Tag Archives: Pipes by Julius Vesz

Restoring and Replacing a Tenon on a Hand Cut B Olive Stack

2 Replies

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was one that we purchased from our contact in Denmark who has provided us with some great pipes. We bought it on 02/16/2023. It caught my eye because of the brass “O” on the stem which I have come to associate with Julius Vesz Hand Made pipes. The stamping on the shank is a bit odd, but uses some of the words that I have come to associate with Vesz pipes.  On the underside of the shank it reads hand cut (lower case script) with B on top of the “cut” portion of the stamp making it unclear. Below that the stamp reads Olive and I don’t think it refers to the wood but perhaps the finish on the pipe. I have never seen a Vesz stamped with that nomenclature. The wood is definitely briar and not Olive wood. I really like the fact that the pipe is the top of the line of Vesz Hand Cut pipes. The bowl had a thick cake with an overflow of lava on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. There were also some burn marks and darkening on the inner edge of the rim. These would need to be dealt with in the clean up and restoration. The finish was dirty with grime and grit ground into the briar. The Ebionite stem was oxidized and had some tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. Jeff took some great photos of the rim top that show the thick cake in the bowl and the lava on the rim top. There was also some burn damage on the front inner edge of the bowl and some darkening around the edges. He also captured the condition of the stem showing the oxidation and the tooth damage on both sides. Jeff took a photo of the damage to the filter tenon. It had a major crack on the top half. I expected it to break free during the cleanup process.He captured the grain around the sides and heel of the bowl well in these photos. It was amazing grain and the stain was a rich walnut that made the grain really pop around the bowl and shank. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. You can see the “B” stamped on top of the Hand Cut stamp. The second photo shows the brass “O” on the left side of the taper stem and the oxidation around it on the side of the taper stem.Before I started working my part of the restoration I spent some time trying to place the hand cut line in the Vesz hierarchy. I turned to rebornpipes to have a look at some of the pieces I had written previously on the brand. The first was a catalogue I had picked up on Vesz pipes from a friend. It was an older catalogue from the time period that the brand was called Craft Pipes (https://rebornpipes.com/2016/09/13/an-older-julius-vesz-catalogue/). In going through the catalogue there was nothing that referred to the newer lines of the Vesz pipes that showed up in other places.

A piece I wrote on a Vesz Zulu gave a lot of historical backgroundon the brand so I reread that (https://rebornpipes.com/2014/10/04/a-review-a-julius-vesz-shape-76-zulu/). I quoted from Pipedia in the piece and have included that and the link below.

Pipedia gives good background information on Vesz. The picture and the material is taken from this link http://pipedia.org/wiki/Vesz_Pipes

“Born and raised in Hungary, Julius Vesz was first exposed to pipe making through his grandfather. Although his grandfather died when Julius was only 9 years old, he can still picture his grandfather making pipes. It made a lasting impression that matured years later.

After immigrating to Canada at age 23, Vesz worked as a mechanical draftsman, but ever since a child had wanted to do something on his own. Remembering his grandfather’s pipe making and repairing, he thought perhaps he should try his hand at that also. He sought out Charlie Dollack, who had a repair shop in downtown Toronto, but while Charlie encouraged the young Vesz, he did not offer any help or instruction.

Julius continued on his own, setting up a modest shop in his own home, and was soon fixing and making pipes for several department stores, as well as United Cigar, which later turned into his main source of work. He discovered he had a unique skill, which he practiced and nurtured on his own. Like his grandfather, Vesz is motivated by a desire to create pipes that approach perfection.”

Over the years I have followed Julius Vesz’ pipes and kept an eye out for one that caught my eye. Julius Vesz is a Canadian pipe maker who has been controversial in his claim to use dead root briar. Many have argued about his choice of terms regarding the briar that he uses. But regardless of your take on that issue he makes beautiful pipes that smoke exceptionally well. His unique raindrop shaped pipes may be how many people know him. He has a shop in the Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West in Toronto.

His Hand Cut pipes are crafted from his oldest and finest blocks of aged briar. They come in a variety of shapes and styles and no two are the same. The grading of the Hand Cut is ascending from 3 – 9, then switches to A – D. The pipe I am working on is a B grade so it is getting close to the top of the grading scale which I would expect from the grain on the briar. The Hand Cut pipes were often personalized with bone, silver and gold ornamentation.

