Tag Archives: Polishing Meerschaum

Restoring an SMS Meerschaum Flumed Bowl Billiard with a variegated Rose Acrylic Stem

by Steve Laug

This afternoon I decided to work on another pipe that I no longer know where or when we purchase it. I have a large box of Meerschaum pipes that is sitting in my storage that I need to clean up and restore. I have honestly avoided them for years but now was the time to start my work on some of them. Today I chose another cased one. It is a black cased pipe and when opened it held a Billiard shaped meerschaum. The case is lined with golden soft fabric that protected the bowl. The case bears an SMS logo and there is no logo on the taper stem. It is a beautifully shaped Billiard shaped meer with a dark flumed top on the bowl and some scratches from its journey and some nice patina around the shank and sides. The meer is dirty from use with a thick cake in the bowl and a light overflow of lava on the inner edge and rim top, heavier on the back side. There is some chips or nicks on the back outer edge of the bowl. The variegated rose acrylic threaded tenon stem fit well against the shank end and was slightly dirty and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the case and the pipe before I started my clean up work on it. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of the pipe when I brought it to the worktable. You can see the cake in the bowl and the build up of lava and debris on the edge and top of the rim. It is another dirty pipe but still a charmer. The variegated rose acrylic stem has chatter and deep tooth marks on both sides near the button.I took a photo of the logo stamp on the inside of the case. It is clear and readable. The label in the case reads SMS in the centre and around the outside of the circle it read Handcarved Block Meerschaum Turkey. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts. I had some faint recall of the make but could not remember his name so I turned to pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html) for some help. I found a quick note on the founding of the SMS brand which was the USA import brand for pipes made by Samil Sermet and his wife Beth. There was also a link there to the company website.I clicked on the site link (http://www.smspipes.com/) to get a bigger picture of the brand and the makers. I quote the section of the site marked “About Us” and quote the following:

Welcome to SMS Pipes!!

We are proud to present a wide selection of premium smoking pipes. SMS Pipes features Turkish Block Meerschaum, supplied exclusively by SMS Meerschaums, and Italian Briar, supplied by Lorenzo of Italy. All the pipes offered by SMS Pipes meet or surpass our exacting “Standard of Excellence.”

Samil & Beth Sermet – SMS Pipes is family owned and operated extension of SMS Meerschaums, founded in 1980 by Samil Sermet and his wife, Beth. SMS Meerschaums is recognized nationwide as a trusted supplier by nearly 500 retail tobacconists. SMS Pipes promises to continue the philosophy embraced by SMS Meerschaums and provide premium smoking pipes that are:

Distinctive… each pipe is carefully selected for its uniqueness, quality and reliability.

Affordable… a wide range of prices makes owning a fine pipe possible for everyone.

Collectible… the timeless beauty of each pipe will be treasured for generations.

Key to the success of SMS Pipes is our dedicated staff. Based in the USA and Turkey, they maintain contact with our exceptionally talented pipe carvers and case makers and perform all the daily business activities described below:

Samil Sermet, a native of Turkey, is the buyer for SMS Meerschaums. His hometown is Eskisehir, Turkey, where a majority of the meerschaum pipe carvers live and have their shops. Samil makes a buying trip to Turkey each year and has a close working relationship with all the carvers. He is responsible for sales analysis and placing the orders necessary to maintain adequate stock in the warehouse. (samil@smspipes.com)

Beth Sermet, office manager of SMS Meerschaums, processes all orders. Even though Beth was born in Iowa, she is fluent in Turkish after living in Turkey for several years and knows all the carvers. The owners of Lorenzo Briars work closely with Beth to assure ample supply of their premium pipes. Beth also personally selects and photographs all the pipes shown on SMS Pipes. (beth@smspipes.com)

Mert Sermet, son of Samil and Beth, manages the daily operations of SMS Pipes. He is in charge of processing and shipping all orders. Mert has in-depth knowledge of every aspect of pipe manufacturing both in Turkey and Italy. He will personally respond to any comments, questions or concerns you may have about SMS Pipes by e-mail. (mert@smspipes.com)

Emel Sagtekin, Samil’s sister, is responsible for quality control and shipments of pipes to SMS Meerschaums from Turkey. Since 1988, Emel has personally checked thousands of pipes. She evaluates each pipe based on strict criteria set by SMS Meerschaums and selects only the pipes that meet or surpass our high standards.

