IRISH MADE” is actually part of the line’s name, which most people don’t know, and understandably so. The non-System army-mount Peterson dates from the 1906 catalog and has been issued in several line names. It is currently enjoying a huge vogue, with Peterson releasing two or three new army-mount lines every season.

Armed with the information above, I turned my attention to the pipe itself. Jeff had cleaned the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness that I really appreciate. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals with alcohol, pipe cleaners, shank brushes 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 the lava on the rim top. The finish looks very good with good looking grain around the bowl and shank. Jeff soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation on the rubber. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver for the second stop of its restoration tour it looked very good. I took photos before I started my part of the work. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge clearly show the damage. The stem was clean and showed the light tooth marks and chatter.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is very clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. I started working on the damaged rim top and burn damaged areas on the inner edge of the rim first. I used 220 grit sandpaper and a wooden sphere to clean up the edge. It looked significantly better. I will sand it with sanding pads when I work on the bowl and shank.I sanded the bowl and shank with 320-3550 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to smooth out the scratches on the rim top and sides of the bowl. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I sanded the exterior of the bowl with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with each pad and wiped the briar down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl and shank for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I sanded out the tooth marks and chatter with 220 grit sandpaper and was able to remove all of them.I continued sanding the stem 320-3500 grit sanding pads – dry sanding with 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It began to take on a rich shine by the final pad. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. Once again, I wiped it down between each pad with Obsidian Oil. I further polished it with Before and After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. It looked very good. I am excited to finish this beautifully grained, Peterson’s Irish Made army 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. The straight Pot looks great with the black vulcanite saddle stem. This smooth Classic Peterson’s Irish Made Army 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 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 39 grams/1.41 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It is a real beauty. Thanks for walking through the restoration as I brought the pipe back to life.

New Life for a Republic Era Peterson’s Kapet 606S Pot with a Saddle Stem

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by Steve Laug

This beautifully grained briar pipe was purchased on 08/27/2024 from an auction on eBay from a seller in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and clearly reads Peterson’s [over] Kapet. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland [three lines]. The shape number 606S is stamped to the right of that next to the bowl/shank junction. I believe the 606 is the shape number for a Pot and the S is for the saddle stem. The bowl had a thick cake on the walls and fortunately little overflow of lava onto the rim top and edges. The smooth finish is dirty with debris and oils. The vulcanite saddle stem has a “P” stamped on the left side of the saddle. It was oxidized, calcified and has tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. It was a beautiful looking pipe even through the grime in the finish. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started cleaning it up. Have a look. Jeff took close up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition of the bowl and the rim top. You can also see the light lava on the rim top, inner edge and the cake in the bowl. He also took close up photos of the stem to show its condition as mentioned above. He also took photos of the tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem. He took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the grain around the bowl. The grain is birdseye and mixed. Jeff also took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is faint in spots but readable as noted above. He also captured the condition of the P stamp on the stem side. 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). There was a short note toward the bottom of the page about the series. It is definitely referring to the newer line that came out later. I quote:

I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson) to first pin down a date that the pipe was made. I knew that the Made in Ireland stamp would give me that. I quote:

As usual when trying to get accurate facts in regard to Peterson history, something will jump up and get in the way. They are missing many of their records. The following is the best that we can do for a guide to the myriad markings during the period 1922 – 1949. Prior to 1920 it was rare for a country of origin to be stamped on the pipe, just Peterson’s Dublin on the band. After 1921/22, if it is stamped “MADE IN IRELAND” and the “Made in” is stacked over “Ireland” or “MADE IN EIRE” or several other forms, it was made between 1922 and 1938. A considerable number of Peterson pipes were stamped “Irish Free State”. From about 1930 to 1949, most of the pipes (those which were stamped) were stamped “Made in Ireland”.” If the stamp reads “MADE IN IRELAND” in a circle, the pipe was made between 1939 and 1948. These are all “Pre-Republic” pipes. I can tell you that the mark “Irish Free State” was adopted in 1922; and replaced by “Eire” in 1937 and then by “Republic of Ireland” in 1949.

That gave me a date for the pipe – it was made after 1949 as can be proved by the Made in the Republic of Ireland stamp on the right side of the shank.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Kapet Line. On page 305 it had the following information.

