Tag Archives: fitting a new stem on the shank

Rebirthing a French made DM over UNIC Algerian Briar Panel Sitter

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on was an interesting octagonal Panel. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Saint Cloud, Florida, USA on o4/12/2024. The finish was very dirty but some great mixed grain stood out around the bowl and the shank. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads either DN or PM horizontally and vertically it is stamped UNIC. I have never heard of the brand at this point. Below these stamps it is stamped Algerian Briar [over] France. There was also a faint DN or PM in an oval stamped on the side of the saddle stem. The bowl had a moderate cake with some light lava overflow and scratching on the rim top.  The shape is almost a Skater but the Octagonal panels take away the shape point of the nose on the heel of the bowl. It had a vulcanite push saddle stem. The stem was oxidized and it was rough to touch. There were also some gouges in the top near the saddle that looked like marks from pliers and tooth marks and chatter. The worst part was that there was large chip from the button forward on the underside of the stem that gave me pause and made me think it would need to be restemmed. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the cake in the bowl and the darkening, scratches and light lava coat on the inner edge and rim top. He also took photos of the stem. It is dirty and has a large chunk out of the underside of the stem from the button forward. Jeff took some photos of the sides of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos show the smooth finish on sides and heel of the bowl and shank, highlighting grain. Under the dust it was some great looking briar on the panel sides of the octagonal bowl. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The DM or PM stamp over UNIC does not ring any bells with me in terms of the maker. Any help would be greatly appreciated…Jeff did a thorough clean up on the pipe before he sent the box to me. He reamed the bowl 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. It was smooth and in great condition. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners, 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 undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush at the same time as the bowl. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. Once it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. The damage on the stem underside was clearly visible. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took close-up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition after cleaning. It looked great. I also took photos of the stem surface to show the condition of the stem and the large chip on the underside. I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. I also took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to give a sense of size and perspective.I sanded the rim top and sides of the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the debris. I polished the smooth side of the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. It really began to take on a real shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the smooth briar with my finger. I let it sit on the bowl 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 wood while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. Now I had a decision to make regarding the stem. I could try a repair on the huge chip but I was uncertain how well it would hold up. I could try though. I could also fit a new stem on the pipe. I could not find any stem that was similar but I found one that would give the pipe a jaunty look. Here is a photo of the two stems. I decided to fit the new stem to the shank just to have a look at its appearance. I really wanted to know if the stem would work and what the pipe would look like with the stem. The pipe almost has the appearance of an interesting cross between a French and a Danish pipe.I sanded the casting marks and marks on the new stem with 220 grit sandpaper and files to clean it up and make it look fitting. The change of appearance was quite different. I am excited to see how the finished stem looks on the bowl.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 heated the stem with the flame of a lighter and then bent it over the curve of the lighter. The bend was perfect and once polished I looked forward to see what it would look like on the finished pipe.I polished it 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 buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect it. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it looks better than when we picked it up. As always, I put the new stem on the DM UNIC Algerian Briar France and buffed it with Blue Diamond 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 and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished All Briar stem. This DM Algerian Briar French Octagonal Panel is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.29 ounces/65 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by French Pipe Makers. 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.

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.

Repairing and Restemming a Big Ben Lectura 420 pipe

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Blog by Steve Laug

Last week I received and email from Dayton regarding a pipe he was seeking to have repaired. He was referred to me by our local pipe and cigar shop called City Cigar. He wrote the following email regarding the pipe.

Hey Steve my name is Dayton. I got your information from City Cigar, they said you’d be able to help with a pipe stem repair? If so I’d really appreciate it. Does email work or would you prefer text!

Thanks again – Dayton Lewis.

He wrote that it needed to have a stem repair done on the pipe. Before I take on work I always ask for photos or at least a photo to show me what needed to be done or at least the damage to the pipe. I wrote back and asked for a photo of the pipe that showed what needed to be repaired. He sent the photo below. You can see the nicely grained bowl on the pipe and the stem with the snapped tenon. The tenon included a metal stinger apparatus. It appeared to me that the break had occurred at the internal end of the inserted portion of the stinger. We talked about a price and he dropped the pipe off for repair yesterday evening.I brought the pipe and stem along with the broken parts in the bag he dropped off to the work table last evening. I examined the pipe carefully to see what I was dealing with in terms of a repair. I like to know the details about the pipes I work on. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Big Ben [over] Lectura. On the right side of the shank it was stamped with the shape number 420 [over] Made in Holland. The finish on the bowl was in good condition. The bowl had a thin cake inside and a light overflow of lava on the rim top. Overall the pipe was quite clean. With a repair on the stem the pipe would be in good condition to keep providing a great smoke to Dayton. I took photos of the pipe when I received it. In the photos above don’t miss condition of the bowl and the shank. The pipe looks quite clean and should polish up well. I examined the bowl and shank for damage that might have occurred when the tenon snapped. I have learned over the years to examine it carefully with a bright light and a lens. In this case I found there was a hairline crack on the lower right side of the shank just below the stamping Made in Holland. It extends from the shank end about a half inch up the shank dipping to mid-underside. I have inserted a red arrow in the second and third  photos below to show that location of the crack. I wrote to Dayton and told him about my recommendations for a thin band to repair the cracked shank. I am waiting to hear from him. I repaired the crack with a spot of clear CA glue and then pressed the thin brass band on to the shank end and it drew the parts of the crack together. Now on to the stem repairs my first thoughts were that I would insert a replacement tenon in the drilled-out air way in the stem. I examined the stem diameter and found that it was too thin to drill out. The tenon was quite large in diameter and it would not leave much on the stem if I were to drill it out. I decided to rather find a replacement stem for the pipe. I went through my stems and found one that was the same length, similar diameter and had a solid vulcanite tenon that would need slight adjustment to fit in the shank.I worked on the diameter of the tenon on the new stem with a file/rasp and removed enough to get a close fit. I used 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it out and bring it to round and get the fit what I needed. I also used the file and the sandpaper to reduce the diameter of the stem itself to get a clean fit against the shank end.I fit the stem on the shank and took photos of the fit. The stem looks perfect against the shank end. It is a snug fit and looks very good with the thin brass band.I sanded the stem with the 2 inch square 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the stem after each sanding pad. I was able to remove the tooth marks and chatter on both sides with the pads. The stem looked very good. I wiped the stem down with some Obsidian Oil on a cloth to remove the debris from sanding. It was looking much better.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry.  I polished it further with Before & After Pipe Polish – using both the Fine and Extra Fine Polishes. I gave it a rubdown with Obsidian Oil one last time and set it aside. I put the Big Ben Lectura 420 back together and worked the pipe over on the buffing wheel using Blue Diamond to lightly polish the stem. I buffed the bowl and stem to raise the gloss on the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the pipe multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Ben Ben Lectura is shown in the photos below. The medium brown stains on the smooth Billiard shaped bowl works well with the rich black of the vulcanite stem. The dimensions of the pipe are: Length: 7 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside Diameter: 1 inch, Diameter of the chamber: 3/4 inches. The weight of the pipe is .71 ounces/21 grams. This is an interesting piece of briar, cross grain and mixed grain on the bowl and shank. The patterns on the sides are a real mix. I really like how the briar, the thin brass band and the vulcanite work well together. This one will soon be going back to Dayton once I contact him. Thanks for walking with me through the restoration process.