by Kenneth Lieblich

Now here’s a pipe you don’t see everyday: a very attractive prince by the Danish pipe maker known as ‘Former’ – though his real name is Hans Jonny Nielsen – working for the Danish/German/Swiss outfit, Bentley. This pipe came to me in an exchange with a gentleman in Toronto. It is an elegant pipe, with a beautiful blast, and a luxurious tapered stem. I was quite taken with this pipe when I first saw it, and I’m sure you will be too. What do the marks on the pipe say? The underside of the shank tells us. First, we see the word Bentley [over] Former Design [over] 5 – 0 – 0. 94. Next to that is a circle inside of which is either the Roman numeral II or the number 11. Further to the right, and a right angle, are the words, Swiss+Made. Finally, there is a stylized B on the stem, signifying the Bentley name. I didn’t know much about Bentley or Nielsen, so I sought out the usual sources for information. At Pipedia, the Bentley article included this information:

This is the production Brand of Hans Jonny “Former” Nielsen. When the U. S. pipe demand for quality handmade “freehand” pipes diminished, W.Ø. Larsen in Copenhagen sent their several workshop pipemakers home to work out of their house. Former who was the Larsen foreman at the time, eventually went to Germany and started the Bentley line of production pipes made on frasing machines, several at a time. Some years ago he returned to Denmark with this type of equipment and continues to make these production pipes in his current workshop in between making his famous handmade pipes. Former went to Kleinlutzel, Switzerland (just over the border from Germany) and took over a pipe fabrication in the employ of Herman Lane, making the Bentley pipes (circa 1986).

This last line made sense as far as this pipe was concerned. Pipedia also has a good-length article on Nielsen himself and I encourage you to read it here. However, one paragraph of that article concerns us here:

In 1986 Former met an interesting opportunity when he was asked to go to Switzerland and modernize the old Bru-Bu factory and to develop a new, high-grade pipe given the English name “Bentley”. He successfully took the opportunity, and spent the next 10 years in Switzerland. Former met his wife, Daniela, while working in Switzerland. In 1997, they decided to purchase the factory machinery and moved to Lauenburg / Elbe, where the Bentley production was continued at Dan Pipe. But Daniela got homesick and so they returned to Denmark. Dan Tobacco (a subsidiary of DanPipe) still manufactures Former’s tobacco blends and the building still has the Bentley logo prominently featured on its front.

A quick perusal of the material at Pipephil confirmed all of this. Look at this screenshot:I think we can surmise that this pipe was probably made in the 1980s, presumably in Switzerland – although I still think of it as a Danish pipe.

The stummel is in lovely condition. Not too much cake or lava, and the blast is in wonderful shape. The stem is a bit different. For the most part, it looks good, but there are some serious tooth marks. Clearly, the vulcanite is excellent quality, but the tooth chatter is quite heavy. Let’s see what we can do about it. I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some Briarville Stem Oxidation Remover. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface of the vulcanite. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew out the stem from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the dents in the vulcanite. This was done by filling those marks with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on.The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduced the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I removed the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. Not all of the marks could be removed – but it is so much better than before! There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed. Fortunately, the bowl was pretty clean.Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. With a pipe this dirty, it took quite a while and much cotton to clean.I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a toothbrush in the crevices. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of work in getting the pipe clean.I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first the stem with a blue diamond compound, then the stummel with three coats of conservator’s wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.All done! This Bentley prince by ‘Former’ looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Danish’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6⅓ in. (162 mm); height 1⅝ in. (40 mm); bowl diameter 1⅔ in. (43 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (21 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1½ oz. (44 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.