Blog by Steve Laug

I took a short break from the D.P. Ehrlich Co. Meerschaum pipes after completing the second one – an older Billiard with a replacement stem (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/08/27/a-3-pipe-reclamation-project-next-a-d-p-ehrlich-co-meerschaum-billiard/). I turned to work on some interesting older pipes that I have had around here for a long time. The first of them is an unsmoked, new old stock (NOS) Octagonal Billiard that is stamped on the right side of the shank with the following numbers: 112D/707C/75. There is no other stamping on the shank of the pipe. There is an Electroplated silver band that has the EP stamp in a diamond over a series of faux hallmarks. This leads me to believe that the pipe is American Made – but that is just a guess. The finish is faded and tired from sitting in storage for many years but it is quite stunning. I has an eight sided paneled bowl with some interesting rusticated patches around the top of the bowl and down into four of the panels. The rim top is inwardly beveled and quite delicate looking. The stem is horn and the tenon is threaded bone. It is anchored in the shank and the stem screws onto it. There is a red sticker on the underside of the stem but anything that was written on it is faded and gone with time. It is a beauty that I want to refresh and add to my own collection. Here are a few photos of the pipe before I did anything to it. I took photos of the bowl and stem. You can see the inwardly beveled rim top and the octagonal outer edge. The drilling is bang on and centered in the bottom of the bowl right at the bottom of the bowl. It is a good sized bowl. The interior walls of the pipe are smooth and do not have customary drilling marks or checks or chips. It has been sanded. The horn stem is in excellent condition and has a slotted button. There is an orange tag on the underside of the stem.I took photos of the sides of the shank. I took a photo of the left side of the shank and the carving on the bowl sides. There is no stamping on the left side. You can see the faux hallmarks on the band. The stamping on the right side of the shank are clear and readable.I removed the stem from the shank. You can see the brand new threaded bone tenon in the photo below. The proportions of this pipe are well done. The grain around the bowl is very nice. The carving is quite unique. There are many things about the pipe that remind of older C.P.F. pipes. While the stem was removed I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the finish with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and protect briar finished. I let it dry for 10 minutes then buffed it off with a cotton cloth. The grain on the bowl really came alive with the buffing. It is really a beautiful pipe. I did a quick polish on the horn stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with Obsidian Oil to protect and enliven the horn. It came out looking very good. This interesting octagonal horn stem billiard that is stamped 112D/707C/75 turned out really well and it is a great looking pipe with a great shape to it. The fact that it is New Old Stock (NOS) is an additional bonus. The grain on the briar and the sheen on the horn stem really popped when the pipe was buffed with blue diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Octagonal Billiard and horn stem is comfortable to hold and is quite distinguished looking. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 31 grams/1.09 ounces. This is a beautiful pipe that will fit nicely into my older American pipe collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. Keep an eye out on the blog as I have several other older horn stemmed pipes that will be coming up soon. When I put the stem back on the tenon. the tenon turned in the shank and I was able to turn it to the right and remove the stem from the shank with the tenon in place. I took photos of the stem with the tenon in place.