His early pipes bore the Craft Briar stamp, and though his company still is registered as Craft Briar his pipes are now stamped Julius Vesz. He carved every pipe that bears his name and though they may bear similarities to others that he has carved each one is one of a kind. His site says that “Every pipe is meticulously crafted from his personal supply of aged briar that he has been accumulating since the 1960s. The extremely old briar gives each pipe the exceptional smoking characteristics found only in a world famous Julius Vesz pipe.”

Now I knew that the Hand Cut pipe I had was the top line of Vesz Pipes and that it was Graded a B which is close to the top of the line which tops out at Grade D. It is a beauty and it is now time to work on it!

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. He had reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer back to bare briar and removed the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and 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 in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and shank brushes. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. The filter tenon, shown cracked above, fell apart in the clean up. You can see pieces of the broken tenon below. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work.

I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean condition. The burn damage on the inner edge of the bowl is clear on the front of the bowl. The rim top has some scratches and marks as well. The bowl walls look very good. The thick vulcanite stem looks very clean and the tooth marks are evident next to the button on both sides.I took the stem off the bowl and took photos of the broken tenon and parts. It will definitely need to be replaced. The beauty of this is that I can replace it with a regular tenon instead of the filter tenon. To me that is good news.I decided to replace the tenon first. I knew that fitting it would require adjustments to the stem and shank so I wanted to do that before I put a lot of work into polishing the bowl. I used a Dremel to flatten out the broken tenon end. The photo below shows it in process to the flattening out. Once it is flat and the face of the stem is smooth then it will be time to put a new tenon in place. With flattened I used a Delrin tenon – the largest that I had to fit into the airway in the stem. I coated the threaded end of the tenon with clear CA glue and inserted it in the end of the stem.I set the stem aside to let the glue cure on the new tenon. Once it had hardened it was time to reduce the diameter of the new tenon to properly fit in shank. I used a file and a Dremel with a sanding drum to bring it to the right diameter.When I had the tenon shaped correctly, diameter and fit correct I put the stem in the shank and took the following photos. You can see that the fit is very good. It is snug and looks good against the shank end. The alignment to the shank end is quite good but I will need to sand the right side of the stem a little to make the transition smooth. I will need to do the same on the right, top and bottom sides – adjusting either the stem or the shank for smooth transition between the stem and shank. I have to say it is a really beautiful pipe! I sanded the transition smooth all the way around the shank and stem joint. I was careful on the underside to not damage the stamping. Once it was smooth I polished the sanded areas with 1200-3200 grit micromesh pads. I used a Walnut stain pen to blend in the adjusted areas to the rest of the briar. That transition looked and felt very good.I set the stem aside for now and turned to the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage on the front inner edge and to give it a slight bevel to bring it back to round and deal with the darkening in that area of the rim edge. It definitely looks better. I smoothed it out with micromesh sanding pads. There were some gouges in the rim top on the front and I did not want to top the bowl. I used a tooth pick and clear CA glue to fill in the gouges. Once it cured I smoothed them out with 220 grit sandpaper and smoothed it with some 1500 grit micromesh. I restained the top and the inner edge with a Walnut stain pen. 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 pad. I take photos of the three groups of pads for my own viewing primarily as I am looking for progress in polishing. Once again, by the end of the process it looked quite good. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. It works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The scratches, tooth chatter and marks easily were addressed by dry sanding the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. It looked very good at this point in the process.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads to further remove the remaining scratches. I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I rubbed it down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and let it dry. This Julius Vesz Hand Cut Grade B Olive Stack is a great looking pipe with great grain around the sides of the bowl. The replaced broken filter tenon with a Delrin one worked very well and now it is a nonfilter pipe. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and followed by buffing the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Vesz Hand Cut B Grade Olive fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 52 grams/1.80 ounces. This one will be with me for awhile so I can enjoy the beauty of this high grade Julius Vesz Hand Cut Stack. I think I will enjoy it for a while before I make up my mind once and for all… at least for now. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. As always, I appreciate your comments and questions. Thanks for your support and time!

