by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is an interesting long oval shank Malaga Volcano. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 11/04/2025 from a seller in Orlando, Florida, USA. The grain on this pipe is nice beneath the oil finish stain. But what makes it different is that the pipe is etched with lines breaking up the bowl sides and long shank into various quadrants. The rim top and heel of the bowl were smooth. The pipe is stamped on the top side of the shank and reads “MALAGA”. It is a unique one in terms of the shape and the etching style rustication. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition with no damage. The bowl was clean with some darkening on the bowl walls and also some raw briar. It was a lightly smoked pipe and other than dirty was quite clean. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl looked very good. The taper stem was vulcanite and was lightly oxidized. There were light tooth marks on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work.  Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show clean bowl and rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim looked good. The grain on the rim top is quite nice. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. The vulcanite stem was lightly oxidized and had light tooth marks and some chatter on the top and underside of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain and etching rustication around bowl and shank. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the topside and it is clear and readable as noted above. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also am including a link to some printed material on the Malaga brand that came to me from the daughter of George Koch (we purchased George’s pipes from his daughter) to help identify the particular stamping on the pipe. The link takes you to the entire collection of materials that were sent to me. (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/27/malaga-pipes-catalogue-of-pipes-and-tobaccos/).

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual process. He cleaned up the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub to remove oxidation and cleaned the inside with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water when he removed it. It looked quite good. The photos below show it well. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff cleaned up the grime and debris in the briar and rustication. The rim top was clean as were the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The stem looked better and the light tooth marks are visible on both sides.I took a photo of the stamping on the topside of the shank to show that it was clear and readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like.It was time to start my work on the pipe. I sanded the scratches and marks on the rim and bowl sides with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a damp cloth. It really began to shine. I polished the bowl sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I sanded the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the “Malaga” Etched Oval Shank Volcano Sitter and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful “Malaga” Etched Volcano Sitter and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. I honestly have no idea why it is labeled a second as there are no fills or flaws in the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ¼ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.66 ounces/47- grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

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.