Tag Archives: pipe refurbishing

Bringing a pre-1884 era CPF Bent Billiard Back to Life

Blog by Steve Laug

My friend John gave me an old pipe that needed to be restored and it fits well into my collection of older CPF pipes. This one was a CPF bent billiard with the CPF logo in an oval and the word French arched above it and the word Briar arched below it. On the gold band around the shank were false hallmarks and the CPF logo in an oval. It was an old timer with the orific style button on a horn stem. The tenon on the end of the stem was bone and in excellent shape. The threads on the tenon were perfect and the tenon looked almost new. However, the threads in the shank were worn and would not hold the stem in place. It could be spun around and with a slight wiggle it came out of the shank. The threads on the tenon no longer aligned with the threads in the shank. The horn stem itself had some tooth chatter on both sides of the stem near the button and was dirty and tired looking. The finish on the bowl was in great shape. The bowl itself had been reamed but there was a light coat of ash in the bowl. The rim looked like it had been topped somewhere in its life but whoever did the work did it well.

I have written a blog about the history of the brand previously. You can read it for details at this link: https://rebornpipes.com/2013/04/14/some-reflection-on-the-historical-background-on-cpf-pipes/

For the sake of summary I include a portion of that blog here.

CPF stands for Colossus Pipe Factory. There is not much known about the Colossus Pipe Factory. I learned that by the mid 1890’s CPF was owned by Kaufman Brothers & Bondy (KB&B). They operated the factory at 129 Grand Street, in New York City, New York. I had a faint memory of some connection between CPF and Kaufmann Brothers & Bondy. But was unsure where I had heard or read that. In the process of reading information I came across this post by Bill Feuerbach on the Kaywoodie Forum it read as follows: “About 10 years ago I picked up two original invoices from KB&B. One is dated February 5, 1884 and the other December 9, 1898. Both have the address as 129-131 Grand Street, which is in Soho, adjacent to the Bowery in New York City. The 1898 invoice has in the upper left hand corner the initials CPF and Trademark. So by 1898 KB&B was making it known to the trade that they owned the CPF trademark. The 1884 invoice does not have CPF on it. Therefore I think we can assume KB&B acquired or started the CPF line sometime between 1884 and 1898.”

Thus we know that the brand was purchased by KB & B sometime between 1884 and 1898 and that it continued until 1915. That time frame gives help in dating some of the older CPF pipes you or I might find. It can be said that prior to the dual stamping it is fairly certain that the pipe is pre-1884 to 1898. After the dual stamping it can be placed post 1898 until the closure of the brand line in 1915. CPF made beautiful pipes. I believe Sam Goldberger was correct in his assertion of the potential carvers that made the pipes being of European training and the classic shapes and well aged briar. That coincides with all the CPF pipes that I have come across.

The pipe I got from John is one of the earlier pre-1884 as it only bears the CPF stamp in faded gold leaf on the shank. I took the stem off the shank to look over the connector in the shank. The threads were worn and there was a chunk of briar missing from the bottom side of the shank exterior inside the band. There also appeared to be a crack at the top of the shank but it turned out to not be a crack but rather an area where the end of the shank is stepped down. I filled in the hollow area with wood glue and used the dental pick to push it down in the divot area.

I tried several methods for dealing with the damaged threads in the shank. The first of these was to build up the tenon with wood glue and then also with super glue. Both methods failed. As soon as I twisted the tenon into the shank the threads were stripped of all of the glue buildup. Those two methods utterly failed. I cleaned off the tenon with alcohol on cotton pads and started over. I examined the threads in the shank and it suddenly dawned on me that I could build them up. I carefully used super glue on the threads keeping it totally out of the airway in shank. I filled in the threaded area with the glue and once it dried I was able to recut the threads with the bone tenon itself. The repair worked and the stem fit snugly in the shank.

I have learned over the years that using micromesh sanding pads on horn stems really raises a shine and brings out the grain in the horn. I started by wet sanding this one with 1500-2400 grit micromesh to take care of the tooth chatter and to reshape the oval button. It took some sanding but I finally got is shaped correctly. These first three grits of micromesh do the hard work in polishing the horn. When I finished I rubbed it down with Obsidian Oil. You can really begin to see the bands in the horn and the grain. This was one beautiful piece of horn. I dry sanded the stem with 3200-4000 grit pads and the grain began to really show and glow. I love the translucence of horn once it begins to really shine. This stem was truly a beauty to behold. I rubbed it down again with Obisidan Oil before moving on to the next grits of micromesh. I finished with the 6000-12,000 grit pads – dry sanding through each grit. I then buffed the stem lightly with the Blue Diamond Plastic Polish to give the final shine. I rubbed down the bowl with a light coat of olive oil and then cleaned up the band on the stem with silver polish and micromesh sanding pads. I finished the band by buffing it with a jeweler’s silver polishing cloth. The next photo shows the stamping with the gold leaf on the shank and also gives a clear photo of the stamping and faux hallmarks on the band. I buffed the pipe with multiple coats of carnauba wax and then gave it a final buff with a clean, soft flannel buffing pad to raise the shine. The finished pipe is shown below. Note the glow of the horn stem and the contrast of the brass/gold band. This old timer is ready for many more years of service. If you have not smoked a horn stem pipe you have to give one a try. They are a totally different experience from vulcanite or Lucite. They are comfortable and light in the mouth. I am looking forward to breaking this one in again and enjoying smoking it.

Thanks for looking

NEPAL PROJECT PIPE SALE 2 – Breathing New Life into a Lorenzetti Dublin

2 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug
I was gifted a box of pipes from a good friend of mine with the instructed purpose of cleaning them up and selling them with all of the proceeds going to the aid of earthquake victims in Nepal. The funds raised will all go to the SA Foundation, and organization that has worked in Nepal for over 15 years helping provide recovery, housing and job training for women who are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. The ongoing earthquakes (over 300) that continue to shake Nepal have left much in ruins. The SA Foundation Project there was able to find new housing for the women and help with staff as well. Every dollar raised from the sale of these pipes will go to the work in Nepal.
The second pipe I decided to clean up from the box of donated pipes is a beautifully grained Lorenzetti bent Dublin. This one will also be sold and all the proceeds will go to the project in Kathmandu. It is stamped Lorenzetti over Italy over 2 on the left side of the shank. It is a great looking piece of briar with a few nicely done fills that blend into the briar.

