Tag Archives: fitting a stem

New Life for a Damaged Julius Vesz Hand Made circle 6 Calabash 97

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that we picked up in the lot from a good friend in Barrington, Rhode Island, USA on 08/22/2024. The smooth finish on this Canadian made pipe and the Julius Vesz stamping are what caught our eye. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Circle 6 [over] 97 followed by Julius Vesz [over] Hand Made. It has a rich reddish, brown stain on the smooth finish that is a stark contrast to the well shaped Bent Vulcanite Stem. It is a great looking Bent Calabash shape. The bowl was clean and appears to have been recently reamed. It was a lightly smoked and well cared for pipe. The inner edge and the top look good and were clean. The stem is another issue. The shank appears to have been reshaped a bit and was rough in its fit to the shank. The left side was particularly rough. The stem itself has a poorly finished repair on a bite through on the underside ahead of the button. The white circle logo of Vesz pipes was on the left side of the stem and looks to be in good condition. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up. He took a photo of the rim top and bowl to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. It is quite clean and the inside of the bowl is very clean and shows that the pipe has been lightly smoked. He included photos that show the top and underside of the stem. It is as described above. The final photo below shows the repaired bite through in the underside of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed some great grain around the bowl and shank even with the grime in the finish. It is a great looking piece of briar. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. He also captured the white circle logo on the left side of the bent taper stem. Before I started working my part of the restoration I spent some time trying to place the hand cut line in the Vesz hierarchy. I turned to rebornpipes to have a look at some of the pieces I had written previously on the brand. The first was a catalogue I had picked up on Vesz pipes from a friend. It was an older catalogue from the time period that the brand was called Craft Pipes (https://rebornpipes.com/2016/09/13/an-older-julius-vesz-catalogue/). In going through the catalogue there was nothing that referred to the newer lines of the Vesz pipes that showed up in other places.

A piece I wrote on a Vesz Zulu gave a lot of historical background on the brand so I reread that (https://rebornpipes.com/2014/10/04/a-review-a-julius-vesz-shape-76-zulu/). I quoted a part of the article that applied to the pipe I was working on now.

My first Vesz is stamped on the left side of the shank Julius Vesz Hand Made Canada with a circle 4 stamp. I learned from correspondence with Julius’ son Rob that his dad’s Hand Made pipes were graded (in ascending order): 2 – 4 and this one is a grade 4 stamped pipe. It also bears a shape number of 76 which is the Zulu shape. The stem bears a white circle inlay that is common on his pipes.

The pipe I was working on was stamped Julius Vesz [over] Hand Made and had a circle 6 stamp. That appears to be the grade stamp though it is higher than the 2-4 listed above. It also bears the shape number of 97 which is a Calabash. The stem also has a white inlay circle on the stem.

In the previous blog about I quoted from Pipedia in the piece and have included that and the link below and the information on Vesz. The picture and the material is taken from this link http://pipedia.org/wiki/Vesz_Pipes

“Born and raised in Hungary, Julius Vesz was first exposed to pipe making through his grandfather. Although his grandfather died when Julius was only 9 years old, he can still picture his grandfather making pipes. It made a lasting impression that matured years later.

After immigrating to Canada at age 23, Vesz worked as a mechanical draftsman, but ever since a child had wanted to do something on his own. Remembering his grandfather’s pipe making and repairing, he thought perhaps he should try his hand at that also. He sought out Charlie Dollack, who had a repair shop in downtown Toronto, but while Charlie encouraged the young Vesz, he did not offer any help or instruction.

Julius continued on his own, setting up a modest shop in his own home, and was soon fixing and making pipes for several department stores, as well as United Cigar, which later turned into his main source of work. He discovered he had a unique skill, which he practiced and nurtured on his own. Like his grandfather, Vesz is motivated by a desire to create pipes that approach perfection.”

Over the years I have followed Julius Vesz’ pipes and kept an eye out for one that caught my eye. Julius Vesz is a Canadian pipe maker who has been controversial in his claim to use dead root briar. Many have argued about his choice of terms regarding the briar that he uses. But regardless of your take on that issue he makes beautiful pipes that smoke exceptionally well. His unique raindrop shaped pipes may be how many people know him. He had a shop in the Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West in Toronto. He now has moved out of the shop and into his home…”

Now I knew that the Hand Made pipe I had was the top of the lower line of Vesz Pipes below the Hand Cut line. It was graded 6 which is close to the top of the line. It is a beauty and it is now time to work on it!

