Blog by Steve Laug
I had some time this morning to go through a drawer of metal pipes that I have and pull out some to clean up and restore. Some of them are in very good condition while others will need more attention. The first of these is a pair of Dr. Plumb Peacemakers. One is the classic thin silver base with a with a Flair Rustic Bowl and the other one is a copper coloured one with an Apple Smooth Bowl. Both pipes were very clean other than some light tooth chatter on both sides near the button of both pipes. The internals were spotless and the rim top and bowl were very clean.I took pictures of each of the pipes to give a sense of the condition. Both needed polishing and the tooth chatter needed to be eradicated but otherwise they are uniquely beautiful. The first is the Flair Rustic Bowl with a silver aluminum base and shank. The bowl had some darkening inside but it had barely been smoked and was clean. The inward bevel of the rim top was also in perfect condition.
The second one is the Apple Smooth Bowl with a copper coloured aluminum base and shank. The bowl had some darkening inside but it had barely been smoked and was clean. The rim top and edges were in perfect condition.
I took close up photos of the Flair Rustic bowl and stem to show the condition. The bowl is very clean and parts of it have no darkening so it has not been smoked much. The rim top and edges look very good. The stem photos show the chatter on both sides ahead of the button.
I took close up photos of the Apple Smooth bowl and stem to show the condition. The bowl is very clean and parts of it have no darkening so it has not been smoked much. The rim top and edges look very good. The stem photos show the chatter on both sides ahead of the button.
Both pipes were stamped on the underside of the base and read Peacemaker in a circle over England. In the center of both was the number 2. You can see that both need to be polished. The stems both have a red dot with Plumb underneath.
I took the pipes apart and took photos of the parts. The tenon of the pipe is a part of the base and really is a metal nipple. The stem slides over it. In the base of the silver coloured pipe there is a filter ring that is not present in the copper coloured one. I have smoked them with and without the ring with no significant issues.
In the past I have worked on several of these pipes and done a bit of research on them. I am including a link to one of those blogs for you to check out for background information on the brand (https://rebornpipes.com/2016/08/07/the-box-said-it-was-a-bbb-peacemaker/).
I am also including a link to a Peacemaker Brochure that I picked up with one of my pipes for your reading interest (https://rebornpipes.com/2016/08/08/peacemaker-brochure/). I am also including photos of the brochure.
Now it was time to work on the stems of each pipe. I sanded out the tooth chatter on the stem surfaces of both with 220 grit sandpaper and then gave it a polish with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper.
I finished polishing each stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an impregnated Obsidian Oil cloth. I finished the polishing with some Before & After Stem polish – Fine and Extra Fine. I gave each stem a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry.
I rubbed the two bowls down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar and rustication on the one bowl with my finger tips. I let it sit on the briar for 15 minutes then I polished it with a soft cloth. The grain really stood out.
I polished the aluminum bases and shanks with a jeweler’s cloth to give the metal a shine and minimize the scuff on the silver one. They both look better.
I put the two Peacemakers back together and again and polished them with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave bowl several coats of carnauba wax and buffed them with a clean buffing wheel. I hand buffed them with a soft cloth to deepen the shine. Both pipes are quite nice looking and will be interesting light weight smokes. The dimensions of the Flair Rustic bowl and silver aluminum base and shank are – Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outer Diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber Diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.38 ounces/39 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Pipes from Various Makers – Czech, Belgian, German, Israeli, Spanish Pipemakers along with Metal Pipes section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.
The dimensions of the Apple Smooth bowl and Copper coloured aluminum base and shank are – Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outer Diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber Diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.20 ounces/34 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Pipes from Various Makers – Czech, Belgian, German, Israeli, Spanish Pipemakers along with Metal Pipes section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.