When I brought it to the worktable the briar was very dirty. The finish was natural so it was not going to be a problem. It would need to be wiped down and scrubbed. The two rings around the top of the bowl were full of grime and needed to be cleaned as well. The silver on the shank and on the stem was oxidized. The top of the rim was covered with tars and oils that overflowed the bowl. The bowl itself was still round which was a plus but the cake in it was quite thick. The inner bevel of the rim was thick with tars and oils and I was concerned there would be damage underneath. The stem was Lucite and had minimal tooth chatter at the button. Looking at the Lorenzetti website I am uncertain the stem is the original but the fit and look are good.

Internally the airway in the stem was filthy. There was even build up on the end of the tenon. The slot in the end of the stem had some of the same debris built up in the corners. The shank airway and mortise was darkened with the tars and at the bottom of the mortise there were small chunks of debris. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer to remove the cake. I took it back to bare wood to remove the crumbling cake and give whoever purchases this pipe the opportunity to build the cake the way they choose.

I touched up the reaming with a sharp pen knife and cleaned the internal edges at the top carefully. I scrubbed the bowl and rim with Murphy’s Oil Soap on cotton pads to remove the grime and the tars and oils on the top of the rim. I scrubbed the rings around the bowl with a tooth brush and the soap. I touched up the bevel of the inner edge of the rim with a folded piece of sandpaper and then a medium and fine grit sanding sponge to remove the stubborn buildup. When I had finished I rinsed the bowl with cool water to rinse off the oil soap and dried it with a cotton cloth. The rim came out looking far better than I expected. There was one spot in the front, directly at the centre that darkened but the overall rim looked very clean. I cleaned out the internals of the mortise and airway with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. I scrubbed until the cleaners came out white. I used the drill bit on the KleenReem reamer and ran it through the airway to remove any buildup there.

I scrubbed the silver band on the shank and the stem with silver polish on a cotton pad. I scrubbed until all the oxidation was removed. I then polished them both with a jeweler’s cloth. Then it was time to polish the stem. I used micromesh sanding pads to polish the Lucite. I worked to remove the tooth chatter at the button end by wet sanding it with 1500 grit micromesh pads. I wet sanded the entire stem with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanded with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil between each set of three pads. I buffed it with White Diamond between the 2400 and the 3200 grit pads.

I rubbed the bowl down with a light coat of olive oil and let it dry. Then I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond Plastic Polish on the wheel. I gave it multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed it to a shine with a clean, soft flannel buff. The finished pipe is shown below.

On EBay Lorenzetti pipes sell for between $180-$200 each for the sand blast versions. This is a smooth so I would think that it could easily sell for that or more should it strike someone’s fancy. If you are interested in this pipe email me at slaug@uniserve.com and we can discuss it. The entirety of the sale price will go to the Nepal project. I will pay the postage so that does not get taken off the proceeds. If you are interested in reading about the SA Foundation you can look at their website at http://www.safoundation.com.

Thanks for looking.

NEPAL PROJECT PIPE SALE 1 – A Quick and Easy Clean up on a Don Carlos Three Note Dublin

4 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

I was gifted a box of pipes from a good friend of mine for the distinct purpose of cleaning them up and selling them with all of the proceeds going to the aid of earthquake victims in Nepal. The funds raised will all go to the SA Foundation, and organization that has worked in Nepal for over 15 years helping provide recovery, housing and job training for women who are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. The ongoing earthquakes (over 300) that continue to shake Nepal have left much in ruins. The SA Foundation Project there was able to find new housing for the women and help with staff as well. Every dollar raised from the sale of these pipes will go to the work in Nepal.

The first pipe on the work table is a beautiful Don Carlos Three Note Dublin made by Bruto Sordini in 1977. It is a large straight grained pipe. The dimensions are as follows: length 7 inches, height 2 1/2 inches, external diameter at the rim 2 3/8 inches and the diameter of the chamber is almost 1 inch. I knew next to nothing about Don Carlos pipes. This one was stamped on the left side of the shank Don Carlos in script over Fatta a Mano over In Italia. On the right side it is stamped with three music notes and 50/2. The stampings would certainly tell others who know the brand a lot about the pipe but I had no idea what I was dealing with. So I did a little digging on the web to see what I could find out.
I found a website that had lots of info on the stamping and grades that Bruto used on his pipes. http://www.theitalianpipe.com/infowell/guides/doncarlos.htm It also gave the following information on him.

“Bruto was born in the small village of Cagli, where his world-famous Don Carlos pipes are currently being made. He’s in his mid-forties, married with three children. He first got into pipe making about 37 years ago. At that time, he was studying law, but slowly and surely he developed a passion for the artistry of making a work of art out of a piece of wood. After having worked for years and years for major pipe making establishments in the area of Pesaro, Bruto decided to get more independent; that was when he started a partnership with two other pipe makers and founded the Ser Jacopo. After a few years, Bruto took off and started the Don Carlos.”

On the PipePhil site I found this information: http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-d7.html Using the formula for dating found on the photo above I was able to date the pipe. The 50/2 stamping is identical to the information above. It states that in 2002 the pipes started to be stamped with this date reference. The explanation of the stamp is that 50/2 = 25 which was the number of years that Bruto had spent in making pipes in 2002 having started in 1977. So this pipe was made in 2002.

Don Carlos pipes are the products of the creative mind of Bruto Sordini. His unique, and often whimsical shapes are a refreshing departure from the ordinary, and his craftsmanship is readily apparent in each pipe. He grades his pipes using musical notes, and they all feature gleaming Lucite stems.
Looking on the Don Carlos website I found this quick summary of the ranges and grading of his pipes. http://www.doncarlospipes.com/eng/doncarlospipes.html

“Our range includes Rusticated, Sandblasted (under Rusticated), Smooth, Smooth Straight-Grain, and Specialty pipes. Also, as many loyal supporters of Don Carlos pipes know, within each finish the pipes are graded according to its grain and are graded with musical notes: starting from 1 note up to 3 notes, with a 3-notes grade as the highest representing the finest pipe.”

I also found the photo below that showed the stamping that was on the left side of the shank of the pipe I was working on. The pipe was in fairly decent shape when I received it. The finish on the bowl and shank were in excellent shape other than surface dirt. The natural colour of the briar was still in great shape and not darkened with use or age. The rim was the worst part of the exterior of the pipe. The back of the inner beveled rim had some tar build up and I was sure that once I removed it there would be some slight darkening there as well. The bowl also had developed a cake that came up over that beveled edge and would need to be removed. The next two photos show the rim condition and the state of the bowl.