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl are in excellent condition. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with shank brushes, pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The stem looked very good. I took photos of the pipe before I started working on it. 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 had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides. You can also see the poor repair on the underside of the stem.I took a photo of the stamping on the left side 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 my work on the pipe by dealing with the roughness at the shank stem junction. I sanded it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to smooth out the transition. It looked and felt much better. I touched up the sanded areas on the shank with a Walnut Stain Pen. The colour matched the bowl stain very well. I polished the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pad – dry sanding it with the pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. It began to take on a deep shine. The shank reshape and reworking blended in very well and the colour is more and more rich with the polishing. The exterior of the bowl looks better after sanding. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips. 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 briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. It was ready for the next step. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to sand out the poorly done repair on the underside of the stem. I flattened it out and cleaned off the surface of the stem. I filled in the area with black CA glue put in place with a tooth pick. I set it aside to cure.Once the repair cured I used a file to flatten out the repair and clean up the edge of the button. I sanded it further with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the surrounding vulcanite.I polished the sanding repairs on the shank end of the stem and the repair of the bite through by sanding it with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded them with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil to further protect the vulcanite surface. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil and a cloth. It really looks very good. It was great to finish the repairs and reshaping on this Julius Vesz Hand Made Circle 6 Calabash 97. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of carnauba wax. 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. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with deep sandblast all around it. Added to that the polished black, vulcanite, taper stem was beautiful. This Julius Vesz Hand Made 97 is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 43 grams/1.48 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will hold onto for awhile. I always have enjoyed Julius’ pipes and this one is a great shape.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog and following this restoration. 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.

A Pair of Pretty Petes for your Perspicacious Perusal

Leave a reply

by Kenneth Lieblich

I have a couple of Peterson pipes that came my way recently and I decided to clean them up and get them ready. Not much of a restoration story on these – just some beautiful pipes. I gave them a quick (and thorough) once over and now it’s time to turn them over to you. Both have been hardly used (once, maybe twice) and they are very handsome. If you’re interested in adding one or both to your collection, be sure to drop me a line.

First is a Peterson K&P Irishmade 106 billiard with nickel military mount. Gorgeous pipe. If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Irish” pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the Peterson Irishmade 106 are as follows: length 6 in. (152 mm); height 2 in. (51 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (40 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅝ oz. (48 g). Have a look below. Thanks. Next is a Peterson System Standard 1307 (same as 307) bent billiard. Another lovely pipe. If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Irish” pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the Peterson System Standard 1307 are as follows: length 6½ in. (165 mm); height 2⅛ in. (54 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (40 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (21 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2⅜ oz. (67 g). Have a look below. Thanks.

Restoring a Made in Ireland Peterson’s of Dublin Irish Harp 150 Straight Bulldog

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is another Peterson’s pipe with a red and black swirled acrylic stem. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. It is stamped on a smooth panel on the left underside of the diamond shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] of Dublin [over] Irish Harp. To the left of that it is stamped Made in Ireland and to the right the shape number 150. The Sterling Silver band is stamped on the left topside of the diamond shank and reads Peterson [arched over] a Harp with Sterling Silver arched underneath. On the right underside it bears the Peterson silver Hallmarks. It reads Peterson [over] the first hallmark, Hibernia seated arm on a harp for the country of manufacture. That is followed by .925 which help to date the pipe as after 2003 and designates the sterling quality. The final Hallmark is the date stamp and in this case is an italic upper-case I which dates it as made in 2019. The finish is a rich reddish-brown sandblast that is a stark contrast to the silver band the red and black streaked fishtail stem. The bowl had been recently reamed and there was tobacco debris in the bottom of the bowl. It was also lightly smoked. The fish tail stem was red acrylic with black swirls and was a tapered. The stem was lightly soiled and had light chatter on both sides There was an inlaid silver Peterson’s “P” logo on the left topside of the diamond taper. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up.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 tobacco debris in the bowl and the light cake. The next photos show the top and underside of the stem. It is looks very good. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed a great sandblast. It is a pretty piece of briar. He took some photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank and the silver band and its hallmarks. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. He also took a photo of the “P” logo on the left side of the taper stem. Before doing my part of the work on the pipe I turned to see what I could find out about the line. I turned first to the Peterson’s website to see what they had listed. I quote below from that site (https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/premium/irish-harp/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_Id=950).

One of the warmest finishes in our portfolio, the Irish Harp debuted in 2002 and combines an array of our Classic range shapes with deep, ruby-tinged walnut stains, cumberland-patterned acrylic fishtail stems, and bright bands of sterling silver, applied by the hands of our most experienced silversmiths.

I then turned to La Pipe Rit – St. Claude for their description of this particular Peterson’s line of pipes (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/peterson/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=608936). I quote from the description by Truett Smith l below.