Rode Hard Put Away Wet – A Tired Julius Vesz shape 31 Zulu/Canted Dublin

3 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

When I walked by the display case in the antique mall and saw the classic Vesz finish and the O logo on the stem I knew I was looking at one of Julius’ pipes. It was in very rough shape. The stem was covered on the topside and underside from the button forward for about an inch with a lot of dents and bite marks. On the topside there was a bite through – not large, more of a pinhole sized hole. There was also a lot of calcified buildup on the stem. The stem was over bent and the flat bottom of the bowl and shank did not rest on the desk top when laid down. The stem arch kept it from happening. The button and crease had were also worn. The rest of the stem was oxidized. The bowl finish was dirty and worn with white paint spots on the bowl. The stem was very tight and hard to remove but when I did remove it the tars on the end of the tenon were thick. The inside of the stem was so filled that the airway was virtually clogged. The slot on the end of the stem was plugged but for a hole the size of a pencil lead.Vesz1 Vesz2 The rim was damaged and worn from tapping it out on hard surfaces. There were large dents and worn areas. The inner edge was blackened and on first glance looked to have burned damage. It was hard to tell for sure but it also looked to be slightly out of round due to the damage to the inside edge. The bowl was heavily caked with a concrete like carbon build up. I tried to ream it and found it too hard to cut as it stood. The inside of the shank had heavy carbon and tar buildup.Vesz3 The pipe is stamped on the flattened bottom of the shank. Toward the front of the bowl it is stamped Circle 3 which denotes the price point of the pipes. Julius stamped them 1-6 to denote the price. That is followed by the shape number – in this case 31. The final stamping is Julius Vesz over Hand Made.Vesz4 To soften the concrete like cake so that I could ream it more easily without damaging the briar I put the bowl into an alcohol bath to soak for a while. I also wanted to remove the grime from the rustication on the bowl and the soak would facilitate that.Vesz5 While the bowl soaked I worked on the stem. I cleaned the inside of the stem with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. I also sanded the calcification with 180 grit sandpaper and 220 grit sandpaper to remove the build up from the surface of the stem. The tooth marks are very evident in the photos below.Vesz6 Vesz7 I took the bowl out of the alcohol bath to ream it and found that indeed the alcohol had softened the cake enough to make reaming a very easy task. I reamed it with a PipNet reamer starting with the smallest cutting head and working up to the size of the diameter of the bowl.Vesz8 I topped the bowl and removed the damaged surface of the rim. I set up a topping board and used 220 grit sandpaper to gently and carefully remove the damage. I sanded the bowl in a circular pattern on the board as I find that doing so does not leave as deep scratches in the finish. Once I had removed the damage I could see the state of the inner edge of the rim. It had some darkening but it was still solid. There were no deep burned areas that needed to be removed.Vesz9 Vesz10 Vesz11 I set up a heat gun and heated the bent stem to reduce the bend to a point where the pipe would sit up right on the flat bottom of the shank and bowl. I also heated the tooth dents to raise them as much as possible before I sanded them.Vesz12 Vesz13 Once the stem was heated and flexible I inserted it in the shank and pressed down on the bend to adjust the bend to allow the bowl to sit without falling over. The tooth marks did lift quite a bit and are visible in the last two photos of the foursome below.Vesz14 Vesz15 Vesz16 I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper and then with medium and fine grit sanding sponges to clean up the dents as much as possible. The surface needed to be cleaned and prepped for the work of filling the dents with black super glue. I washed down the dents with alcohol to remove the sanding dust. I filled the holes and built up the dents in the button lip with black super glue until they were overfilled, then sprayed them with the accelerator to harden the glue. I sanded the fills with 180 grit sandpaper and then with 220 grit sandpaper to begin the process of smoothing them and blending them into the surface of the vulcanite.Vesz17 Vesz18 I continued to sand with the 220 grit sandpaper to shape the crease and the button as well as the surface of the patches until they were at the same level as the surface of the stem.Vesz19 Vesz20 I sanded the stem after that with a medium and a fine grit sanding sponge to further blend it into the stem surface. It took a lot of sanding to blend it into the surrounding vulcanite.Vesz21 Vesz22Vesz23 Vesz24 I rubbed down the stem with Obsidian Oil to make the scratches and trouble areas very visible. I also rubbed down the bowl with olive oil and wiped it off and set it aside overnight to let the oil be absorbed into the wood. In the morning I took the following set of two photos to show the state of the pipe when I began to do the finishing work on it. Vesz25 Vesz26 I sanded the stem with fine grit sanding sponges to clean it up further and remove the deeper scratches. I then sanded it with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanding with 3200-12,000 grit pads. I rubbed it down with Obsidian Oil between each set of three pads. I finished the stem work by buffing the stem with White Diamond on the wheel to finish the polish. I gave it several coats of carnauba wax and buffed it with a soft flannel buff to raise the shine.Vesz27 Vesz28 Vesz29 Vesz30 Vesz31 The bowl had a heavy ghosting of aromatics – it was overwhelming and no matter how many times I cleaned it the smell remained. I filled the bowl with cotton balls, pressed them down and then filled the bowl with isopropyl alcohol with an ear syringe until the cotton was soaked. I set the pipe bowl in an old ice-cube tray that holds it upright and let the alcohol and cotton do their work to pull out the oils from the briar and sweeten it. I have moved more and more toward using cotton instead of coarse salt. It seems to work just as well and is less of a mess in the clean up stage.Vesz32 I let the pipe sit with the alcohol and cotton balls for about three hours. The photo below shows the oils that were drawn out of the bowl. The cotton turned a yellow-brown and was almost dry.Vesz33 I took the cotton balls out of the bowl and cleaned the shank and bowl with pipe cleaners. I put the stem back in place on the pipe and gave the pipe a hand polish with some Halcyon II Wax. I hand buffed it with a shoe brush to raise the shine. The finished pipe is shown below. The look and feel of the pipe is far better than when I started. The repairs to the stem and button worked well and blended in nicely to the stem. The topping of the bowl removed the damaged portion and the blackening of the inner edge of the rim is merely a character trait. This is one that will stay in my collection. It smells sweet and is ready to smoke.Vesz34 Vesz35 Vesz36 Vesz37