I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer using the largest cutting head to cut the cake back to bare wood. You will notice from the angle of the reamer that the bowl follows the angle of the front of the pipe.

Once I had reamed the bowl I was ready to work on the inner edge of the rim. I scrubbed the rim with cotton pads and saliva. I put a lot of elbow grease into removing the buildup of tars and oils. I was able to remove the crust on the rim. There was indeed a little rim darkening in that spot but not nearly what I expected to find. I wiped down the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the grime on the surface of the bowl. With the exterior cleaned it was time to address the inside of the pipe. The shank and airway was dirty and darkened. I cleaned it with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners until I was able to get clean pipe cleaners and swabs back after scrubbing. I also scrubbed the stem with the same and was able to remove all of the buildup from the tenon end and inside the airway. I wiped down the outside of the Lucite stem with alcohol on a cotton pad and used micromesh sanding pads to remove the light tooth chatter near the button on the top and bottom sides. I took the pipe to the buffer and buffed it with Blue Diamond Plastic Polish on the wheel and then gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I finished by buffing it with a clean, flannel buff to raise the shine. The finished pipe is shown below.

I am still researching the value on this pipe, but on EBay they sell for between $400-$500 each for the smooth 3 note pipes. This beauty is certainly worth that. If you are interested in this pipe email me at slaug@uniserve.com and we can discuss it. The entirety of the sale price will go to the Nepal project. I will pay the postage so that does not get taken off the proceeds. If you are interested in reading about the SA Foundation you can look at their website at http://www.safoundation.com.

Thanks for looking.

Bringing a Comoy’s Grand Slam 5 Straight Bulldog Back to Life

2 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on my worktable was a Comoy’s Bulldog. Personally, I think Comoy’s nailed the straight bulldog shape better than most others. It is a perfect bulldog shape and it is a pleasure to hold and smoke. The stamping on the left side of the shank reads Comoy’s over Grand Slam over Pipe. On the left underside of the shank next to the stem it is stamped X7. On the right topside it is stamped in the classic circle reading Made in London with the “in” in the centre of the circle. Underneath the circle it reads England. Further up that side of the shank is a number 5 stamped almost next to the bowl. I examined the C-inlay on the stem to see how it was made. I have learned over time and through research on these pipes that if it’s been applied in three steps, then it was made pre-1980. This one was indeed a three-step C-inlay. Thus I knew it was made earlier than 1980.

Like all of the pipes I work on, I took a moment to give the pipe a quick assessment. Before I even start the clean up and restoration I take time to look it over to make sure I see what I have to deal with on a particular pipe. The examination helps me to plan how I am going to address the issues on this particular pipe. The Comoy’s pipe was definitely in need of some TLC. The original finish on the Grand Slam Pipe line was rich and full of life. The contrast of dark stain that highlights the grain and the top coat of stain that varies from a rich red to a dark golden combine together to give a very beautiful finish. There were no major dents in the briar that needed to be addressed, though there was a small one in the shank near the stem junction on the sharp edge on the right side that could not be repaired. The briar itself was lifeless and faded looking dull and flat. There was some dirt and grime on it and particularly at the bowl shank junction. The rim had a thick coating of tars on top and some minimal damage to the inner bevel. The bowl had a light cake and seemed to have been reamed recently. It would need to be tidied up.

The stem was badly oxidized and had tooth marks on the top side and the underside near the button. The slot was partially plugged and would need to be opened.

I cleaned up the bowl with a wipe down of alcohol on a cotton pad to remove the dirt and grime and begin to soften the tars on the rim. I gave it a light sanding with 1500 grit micromesh sanding pads. Then I wiped it down once more with the alcohol and cotton pads. The buildup was just about gone. Just a little more scrubbing and the rim was finished. I lightly sanded the stem with a medium grit sanding sponge to loosen the oxidation and then dropped it in a bath of Oxyclean to soak overnight. In the photo below you can see the oxidation begin to run off the stem into the white bubbles of the Oxyclean mixture. The next morning when I took it out of the bath the mixture was yellow with the oxidation. I dried off the stem with a coarse cotton towel to remove the softened oxidation. The stem was much cleaner and black of the vulcanite was beginning to show. I put the stem on the shank and sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper followed by a medium grit sanding sponge to remove the oxidation that had come to the surface after the soak.

I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil and then took the following photos of the stem to show the progress so far.

I cleaned out the deep tooth mark on the underside of the stem with a dental pick and then a cotton pad and alcohol. Once it was clean I used clear super glue to make a patch on the marks. I over filled the repair so that it would dry and not shrink too much requiring a second coat. I set the repaired stem aside to dry for the day while I was at work. After work I sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper and then with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge. When the surface of the repair matched the stem material the sanding was finished. I then used a flat blade screw driver to unscrew the end of the stinger in the tenon. The cap on the end held a replaceable leather washer in place. Once the cap was off I was able to remove the washer. I then used a pair of needle nose pliers on which I have covered then ends with a thick wrapping of scotch tape. This provides a cushion when grabbing onto metal. The stingers in the Grand Slam were threaded and I heated the metal tenon until the goop holding it tight was loose. I turned it with the pliers until it was free of the tenon. With all of the parts removed from the stinger I cleaned it with a soft bristle brass tire brush to clean off the tars. I cleaned out the interior of the stinger with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. I used the brass brush to also clean the threads on both ends of the stinger. When I had them cleaned I used coated the threads on the front of the stinger with a light coat of Vaseline to protect it and lubricate them when I turned the cap onto the end. I had cleaned it with some soap and warm water and then used the Vaseline to give it some life. With it all cleaned and lubricated I put it back together and set it aside while I cleaned the shank and the stem. I used the drill bit on the KleenReem pipe reamer to clean out the airway from the end of the mortise to the bottom of the bowl. It had almost closed off with the tars. The draught on the shank was very constricted. Once I had run the bit through it several time cleaning out the buildup the draught was open and unrestricted. I cleaned out the shank and airway with alcohol on cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. Once they came out clean the shank was finished and ready for the stem.

I cleaned out the stem with pipe cleaners and cotton swabs while I had the stinger out. I was able to remove all of the buildup in the stem and then put it all back together again. The stinger end was lubricated and then threaded back into the tenon. It sits quite deep in the tenon and has a small flange that sits against the tenon end. Here are some photos of the stinger in place in the stem.