SMS Pipes provides a wide variety of services for our customers. Although the inventory on SMS Pipes is reserved for Internet sale only, it is possible to have a selection of similar pipes sent “On Approval” to any tobacconist listed on the site. Membership in the SMS Collectors Society provides additional amenities for those interested in collecting our pipes. Our Master Carvers can be commissioned to carve custom pipe designs by special arrangement. We also offer repair and re-waxing services for all SMS Pipes.”

We are happy to have the opportunity to serve you. We hope your time spent with SMS Pipes is enjoyable and worthwhile.

Now I had a clearer picture of the brand and the makers. I knew that pipe was made after 1980 when the company began. Now it was time to work on the pipe itself.

I started my work on the bowl by reaming the thick cake out of the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer and the 2^nd and 3^rd cutting heads to take back the cake to the walls of the bowl. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished it looked very good. I scraped off some of the lava coat on the rim top. I used a 320 grit sanding pad to remove the build up on the rim top. It looked much better once I finished. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and mortise as well as in the new stem with pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular). It was much better.I scrubbed the bowl surface with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed the bowl with warm running water to wash off the dirt and the soap. It looked much better at this point. The surface of the bowl was clean and the meerschaum was very shiny with the exception of the rough edge on the back of the bowl which was chipped and lost its colour. I used a black stain pen to touch up the chip on the rim top and the inner and outer edges of the bowl.I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnuba Wax Polish which is a soft wax. I rubbed the wax on the bowl sides and the shank end with my finger tips and set it aside to dry. Once the wax cured I buffed the bowl with a microfibre cloth. The bowl has a rich glow. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. There was a deep tooth mark on the underside of the stem ahead of the button. I filled it in with some clear CA glue and when it cured I flattened the repair with a small file. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the chatter on topside and the repair on the underside of the stem surface. It looked much better when I finished sanding. I continued sanding the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a damp pad to remove the debris. By the end it was quite shiny and ready for polishing. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad to protect it and preserve it. it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I polished the stem on the buffer with Blue Diamond. I put the pipe back together and gave it a buff on the wheel with Blue Diamond polish. I use a light touch on the acrylic as too heavy a touch can cause the heat to damage to acrylic. I gave the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a soft cloth to deepen the shine. I put it back in the case and took a photo of the pipe in case.I took photos of the finished SMS Billiard with a variegated rose acrylic stem to show the shine and the patina around the bowl. The acrylic stem looks very good with the warm glow on the shank and the bowl. With time the contrast will grow richer and deeper to a thing of beauty. The finished SMS Billiard fits nicely in the hand and I think it will feel great as it heats up with a good tobacco. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.45 ounces/41 grams. If you are interested in carrying on the legacy of this pipe it will be going on the rebornpipes store shortly. It is listed in the Ceramic and Meerschaum Section. You can send me a message or an email to let know you are interested. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

Restoring a SMS Meerschaum Skater with a Variegated Orange Acrylic Stem

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

This afternoon I decided to work on the pipe that I no longer know where or when we purchase it. I have a large box of Meerschaum pipes that is sitting in my storage that I need to clean up and restore. I have honestly avoided them for years but now was the time to start my work on some of them. Today I chose a cased one. It is a black cased pipe and when opened it held a Skater shaped meerschaum. The case is lined with golden soft fabric that protected the bowl. The case bears an SMS logo and the left side of the taper stem bears the same logo. It is a beautifully shaped Skater shaped meer with scratches from its journey and some nice patina around the shank and sides. The meer is dirty from use with a thick cake in the bowl and a light overflow of lava on the inner edge and thin rim top, heavier on the back side. The variegated orange acrylic stem fit well against the shank end and was slightly dirty and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the case and the pipe before I started my clean up work on it. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of the pipe when I brought it to the worktable. You can see the cake in the bowl and the build up of lava and debris on the edge and top of the rim. It is another dirty pipe but still a charmer. The variegated orange acrylic stem has chatter and deep tooth marks on both sides near the button.I took a photo of the logo stamp on the inside of the case and on the left side of the acrylic taper stem. It I s clear and readable. The label in the case reads SMS in the centre and around the outside of the circle it read Handcarved Block Meerschaum Turkey. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts. I had some faint recall of the make but could not remember his name so I turned to pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html) for some help. I found a quick note on the founding of the SMS brand which was the USA import brand for pipes made by Samil Sermet and his wife Beth. There was also a link there to the company website.I clicked on the site link (http://www.smspipes.com/) to get a bigger picture of the brand and the makers. I quote the section of the site marked “About Us” and quote the following:

Welcome to SMS Pipes!!