A Review – A Julius Vesz Shape 76 Zulu

5 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

Pipedia gives good background information on Vesz. The picture and the material is taken from this link: http://pipedia.org/wiki/Vesz_Pipes
aboutpg“Born and raised in Hungary, Julius Vesz was first exposed to pipe making through his grandfather. Although his grandfather died when Julius was only 9 years old, he can still picture his grandfather making pipes. It made a lasting impression that matured years later.

After immigrating to Canada at age 23, Vesz worked as a mechanical draftsman, but ever since a child had wanted to do something on his own. Remembering his grandfather’s pipe making and repairing, he thought perhaps he should try his hand at that also. He sought out Charlie Dollack, who had a repair shop in downtown Toronto, but while Charlie encouraged the young Vesz, he did not offer any help or instruction.

Julius continued on his own, setting up a modest shop in his own home, and was soon fixing and making pipes for several department stores, as well as United Cigar, which later turned into his main source of work. He discovered he had a unique skill, which he practiced and nurtured on his own. Like his grandfather, Vesz is motivated by a desire to create pipes that approach perfection.”

Over the years I have followed Julius Vesz’ pipes and kept an eye out for one that caught my eye. Julius Vesz is a Canadian pipe maker who has been controversial in his claim to use dead root briar. Many have argued about his choice of terms regarding the briar that he uses. But regardless of your take on that issue he makes beautiful pipes that smoke exceptionally well. His unique raindrop shaped pipes may be how many people know him. He has a shop in the Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West in Toronto.

His Handcut pipes are crafted from his oldest and finest blocks of aged briar. They come in a variety of shapes and styles and no two are the same. Often personalized with beautiful ornamentation such as bone, silver and gold, these pipes have long been sought after by collectors all over the world. Julius has customized pipes for dignitaries and clients worldwide.

His early pipes bore the Craft Briar stamp, and though his company still is registered as Craft Briar his pipes are now stamped Julius Vesz. He carved every pipe that bears his name and though they may bear similarities to others that he has carved each one is one of a kind. His site says that “Every pipe is meticulously crafted from his personal supply of aged briar that he has been accumulating since the 1960s. The extremely old briar gives each pipe the exceptional smoking characteristics found only in a world famous Julius Vesz pipe.”

I have since picked up two of Julius’ pipes and found them to be very good smoking pipes. The first one I found was a beautiful little shape 76 Zulu Hand Made while the second was a Craft Briar shape 86 Volcano. In this review I will address the Zulu.IMG_2469My first Vesz is stamped on the left side of the shank Julius Vesz Hand Made Canada with a circle 4 stamp. I learned from correspondence with Julius’ son Rob that his dad’s Hand Made pipes were graded (in ascending order): 2 – 4 and this one is a grade 4 stamped pipe. It also bears a shape number of 76 which is the Zulu shape. The stem bears a white circle inlay that is common on his pipes. The vitals are as follows: length 5 ½ inches, height 1 7/8 inches, bore of the bowl 3/4 inches, outer diameter at the widest point 1 1/8 inches and depth of the chamber 1 1/4 inches.