Kapet (1925-87) Line first described in 1925 brochure and featured in occasional catalogs through 1987. Early specimens will be stamped IRISH over FREE STATE. Described in 1937 catalog as available in dark plum or natural finish. Featured an aluminum “inner tube” or stinger until 1945.  Mid-century specimens may be stamped Made In over Ireland. Specimens from 1970 on may have mounts with hallmarks.

Judging from the Made in the Republic of Ireland stamp, the pipe I am working on is probably made after 1945 when the stinger or inner tube was removed. Those dates work also for the Kapet information above. The stem has the original P stamp on the saddle side and no stinger.

Armed with the information above, I turned my attention to the pipe itself. Jeff had cleaned the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness that I really appreciate. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals with alcohol, pipe cleaners, shank brushes 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 the lava on the rim top. The finish looks very good with good looking grain around the bowl and shank. Jeff soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation on the rubber. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver for the second stop of its restoration tour it looked very good. I took photos before I started my part of the work. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the rim top and the inner edge look beautiful. The stem was clean and did not show either tooth marks or chatter.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is very clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. I started working on the damaged rim top and burn damaged areas on the inner edge of the rim first. I used 220 grit sandpaper and a wooden sphere to clean up the edge. It looked significantly better. I will sand it with sanding pads when I work on the bowl and shank.I sanded the bowl and shank with 320-3550 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to smooth out the scratches on the rim top and sides of the bowl. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I sanded the exterior of the bowl with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with each pad and wiped the briar down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding- debris. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl and shank for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the surface with the flame of a lighter to try and lift the tooth marks. I was able to lift some of them but those that remained I filled in with black, rubberized CA glue. Once the repairs cured I used a small file to flatten them and start blending them into the surface. I finished the cleanup with 220 grit sandpaper. It looked smooth. I touched up the “P” stamp on the left side of the saddle with some white acrylic nail polish. I let it cure then scraped off the excess and sanded the remnant off with a 1500 grit sanding pad.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. Once again, I wiped it down between each pad with Obsidian Oil. I further polished it with Before and After Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. It looked very good. I am excited to finish this beautifully grained, Peterson’s Kapet 606S Saddle Stem Pot. 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. The straight Pot looks great with the black vulcanite saddle stem. This smooth Classic Peterson’s Kapet 606S Pot is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ 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 39 grams/1.34 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It is a real beauty. Thanks for walking through the restoration as I brought the pipe back to life.`

A Well Smoked  Pioneer Black Block Meerschaum Bent Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table to refresh and refurbish is an interesting looking Bent Billiard that turns out to be rusticated black meerschaum. It has an acrylic shank extension that has the Pioneer “P” stamp on the left side. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Block [over] Meerschaum. I have no memory of when we bought it or who we purchased it from. It has been here a long time. The bowl has a light cake on the sides and some lava build up in the rustication of the rim top. The finish on the bowl and shank are very dusty with a lot of debris and dirt in the rusticated valleys of the pipe. The shank extension is black acrylic with the clear P stamp on the left side as noted above. The pipe smells dirty and musty from sitting. The fancy turned vulcanite stem is oxidized and there is light tooth chatter or marks on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my refurbishing work. I took some photos of the rim top and bowl. You can see the lava and debris on the rim top and the tobacco debris and cake in the bowl. The stem photos show the oxidation in the vulcanite and light tooth marks and chatter.I took photos of the stamping on the shank and the extension. The left side of the extension has a clear “P” stamp that is the log for Pioneer Pipes. The right side of the shank is stamped Block Meerschaum. I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe. It really is a nice looking pipe. To me the pipe looked a lot like many of the black or dark meerschaum pipes that I have worked on from the Isle of Man made by Manxman or Laxley Pipe Company. Yet the stamping was clearly a Pioneer Pipes Co. pipe with the stylized “P” logo on the shank extension. I wanted to see if there was a connection between the two companies so I turned to my normal two sources to see what I could learn. I went first to Pipephil (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-p3.html). I have included a screen capture of the information there as well as further info from the sidebar.Probably a brand of Pioneer Pipes Co., a Meerschaum and Meerschaum lined pipes manufacturer and distributor. Address (about 1960): 1817 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn 27, N.Y. Pioneer also used to import meerschaum pipes from the MANXMAN PIPES Ltd factory (Isle of Man, UK) as shown by the markings of this pipe. (See “Man“). Wilczak & Colwell, op. cit. mention pipes with this label from Duncan Briars Ltd, Oppenheimer Pipes or Delacour Brothers.

