Tag Archives: fitting a stem

New Life for a Beautiful Ben Wade Royal Grain Freehand Hand Made in Denmark

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is another pipe that was a beautiful freehand briar pipe. It came to us on 05/08/2024 from a seller in Santa Cruz, California, USA. The briar is a piece of smooth briar with a spot of plateau on the shank end. The rim top is smooth and the shank end included both smooth and plateau on the end of the shank. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Ben Wade in script [over] Royal Grain [over] Hand Made [over] in [over] Denmark. The smooth finish was very dirty and had oils and grime ground into the briar. There was a thick cake in the bowl and lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The stem was oxidized and had deep teeth marks on the top and the bottom of the stem near the button edge. Jeff took photos to below show what the pipe looked like when he received it. Jeff took photos of the bowl, rim top and the stem to show the condition of the pipe when we received it. You can see the cake in the bowl and the lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The stem was dirty and had chatter and tooth marks on both sides near the button. He took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to give an idea of the shape and the condition of the briar around the bowl. It really is a nicely shaped pipe that has the classic look of a Freehand carved by Preben Holm. The next photo Jeff took shows the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above.I turned to PipePhil’s site and went through the listings under Preben Holm and Ben Wade. There was nothing in either section that had information on the Royal Grain stamping. So the mystery remained. I turned to Pipedia to see if there was anything listed with the Royal Grain stamp (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade#Ben_Wade_turns_Danish). There was nothing listed on the stamping in the text of the article. However, I did find a photo of the shank stamp and one of a freehand pipe with that stamping. It is a beautiful smooth freehand and like the one I am working on. Now it was time to work on the pipe. Jeff had cleaned up the pipe following his normal cleaning process. In short, he reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the lava and debris on the plateau rim top and shank end 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove the debris and oils on the stem. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer to remove the remaining oxidation. He rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It looked much better at this point. I took close up photos of the stem and the rim top to show both how clean they were and what needed to be addressed with both. The rim top and bowl look good. The stem looked better and the tooth marks and chatter were still present. I would need to remove those to bring the stem back.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the bowl and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the beauty of the pipe. I started my work on the pipe by sanding the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit 2 x2 inch sanding pad. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The grain began to show through the finish. I polished the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The pipe is beginning to look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a horse hair shoe brush to get into the crevices of the plateau portions. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a horse hair shoe brush to get into the crevices of the plateau portions. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and started working on the stem. I “painted” the tooth marks with the flame of a lighter to lift them. It worked well and what was left I filled in with black, rubberized CA glue. Once it cured, I used some small flat files to flatten out the repairs. I cleaned up the flattened spots with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to finish blending it into the surface of the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2-inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian after each pad to remove the dust and polishing debris. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am happy with the way that this Preben Holm made Ben Wade Royal Grain Hand Made Freehand turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a great shape and mix of smooth and plateau on the rim top and shank end. The rugged plateau on the rim top and shank end are beautiful. The fancy original vulcanite saddle stem works well with the black and brown of the stained mystery wood. The pipe really came alive with the buffing. The rich stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Ben Wade Royal Grain Hand Made in Denmark Freehand really is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches wide x 2 ½ inches long, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 67 grams/2.33 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Restoring and Restemming a Mixed Finish Frasorteret Hand made in Denmark Freehand

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This interesting Freehand with both smooth and sandblast finishes came to us from an estate we purchase from Santa Cruz, California USA on 05/28/2024. It is a unique looking pipe that took some work to figure out the stamping. With some digging and comparing we knew that the stamping on the underside of the shank just ahead of the shank read Frasorteret [over] Hand Made [over] In [over] Denmark. You might well ask why we had to figure it out. That is simple in the half of the name line was hidden by the sandblast. The finish is dirty with dust and oils in the sand blast portions on the bowl sides. The smooth portions are also dirty with oils and dirty ground into the finish. The plateau rim top has some darkening toward the back of the bowl as well as thick lava filling it the grooves in the finish. The bowl has a heavy cake. The vulcanite shank extension is oxidized and also dirty. The stem is actually a poor replacement that is a saddle stem for a straight shank. The pipe would have originally had a fancy freehand style military style stick stem that sat in the extension. It will need to be replaced. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris in the plateau finish on the rim top. You can see that it basically fills in the grooves of the finish. The shank extension is also oxidized and dirty. He took photos of the stem to show the oxidation and calcification on it but at some level it does not matter as it will be replaced. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the finish on the bowl sides. It is really a beautiful pipe with great grain in the smooth portions. He captured the stamping as best as possible on the underside of the shank next to the vulcanite shank extension. It reads as noted above.It seemed to me that Frasorteret pipes came from the creative carving of Preben Holm so I wanted to confirm that memory. When you get a certain age memory can fool you! I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-f4.html). It tied the line to Preben Holm but there was not too much more information at this point.I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Frasorteret) to gather further information. There the information was scant but none the less made the connection to Preben Holm very clear. Here is the information.

