Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is another Peterson’s pipe that came to us from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark on 04/11/2023. It is a nice classic Pot with a military style vulcanite stem. This pipe was quite well cared for by the previous trustee. It had been well smoked and there was a thick cake in the bowl but some light lava overflowing onto the rim top. The lava was heavier on the back and left side of the rim top and there was some darkening on the inner edge of the bowl. The pipe was dirty with grime and dirt ground into the finish on the bowl sides and heel. The stamping on the shank is clear and readable. The left side is stamped Peterson’s [arched over] Dublin 2. On the right side it was stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (3 lines) and near the bowl it is stamped with the shape number 608. The Silver ferrule on the shank is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. Next that there are three silver hallmarks. The first was Hibernia seated, arm on a harp for the country of manufacture. The second was a Crowned Harp designating sterling quality. The third mark was a date stamp and, in this case, a lower-case cursive “l” which dated the pipe as a 1977. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work on it.  Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl has a thick cake and the rim top and edges have a thick coat of lava around the inner edge and the rim top. The photos of the stem shows oxidation, calcification, tooth marks and chatter at the button. Jeff took some photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the amazing grain that was around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe.  He took photos of the sides of the shank and the silver ferrule to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable in the photos below and is as noted above. I turned to an earlier blog on a similar pipe with the same stamping that I had restored. I am quoting from what I learned in writing that blog. I quote:

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s Dublin 2. On page 298 it had the following information.

Dublin (1906-2003) Although DUBLIN appears under PETERSON’S on many pipes over the decades, it has served mostly as part of the brand name. The word first appeared on pipes hallmarked 1906-11, stamped PETERSON’S over PATENT over DUBLIN. The simpler PETERSON’s over DUBLIN first appeared on pipes hallmarked 1912 after the expiration of the patent. Illustrations of pipes in the ’37 catalog show a random dispersion of the stamp PETERSON’S over OF DUBLIN together with the ordinary PETERSON’S over DUBLIN on every model offered. Specimens of the former will bear either and Irish COM or LONDON MADE over ENGLAND COM and almost certainly date from 1945-62. It was first mentioned as part of a model name in the ’68 price list, as K&P DUBLIN, in ’92 for a Danish market line and in 2017 (see below).

“Dublin” (1992-2003) An orange-brown smooth line with a brass-nickel-brass sandwich band, vulcanite fishtail mouthpiece, consisting mostly of D shapes released for the Danish market. Stamped PETERSON’S in script over “DUBLIN”. A tenth anniversary pipe for the line was produced with a sterling band stamped 2001. Market demand fell shortly thereafter and several pipes stamped “DUBLIN” were released in ’03 for the Fourth of July commemoratives for the US market.

I wrote to Mark Irwin again and asked for his help in clearing up the mystery and helping to date this pipe. I also asked him to provide any additional information for me. He responded with the following:

Steve…It’s first decade of the Early Republic (1948-1958). The 2 and 3 numbers were discontinued in 1958. Great little pipe! The “2” = today’s Premier grade.

I had forgotten to include the hallmarks on the silver so that left me even more in a quandary. So, I wrote Mark back about the date stamp on the silver and the conflicting stamping on the pipe.

How does that work with date on the ferrule seeming to point to 1975 (in this case 1977)? It has the standard stamping – woman on chair, harp and the letter “h” (in this case “l”)

Mark responded as follows with regard to that pipe (the material fits very well with the 1977 pipe that I am working presently).

Haha! I love it. You have just entered the Twilight Zone of Peterson pipes, because the “2” and the small “h” for 1975 cancel each other out. I would prefer to leave it there: “a dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.” If, however, you want to get mundane about it, there are only two possibilities: it was rebanded in 1975 (highly unlikely but not impossible) or someone picked up the old stamp (and they have dozens and dozens) who was new to the hand-stamping job. For myself, I’d rather leave it in the imponderables, but there are always skeptics who prefer the easy explanation to the miracle.

I could not have said it any better! The Twilight Zone of Peterson’s Pipes. So I have a pipe made between 1948-1958 with a silver ferrule that is dated 1977! What a great mystery! Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top had some looked quite good and the inner edge had some darkening and damage. It should clean up really well. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the tooth marks on the surface near the button. I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank and on the Sterling Silver Ferrule. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I took the stem off the bowl and took a photo to give a sense of the proportion and beauty of this pipe.I decided to address the damage to the edge of the bowl and the rim top first. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel to blend them into the surrounding briar.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the silver ferrule with silver polishing cloth to remove the tarnish. Once it was clean the silver really shined. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the light tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the vulcanite. I started polishing the stem by wet sanding it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a cloth containing some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Oil to preserve and protect the stem.  I am excited to finish this Peterson’s Dublin 2 Pot 608. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful flame grain all around it. Added to that the polished black vulcanite stem combined with the bowl and made a stunning pipe. This smooth Classic Older Peterson’s Dublin 2 Pot is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¼ inches, Height: 1 3/8 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 29 grams/1.06 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe that I will be putting this one on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section. Let me know if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for your time. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

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.