Peterson’s “150” straight Bulldog is a pert, upright rendition that fits in perfectly with the Irish firm’s characteristically muscular shaping style. It’s quite the forthright take on the classic English shape, but in keeping with the marque’s tradition, it features an incredibly robust, crisp diamond shank… Marked by a concise sandblast, dark walnut stain, and acrylic stem to match, the Irish Harp line from Peterson poses an elegant aesthetic, the bowl and mouthpiece separated by a generous band of sterling silver. Peterson’s craftsmen spend years training under the factory’s senior smiths, and the Irish marque is esteemed for its use of sterling silver. In the Irish Harp series, Peterson pays tribute to one of Ireland’s most iconic symbols: the Celtic harp or cláirseach in Irish. The traditional instrument is here emblazoned on the silver accent, celebrating Peterson’s Irish origins while simultaneously showcasing their superlative silverwork.

Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. 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 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 had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, 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 a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was very clean and showed that the pipe was very lightly smoked. The stem looked good with no tooth marks or chatter. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. It is very clear and readable. I also took a photo of the stamping on the shiny nickel band. It was readable and clear. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The bowl was in excellent condition. I did not need to sand or do anything in preparation on the pipe. I set the stem aside and worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. 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 briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I polished the silver with a jeweller’s cloth to protect and polish the silver and keep the tarnish at bay. It looks very good at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. There were no deep tooth marks and very little chatter on the stem surface so I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I am excited to finish this one and look forward to seeing the 2019 Made in Ireland Peterson’s of Dublin Irish Harp 150 Bulldog put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny red and black swirled acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich brown/red stain on the bowl, thick shank and Sterling Silver Band. This Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Apple was a fun pipe to work on. The pipe is tactile in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 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 1.69 ounces/48 grams. I will be putting this one on the store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

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.

A Refresh of a Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Bent Apple

2 Replies

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a Peterson’s pipe with a red and black swirled acrylic stem. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] Dublin [over] 03. The bright nickel band is stamped Dracula in a banner on top with a Bat before and after the name as well as underneath it. The finish is a dark coloured, almost black sandblast that is a stark contrast to the silver band the red and black streaked fishtail stem. The bowl was lightly caked and there was a tobacco debris in the bottom of the bowl. The fish tail stem was red acrylic with black swirls and was a tapered. The stem was very clean with no tooth damage. There was a white or silver Peterson’s “P” logo on the left side of the taper. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up.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 tobacco debris in the bowl and the light cake. The next photos show the top and underside of the stem. It is looks very good. Jeff took a photo of the side of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed a great sandblast. It is a pretty piece of briar.He took some photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank and the nickel band. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. He also took a photo of the “P” logo on the left side of the taper stem. Before doing my part of the work on the pipe I turned to see what I could find out about the line. I turned first to the Peterson’s website to see what they had listed. I quote below from that site (https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/classic/dracula-sandblasted/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_Id=303).

The Dracula line started as a special commemorative line of pipes, first released in 2012, celebrating the death centennial of fellow Irishman and esteemed author Abraham “Bram” Stoker. Characterised by jet-black sandblasted finishes, bright nickel bands, and black-and-red-swirled acrylic fishtail stems, the Dracula Sandblasted appeals not only to fans of gothic horror, but of quality classic pipes in bold presentations.

I then turned to La Pipe Rit – St. Claude for their description of this particular Peterson’s line of pipes (https://www.pipe.fr/en/peterson-dracula-pipes-417). I quote in full below.

Peterson must be the most famous pipe brand in the world. Since the late 19th century, the company began to hire and train Irish men and women (whereas some other manufacturers used to hire French craftspeople from Saint-Claude). Nowadays, Peterson pipes are made with a real know-how thanks to a team of passionate craftspeople that share their expertise. The company “Kapp & Peterson” creates traditional pipes of great quality. On this webpage, we present you the incredible “Dracula” collection. First released in 2012, this series was designed to pay tribute to the Irish writer Abraham “Bram” Stoker to mark the centenary of his death. With the red and black stem, this must be one of the favorite pipes of horror stories readers, and more generally Peterson pipe enthusiasts. To stick to the spirit of the novel, the pipe is designed with a black finish (lacquered or sandblasted), a “bloody” acrylic stem, and is decorated with a nickel band (on which is stamped “Dracula”)…

Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. 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 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 had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, 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 a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was very clean and showed that the pipe was very lightly smoked. The stem looked good with no tooth marks or chatter. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. It is very clear and readable. I also took a photo of the stamping on the shiny nickel band. It was readable and clear. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The bowl was in excellent condition. I did not need to sand or do anything in preparation on the pipe. I set the stem aside and worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. 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 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 touched up the “P” logo with some white acrylic nail polish. I applied it with the brush and once it cured sanded off the excess with a 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad.There were no deep tooth marks and very little chatter on the stem surface so I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I am excited to be on the homestretch and look forward to seeing the Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Bent Apple put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny red and black swirled acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the black stain on the bowl, thick shank and Polished Nickel Band. This Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Apple was a fun pipe to work on. The pipe is tactile in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 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 1.80 ounces/ 50 grams. I will be putting this one on the store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. I remember reading Dracula in High School so I had to pause and think about letting this one go, before putting on the store. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

Restemming a Petite Apple with a vulcanite ferrule

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

Before I move on to another of the pipes I have to work on from Jeff I decided to do a quick restem on a nice petite apple bowl with a vulcanite ferrule. It did not have a name on the bowl but the shank and the ferrule made for a beautiful little pipe. The bowl had been reamed and cleaned by Jeff somewhere along the journey. It had been sitting here in a box of bowls for a few years now. There was a fill on the front of the bowl that had fallen out and left a divot in the briar. Other than that the bowl was in excellent condition. I repaired the divot on the front of the bowl with some black CA glue and a little bit of briar dust. I flattened out the repair with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the surface of the briar.I wiped the bowl down with some isopropyl alcohol and cotton pads to remove the opacity of the stain and make it a bit more transparent. The grain began to stand through with a lot of clarity. I like the look of the grain around the bowl. The repair on the bowl was a bit lighter than the rest of the bowl and would need to be stained. I stained the repair on the front of the bowl with a Walnut stain pen. It blended into the surface of the bowl with the stain pen. The match was very good.I sanded the briar with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grits sanding pads. Once again, I wiped it down with a damp cloth following each pad. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I went through my stems here and found a nice looking military bit stem that would look great with the pipe.It was clean and unused so I only need to polish it. I did that with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil. I put the No Name Apple pipe together and took it to the buffer. I buffed both the bowl and the stem with Blue Diamond on the wheel and then gave both multiple coats of Carnuaba Wax. I buffed it with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I further polished it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is a beautiful petite pipe that should be a great smoker. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 3/8 inches, Bowl diameter: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .67 ounces/19 grams. If you wish to add it to your collection let me know. I will be putting it in the rebornpipes store shortly in the American Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for taking time to read this restoration and restem. As always I appreciate questions and comments.

Cleaning up the final pipe of the Rob’s 12 – A Royal Danish 981R Saddle Stem Billiard

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This is the last of the pipes I received from Robert with a group 12 pipes that needed to be restored in various ways from cleanup to restemming. So it is the only one to choose to work on this Royal Danish 981R Large Billiard with a vulcanite saddle stem. The bowl and shank were very dirty with oils and tars on the surface of the sandblast finish and the two smooth panels on each side. There were also some worn spots. The bowl had a thick cake and an overflow of lava in the sandblast of the rim top. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Royal Danish [followed by] Made in Denmark [followed by] 981R. There was a Crown logo on the left side of the saddle stem. This one came with the original stem in place on the shank. The stem was a push stem. It was oxidized and had notches on each side ahead of the button. There were light tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. The button edges were also worn quite thin. I took some photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took some closer photos of the bowl and rim top to show its condition before I started my work on the pipe. You can see the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat filling in the sandblast on the rim top. The stem photos also show the general condition of the stem as noted above. I tried to capture the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear, though faint, still readable and reads as noted above. I removed the stem to give a sense of what the pipe looked like with two parts shown side by side. It is a large Billiard shape with a saddle stem.Before I started working on it I did a bit of research on the brand to get a feel for where it fit in the Stanwell line. I was sure that it was a second but wanted confirmation. I turned to Pipephil’s site to see if I could get a feel for it (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-r6.html). I did a screen capture of the information on the site. I found that the brand was indeed made by Stanwell and was one of many second lines that they made. I did a screen capture of the pertinent information and have included it below.I then turned to Pipedia and found that it was also listed as a second or a sub-brand made by Stanwell (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell#Sub-brands_.2F_Seconds). I have included the list of seconds from the site below. I have highlighted the Royal Danish in blue in the text.

Sub-brands / Seconds – Bijou (discontinued), Danish Quaint, Danish Sovereign, Danske Club, Henley (discontinued), Kong Christian (discontinued), Majestic, Reddish (discontinued), Royal Danish, Royal Guard, Royal Sovereign, Sailor (discontinued), Scandia, Sorn (discontinued), Svendson.