The Frasorteret line of pipes were made by Preben Holm and were nearly identical to his normal line of pipes but for fills and pits and the like. The pipes were stamped Frasorteret Made in Denmark.

Now I had the background I needed. I was ready to start working on this pipe. As usual, Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. I probably don’t say enough about how much I appreciate him doing the hard clean up work before I even get the pipes. He does an amazing job. He had reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer back to bare briar and removed the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He used a small blade to pick out the thick lava on the rim top. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and shank brushes. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe and the stem that came with it before I started my part of the restoration work. Preben’s Holm’s magic is very visible in the shaping of the pipe. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean condition. The bowl walls look very good. The replacement stem looks very clean and will be a good addition to my can of stem options.I tried to capture the stamping on the shank underside. It is a bit blurry but it is still very readable and clear as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe with the replacement stem removed. It really makes it clear to me that it is a replacement. The pipe was ready for me to work on but I decided first to go through my stems. I went through both vulcanite and acrylic stems which may sound easy but I have several hundred stems to sort through. I was looking for something that flowed with the delicate shape of the bowl and shank and was simply weightless looking. I found what I was looking for and took a photo of the stem I found. I put the new stem in the shank and took a photo, I like the looks of the new choice.What to do next? I figured I might as well continue working on the stem since I had already started. I sanded out the tooth chatter on the stem end and worked on the oxidation with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper.I fit the cleaned stem into the shank of the pipe and it was an odd fit. When I pulled it out this piece of scotch tape came out with the tenon. That is yet another testimony to the stem being a replacement. The tape would have been around the tenon to snug the fit in the shank. I cleaned out the shank with pipe cleaners and alcohol to remove the residual gum from the tape. Much better and the stem fit!I sanded the stem with 2×2 sanding pads – 320-3500 to start the polishing process and further remove the oxidation and marks. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. It was beginning to look very good.I love watching the shine develop on the vulcanite as I polish it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished this part of the polishing by using Marks Hoover’s Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I sanded the shank extension with 320-3500 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the vulcanite extension down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It began to look better.I polished the smooth portions of the briar and the vulcanite shank extension with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. I wiped the shank extension down with Obsidian Oil. I finished this part of the polishing by using Marks Hoover’s Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. Once again, by the end of the process it looked quite good. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. I worked it into the plateau finish with a shoe brush. It works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive. This newly restemmed Frasorteret Hand Made in Denmark Freehand is a great looking pipe with some interesting shaping around the sides of the bowl and vulcanite shank extension. You can easily see the handiwork of Preben Holm in the shaping of the pipe. The beautiful grain around the smooth portions and sandblast on the other portions of the bowl is quite stunning and works well with both the shape and the polished vulcanite shank extension and the fancy vulcanite saddle stem. I put the new stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and followed by buffing the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Preben Holm Hand Made Frasortert 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 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 49 grams/1.69 ounces. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipemakers Section shortly. If you wish to add this interesting pipe to your rack it is a great addition. Send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I appreciate your support and time!