There was the link I was looking for – Pioneer Pipes Co. used to import Manxman Pipes from the Isle of Man. My eye had not failed me and I am sure this is one of those imported pipes.

I turned then to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer) to see what else I could find out about the brand. Unfortunately, the site did not have very much information. I quote below what was on the site.

Pioneer Pipe Company was owned by Wally Frank, who trademarked the name Pioneer in 1940. At the time of the application the name was alleged to have been used in commerce in 1925. The company listed its location at 1817 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Pioneer sold Turkish and later African meerschaum through the Wally Frank, Ltd. Catalogs and elsewhere.

There were also and example of one of their meerschaum pipe and a page of a pamphlet shown on the site. Both of these come to Pipedia by the courtesy Doug Valitchka. Now I knew what I was working on with this pipe. It was an imported Manxman pipe probably distributed by Wally Frank through their catalogue sales. It was likely African block meerschaum from Tanganyika or nearby that had been fashioned by the Isle of Man company for Pioneer. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I started my work on the bowl by reaming the thick cake out of the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer and the 2nd and 3rd cutting heads to take back the cake to the walls of the bowl. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished it looked very good. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and mortise as well as in the new stem with pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular). It was much better.I scrubbed the meerschaum with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish of the bowl and shank. I rinsed it with warm water to remove the soap and the grime in the finish. I touched up the areas on the rim top where the stain was worn and damaged. I used a Black Stain Pen to restain them and blend them into the surrounding surface of the rustication.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the rusticated meerschaum with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I find that the balm really makes the bowl come alive again. The contrasts in the rusticated surface give the pipe a sense of depth. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The bowl really looks good at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I scrubbed it down with cotton pads and Soft Scrub Cleanser and was able to remove the oxidation. It looked better once I finished with the cleanser. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to break up the oxidation. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil Cloth. I continued sanding the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a damp pad to remove the debris. By the end it was quite shiny and ready for polishing.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. I polished it further with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both fine and extra fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. With a refurbishing the final moment when all the pieces come back together is the tell all! I put the pipe back together and buffed the meerschaum bowl with a shoe brush and the stem with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the meerschaum several coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed those parts with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the black fancy vulcanite stem. This Rusticated Pioneer Black Meerschaum Bent Billiard is light weight and it is ready for you to load up a tobacco of preference and enjoy breaking it in for yourself. Have a look at it in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 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 51 grams/1.83 ounces. This is one that will go on the Ceramic and Meerschaum Pipes Section of the rebornpipes online store shortly. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Bringing Dad’s Two Pipes – Second Pipe the Medico Gold Crest Back to Life for his Daughter.

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by Steve Laug

At the end of last week, I received an email from Terrica in Florida regarding some pipes that she wanted me to clean up for her. I have included her first email below:

I would like to send my deceased father’s old tobacco pipes for cleaning. I will not be using the pipes but would like to get them cleaned up so I can keep them on display.

I wrote back asking what the pipes looked like in terms of condition. I also wanted to know her general wishes on the clean up and how far she wanted me to go with it. She responded as follows and sent photos of the two pipes that I have included below.

Thank you very much for responding. As you can see, these are very inexpensive pipes. My deceased dad likely purchased them at a local drugstore. I have no doubt that they have never been cleaned.

I will never be using them, but I would at least like them presentable. Thank you very much, Terrica