I used a 1500 grit micromesh pad to further polish the aluminum of the stinger. I sanded the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanding with 3200-4000 grit pads. Between the first set of three pads and after the second set I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil. When it dried I buffed the stem with White Diamond on the wheel to polish the vulcanite. I brought it back to the worktable and gave it a further coat of Obsidian Oil.

I finished dry sanding with 6000-12,000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I rubbed the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil and buffed it with Blue Diamond Plastic Polish on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond and then gave it multiple coats of carnauba wax. Between each coat of wax I buffed it with a clean, soft flannel buffing pad to raise the shine. The photos below show the finished pipe. It is cleaned, polished and ready for that next inaugural smoke.

Thanks for looking.

Midterm Exam #2: Repairing the Leaky Airway on a Champion Deluxe

4 Replies

Blog by Anthony Cook

It’s exam day again. I didn’t get much sleep, but I did have a good breakfast of Pop-Tarts and leftover ramen. So, let’s do this! This time, the exam is based on a bent brandy shaped Champion Deluxe.

PipePhil provides a little info on the Champion brand: The pipe I’m working with has shank stamping and a stem logo that is identical to the middle pipe in the above graphic. The country of origin for the brand is listed as Switzerland, but there must be some French connection. The word “FRANCE” is stamped across the bottom of the shank-end of the stem on my pipe. You can see the pipe for yourself in the photos below, which were taken shortly after its arrival. I was really pleased with this one when it arrived. I really liked the size, shape, and rustication pattern. As I turned it over in my hands, it seemed to be in pretty good condition. There were no major cracks or gouges, only a generous amount of grime on the stummel, one or two nicks on the rim, and a little oxidation on the stem. I thought it would clean up nicely and was beginning to look forward to working on it.

Then, I pulled the stem out to check the internals and cringed… The airway was drilled so high that it actually penetrated the top of the mortise and only a very thin layer of briar remained between it and the surface of the shank. In fact, the wood was so thin that it had either cracked from heat/moisture expansion or had been punctured by the rustication tool. If you look closely, you can see in the second image that the alcohol from a dampened pipe cleaner would seep out of the airway to the surface of the shank.

I didn’t have the confidence at the time to attempt to repair something as essential and delicate as an airway. So, I reamed the bowl, scrubbed the inside of the shank and stem clean, and then dropped it back into the box where it’s been withering away for several months. So, today I pulled it back out for my second midterm exam.

The airway needed to be sealed before doing anything else. If that wasn’t successful any other work would be pointless. So, I clamped the stummel upside-down in my bench vise using a couple of foam strips to cushion it. I tried to make sure that the airway was as level to the ground as possible. Then, I applied super thin CA inside the airway with an applicator bulb. Since I couldn’t really see inside the shank and bowl, I had previously measured the length of the airway and marked it off on the applicator with a strip of tape. This, along with a slow and steady hand, kept me from dribbling the CA into the bowl. Once I was sure that the glue was completely dry, I used 240-grit and 320-grit sanding needles to smooth out any lumps and bumps that the glue may have created in the airway. Then, I prepared my initial test of the patch. I dampened a pipe cleaner with alcohol and inserted it into the airway. I couldn’t see any seepage, but just to be sure I pulled out my jeweler’s loupe to give it a closer inspection. Still nothing. The patch had passed its first test. I set up a retort for the next test. If there were any open fissures in the shank, the evaporation from the boiling alcohol would surely seep through. I flushed the shank 10-12 times before setting the pipe aside to cool. The color of the alcohol in the tube is a testament to the merits of a retort. It’s not filthy by any means, but remember, this is a pipe that I once thought was clean.

While the pipe rested, I closely inspected the shank to see if the patch had held. Success! I found no moisture seepage at all. The patch was doing its job and the worst part of the exam was over! After another dozen or so flush with the retort the alcohol in the tube was almost completely clean. I let the pipe cool, and then gave it a final, quick scrub the wrap up the internal cleaning. I placed the stem into a bath of warm water and Oxyclean and let soak for about an hour before I scrubbed it down with cubes cut from a Magic Eraser pad to remove the oxidation. Once the stem was clean, I applied a black CA glue patch to the remaining dents. I put a drop of activator on the patches to speed up the drying and they were ready to be worked again in about ten minutes. I sanded out the patches with 220-grit (the bottom image in the picture below), 320-grit, and 400-grit paper. Then, I gave the entire stem a light sanding with 600-grit paper to remove any minor scratches. The paint in the stem logo was cracked and flaking. So, I picked out the loose paint, and then I began to fill in the area around the logo with a grout pen begin restoring the logo. I was a little worried about how well this was going to turn out since the recessed stamp was very narrow and shallow. I let the “paint” dry for about 20 minutes before carefully sanding it down with 1200-grit paper and I thought that it came out surprisingly well in the end. I finished up work on the stem by lightly sanding it with 1200-grit paper to even everything out, and then polished with micro-mesh pads 1500-12000. The stem was finished and the clock on the wall was ticking. Some of the other guys were already turning in their papers. So, it was time to start wrapping things up. I mixed up a 3:1 stain solution of isopropyl alcohol and Fiebing’s black dye and applied it to the stummel. Then I buffed the entire stummel with red Tripoli before sanding out the scratches around the stamping with 400-grit, 600-grit, and 1200-grit sandpaper. Then, I applied a 3:1 dilution of Fiebing’s cordovan before polishing the stamping area with micro-mesh pads 3200-12000. I reattached the stem and gave the entire pipe a light buff with white diamond, and waxed the pipe with Halcyon II for the stummel and a few coats of carnauba for the stem. Finally, I applied a bowl coating to promote cake growth, and then turned the exam in with my fingers crossed.

The photos below show how it finally turned out. For some reason, in these photos the cordovan and black blend together in the rusticated areas making them appear much darker. When you have the pipe in hand the cordovan is much more evident. I don’t know why that is. Man, I hope we aren’t being graded on our photography skills as well.

But, wait..!

Okay, I realize that this is a little unusual for an exam, but I’d like to make a bit of a revision. You see, when I ran my first bowl through this Champion the draw was extremely poor and it gurgled so badly that it sounded like an aquarium. To be honest, this wasn’t unexpected. The misalignment of the airway between the mortise was so extreme that it couldn’t help but create a lot of turbulence, and therefore a lot of moisture. I couldn’t let that stand. So, I took the stem back to the worktable to tweak it a little.