Now it was time to clean up this pipe and get it restored. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet Pipe Reamer using the 2^nd and 3^rd cutting heads to trim back the cake to bare walls. A lot of carbon powder came out of the bowl. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and sanded the walls of the bowl with a dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished the bowl look quite good. I worked over the sandblast on the rim top with a brass bristle wire brush to remove the lava coat that was in the blast. The rim began to look much better and you can see the texture of the blast. I scrubbed the internals and externals of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed off the soap and grime with warm water. I repeated the process several times until the water came off clear. It is a great looking pipe. There is definitely some wear on the outer edge of the rim top but it still should look fine. I touched up the raw briar and faded areas on the rim edges using a Walnut stain pen. It took a short amount of time but the dividend it great. The rim top looks better with the new stain and it matches the rest of the bowl very well.I cleaned out the internals of the shank, mortise and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners – both regular and bristle. It was a dirty pipe but it cleaned up very well.I polished the smooth patches on the left and right side of the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the areas down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the sanding debris. The panels took on a rich shine.I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem. This stem was in rough shape. There were tooth marks on the button top on both sides and also on the stem surface. There were notches carved on each side of the stem ahead of the button. I am not sure of the purpose but they were oddly present. I wiped down the stem end and filled in the damaged areas with black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I recut the button with a small file. I smoothed out the repairs on the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I scrubbed the stem surface down with Soft Scrub to address the oxidation that remained. I finished and wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I continued to sand the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with some Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I polished it further with Before & After Stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and then wiped it down another time with the oil. I put the Royal Danish 981R Saddle Stem Billiard back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. There were some spots of oxidation around the logo on the stem that I left so as not to damage the stamping. The original brown stains gave depth to the beautiful grain around the smooth bowl patches, the sandblast finish and worked amazingly well with the polished vulcanite saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. There are still some nicks for the pipe’s journey that I left as it is part of the story of the pipe. This is truly a beautiful Royal Danish 981R Large Billiard. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.69 ounces/48 grams. This final pipe will be put in the box and will be mailed back to him early next week. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.

Cleaning up another of the 12 – A Wire Rusticated Dr. Grabow Belvedere Slim Dublin

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This is another of the pipes I received from Robert with a group 12 pipes that needed to be restored in various ways from cleanup to restemming. I have just two left now so I chose to work on this Dr. Grabow Belvedere Yachtsman with a vulcanite taper stem. The bowl and shank were very dirty with oils and tars on the surface of the smooth finish. There were also some worn spots. The wire rusticated bowl had been reamed recently so the bowl was almost free of cake other than a light ridge of carbon mid bowl. There was a light overflow of lava on the rim top. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Belvedere [over] Dr. Grabow. There was a Grabow logo on the left side of the stem. This one came with the original stem in place on the shank. The shank end had an aluminum fitting that provided a mortise of the threaded metal stinger/tenon on the pipe. The stem overclocked to the right leaving I crooked in the shank. It was oxidized and had what looked like pliers’ marks on the stem side. There were light tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. I took some photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took some closer photos of the bowl and rim top to show its condition before I started my work on the pipe. You can see the relatively clean bowl with no cake and the thick lava coat on the rim top. The stem photos also show the general condition of the stem as noted above. I tried to capture the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear, though faint, still readable and reads as noted above. I also unscrewed the stem to give a sense of what the pipe looked like with two parts shown side by side. It is a Dublin shape with a taper stem.I turned to Pipephil (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-drgrabow.html) to see if I could find any information on the line and background on the brand. I have included that in the paragraph below. There was nothing listed on the Belvedere line.

Dr. Grabow pipes began with Louis B. Linkman († 1957), of the M. Linkman and Co. of Chicago in 1932 (Pat # 1 896 800). Linkman and Co. ceased producing the Dr. Grabow pipes around 1953. After this date the brand was owned by Henry Leonard and Thomas (HLT), Inc. of Queens, New York and produced by Sparta Pipes Inc. In 1969, US Tobacco acquired Sparta Pipes and rights to Dr. Grabow. Lane Ltd. acquired the Dr. Grabow property from US Tobacco. Lane Ltd. came under ownership of RJ Reynolds and British American Tobacco in about 2000. Dr. Paul E. Grabow died in 1965 at age 97. Production (2006): ~250,000 pipes/year.

I then turned to Pipedia to an article on the Grabow Models. I have included the link below. (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow_Models_(Series,Line)_Names_Through_the_Years). I quote from the information listed on the Belvedere below:

BELVEDERE (c1955?) – One of the early RJR pipes. Some, perhaps the earlier ones, have #76 cleaner (“Rook” shape). Others use the #72b cleaner (“spoon” shape on end). Eventually, this pipe was dropped from the offers.