Restemming and Restoring a Sandblast Benaderet’s Coral 135 Billiard

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Benaderet’s [over] Coral followed by London Made [over] the shape number 135. The sandblast highlights great grain around the sides of the pipe. The shape number said I was dealing with a GBD made pipe. It had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. The rim and the inner edge were clean and with some light areas on the front right of the bevelled rim top and inner edge. The finish had been scrubbed and was very clean. I took photos of the bowl before I worked on it. I found an acrylic taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. The tenon would need to be reduced in diameter and the diameter of the shank end would also need to be reduced. The size and shape of the stem were perfect to start with. I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. With the new stem in place it is going to be a beautiful pipe once it is completed.From the shape number on the shank I was pretty certain I was dealing with a GBD pipe. The stamping Benaderet’s Coral was a dead end but the shape number hit the mark. I turned to Pipedia’s shape number listing and found it (https://pipedia.org/wiki/GBD_Shapes/Numbers). I have included a screen capture of the listing below.

I did some more digging on the net and found that Benaderet’s was a pipe shop in San Francisco that closed in the 70’s. Their house pipes were made by Comoys or Sasieni although smokingpipes had one listed that was made by GBD once.

The other link was to a blog (http://theothersideofthelizard.blogspot.com/2018/11/benaderets-pipe-shop.html). That blog gave the original address of the shop in San Francisco and the names of the owners of the shop.

Benaderet’s Cigarette, Pipe and Tobacco Shop – 215 Sutter Street [Formerly at 566 California Street], San Francisco.

Owners: Robert and Edith Rashaw (Robert Rashaw: born 1916. Edith Edna Rashaw: born 1916.) Store still extant in the late seventies. No longer there by the eighties. At one point, they had Egyptian cigarettes made for them. Their house pipes were usually by Comoys. There are also Benaderet’s Sasienis. More research required.

Quote: “Benaderet’s Inc., was California’s oldest pipe and tobacco store when it went out of business in 1980. Sam Benaderet was a tobacconist from New York City who came to San Francisco in 1915 to work at the Panama Pacific International Exposition. An immigrant to the United States from Turkey, Mr. Benaderet decided that he liked the West Coast’s Mediterranean like climate. After the Exposition closed, he stayed to open his own tobacco business. This new firm produced custom private-label cigarettes for men’s clubs. A lavish retail store was opened in the late 1920’s that quickly became a mecca for tobacco connoisseurs.”

So what I could find out about the pipe is that it is a pipe made by GBD (Shape number confirms this). It turns out that the pipe was a GBD pipe made for Benaderet’s Cigarette, Pipe and Tobacco Shop in San Francisco, California. Since the shop went out of business in 1980 I now knew that the pipe was made before that time. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I decided to fit the shank with a thin polished brass band. The shank end was tapered slight and was no long round. It appeared to have been sanded for a stem somewhere in its journey. The thin band would smooth out the transition and square it off. It would also set off the briar and the new stem. I pressed it onto the shank and it was firmly in place. I stained the rim edges and top with a Walnut stain pen to match the rest of the bowl and shank colour. It looked very good. I worked some Before and After Restoration Balm into the finish of the briar with my finger tips. The product works to clean, enrich and restore the briar. The photos show the beauty that pipe really had at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I used the Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the stem as much as I safely could do and then used a flat file to take it further. I cleaned up the diameter fit with a smaller flat needle file. It worked well to remove the excess acrylic to match diameter of the shank. It was getting there.I used a small hole saw and small round, oval and flat files to shape the round hole in the button into a slot with an oval. It looked much better once I finished it.I sanded out the files marks on the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I becamse smooth to the touch and was ready to be sanded further with sanding pads.I moved on to sand the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The stem began to look much better.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with 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. Once again, I am at the part of the restoration that I always look forward to – the moment when all the pieces are put back together. I put the Benaderet’s Coral 135 Billiard and new acrylic stem back together and buffed the bowl with Blue Diamond. I buffed the stem with a heavier touch 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 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 polished sandblast finish and thin brass band. The black acrylic stem stands out as a shiny black contrast to the colours of the bowl. The reddish brown stain on the Benaderet’s Coral Billiard looks absolutely great. It is nice to know that it has a west coast tie to the San Francisco area and a long-gone pipe shop. It must have been a fine smoking pipe judging from the condition it was when we received it. Have a look at it in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/41 grams. This is one that will go on the British Pipemakers 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.