I clamped the stem in the vice and used a Dremel to cut off the stepped end of the tenon. You can see the piece I removed lying on top of the vice in the photo below. After that, I sanded the face of the tenon smooth and level, and then used a tapered abrasive point in the Dremel to begin funneling the airway. I kept the airway lubricated with mineral oil to prevent the friction from burning or melting the vulcanite. The abrasive point opened up the end of the airway to a 3/16” diameter but transitioned it down to the 1/8” diameter of the original airway. Then, I used 240-grit and 320-grit sanding needles to make sure the transition was smooth. Finally, I used a round abrasive point to create a ¼” diameter chamfer on the tenon face around the airway and the sanding needles again to round off any of the sharp edges. In the picture below, the left image shows the step that I removed balanced on top of the stem for comparison; the right image shows the completed tenon after being reworked. I was eager to try it out and the results were amazing for such a simple modification. The bowl smoked all the way to the bottom with no gurgle at all; even when I intentionally tried to build up steam by puffing rapidly (it was for the sake of science). After the pipe had cooled, I removed the stem and found a lot of moisture in the mortise. So, the extra space below the airway was acting like the sump/well of a system pipe. Very cool. The pipe was once again looking good and smoking well. My second exam was in the bag.

Reworking one of my own

3 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

I don’t remember when I carved this pipe I do know it was one of the first I carved. It was a kit and the plateau was on the bottom of the bowl. I did the work with a Dremel and sanding drum. The stem was the one that came in the kit and I just used it. Over the years, probably in the neighbourhood of ten years, I smoked it infrequently but enough to know that it delivered a decent smoke. Looking at it the other day I noticed that it had a thin cake in the bowl so I obviously smoked it more than I remember. When I took it out of the rack the fit of the stem to the shank irritated me. It was a sloppy fit and slightly rounded at the shoulders. The diameter of the shank and the stem were not matched. On and on went the list of imperfections that stood out to me when I looked at it. I love the shape of the bowl, my odd rustication on the bottom of the bowl and shank and the look and feel of the bowl in my hand. But the stem had to go.

I had a little time on my hands so I went through my can of stems and found a stem that was thicker looking and about ½ inch shorter. I fit the tenon in the mortise and the fit against the end of the shank was tight and clean. Personally I liked the chubbier stem and the compact look it gave the pipe. To me it just seemed to work with this bowl. The stem was larger in diameter than the shank so it needed to be brought down to a clean transition between the two.

I worked on the stem diameter with emery cloth and sandpaper taking off the excess material and adjusting the fit to the shank.

When the fit was better I sanded the stem and the shank with medium and fine grit sanding sponges to minimize the scratches.

Once I had the fit correct and the transition smooth I took the photo below. I needed to restain the shank when I was finished to match the bowl. I used a light brown stain pen to match the stain on the bowl. I stained it and hand buffed it out to blend it in. Once the stain was buffed I set up my heat gun and heated the stem to adjust the bend slightly. In the original stem there was an abrupt down turn that did not work for me. I heated the stem and rebent it. Afterward I took the next series of photos to show the state of the pipe after the rebend.

With the stem bent the angle I wanted it was time to polish the stem. I sanded it with a fine grit sanding sponge and the used micromesh sanding pads to finish it. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit pads and then rubbed it down with Obsidian Oil. When the oil had been absorbed I dry sanded it with 3200-4000 grit pads. Each successive grit of pad raised more shine in the vulcanite. I rubbed it down again with oil and then continued dry sanding it with 6000-12,000 grit pads. When I finished I rubbed it down a final time with the oil and let it dry.

When it dried I took it to the buffer and buffed it with Blue Diamond Plastic polish and then gave the pipe multiple coats of carnauba wax. I finished by buffing it with a clean flannel buff to give it a finished shine. This one is going as a birthday present to a friend of mine. I gave him a choice of pipes that I had made and he chose this one. It is a great smoking pipe and I think he will enjoy it.

It seems that the work never seems to be finished on the pipes I have carved. I always seem to see one more adjustment, one more tweak to get it just right. Ah well, at least I am done with this one. Thanks for looking.

Restoring a 1967 Dunhill Oom Paul 591

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next one to my work table was a Dunhill Oom Paul 591. It was a Dunhill shape that I had not seen before. The stamping on the left side showed the shape number 591 next to DUNHILL over BRUYERE. On the right side of the shank it was stamped Made in England7 and next to that Circle 4A designating the size of the pipe. From several sources I was able to ascertain that the pipe was made in 1967. The finish on this one was in good shape. There was a light build up on the top of the rim and there was an uneven cake in the bowl. There were some small dents in the sides of the bowl but not enough for me to steam them out and risk harming the original finish. The stem would not fit down into the shank. In the pictures below you can see how far it would go into the mortise. I removed the stem and the mortise was dirty and black. The stem was oxidized and had some minimal tooth chatter on the underside near the button. There was also a shallow tooth mark on the underside amidst the chatter.

I cleaned out the shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol until the swabs came out clean. I cleaned the airway to the bowl and gave the bowl a light reaming to remove the uneven build up. I scrubbed down the rim and removed the light build up that was there and polished the bowl with carnauba on the buffer. I lightly sanded the stem with a medium grit sanding sponge to loosen the oxidation and with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the tooth chatter and small dent.

I mixed up a batch of oxyclean and put the stem in the bath to soak overnight. In the morning I took the lid off the container and removed the stem. The water had turned amber coloured. The oxidation had risen to the surface of the stem and I rubbed most of it off with a coarse cloth. I cleaned out the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners and used the dental pick to clean out the slot on the stem. I sanded it with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge to remove the softened oxidation. Then it was time to polish it with the micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanded with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil between each set of three pads. I buffed the stem with red Tripoli after I finished with the 2400 grit pad and with White Diamond after the 12,000 grit pad.

There were still some scratches that showed up in the bright light of the flash so I worked it over again with the last set of pads and then buffed it with Blue Diamond Plastic Polish on the wheel. I finished by giving the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and then buffing it with a clean, soft flannel buffing pad to raise the shine. The finished pipe is shown below. Somehow in the photos the fluorescent lights lend the photo a yellow tint that I normally do not get. The stem is absolutely shiny and black and the bowl is a rich oxblood red. It is ready to be smoked and enjoyed.

Thanks for looking.