From that information I knew That I was dealing with an early RJR (RJ Reynolds) pipes as it had the “Rook” shaped stinger/tenon apparatus. That is known as a #76 cleaner. I also learned that it had been a coupon pipe and was dropped from the offers. It appears to have come out in or around 1955. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I decided to begin by addressing the fit of the stem to the shank. The stem fit against the shank perfectly but was over clocked by about ¼ turn. I would need to deal with that. I used an old trick I learned from one of the old timers on ASP. I heated the metal stinger tenon with the flame of a lighter to soften the glue in the stem. I screwed it into the stem and tried to turn it. I repeated the process until the glue softened. I then was able to align the stem properly on the shank. I set it aside to let the glue reharden before I took the stem off. It looked very good at this point in terms of alignment. I used a brass bristle wire brush to clean up the lava on the rim top and the tars on the aluminum Rook style stinger.I scrubbed the exterior of the with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked on edges of the rim top along with the rest of the bowl and the shank. I rinsed it off with warm running water and dried it off with a cotton towel. It is definitely looking better. I used a walnut stain pen to touch up the finish on the rim top, bowl edges and the shank end. I worked it into the wire brush rusticated finish on the bowl.I cleaned out the airway in the stem and shank, the mortise and the entry of the airway into the bowl. I used alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. It was dirty but cleaned up well.I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the oxidation on the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I continued to sand the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with some Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I polished it further with Before & After Stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and then wiped it down another time with the oil. I put the Dr. Grabow Belvedere Slim Dublin and the stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The original brown stains gave depth to the beautiful grain around the bowl and worked amazingly well with the polished vulcanite saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. There are still some nicks for the pipe’s journey that I left as it is part of the story of the pipe. This is truly a beautiful Dr. Grabow Belvedere Dublin. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.16 ounces/35 grams. This pipe will be put in the box while I work on Rob’s remaining pipe in the 12 pipe lot. Once I finish them I will be mailing the lot back to him. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.

Cleaning a stubbornly Frozen Quiet Companion Metal pipe from the lot of 12 pipes

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

Back in January I received an email from Robert with a group 12 pipes that needed to be restored in various ways from cleanup to restemming. I chose to work on second metal pipe next. It is a nice looking straight pipe with an apple style bowl and a metal base. It was a smooth bowl with no rustication. The rim top and the base of the bowl were both very dirty. The bowl had been reamed at some time so there was no cake in it. The rim top had an overflow of lava on it and some darkening around the inner edge. The underside of the bowl was dirty and it was coated with a varnish coat. The stem and bowl were stuck on the base and could not be removed at this point. The underside of the metal base was stamped Quiet Companion. The stem was dirty and had a lot of tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. I took some photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. To capture the condition of the bowl and rim top along with the stem I took the following photos. You can see the tar in the bottom of the bowl and the entrance to the shank is quite large. The bowl is not removable at the moment so once I am able to remove it I can do a better assessment of the condition. The rim top has a thick lava coat that is heavier on the back side. The stem is well chewed but none of the marks are too deep. The stem is also not removable at this point. I will need to see what I can find out about the internals so that I can take it apart.I tried to capture the stamping on the heel of the base. It read The [over] Quiet [over] Companion. It was clear and readable.This is a brand I had not seen before, let alone worked on. I had no idea how it came apart and it was solidly stuck. I could not remove the stem from the shank or the bowl from the base. Before I started to work on it I decided to see if I could find out how the parts were held together. Here is the link (http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=83). I quote the information that was included along with the photos.

QUIET COMRADE

Department : METAL STEM & Plug in bowls

QUIET COMRADE stamped under cup and on the base of the bowl. The filter holder is designed such that smoke has to travel three time the length of the shank, the last run is enabled to take an absorbtion filter.

The bowl is retained by the filter holder locking into the bowl, this has to be pulled out before the bowl is released. Attempting to unscrew the bowl can have disastrous effects

Variety of bowls , smooth and carved.

Overall length is 5 3/8 inches (137 m/m)

19 Feb 1974 – US patent # 3,792,705 Inventor Robert J Frederick , Ashtabula, Ohio and manufactured by Mech.Tech.Inc., PO box 487 – 3128 State Road – Ashtabula, Ohio 44004 – USA I also found a link on another site selling the pipe that showed the way the pipe fit together (https://eliesfreehandpipes.com/Elie%27s_Comrade.html).Now I knew how to take it apart… I thought. Now the hard work began. I tried all the tricks up my sleeve from years of working on pipes. I tried the freezer trick – letting it sit in the freezer for repeated periods of time and having absolutely no success. I tried heating the shank with boiling water to try to loosen the internals from the metal base – I repeated the process of heating it several times to loosen it. Again – I had no success. I heated it with a heat gun repeatedly to remove the internals – no success. The only thing that worked at this point was that I was able to remove the stem. I soaked the shank in a bath of alcohol for several days hoping to break things loose. It did not work. I heated it again to combine the alcohol and heat. It did not work. I tried plugging the shank end and soaking the internals with acetone. It still did not work. I am stumped at this point. I decided to clean up the pipe as best as I could without taking it apart. So that is what I did today after work.

