Tag Archives: giving the bowl a bowl coating with charcoal and sour cream

The fourth of a foursome of Beautiful pipes sent to me with Potential Burn Out Issues

by Steve Laug

On November 29 I received an email from a fellow regarding a Moretti that came to him from a dear friend. He stated that it had a burnout and that he had someone ream it for him. I have included his first email below.

Steve, I have a Moretti pipe that belonged to a dear friend. It had a burnout and I had the bowl reamed, but I’m afraid to smoke it. Can you offer a suggestion of how the inside of the bowl can be treated against possible future burnout, or can you fit the bowl with either a meerschaum or graphite liner? – Michael

We talked back and forth regarding the pipe and various options for repair. I agreed to work on them and told him to mail it to me. Once he packed it he added another three pipes to the box that he was sure had the same issues. He mailed them to me on December 8 and sent me another email.

You have convinced me that you’re the person who can help restore my pipes! I shipped 4 pipes to you today by USPS, and declared their value at $5 each for a total of $20 as you requested. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but all four have had burnout issues and I’m hoping that you can clean them out and coat the inside of the bowls as you described. If you feel that more effort is needed, please let me know.

On December 28^th I received the package from Michael. I opened the box and inside there were four beautiful Italian Made pipes. I have listed them below and included photos of the pipes.

Savinelli Autograph Sandblast Bent Cherrywood
2008 Ardor DR bent Dublin
Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin
2005 Moretti 1 Bent Rhodesian

The fourth and final pipe I brought to the table is an Ardor Scoop. Overall it looks very good. It is stamped on underside of the shank and reads DR [over] Ardor [over] Marte [over] Italy [over] Fatta a Mano [over] 2008. The stamping is clear and very readable. The pipe has a mix of black and brown stains on a smooth finish and amazing grain that the shape follows well. The oval rim cap is smooth and there is some darkening around the inner edge of the bowl. The rest of the finish was very clean and the bowl had a light cake on the walls but the rim top was clean other than the edge darkening. I inspected the walls of the bowl and could not find any issues or divots in the walls. I spoke with Michael and he mentioned that it looked like it had some small checking/cracking on the walls of the bowl. Initial inspection reveals that the light cracking in the cake on the bowl walls. The other issue Michael spoke of is that the front wall of the bowl was particularly thin and when smoked was very hot. I would need to examine it further once it had been reamed and cleaned. The acrylic black original taper stem had a white saddle portion on the end of the stem ahead of the tenon. There was a blue dot encircled in a silver circle on the top of the white saddle portion. The stem showed light tooth marks or chatter on both sides. I took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean finish on the bowl. The photos show a moderate cake in the bowl and a very clean rim top. The stem photos show the condition of the taper stem ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe.I did a quick review of the history of the brand by turning to Pipedia. The link there led to an article that came from Italian Pipemakers.com. Here is the link – https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ardor. I quote part of the article that gives a quick view of the brands

Ardor Courtesy of italianpipemakers.com

In 1974 Dorelio Rovera, with his father Angelo, established the Ardor Pipe, name which comes from the “AR” (Angelo Rovera) and “DOR” (Dorelio Rovera), changing a medium quality level production into a completely handcrafted product, with a very high level of design and finishing.

[Editor’s Note: Angelo Rovera is the son of Francesco Rovera, who along with his brothers comprised Sociedade Rovera, a pipe company they founded in 1911.]

Dorelio personally chooses the briar which is left seasoning for at least 4 to 5 years before it is worked. It is stocked in particular baskets which leave the wood always visible and airy. The pieces chosen to become a pipe are cut with a circular saw to identify the model. Then each piece is rough hewn by hand with special files, definitely “dangerous” but very efficacious to give the shape to the wood.

Like most artisans, Ardor couples a classical style and a very original style with definite but free and fanciful lines, to offer and meet the largest number of requests, from the simple to the most complex. Ardor is a pipe company which is always looking for innovations, indispensable to collectors, but trying to offer a very high level product in the smoking aspect and performance of the briar, always dried and light for a higher comfort of the smoker.