Restoring an Ascorti Business KS Bent Brandy with a broken stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe that I have on my work table was an Ardor Business KS Bent Brandy with severe damage to the end of the stem. The bowl still had some unsmoked tobacco in the bottom half and the cake was crumbly and concentrated around the middle of the bowl. The top portion of the bowl had a light cake. The bottom portion was fairly clean. The shank and stem were dirty with a lot of black tars and oils. The mortise was black and the airway from the bowl entered the mortise quite high. Part of it was actually above the mortise – very different angle of drilling. The tenon was flared on the end so that the smoke was funneled into the stem. The finish was in excellent shape – the rustication had a reddish top coat over a dark brown/black undercoat. Even the rim was clean and undamaged.

The stem has the same stepped look as the Caminetto Business pipe that I just completed. The saddle portion of the stem was flawless. The top of the stem and the underside were damaged near the button. There was a large chunk of the Lucite missing on the underside and there were some deep tooth marks on the top side. The button itself was gnawed on as well on the top side. I had some choices to make with regard to this stem. Should I try a patch on the large missing chunk from the stem or should I cut of the stem and reshape a new button? That was the big question on this stem. I took the next two close-up photos to give a clear idea of how badly the stem was damaged.

I measured the length and took pictures to get a feel for the look of the pipe with the present stem length and with the shortened length. When I had a good picture in my mind of how it would look I used my Dremel and sanding drum to remove the damaged portion of the stem and cut it back to where the undamaged stem material would allow me to shape a new button and slot.

I took the next photos of the pipe with the shortened stem to see what it looked like with 1/2 of an inch cut off the length.

I took the next two photos of the cut off end to show how I had worked the Dremel to give it a straight edge. Once I took it back to the work table I would work on cutting in the edge of the button and start giving it shape.

I used some black super glue to fill in the deep tooth marks that remained on the stem and also ran a small band of super glue along the area where the button would eventually be cut.

When the glue dried I used a flat blade needle file to cut the sharp edge of the button on the end of the cut back stem.

I used a knife edged needle file to carve back the thickness of the stem to the newly cut straight edge. I wanted a taper from the bend back toward the sharp edge. It takes some work to carve back Lucite, as it is significantly harder than vulcanite.

As I examined the end of the stem I realised that I did not have enough thickness to the material on the top and bottom of the airway. It would not allow me to go deep enough to have a good edge on the button. I decided to build it up and created the button thickness I needed. I used a mix of activated charcoal dust mixed with black super glue to make a putty like substance that would stick to the stem. Using a suggestion from Andrew Selking, I wrapped the end of the stem with scotch tape to create a straight edge to work against when I put the putty on the stem. I then gave the stem a light coat of black super glue and then used the dental pick to press the charcoal and super glue mix on the stem end against the scotch tape. I used a flat dental trowel to flatten the material in place and save some sanding for myself. When the repair was hard to the touch I removed the scotch tape and found that I had a fairly thick button built up on the stem end and that it had a pretty sharp edge to it.

I sanded the newly built button with 220 grit sandpaper to begin shaping it. I would have to use the needle files to sharpen the edge of the button and then sand the new button to shape it more like the one on the Caminetto stem that I had worked on previously. I was using it as the pattern for the shape and look of this one.

When I had it shaped as much as I could without damaging it I set it aside to cure over night and then worked on the bowl. I used the dental pick to remove the remaining third of a bowl of tobacco that was in the pipe. Once that was gone the bowl needed a good reaming. The shape and detail of the cake in the bowl can be seen in the next photo. I used the PipNet Reamer with the smallest cutting head to start reaming the bowl and worked my way up to the third cutting head which was the closest I had to the diameter of the bowl. It was a deep bowl and took time to remove all of the cake. The middle portion of the bowl had a hard cake. I worked it with the second cutting head until I finally was able to cut through it. I used the third head to work the cake back to bare briar. I also used a sharp pen knife to clean out the area in the bottom third of the bowl where the cutting head left behind a ridge of cake.

The next day I did not get to work on the stem as it was a heavy day at work and we had meetings into the late evening so the stem sat for two days. When I finally got the time to work on it I decided to start with shaping the slot and the button from the end view. I started by sanding the end of the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the end and give me a flat canvas for cutting the slot with needle files. I began to work on the airway with an oval shaped needle file to begin to open the airway and create a flare in the slot. I also used and fatter oval needle file and a round file to further open the lot and the flare in the end. It took a lot of file work to get it to the place that is shown below. You can begin to see the Y shaped slot taking form. There is still a lot of filing and sanding to do at this point. I worked on the slot area with the needle files for probably 1 hour at this point and the photo below shows the result of the methodical filing and shaping. It is coming along but needs to be more open and the top and bottom edges of the slot need to be smoothed out around the air hole. I folded a piece of 220 grit sandpaper when I was able to insert it in the newly cut slot and worked on the shape and smoothness of the Y. I also sanded the face of the button to remove the scratches and marks that were there. The second photo below shows the shape of the slot and the button. It is very close to the one I was copying on the Caminetto.

I finished the end of the stem and the slot with micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanded with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I buffed the end of the stem with White Diamond. The finished slot is shown below. After I finished shaping the button and the slot from the end view it was time to work on the top and bottom edges and the overall look of the new button from both points of view. I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper to shape and flatten them and then used a flat needle file to sharpen the edges on both sides. I really wanted the new button to look seamlessly part of the stem. It took a bit of work to sculpt it to the right shape. I then sanded it with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge. When I was finished with the shaping and sanding I began to work on it with micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit pads concentrating on the flat surfaces and the sharp edges first and finishing with the end of the button and slot. The wet sanding revealed more scratches and a bit more shaping that was needed to the edge of the button so I worked it over again with the medium and fine grit sanding sponges before going back and repeating the wet sanding with the first three grits of micromesh pads. I rubbed the stem down with some Obsidian Oil and when it dried, I dry sanded it with 3200-4000 grit micromesh. I dry sanded with the last three grits of micromesh – 6000, 8000 and 12,000 grit pads. I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil and let it dry before taking it to the buffer. I buffed the stem with Blue Diamond plastic polish on the wheel and then gave the stem several coats of carnauba wax. I finished by buffing it with a soft, clean flannel buff to raise the shine. I gave the bowl a light buff with the carnauba and also with the soft flannel buff. The finished pipe and reshaped button is shown in the photos below.

Thanks for looking.