I wiped off the debris from the soaking that bowl had received and reamed it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I took the cake back to bare briar and it looked much better. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and the inside of the bowl and the entrance of the airway at the bottom of the bowl with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. I also cleaned the airway in the stem at the same time. It was beginning to look very good.With the internals clean I turned my attention to the briar bowl. It had started the heating/cooling process I described above with a thick varnish coat. One of the benefits of the long process was that the varnish had bubble and peeled off. I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the remnants of shiny varnish on the sides and top of the bowl. It actually had some nice grain underneath the coat. I continued to sand the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the debris from sanding. By the last pad the bowl had begun to shine. I polished the briar bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the debris. By the end the grain just popped. It is a pretty bowl. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I turned my attention to the other end of the pipe. I sanded out the oxidation and scratches in the surface with 320-3500 sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil saturated cloth. Once finished it revealed deep marks and gouges in the surface.I filled in the marks and nicks on the surface of the stem with black, rubberized CA glue. I pressed it into the marks on the surface with a tooth pick. Once the repairs cured I sanded them smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with some Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I polished it further with Before & After Stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and then wiped it down another time with the oil. The frustratingly frozen pipe looked better. Even though I could not break down the internals I worked over the internals with alcohol and pipe cleaners. I put the Quiet Comrade Metal Pipe and stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The original brown stains gave depth to the beautiful grain around the bowl and worked amazingly well with the polished vulcanite saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. There are still some nicks for the pipe’s journey that I left as it is part of the story of the pipe. This is truly a beautiful Quiet Comrade Apple on a metal base. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.45 ounces/41 grams. This pipe will be put in the box while I work on Rob’s remaining pipes in the 12 pipe lot. Once I finish them I will be mailing the lot back to him. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.

Restemming a Beautiful, Sandblast WDC Milano Ripple Briar Hesson Apple

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

Time for another break from the repairs that I am working on for Rob. I had a couple of bowls in my box that needed to be restemmed. I chose to work on the first of them which is a beautifully sandblasted Apple bowl. The blast is very deep the rim top is thin and flows directly down the sides. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the shank and read WDC in a triangle followed by Milano [over] Ripple Briar [over] Hesson [over] Patd. Dec. 22, 192(6?). The last digit of the date is covered with a Sterling Silver band on the well repaired shank that is cracked on the left side. The bowl had been reamed and cleaned and was in great shape. There were a few worn spots on the top of the rim on the front and the right side. The shank on the left side had a long crack that had been repaired and banded with a sterling silver band. The band was clean with just a few scratches and the words Sterling curved on the topside. The shank was threaded but the threads were worn and it was missing a stem so I needed to find another one. I took photos of the bowl and have included them below. It shows the pipe before I started my work on it. I took a photo of the underside of the shank to show the stamping. It is quite clear and readable as noted above. I also tried to capture the Sterling Silver stamp o the band.I went through my stems and found one that was close to the right diameter to the shank and had a small diameter tenon. It would need some adjusting but it would fit very well. I took photos of it showing the look with the bowl.I started work on this pipe by polishing the bowl. The bowl was very clean and had little wear on it. The cracked shank had been banded and repaired somewhere in its journey. The silver band was very clean with some small scratches in the surface. It was in great condition so I started by staining the rim top faded and marks spots with a Walnut stain pen to blend them in and clean up the damage. It looked very good.After the touch up stain cured, I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem I had chosen for the pipe. I cleaned up the tenon and shortened it slightly to fit the shank of the pipe. I sanded the diameter with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to fully match the shank diameter. I sanded out the tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem.I put the stem on the shank and took photos of the fit of the stem to the bowl and the new look of this deeply sandblast pipe. I am liking the looks of the new stem. I removed the stem from the shank and sanded it further with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. By the time I finished with the 3500 grit pad the stem really looked good. I also sanded out the rough spot on the underside of the silver band to smooth it out.I polished the stem with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with each pad. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. I polished it further with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish and wiped it down a final time with the oil cloth. The finished WDC Milano Ripple Briar Hession Apple looks great with its new stem. The taper stem brings out the contrast of the silver band and dark nooks and crannies of the sandblast. I buffed the pipe with a light coat of White Diamond on the buffing wheel and then 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 wheel and it is a real beauty. The dimensions of this WCD Milano Ripple Briar Apple are length: 5 ½ inches, height: 1 ½ inches, outside bowl diameter: 1 inch, chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .67 ounces/19 grams. This is a beauty that will be going on the American Pipemakers Section of the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for giving the blog a read.