With Damiano, Dorelio’s son, Ardor introduced the coloured methacrylate (acrylic) stems, really appreciated in the international markets. Damiano has been able to condition the Ardor style with new shapes and with a new mouthpieces style, having a modern point of view. His target is to keep up the interest of new generations, surely more variable in a shorter period.

The Ardor Marte that I have was marked DR which told me it was made by Dorelio Rovera. The stem on this Scoop adds a definite flair to the pipe that is unique.

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I thoroughly cleaned the bowl walls, shank and the airway in the stem. I used cotton swabs, pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular) and Isopropyl alcohol.I used a worn 320-400 grit sanding pad to work on the rim top and inner edge and remove the darkening in those areas before I scrubbed the briar.I scrubbed the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and some undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the dust and soap from the finish. I dried it off with a soft cloth and it looked much better. I examined the cleaned walls of the bowl and found some small divots around the sides of the bowl half way down across the sides. I could feel it with my fingers. I wiped the bowl clean with a cotton pad and alcohol to remove any debris on the surface. I mixed a batch of JB Weld to repair the divots around the bowl wall. I pressed it into the damaged areas with a dental spatula. I set the bowl aside for the repair to cure. Once it cured I sanded it smooth with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel to smooth out the repair. I wiped it down with a damp pad to remove the sanding debris. I mixed a bowl coating of sour cream and activated charcoal powder. I inserted a pipe cleaner in the airway entrance to the bowl to keep it open. I applied it to the walls of the pipe with a folded pipe cleaner and repeated it until I had the walls thoroughly covered. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips to work it into the finish. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the acrylic with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I the polished black acrylic taper stem with a white ring and the DR Ardor Marte 2008 Scoop bowl with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and raise the shine. I gave the stem and the bowl several coats of Carnauba Wax then 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. This turned out to be a beautiful DR Ardor Marte 2008 Scoop and black acrylic stem with white ring. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: ?? inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches wide x 1 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.08 ounces/58 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this beautiful Bent Dublin. This one will join the first one I restored both will await my completion of the work on the other two pipes Michael sent me. Thanks for looking.

The third of a foursome of Beautiful pipes sent to me with Potential Burn Out Issues

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by Steve Laug

On December 28^th I received the package from Michael. I opened the box and inside there were four beautiful Italian Made pipes. I have listed them below and included photos of the pipes.

Savinelli Autograph Sandblast Bent Cherrywood
2008 Ardor DR bent Dublin
Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin
2005 Moretti 1 Bent Rhodesian

The third pipe I brought to the table is a Savinelli Autograph Sandblast Bent Cherrywood. Overall it looks very good. It is stamped on smooth heel of the bowl and reads Savinelli [over] Autograph [followed by] Made in [over] Italy and to the right it is stamped with a 2. The stamping is clear and very readable. The pipe has a mix of black, brown and oxblood stains on a sandblast finish and the blast shows amazing grain that the shape follows well. The crowned rim cap is also sandblast and the heel of the bowl is smooth in a patch that bears the stamping. The shank end is a blue/white acrylic. The finish was very clean and the bowl had a light cake on the walls but the rim top was clean. I inspected the walls of the bowl and could not find any issues or divots in the walls. I spoke with Michael and he mentioned that it looked like it had some small checking/cracking on the walls of the bowl. Initial inspection reveals that the light cracking in the cake on the bowl walls. I would need to examine it further once it had been reamed and cleaned. The acrylic black original saddle stem is on the pipe and has an autograph on the top of the taper. The stem showed light tooth marks or chatter on both sides. I took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean finish on the bowl. The photos show a moderate cake in the bowl and a very clean rim top. The stem photos show the condition of the taper stem ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe.I wanted to remind myself a bit about the Autograph line from Savinelli so I reread a blog I had written on a previous Autograph restoration (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/01/05/restoring-a-savinelli-autograph-3-rhodesian-dublin-long-shank/). I quote a portion of the blog now:

I turned first to the Pipephil website (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-savinelli1.html) to get a brief overview of the Autograph line. There I found out that the Autographs were hand made and unique. The Autograph Grading system is ascending: 3, 4, … 8, 0, 00, 000.

I turned then to Pipedia to get a more background on the Autograph line. I had the outline I needed from pipephil for the pipe but wanted more (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Savinelli). I quote in part from the article on that site.