In this review I want to look at the pipe from a more technical side and walk through its construction, feel and delivery of the smoke to me. The pipe came in a cloth pipe sock with no stamping. When the pipe arrived in the mail I was excited to see and hold my first Vesz pipe. I had read reviews and scrolled through many pictures of his work on his website but had never held one in hand. In taking this out of the sock I have to say that it is more than I expected from the photos that I had seen before I bought it. The shape was well executed and I liked the shape of the bowl, its cant and finish immediately. The finish was well done and the stain highlighted the beautiful grain. The weight of the pipe is light, I can only wish I had a scale because it is lighter in weight than I expected in a pipe of this size.IMG_2470Looking at the externals of the pipe. Julius use of stains makes the grain stand out on the pipe. The rich brown tones pick up both the birdseye and cross grain and makes them stand out against the back ground colour. He has laid out the cut of the briar to take advantage of the grain patterns. The top and bottom of the shank and the front and back of the bowl are predominantly cross grain. There are some slight mixed grain portions on the front and back of the bowl. The crossed grain pattern on the bowl is set slightly to the left of the bowl center. But the look of these portions is gorgeous. The birdseye grain on the sides of the bowl and shank are lovely to look at. I get lost in the grain patterns while I hold it in my hand. The centres of the birdseye are dark in colour and the ridges surrounding the eye are lighter. The bottom of the bowl is cross grain that flows up to the front of the bowl. The cross grain on the top of the shank also flows up the back of the bowl to the rim.IMG_2471The stamping on the pipe is on the left side of the shank. The shank is round, sitting at a 90 degree angle to the bowl. The hand cut ebonite stem is very well done and comfortable in the mouth. The saddle of the stem sits tightly against the shank that gently tapers into a thin blade. The taper of the blade is subtle and sporting a 1/8 bent to the stem. It has a thin oval shaped button that is sharply cut and catches well on the back of my teeth. The slot in the button is oval shaped and there is a smooth V slot that facilitates the movement of smoke across the mouth. The polish and smoothness of the finish is like glass. The overall appearance of the pipe and stem is beautiful and it fits my hand very well. The smooth finish gives the pipe a simple elegance that is a pleasure to look at while I smoke it.IMG_2473Moving from the externals of the pipe to the internal mechanics. The workmanship on this pipe is well done. The angle of the drilling is done in such a way that the bowl is of a uniform thickness throughout. The bowl bottom is relatively the same thickness as the walls of the pipe. The bowl is drilled at the same angle as the exterior of the pipe. The draught hole is precisely where it should be – centred at the back side bottom of the bowl. As the pipe came to me pre-smoked I cannot speak to whether there was a bowl coating originally. Holding the bowl to the light revealed a clean and smooth airway with no impediments. The drilling in the mortise is clean and smooth. The airway is centered in the back of the mortise. The tenon goes straight into the mortise and sits against the back of the mortise. The airway in the stem and in the mortise line up perfectly. The tenon appears to be integral to the ebonite stem material it is not an insert. The airway is not chamfered or funneled on the end of the tenon but is flat and centered in the end of the tenon. The inside of the stem is very smooth. There is no roughness or constriction from the tenon end to the slot in the button. The airway flattens out like a squeezed drinking straw so that the diameter does not change but is flattened and opened.IMG_2481 IMG_2482 IMG_2483I have been smoking this pipe for several years now and it smokes very well. Whenever I load a bowl of a favourite Virginia tobacco it delivers a flavourful and cool smoke. When I received the pipe it was already broken in and there was a thin cake already forming in the bowl. The pipe has always smoked dry and clean with no moisture build up or gurgle during the smoke. The ash and any remnants of tobacco in the bottom of the bowl are dry and easily dumped out at the end of the smoke. The draught on this pipe is very smooth – no whistling sound and no sense of having to suck or work to get the smoke to move through – it is effortless as it should be. It has been and will continue to be a pleasure to smoke, exactly what I look for in a pipe that keeps its place in my rotation.

I would highly recommend that you have a look at Vesz pipes. While many are quite high end his Handmade line still offers affordable pipes at a lower price. His pipes are available through Julius himself and through other online retailers such as Uptown’s Smoke Shop and Smokingpipes.com. Julius’ fine craftsmanship can be seen in the beauty of the pipes that are available on these sites. He carves both classic shapes and designs that are uniquely his own like the raindrop. His silver work and ornamentation are also beautiful additions to his pipes and give them look of fine art. They are beautiful to look at and explore. Have a look at the beautiful work that he does on his own website at http://www.juliusvesz.ca/. He can also be contacted directly at his shop at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto or by phone at 416-362-0581, fax at 416-306-9908 or email at juliusvesz@rogers.com.