Cleaning up another of the 12 – An Imported Briar Lovat Style Pot

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This is another of the pipes I received from Robert with a group 12 pipes that needed to be restored in various ways from cleanup to restemming. I have just a few left now so I chose to work on this Kaywoodie like Lovat Style Pot with a short saddle stem. The bowl and shank were very dirty with oils and tars on the surface of the smooth finish. The bowl had been reamed recently so the bowl was free of cake. There was an overflow of thick lava on the rim top. The lava was thick and there as darkening on the inner edge. The pipe was faintly stamped on the left side of the shank and read Imported Briar. There was no other stamping on the shank sides though there may well have been some originally. This one came with the original stem in place on the shank. The shank end had an aluminum fitting that provided a mortise of the threaded metal stinger/tenon on the pipe. The stem did not fit tightly against the shank for some reason that clean up would reveal. It was oxidized and calcified on the button end. There were light tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. The surface of the button is also tooth marked. There were no logos on the stem sides. I took some photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took some closer photos of the bowl and rim top to show its condition before I started my work on the pipe. You can see the relatively clean bowl with no cake and the thick lava coat on the rim top. The stem photos also show the general condition of the stem as noted above. I tried to capture the faint stamping on the left side of the shank but it is not clear. I also took a photo of the right side to look for stamping. There was nothing visible in the photos. The left side had a faint stamp that read as noted above. I also unscrewed the stem to give a sense of what the pipe looked like with two parts shown side by side. It definitely is a pot but the long shank and the saddle stem give it the look of a Lovat. Since there was no stamping on the pipe there was really nothing to be learned about its history. It is kind of a mystery pipe. It could be a Kaywoodie I suppose but again there is no proof of that. I decided to begin my work by addressing the fit of the stem to the shank. There was a thick rubberized glue around the stem end of the threaded tenon. It filled in the last thread and also on the top of the stem face. This accounted for the fit to the shank at this point. I used a small pen knife to cut away the rubberized glue and cleaned up the tenon a bit. I turned it into the stem and found the answer to my question of why the rubber! The stem fit against the shank perfectly but was over clocked by about ¼ turn. I would need to deal with that.I used an old trick I learned from one of the old timers on ASP. I heated the metal stinger tenon with the flame of a lighter to soften the glue in the stem. I screwed it into the stem and tried to turn it. I repeated the process until the glue softened. I then was able to align the stem properly on the shank. I set it aside to let the glue reharden before I took the stem off. It looked very good at this point in terms of alignment.Once the stem cooled and the alignment was set I removed it from the shank and cleaned out the airway in the stem and shank, the mortise and the entry of the airway into the bowl. I used alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. It was dirty but cleaned up well.I scraped the lava off the rim top with the edge of the Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. It is better but there is still a lot of work to do on the inner edge and top. I sanded the inner edge of the bowl and rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean it up. I wiped the briar down with some acetone on cotton pads to remove the shiny varnish coat and allow me to work on the rest of the bowl. It is finally beginning to look better. I scrubbed the exterior of the with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked on edges of the rim top along with the rest of the bowl and the shank. I rinsed it off with warm running water and dried it off with a cotton towel. It is definitely looking better. I worked on the bowl, rim top, edges and shank with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further remove the darkening on the briar. I also worked over the aluminum shank/mortis piece at the same time. It is improving with each pad. I wiped the top down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I polished it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. The pipe looked very good. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I “painted’ the surface of the stem with the flame of a lighter to try and lift the bite marks. It worked very well. There were two small marks left on the surface – one on each side. I filled them in with some black rubberized CA glue. Once it cured I sanded out the repairs with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the stem surface. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with some Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I polished it further with Before & After Stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and then wiped it down another time with the oil. I put the Imported Briar Lovat Style Pot and the stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The original brown stains gave depth to the beautiful grain around the bowl and worked amazingly well with the polished vulcanite saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. There are still some nicks for the pipe’s journey that I left as it is part of the story of the pipe. This is truly a beautiful Imported Briar Pot. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.55 ounces/44 grams. This pipe will be put in the box while I work on Rob’s remaining pipes in the 12 pipe lot. Once I finish them I will be mailing the lot back to him. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.