While Savinelli’s serially produced pipes account for around 98% of annual production, the marque also creates a number of artisanal, handmade pieces as well. The Autographs, the Creativity line, and the Mr. A. line are all the result of Savinelli’s unique handmade process, with the Autographs reflecting the larger Freehand aesthetic, the Creativity line delving into more complex hand carving, and the Mr. A. line sidestepping the standard shape chart for remarkable and unusual pipes.

All of the briar for Savinelli’s Autographs and other freehand pipes is sourced specifically for those pieces. While the majority of the marque’s serial production is made from extra grade ebauchon blocks, Savinelli keeps a separate supply of Extra Extra plateau blocks for Freehands. This variety of briar is much larger, and of a higher quality, which explains why so many Autographs and Savinelli handmades are naturally larger designs.

These handmade pieces are shaped much like traditional Danish Freehands: they are shaped first and drilled second. Using this method, Savinelli’s team of artisans is able to showcase their own creativity, as it maximizes flexibility and facilitates a more grain-centric approach to shaping. The resulting Freehand designs are at once both a departure from the marque’s classical standard shapes, yet very much still “Savinelli” in their nature—i.e. proportioned so that the bowl is the visual focus when viewed from the profile, juxtaposed by the comparatively trim lines of the shank and stem. To provide a little more insight into the differences between Savinelli’s standard production and freehand lines, Luisa Bozzetti comments:

“When we choose to make Freehand pipes we must stop production on the standard shapes. The process for Freehands is much more involved and takes much more time. Finding the best people from the production line and pulling them to make Freehands is challenging since it’s not an assembly line, but rather a one or two man operation.

After the rough shaping of the stummel, we must get together and brainstorm which style of stem will be paired before the pipe can be finished since we do not use pre-shaped stems. All accents and stems for the Freehands are cut from rod here in the factory. A lot of care goes into the few pieces lucky enough to make the cut; to end up with a certain number of Autographs, for instance, means that many, many more will be made, and only the few will be selected.”

The quality control process for Savinelli handmades is even more rigorous than that employed in the standard lineup. Many blocks are started and later discarded because of pits or defects. While Savinelli’s briar sourcing is a constant process, working with some of Italy’s top cutters to ensure only the finest and most suitable blocks make their way to the factory, it’s impossible to source plateau briar that’s completely free from flaws. That’s just nature. Savinelli creates the standard for quality by working through the rough (a very high-quality rough, mind you) to find that shining diamond with the potential to become a Savinelli handmade.

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I then thoroughly cleaned the bowl walls, shank and the airway in the stem. I used cotton swabs, pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular) and Isopropyl alcohol.I scrubbed the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and some undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the dust and soap from the finish. I dried it off with a soft cloth and it looked much better. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips to work it into the finish. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I examined the cleaned walls of the bowl and found a divot on the left side of the bowl half way down across the side. I could feel it with my fingers. I wiped the bowl clean with a cotton pad and alcohol to remove any debris on the surface. I mixed a batch of JB Weld to repair the divot on the bowl wall. I pressed it into the damaged area with a tooth pick and a dental spatula. I set the bowl aside for the repair to cure. Once it cured I sanded it smooth with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel to smooth out the repair. I wiped it down with a damp pad to remove the sanding debris.I mixed a bowl coating of sour cream and activated charcoal powder. I inserted a pipe cleaner in the airway entrance to the bowl to keep it open. I applied it to the walls of the pipe with a folded pipe cleaner and repeated it until I had the walls thoroughly covered. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the acrylic with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I the polished mottled brown acrylic taper stem and the Savinelli Autograph 2 Cherrywood bowl with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and raise the shine. I gave the stem and the bowl several coats of Carnauba Wax then 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. This turned out to be a beautiful Savinelli Autograph 2 with a black acrylic saddle stem. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches wide x 1 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.08 ounces/58 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this beautiful Bent Dublin. This one will join the first one I restored both will await my completion of the work on the other two pipes Michael sent me. Thanks for looking.