Restemming an Old Clay Egg and Claw Pipe with a Nickel Ferrule

4 Replies

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was an Egg and Claw Clay Pipe Bowl with a nickel Ferrule. I have had it in my box of bowls to be restemmed for a long time. There is no stamping or markings on the side of the bowl or shank. The maker of the pipe is a of a mystery. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. It had been moderately smoked so it was very clean. The rim top and the inner edge were very clean and had just a few nicks in the surface of the rim. The finish had been scrubbed and the internals were very clean. I would need to find a suitable stem to fit it and figured I would use an old, small WDC stem or KBB stem that I had in my can of stems. I found a stem in my can of stems that almost fit. It had already been sanded and would just need some adjustments. I took some photos the new stem before I started working on it. It was stamped on the top and read KBB in a cloverleaf with Chesterfield arched above it. It had the airway exiting on the stem end even though it looked like a P-lip style was uniquely like a WDC style stem. I would work perfect.I worked on the shape of the stem to fit in the shank and beginning the polislhing. I used 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to shape and polish the stem shape. Each sanding pad brought it into shape and the fit to the shank worked well. The scratches and marks in the vulcanite began to blend into the surface.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 Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. I waxed the clay bowl and the nickel ferrule with Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba mixture. I worked it into the carving/pressing on the clay bowl with a shoebrush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a soft cloth to polish it. It really began to take on a shine. This restemmed, Egg and Claw Clay Pipe is a beautiful looking pipe that combines carved finish with a nickel ferrule and an old Chesterfield Vulcanite Stem. The clay has a patina on the bowl that works well to highlight the carving. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not to damage the clay. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 44 grams/1.55 ounces. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe.

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.

Restemming and Converting an Unbranded Made in London England 97 Apple into a Churchwarden

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the right side of the shank and reads Made in London [over] England and on the underside is stamped the shape number 97. The maker of the pipe is a bit of a mystery. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. It had been lightly smoked so it was very clean. The rim top and the inner edge were very clean. The finish had been scrubbed and the internals were very clean. I found a long, acrylic, amber, acrylic taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. It would need some shaping and polishing but the size and shape of the stem were perfect to start with. I took some photos of the bowl before I worked on it and the new stem. I took photos of the stamping on the pipe right side and underside. It is clear and readable as noted above.I sanded the bowl and shank extension with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl and shank down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The pipe began to look much better. I decided to make this little bowl into a Churchwarden and to set of the stem I had chosen I decided to add a thin brass band on the shank for decorative purposes. I picked a band that fit the shank snuggly and glued it in place on the shank. I took photos of the pipe with the band in place on the shank. I think it is going to look very good with the stem I have chosen. I polished the bowl ands shank extension 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 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 turned to the new stem. I went through my can of stems and found a longer amber, acrylic taper stem that would work for the pipe. It had never been used and needed to have a tenon fit in the end that would work in the shank of the pipe. I decided to use a white Delrin tenon as it would be less visible in the stem. I drilled the end of the stem with a drill bit on my cordless drill to fit the end of the tenon.I reduced the diameter of the tenon slightly with a Dremel and sanding drum so that it would fit snugly in the shank of the pipe. I cleaned up the tenon with a flat file. I glued the tenon in the stem with clear CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once the tenon cured in place on the stem I fit it on the shank and took some photos of the new look. I took the stem off the shank and took photos of the look of the pipe and its proportions. It looks good with the brass band and the new amber acrylic stem. I sanded out the scratching on 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 Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This restemmed, smooth Made in London England Apple Churchwarden is a beautiful looking pipe that combines a smooth finish with a thin brass band and an amber acrylic stem. The brown stains on the bowl work well to highlight the finish. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 8 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 42 grams/1.55 ounces. I will soon be adding it to the British Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe.

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.