Midterm Exam #1: Repairing a Cracked Bowl on a Pre-1956 Medico Billiard

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Blog by Anthony Cook

The photo above represents the start of my first semester at the University of Reborn Pipes (by the way, Steve, we need T-shirts, a mascot, and a fight song). It was taken several months ago and it shows the first batch of pipes that I had collected for restoration practice. It’s a motley crew to be sure, but I have a special fondness for each of them. You never forget your first, as they say.

I’ve completed the restoration of the majority of these since the photo was taken (sadly, I failed the cob test, but it was rigged I tell you), but four of them were placed back into the box after cleaning and have remained there. Those four had issues that required either tools, materials, or experience that I just didn’t have at that point. Over time, other pipes attracted more of my attention and those remainders continued to linger in the dark and gather dust once again.

Now that I’ve acquired a few credit hours, I thought it might be time to drag them back out into the light; sort of as midterm exams to see if I’ve learned anything. The pipe that is second from the right in the group photo above is the one that I selected for my first exam. It’s an unnamed Medico billiard. The stamping on the shank reads simply “MEDICO” over “IMPORTED BRIAR” and the stem bears the “F” stamp found on some older Medicos. I learned from Dave Whitney, author of Old Briar, that the “F” stamp was probably discontinued in 1955, which gave me some idea of the pipe’s age.

The main reason that this one was shuffled back into the box was because of the extensive damage to the bowl. There were large fills within the carved rustication on the right side and several cracks had developed in the area both outside and inside the bowl. I discovered during cleaning that at least one of them penetrated completely into the chamber.

Below, you can see more of the original pictures that I took of the pipe shortly after it arrived. I had not done anything with it other than ream the bowl at the time these photos were taken.

As I mentioned, I had already cleaned the internals of the pipe before dropping it back in the box. So, I started work by dropping the stummel into a jar of alcohol to soften the lacquer finish. The metal ferrule at the end of the shank was loose enough to fall off. So, it was removed it and set aside. After a couple of hours, I removed the stummel from the bath and wiped it down with a cotton cloth. Then, I used acetone and #0000 steel wool to remove the lacquer coating. I also picked out the pinkish-orange putty from the fills, and then used the pick to scrape any loose or charred wood from the cracks. A lot of scratches and gouges were revealed once the rim was clean. So, I set up my topping surface and lightly sanded the majority of the blemishes away using 220-grit and 320-grit sandpaper. I mixed together powdered pumice, activated charcoal, and sodium silicate to make a bowl patch. After protecting the airway with a pipe cleaner, I applied a small amount of the patch mix directly to the cracks with a flat toothpick and firmly tamped to push it into the cracks. Then, I used the scoop on my pipe tool to apply a thin layer across the entire area for protection. Next, I addressed the cracks and pits on the outside of the bowl by filling them with a few layers of briar dust and CA glue. I applied the glue with the end of a toothpick to avoid getting glue into the carved areas as much as I could. After the patches had dried, I sanded them down with 220-grit and 320-grit sandpaper. The same progression of grits was used to put a slight chamfer on the outside of the rim to remove the gouges that remained there. While I was working the bowl, I also sanded the chamber patch smooth with 400-grit paper. I sat the stummel aside for a time to pay some attention to the stem. There was a lot of chatter near the button and tooth dents on both sides of the stem. I applied black CA glue (medium thickness) to the dents with a toothpick and dripped a couple of drops of activator over it to set it up quickly. When it was completely dry, I sanded out the glue patch and leveled the chatter with 220-grit paper. The two photos below show the patch before and after rough sanding. While I was working, I decided that I didn’t like how worn and rounded the edge of the button had become. So, I decided to build a new, sharper edge. I wrapped clear packing tape around the stem to mask it just below the button. I built up the layers until it was the depth that I wanted my new button to be. Then, I used a flat toothpick to “paint” black CA glue (thick) along the edge of the mask and dripped activator over it when I was satisfied with the coverage. Before the glue could completely set up, I quickly peeled the tape away to reveal my new (although rough at this point) button edge. I used 220-grit paper and a sanding file to start shaping the button, and then 320-grit and 400-grit to refine the button shape and further blend the patch area. I also used 400-grit paper to remove the unsightly (to my eyes) molding seams along the sides of the stem. I placed a rubber washer over the tenon to preserve the sharp edge of the stem face and lightly sanded the entire stem with 600-grit and 1200-grit paper. The stem logo was in fair condition, but the paint was cracked and discolored. So, I filled it in using a grout pen and carefully sanded off the excess with 1200-grit paper. The grout paint left a slight, white residue smeared around the logo, but that would be removed with further polishing. Before polishing the stem, I rubbed it down with a drop of mineral oil, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and wiped it away. I hoped that this would moisturize the surface a bit and maybe prevent some of the nylon fiber splintering that always seemed to leave behind fine scratches in the finished stem. Then, I polished with micro-mesh pads 1500-grit to 12000-grit. I added a second and third drop of oil between 2400/3200 and 4000/6000 pads. I was pretty pleased with the results. The final stem was much more blemish-free that the previous nylon stems I’ve worked on.

With the stem finished up, I returned to the metal ferrule that I had set aside earlier. I gave it a once over with #0000 steel wool, and then polished it with Semichrome polishing paste and a soft cloth. I buffed of the excess with my Dremel and a small buffing wheel to give it a nice shine. Back to the stummel, I applied a 3:1 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and Fiebing’s black dye, hand-buffed the stummel with a soft rag to remove the excess, and then used 600-grit paper to remove the scratches and most of the dark stain except for inside of the carved rustications and what had set into the grain. I also made small adjustments to the width and angle of the rim chamfer with the sandpaper to make sure that it was even all the way around.

Next, I applied a 3:1 stain solution of isopropyl alcohol and Fiebing’s dark brown, buffed off the excess by hand, and lightly sanded the entire stummel with 1200-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface and soften the edges of the rim. Then, I applied a 3:1 solution of ox blood stained and hand buffed again.

Finally, I polished the stummel with micro-mesh pads 1500-2400 before applying a 4:1 mahogany dye mix. I wiped the stummel down with an alcohol dampened cloth until I achieved a dark copper color and finished up by polishing with the remaining micro-mesh grits. Then it was time to put all of the pieces back together and give the pipe the final touches. I reattached the ferrule to the stummel with some 5-minute epoxy. When that had set, I applied a bowl coating mix of sour cream and activated charcoal to help promote the cake formation in the repaired chamber. I let that dry for about two hours before reattaching the stem and taking the pipe to the buffer. I buffed the stummel and stem with White Diamond, and then I gave the pipe several coats of carnauba wax.