The second of a foursome of Beautiful pipes sent to me with Potential Burn Out Issues

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by Steve Laug

On December 28^th I received the package from Michael. I opened the box and inside there were four beautiful Italian Made pipes. I have listed them below and included photos of the pipes.

Savinelli Autograph Sandblast Bent Cherrywood
2008 Ardor DR bent Dublin
Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin
2005 Moretti 1 Bent Rhodesian
The second pipe I brought to the table is a Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin. Overall it looks very good. It is stamped on underside of the shank and Mastro Beraldi [over] Italy [over] 2. The stamping is clear and very readable. The pipe has a mix of black and brown stains on smooth finish and some amazing grain that the shape follows well. The crowned rim cap is covered with great birdseye while the bowl and shank sides have some beautiful straight grain. The finish was very clean and the bowl had a light cake on the walls but the rim top was clean. I inspected the walls of the bowl and could not find any issues or divots in the walls. I spoke with Michael and he mentioned that it looked like it had some small checking/cracking on the walls of the bowl. Initial inspection reveals that the light cracking in the cake on the bowl walls. I would need to examine it further once it had been reamed and cleaned. The acrylic multihued brown original stem is on the pipe and has brass dot on the top of the taper. The stem showed no tooth marks or chatter on either side. I took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean finish on the bowl. The photos show a moderate cake in the bowl and a very clean rim top. The stem photos show the condition of the taper stem ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the left and underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe.I turned to Pipephil’s site to see if I could find out information on the Mastro Beraldi brand and specifically this pipe (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-m3.html). I have included a screen capture of the section on the page as well as the side bar note

Artisan: Aldo Pierluigi “Mario Grandi” may be a sub-brand of Mastro Beraldi (low end pipes) started in 2006.I then turned to Pipedia and read the section on the brand to see what I could learn about the brand and the carver of the pipe (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Mastro_Beraldi). I quote from that article below:

Aldo Pierluigi emerged as a pipemaker around 1976/77. He stamped his earlier freehand pipes “Per mei amici” (For my friends). As it seems, Pierluigi chose a more commercialised way of pipemaking by creating the Mastro Beraldi line, which is mainly offered in the United States. This is not to say that these pipes are of inferior qual Citation from the homepage:

“Mastro Beraldi pipes are completely hand crafted by Aldo Pierluigi and his family who has been making pipes in Rome since the ‘70s using artisan’s techniques and tools.

The experience acquired in the last 30 years led to the realization of this line of hand made pipes, different one from the others, with the aim of offering to the smokers a high quality product at an excellent price.

The briar wood is Italian and is carefully selected and aged.

The mouthpiece, also by Italian factories, is made of ebonite of the best quality internally strengthened with a special pin to protect against breakage. The finishing touches are obtained with new water colours and varnish.

The rings, trimmings, accessories and packages are individually designed to complement each unique pattern. For the typical manifacture and the selected and used materials we guarantee that this pipe is a totally hand made, made in Italy and ecological product.”

Last year the Pierluigis started a new line of pipes called Mario Grandi. Since December 2006 these pipes are offered exclusively on internet auctions, starting at very low prices. Strange enough, they declare “Mario Grandi” to be a real and living pipemaker…

Considering the prices, these pipes are a good buy, especially if one applies some care to choose the better pieces.

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I then thoroughly cleaned the bowl walls, shank and the airway in the stem. I used cotton swabs, pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular) and Isopropyl alcohol.I scrubbed the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and some undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the dust and soap from the finish. I dried it off with a soft cloth and it looked much better. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips to work it into the finish. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I mixed a bowl coating of sour cream and activated charcoal powder. I inserted a pipe cleaner in the airway entrance to the bowl to keep it open. I applied it to the walls of the pipe with a folded pipe cleaner and repeated it until I had the walls thoroughly covered. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I the polished mottled brown acrylic taper stem and the Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin bowl with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and raise the shine. I gave the stem and the bowl several coats of Carnauba Wax then 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. This turned out to be a beautiful Mastro Beraldi 2 Bent Dublin with a mottled brown acrylic taper stem. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.01 ounces/57 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this beautiful Bent Dublin. This one will join the first one I restored both will await my completion of the work on the other two pipes Michael sent me. Thanks for looking.