Distinctive… each pipe is carefully selected for its uniqueness, quality and reliability.

Affordable… a wide range of prices makes owning a fine pipe possible for everyone.

Collectable… the timeless beauty of each pipe will be treasured for generations.

We are happy to have the opportunity to serve you. We hope your time spent with SMS Pipes is enjoyable and worthwhile.

Now I had a clearer picture of the brand and the makers. I knew that pipe was made after 1980 when the company began. Now it was time to work on the pipe itself.

I started my work on the bowl by reaming the thick cake out of the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer and the 2^nd and 3^rd cutting heads to take back the cake to the walls of the bowl. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished the walls of the bowl looked very good. I scraped off some of the lava coat on the rim top. I used a topping board and some worn 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage on the rim top and remove the rest of the darkening on the meer. It looked much better once I finished.I scrubbed the bowl surface with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed the bowl with warm running water to wash off the dirt and the soap. It looked much better at this point. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and mortise as well as in the new stem with pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular). It was much better.I polished the meerschaum with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cotton cloth. The bowl took on a shine by the last pad. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax Polish which is a soft wax. I rubbed the wax on the bowl sides and the shank end with my finger tips and set it aside to dry. Once the wax cured I buffed the bowl with a clean buffing pad and then with a soft microfibre cloth. The bowl has a rich glow. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the tooth marks and chatter on the stem surface.I continued sanding the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a damp pad to remove the debris. By the end it was quite shiny and ready for polishing.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad to protect it and preserve it. it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I polished the stem on the buffer with Blue Diamond. I put the pipe back together and gave it a buff on the wheel with Blue Diamond polish. I use a light touch on the acrylic as too heavy a touch can cause the heat to damage to acrylic. I gave the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a soft cloth to deepen the shine. I put it back in the case and took a photo of the pipe in case.I took photos of the finished SMS Skater with a variegated orange acrylic stem to show the shine and the patina around the bowl. The acrylic stem looks very good with the deepening colour on the shank and the bottom of the bowl. With time the contrast will grow richer and deeper to a thing of beauty. The finished SMS Skater fits nicely in the hand and I think it will feel great as it heats up with a good tobacco. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.13 ounces/32 grams. If you are interested in carrying on the legacy of this pipe it will be going on the rebornpipes store shortly. It is listed in the Ceramic and Meerschaum Section. You can send me a message or an email to let know you are interested. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

Breathing New Life into a Well Seasoned Peterson’s Meerschaum Bent Pipe

Leave a reply

by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on is a smooth finished, well patinaed Peterson’s African Block Meerschaum pipe. This one is a Bent Meerschaum pipe in a classic Peterson’s Bent Billiard shape. The rim top is flumed in the style of the 60s and 70s. Jeff and I are unclear where we picked this one up. Our best guess was we found it during a pipe hunt in November, 2024 somewhere along the Oregon Coast. This rich butterscotch and golden coloured patina on the bowl and shank adds a touch of depth to the pipe. The pipe was dirty with grime ground into the finish on the pipe. It was thick and oily feeling to touch. The contrast on the meer of the rich colouration/patina on the bowl and shank with the flumed top made a beautiful pipe. It had nicks and chips in the outer edge of the bowl. The inner edge looked very good. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The Sterling Silver ferrule is oxidized and dirty. It is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. On the underside are three hallmark stamps – 1. Seated Hibernia (Ireland) 2. The Harp (symbol for the silver quality) 3. The upper-case italic letter “E” for the date of the pipe. The stem was in quite good condition with minimal oxidation, minor debris in the edge of the button and light tooth chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. I took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is dirty, lightly oxidized and has light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button.I took photos of the Sterling Silver ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above. I did not capture the hallmarks on the underside. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to give a sense of the proportion of the pipe. I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of these Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

Laxey Pipe Ltd. resided in a historical 19th century four-storey Man stone building at The Quay, Old Laxey, Isle of Man, which thankfully has been preserved. The company specialized in the production of Meerschaum Pipes using the Meerschaum mined by the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation in the Amboseli basin in Tanganyika (since 1964 part of the United Republic of Tanzania). Please note: you may often find names like “Manx Pipes Ltd.”, “Man Pipe Co.” and others more, but there is no indication of another Isle of Man pipe producer other than Laxey Pipe Ltd. at any time!