Restemming and Restoring a Savinelli Made ICE AGE 644 Volcano

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads ICE AGE and on the underside is stamped the shape number 644. On the acrylic shank extension left side it is stamped Italy and on the underside of the extension it is stamped N. From my previous work on one of these I knew that I was dealing with a Savinelli product. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. The rusticated rim top had some darkening around the top and the inner edge but otherwise was clean. The finish had been scrubbed and there was a peeling coat of varnish around the sides and heel. The acrylic shank extension was loose and there was a threaded metal tenon that it screwed onto. I would need to align the extension and shape it to fit smoothly with the shank.  I found a vulcanite taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. It would need some shaping and tapering but the size and shape were perfect to start with. I took some photos of the bowl before I worked on it and the new stem. I took photos of the stamping on the pipe and the acrylic shank extension. It is clear and readable as noted above. You can see from the photos that the shank extension is snug but does not line up with the round shape of the shank very well. Work will need to be done on it.I adjusted the fit of the shank extension to the shank with 220 grit sandpaper. It took a lot of hand sanding to get the fit correct. It lines up well and the fit to the shank is snug. I glued it in place on the metal tenon in the shank so that the fit did not move. I wiped the bowl down with acetone on cotton pads to remove the spots of varnish on the bowl and shank. It looked much better when I was finished. I cleaned the rim top with a brass bristle wire brush to remove the debris. It looked much better. I stained the rim top with a black Sharpie Pen. I went over it once again with the brush and it looked much better.I sanded the bowl and shank extension with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl and shank down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The pipe began to look much better. I polished the bowl ands shank extension 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 turned to the new stem. I went through my can of stems and found a taper stem that would work for the pipe. I gave the stem a smooth angle from the tenon up to the stem. I used a Dremel and sanding drum to give it a new shape.I heated the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter until it softened. I gave it a slight bend so that it followed the flow of the pipe. I sanded the stem with a folded piece of 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 Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This restemmed, smooth Savinelli Made Ice Age 644  Volcano Italy is a beautiful looking pipe that combines a smooth finish with a unique shaped acrylic shank extension. The brown stains on the bowl work well to highlight the finish. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. I can only tell you that like the other pipes I am working that it is much prettier in person than the photos capture. 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 54grams/1.90ounces. I will soon be adding it to the Italian Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. 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.

Replacing a broken tenon on a Karl Erik Carved Jobey Dansk 1 Sandblast Freehand

Leave a reply

blog by Steve Laug

Late in September I received an email from Al about a broken stem on his Jobey Dansk 1 Handmade Freehand. I asked him to send me a photo of the pipe showing its condition and what it needed. We emailed back and forth and I told him I could replace the tenon and use the existing stem. He sent the pipe and parts just before Canada Post went on strike so it took forever to get here. This weekend the pipe arrived and I was excited to work on it. It had really nice sandblast finish on the bowl and shank and plateau on the top of the rim and on the end of the shank. It was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Jobey in script [over] Dansk. Underneath it read Handmade in Denmark [over] 1. The carving followed the flow of the sandblast grain very well and really served to showcase it. There was something familiar about the style of carving that reminded me of other Danish Freehand pipes I have worked on. I remembered that Jobey Dansk pipes were carved by Karl Erik. There was some dust in the valleys of the plateau and the sandblast. The bowl was lined with a thin cake. The stem snapped off and the tenon was stuck in the shank end. The break was not quite square but it was clean with no cracks in the stem portion. I have included a photo of the pipe that Al sent me to show the overall condition of the bowl and stem.I unpacked the pipe from the carefully packed box that had been opened by Canadian Customs and had its customs tape on the bottom of the box. I unwrapped it and laid it on the work table so show its condition. You can see the snapped tenon in the shank and the stem showing the break. I took photos of the pipe as it looked before I started. I took a photo of the stamping on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank to show the clarity and readability of the words. It read as noted above and is very clear.I used a pair of pliers to pull the broken tenon out of the shank. I flattened the end of the stem so that it was flat and then used a series of drill bits to open the end of the stem to receive the new tenon. I began with a bit slightly larger than the airway and ended with one that was the size of the threaded tenon that would go in the airway.I used a Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the threaded portion of the insert end and also the diameter of the tenon. I took photos of the parts before I put them together. I took a photo of the tenon inserted in the stem. I coated the threaded end of the new tenon with black rubberized CA glue and then pressed it into the open airway in the stem. I adjusted it so the tenon was straight and then set it aside to let the glue harden.I wanted to look at who had carved the Jobey Dansk line to confirm my suspicions I had about it. I had a feeling that the pipes were carved by a Danish carver known as Karl Erik. I looked up the Jobey listing on Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Jobey) and found the following information. I quote a portion of the article that is pertinent as follows.