With all of that done, I turned in my first exam. I’m feeling pretty good about it, but I never really know how I’ve done on these things until the grades finally come back. I’m not going to worry about it now, though. I still need to cram for the second exam. It’s going to be a long night.

Cleaning and Restoring a Blatter of Montreal Bent Egg

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Blog by Steve Laug

When I received this Blatter of Montreal Egg pipe I sat down and looked it over carefully to assess what would need to be done to restore it. The finish was very dirty and worn but underneath the dirt and oils there was some amazing grain. On the right side of the bowl, near the top there was a fill that had popped out and left a large divot in the briar. The size of the missing fill distracted from really seeing the beauty of the pipe. Looking at the top of the bowl I could see that the inner edge of the rim was slightly out of round and the rim had been previously topped. Both the stain and the topping were not even. The outer edge of the rim had been rounded from sanding and was no longer a clean sharp edge. Sometime ago the bowl had been reamed and a broken uneven cake left on the sides of the bowl. The airway at the bottom of the bowl had a groove carved from the opening across the bowl bottom that appeared to come from using too heavy a hand with a pipe cleaner over the years.

The stem was in good shape in terms of not having any tooth damage or chatter. The button was still quite sharp and distinct like the other Blatter pipes that I have cleaned. It was oxidized and somewhere along the way someone had sanded or buffed the stem with it removed from the pipe. The edges of the stem at the shank junction had rounded shoulders and because of that the fit against the shank was not perfect. The diameter of the shank was slightly larger than the stem due to the rounded shoulders. There would need to be some work done on that area to reduce the damage though I am not sure that it can all be removed. I find this kind of rounding of the shoulders on the stem or the shank on pipes that have been overbuffed or worked on by someone new to the refurbishing hobby.

I took the pipe apart to look at the internals of the stem and the shank. The shank has an interesting design. The mortise ends with a slight ridge and then the airway drops into a kind of sump/or chamber to capture the moisture – kind of like the Peterson system pipes. This chamber had the airway drilled toward the top end. It was filled with a lot of black sticky tar and oil. It would take a lot of scrubbing to clean that area. The mortise itself was pretty clean. The end of the tenon was almost clogged with the buildup around the end. The same was true of the slot in the end of the tenon. It was reduced in size by about half. The stem would also take some work to clean out the thick build up inside.

The next photo shows a close up of the area of the missing fill. It is quite large and will need to be repaired. I scrubbed the bowl with cotton pads and isopropyl alcohol to remove the grime and prepare the missing fill for repair. I picked out the loose particles from the area and scrubbed it down again. I filled the hole with larger particles of briar dust and then filled it with superglue. I added more briar particles to the top of the repair. I sanded the repair with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the excess and smooth out the patch. The size of the patch can be seen in the next photo. The larger particles of briar dust worked differently than the fine dust I used in the past. I used a folded piece of sandpaper to bevel the inner edge of the rim to take care of the damage that had made it out of round. Beveling the rim inward took care of the damage and brought the rim back into round. I sanded the rim with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge and also sanded the repaired area on the side of the bowl. Each successive grit of sanding sponge smoothed out the repair and blended it into the bowl. Once the patch was sanded smooth I scrubbed the bowl down with acetone on a cotton pad to remove the rest of the finis and the remaining wax buildup on the bowl. The birdseye briar was stunning on the left side of the bowl.

I also scrubbed the top of the rim with the pads and found that the work on the rim had really cleaned up the look of the pipe from the top. I worked on the rounded shoulders of the stem. First I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper blending the flow of the shank with the stem. The key was to reduce the shoulder rounding without changing the shape of the shank. Once I had the transition as smooth as I could make it I sanded it with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge. The finished shank/stem transition can be seen in the next series of photos.

With the repair finished on the side of the bowl and the transition smoothed out at the stem/shank junction it was time to give it a coat of stain to blend it in with the rest of the briar. I used a dark brown stain touch up pen to work on those two points on the bowl.

I probably should have done this sooner, but I chose not to. The bowl had already been reamed but I wanted to clean up the reaming job and try to smooth it out. I used a PipNet reamer and chose a cutting head that fit the bowl tightly and removed the odds and ends of broken cake left in the bowl. I then set up the topping board to repair the round outer edges of the rim. It did not take too much topping to make that edge sharp and clean once again instead of rounded. I finished sanding the rim afterward with a medium and a fine grit sanding block to remove the scratches left behind by the 220 grit sandpaper.

I used the same dark brown stain pen to stain the rim. I applied the stain until the coverage was acceptable. I lightly buffed the bowl with White Diamond to smooth out the stained areas and blend them into the rest of the bowl.

With the externals finished on the bowl it was time to address the internals. The airway in the stem and shank and the sump in shank all were filthy. I decided to use a retort on the pipe. I set up the test tube and connector to the stem and then stuffed the bowl with a cotton ball before boiling the alcohol through the bowl and stem.

I boiled the alcohol through the bowl and shank the first time and the alcohol came out a dark brown. I took the retort off the stem and ran pipe cleaners and cotton swabs and alcohol through the shank and stem. While they were definitely cleaner there was still a lot of “sludge” present. I set up the retort and boiled another tube of alcohol through the bowl. This time the alcohol was definitely lighter but still dark. I emptied the tube and boiled a fresh tube through for the third time. While it was definitely getting lighter it was still brown. I ran a fourth tube of alcohol through the stem and shank and finally it came out clear. This was one dirty pipe. I used pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to finish cleaning the shank and stem. I used the dental pick to clean out the edges of the slot on the button. With the internals clean I turned my attention to the stem. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper and then with the medium and fine grit sanding sponges. Using those I was able to remove the oxidation on the surface.

I switched to micromesh sanding pads. I wet sanded with 1500-2400 grit sanding pads and rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil. Afterwards I buffed it with White Diamond to polish the stem and lessen the scratches. I dry sanded the stem with 3200-12,000 grit micromesh sanding pads and rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil between the 4000 and 6000 grit pads. I also gave it a final rub down with Obsidian Oil after the 12,000 grit pad.

I buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond Plastic Polish and then gave it several coats of carnauba wax. I buffed it to a shine and then used a clean flannel buff to raise the shine. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. I have also included a photo of the repaired rim. Note the repaired fill on the right side of the bowl. The pipe is cleaned, polished, repaired and ready to smoke. I think it is a beautiful pipe in one of my favourite shapes.