I took a look at the photos and was able to discern that the top pipe was a Medico Gold Crest Pot shaped pipe that had a thick cake in the bowl and was very dirty with grime ground into the finish. The stem, other than being very dirty did not have deep tooth marks. There was tooth chatter and grime on the vulcanite filter stem that would need to be cleaned up and removed. The second pipe was stamped Venturi and was made out of a resin that was used in The Pipe, The Smoke and the Venturi. This was a bent Billiard. It was dirty and had a cake in the bowl. The stem was also very dirty and had some tooth chatter on the surface.I chose to work on the Medico Gold Crest next. The finish was dirty and there were nicks around the outer edge of the rim top. The inwardly bevelled rim top was very dirty with a thick lava build up and there was a thick cake in the bowl. The stamping on the left side of the shank was clear but had a lot of dust in the stamping. It read as noted above – Medico [over] Gold Crest [over] Imported Briar. On the right side of the shank it is stamped 149 (shape number). There is a 14K gold plated band on the shank that is stamped Medico [over] 1/30 14K RGP. The “1/30 14K RGP” likely refers to the gold content of the band, indicating it is a 14K gold rolled gold plate. The stem appears to be a Medico synthetic rather than rubber but I am not sure. There surface as dirty and had some build up ahead of the button on both sides. There was some tooth chatter on both sides ahead of the button edge. The pipe smelled of the tobacco that had obviously been smoked in it. The style of the build up/cake make me think of a drug store tobacco of the style of Prince Albert or Sir Walter Raleigh. I will certainly l know more once work on the second pipe. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the cake in the bowl and the thick overflow of lava on the rim top. The photos of the stem show the tooth marks and chatter on the top and the underside of the stem.I took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank to capture it. The left side read as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the look of the pipe. I paused in the restoration to gather backgound on the brand. I turned first to Pipephil’s site to see what I could learn (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-medico.html). I have included a screen capture of the section on the Gold Crest. The stamping shown in the capture below is identical to the one that I am working on.From there I turned to Pipedia to see if I could gather more information on the brand as a whole and specifically the Gold Crest Line (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Medico). I quote below:

Medico was created in 1933, and is still produced by S.M. Frank. The brand is famous for its pipe filters, which were launched in the same year. Since 1966, some models have been made in Brylon, a synthetic material, and others in briar. The brand was also sold by the English company Cadogan and Oppenheimer Pipe. Symbol: M inside a shield, although early pipes, like the example bellow, had a + sign, like a Medic would have on their sleeve.

I have also included some of the advertising flyers that were on the site as well. They give a sense of the pipe’s look and feel and the old descriptions are great to read. Now it was time to turn my attention to the pipe itself. I started my work on it by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer. I used the first cutting head and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and removed all the remnants of the cake. I scraped the rim top with the flat edge of the blade at the same time and removed most of the thick lava build up. I sanded the walls of the bowl with a piece of dowel wrapped in 220 grit sandpaper. The walls look very good at his point in the process. I cleaned out the shank, the airway and the mortise as well as the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, hard bristle and soft bristle pipe cleaners. It was a very dirty pipe which just meant that it had really been enjoyed by the previous pipe man.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the lava on the rim top and overflow on the outside of the bowl with the soap. I rinsed the briar with warm water to remove the grime and debris of the scrubbing. It looked significantly better after the scrubbing. Once I cleaned the bowl with the soap it looked much better. I wiped the bowl down with acetone on cotton pads to remove the spotty varnish coat on the bowl and to break up the darkening on the top of the rim. I worked over the darkening on the back topside and inner edge of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper. It took a lot of elbow grease but it was getting better with each piece of sandpaper. I sanded the briar further with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. It began to look very good. I polished the briar bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with an olive oil cloth. By the final sanding pad the bowl had taken on a significant shine. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the briar bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar and gives the briar a rich shine. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the surface. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The bowl began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the clean and polished bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem smooth with 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the marks and chatter. It was smooth and all that remained was to polish it.I wiped the stem down with olive oil and sanded the surface with the 2 x 2-inch sanding pads – 320-3500 grit pads to clean up the sanding marks on the stem surface. I wiped it down after each sanding pad and by the final 3500 grit pad the stem started to really shine.I touched up the faint M shield on the left side of the stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I worked it into the stamping with a tooth pick. I buffed it off with a paper towel and wiped the stem down with some Obsidian Oil. It is faint in spots but looks very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I gave the stem a final polish with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish both Fine and Extra Fine. I rubbed the stem with them and then gave them a final coat of Obsidian Oil. I set it aside to dry. I fit the metal tenon with a new Medico Paper Filter. Even though the pipe probably would not be smoked I thought it was important to put it together the way it was originally.I am excited to finish this Medico Gold Crest Gold Banded Pot with a saddle stem. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and then by hand with a microfibre cloth to deepen it. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. This Medico Gold Crest Pot is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 43 grams/1.52 ounces. This second and last of Terrica’s Dad’s pipes is a real beauty. I will be packing the pair up and sending them back to her later this week. I look forward to hearing what she thinks of both of these resurrected beauties. Both should be great memories of her late Dad.

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.