English – American – Danish – French… Information about the brand Jobey are only to be found in form of smithereens… Probably established in England around 1920(?) the brand hiked into the USA later. In the course of time owner, distributor and manufacturer changed repeatedly. As far as known:

George Yale Pipes & Tobacco, New York (1942)

Norwalk Pipe Co., New York (1949)

Arlington Briar Pipes Corp., Brooklyn (when?)

Hollco International, New York (1969).

Weber Pipe Co., Jersey City, NJ (1970’s)

The Tinder Box, (1970’s – 80’s).

Throughout decades Jobey pipes were mainly sold in the USA, Canada and England but remained almost unknown in continental Europe. The bulk of Jobeys was predominantly made according to classical patterns and mainly in the lower to middle price range. The predominant judgment of the pipe smokers reads: “A well-made pipe for the price.” So, there is hardly anything very special or exciting about Jobey pipes although a flyer from ca. 1970 assures: “The briar root Jobey insists upon for its peer of pipes is left untouched to grow, harden and sweeten for 100 years. […]Jobey uses only the heart of this century old briar and only one out of 500 bowls turned measures up to the rigid Jobey specifications.” 99.80% of cull… that makes the layman marveling!

Yet then there are partially really exciting Freehands mainly in the seventies, that Jobey – Weber owned back then – bought from Danish pipe genius Karl Erik Ottendahl. These pipes were offered as Jobey Dansk – ’70’s pure! (BTW waning sales caused Ottendahl to discontinue exports to the United States in 1987.)

From that information, my suspicions were confirmed. The pipe that I was working on was carved by Karl Erik Ottendahl. There were some similarities to the Karl Erik pipes that I have worked on in the past. The dating of the pipe line in the 70s fits well with the pipe I have in hand.

I cleaned out the airway in the shank and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I wiped out the inside of the bowl with a damp cloth.I scrubbed the externals of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed it off with running water and dried the bowl with a soft cloth. I worked over the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a brass bristle wire brush to clean out the hard lava that seems have filled in some of the crevices. It came out looking much better at this point in the process.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the sandblast and plateau surface of the briar with my fingertips and 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 that I had repaired. I sanded out the tooth chatter and light marks ahead of the button on both sides with 220 grit sandpaper.I scrubbed the stem and the new tenon with Soft Scrub Cleanser and cotton pads to remove the oxidation in the grooves of the turned saddle stem. It looked much better at this point in the process.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the dust and debris.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. This is a beautiful Sandblast Jobey Dansk 1 Handmade by Karl Erik 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 sandblast bowl and the plateau on the rim top and shank end multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax. I gave 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 finishes 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 Jobey Dansk 1 Sandblast Freehand pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The shape, finish and flow of the pipe and stem are very well done. The dimensions are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches wide x 2 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 3.17 ounces /91 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 back to Al shortly. I look forward to hearing what he thinks. Thanks for your time.

Restoring a Bjarne Hand – Crafted Made in Denmark Freehand

Leave a reply

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 Unique Venezia Bruyere Garantie Thick Shank System Billiard

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

Once again, I am breaking the rhythm of restoration of pipes that Jeff has sent to me work on a bowl that I have in a very big box of bowl without stems. There are probably about 100 bowls that I have been chipping away at for a long time now. Yesterday I had to urge to restem a few of the bowls. The next bowl I chose was this interesting thick shank Billiard bowl that was a system style pipe that had two airways entering the bowl and shank. I ran a pipe cleaner through each airway in the shank and the came out in the bowl bottom. The shank end had a thick step-down brass fitting that was oxidized and greenish coloured. The stamping on the left side of the shank was an oval that reads Bruyere [over] Garantie. The front of the bowl was carved with the word VENEZIA (smooth) in a rusticated oval. Somewhere along the way Jeff had reamed and cleaned the bowl and it was waiting a new stem. The briar was dirty from sitting in my box for years. The rim top had a bit of debris and darkening on the surface that was probably present after Jeff’s previous cleanup. I examined the brass shank end for any stamping and there was nothing in the brass as it was unmarked.

I found the VENEZIA carving interesting, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I have worked on Savinelli pipes that were in a line called VENEZIA and I have worked on a folding pocket pipe from my late friend Chuck (https://rebornpipes.com/2012/09/05/chucks-gift-pipes-part-1-venezia-vogini/) that also bore that name along with Vogini. I have done a bit of digging and I cannot put a finger on the maker other than it is separate from the Savinelli Line. The one thing I know is that they have certainly made some unique pipes. This System Pipe is certainly another unique and special looking pipe. My guess is that it probably had a horn stem with a plunger in the centre of the tenon and an airway on the top left and right of the centre dropping the smoke into the rest of the airway in the stem as cool and dry. I took a photo of the carving on the front of the bowl and the left side of the shank. They are clear and readable as noted above.I took a photo of the airways as they entered the shank. You can see one at the top right and top left. There is also fitment at end of the mortise that looks like it held a pin in the centre as a condenser that fit in the mortise.I went through my stems and found an interesting white acrylic saddle stem that would look good with this bowl and the brass shank end. I would need to reduce the diameter of the tenon to fit in the large mortise and would also need to reduce the diameter of the saddle portion to reflect the diameter of the shank.I used a Dremel and a sanding drum to take down the diameter of the saddle portion of the stem and also the tenon. I decided to try something a bit different – to fit the end of the stem with a reversed shank band/ferrule. I reduced the stem diameter enough to press the band onto the end of the stem.I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the marks from the Dremel. I followed that by sanding it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend down the sanding areas. I wiped the stem down between pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the sanding debris from 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 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 wiped down the bowl with alcohol to remove the spotty finish and the debris on the bowl sides. It began to look much better. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2 x 2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a rich shine. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. By the end of the process the pipe bowl looked very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with a shoe brush to get into the carving on front of the bowl and my fingertips on the smooth. 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. This Unique Vezania System Bowl with the new White Acrylic stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The rich finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and the new stem have a great hand feel. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Vezana System Bowl and new stem fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 59 grams/2.08 ounces. This is unique enough that for the time being I am going to hold on to it and enjoy its look, feel and smoke it! Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Restemming and Restoring a GBD Prehistoric Bulldog with a Cracked Shank

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table was another bowl I had sitting in the box. This one was a nice-looking bulldog with beveled rim top and a sandblast finish on the bowl. There was a very faint stamp on the left underside of the shank. It had the GBD oval logo [followed by] Prehistoric [over] Made in England. The bowl had been reamed and cleaned. Jeff had thoroughly cleaned it before it went in the box. The rim top was smooth and other than a few small nicks was in good condition. The twin rings around the cap were also perfect. The sandblast finish was worn and the stain was faded. The shank had a crack on the right and the left top side. I had an old silver band that would fit the diamond shank well. I was so excited to fit the band on the shank that I did not take any before photos. I did however take photos of the band once it was in place on the shank. I heated it with the flame of a lighter and pressed it onto the shank end. The band is oxidized and is stamped with three hallmarks – an anchor, an M and a rampant lion [over] Sterling. I went through my can of stems and found a nice diamond taper stem that was unused. The tenon had been worked on but the rest of the stem still had the casting marks and debris on the angles and the button. Only later did I figure out that it was a twin bore or bite proof stem. I really liked the look of it and with the banded bulldog it worked well. The photos also show the condition of the bowl at this point in the process. I started on the bowl. I polished the smooth portions of the rim with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to take on a rich shine. 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 depths of the sandblast 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 with 1500-3000 grit micromesh sanding pads and then finished with a jeweller’s cloth to raise the shine and protect it from further oxidation.I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I used the Dremel and sanding drum to clean up the tenon angles and smooth them out. I also used it to remove the excess vulcanite on the shank end of the diamond stem. I was excited and totally forgot to take any photos of the process. For that I apologize.

Once finished I sanded out the marks from the Dremel and the scratches with 220 grit sandpaper. I worked on it for quite a while to smooth out the surface and get the fit to the shank correct. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I sanded it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend down the sanding areas. I wiped the stem down between pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the sanding debris from 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 it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. This Sandblast GBD Prehistoric Bulldog is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored and restemmed. The rich finish and Sterling silver give the pipe an elegant look. The Twin Bore stem works with the pipe and is unique. The flow of the bowl and stem make for a great hand feel. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished GBD Prehistoric Bulldog fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 47 grams/1.62 ounces. It is a great looking and light weight pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.