Laxey Pipe Ltd. marketed own brands like “Manxpipe”, “Manxman”, “Manxland” e.c. Names like “John Bull”, “White Knight” (unwaxed), “Domino” (black, or lined) indicated some shapes / colours of Laxey’s own series. The stems either showed the astronomical sign for “male” or “man” (circle + arrow), or the crest of the Isle of Man, the 3-legged X in a circle. Manxpipes and Laxey’s other brands were available through pipe retailers in general, but also were sold (mainly) to tourists through their own shop in Laxey.

Furthermore Laxey Pipe Ltd. manufactured the meer bowls for Peterson, Barling, Nørding and others from the later 1960’s until 2001. Man Pipe e.g. was a brand distributed by Comoy’s. The bowls usually showed no nomenclature indicating the orderer. “Genuine Block Meerschaum” was engraved frequently. Often, just the stems were different, while bowls were the same.

Supply of meer from East Africa run out (Kenya / Tanzania exhausted, Somalia inaccessible), and thus the last Laxey meers were supplied to trade in May, 2001. Laxey Pipe Ltd. tried to survive continuing with briar pipes – mainly in the Danish style -, but to no success. It closed down business in July, 2002.

As noted above the silver is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. On the underside are three hallmark stamps – 1. Seated Hibernia (Ireland) 2. The Harp (symbol for the silver quality) 3. The upper case letter “E” for the date of the pipe. I have included the Peterson’s Hallmark chart below as it is a very helpful tool that I have used repeatedly to date my Peterson pipes.I found a larger photo of the letter section of the above chart. The letter stamp is a upper case italic “E” which dates the pipe to 1990. I know that the pipe was made on the Isle of Man by Laxey Pipe Ltd. out of African Meerschaum. It was made for export for Peterson’s of Dublin. From the hallmarks on the silver I know that the pipe (or at least the silver) was made in 1990. The flumed top on the bowl seems to make it older and maybe it is but the silver is definitely from 1990. That was as much as I could figure out.

I reamed the bowl with a PipNet reamer and cleaned the reaming up with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls smooth with some 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. It looked much better. It was smooth to touch. I scraped the rim top with the edge of the Savinelli Fitsall to remove the lava build up. I cleaned out the stinky smelling tobacco oils and tars in the shank and the airway in the stem. I used 99% isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners and was able to remove the debris and the stench.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I scrubbed the inside of the bowl as well to remove more of the oils and build up there. I rinsed it off with warm running water and dried it with a soft towel. When I dried it off it was dull and a bit lifeless looking. The finish was spotty so I gave it a quick buff with a cotton cloth. It looked much better and the rim top looked clean. I touched up the nicks on the rim top and outer edge with a black stain pen. I had decided to leave them and not sand or remove them. It blended them in much better.I gave the meer a quick buff and then polished the Sterling Silver ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good even with a few small dents in the surface remaining. It has quite a nice sheen. I polished the bowl on the buffer with Blue Diamond polish and hand buffed it with a microfibre cloth to further polish it. I gave it multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba Wax and once it dried I had buffed it once again and gave it a quick buff with a clean buffing pad. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil once again and set it aside to dry. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when it is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba Wax mixture and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich patina of the bowl and the polished silver ferrule. This Peterson’s meerschaum was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Mann. The heavily patinaed finish on this pipe made it another fun pipe to work. It really is a quite stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 59 grams/2.08 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

Restoring a Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum System Pipe

5 Replies

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a white Peterson’s style smooth meerschaum pipe. We purchased it from our contact in Denmark on 04/11/2023. It is a classic Peterson’s 312 shaped bowl and probably made like all their meerschaum by Laxey Pipes Ltd, on the Isle of Man. It has a light patina making it almost golden with a black flume around the bowl and rim top. It is a smooth bowl. The bowl is dirty for sure with grime in the meerschaum. There is a cake in the bowl and a lava overflow in the rustication on the rim top and edges. The pipe has a Sterling Silver ferrule that is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin, followed by Sterling [over] Silver, followed by three hallmarks – Hibernia seated for the country of origin (Ireland), Crowned Harp designating the Silver Quality and a Celtic T for the year of manufacture which in this case is 1984. That is followed by the etching Paris 23-7-84. The ferrule has some oxidation and is dull but otherwise undamaged. The stem is lightly oxidized and has tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the P-lip button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is heavily caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is oxidized and has tooth chatter and tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the condition of the finish around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He took a series of photos of the Sterling Silver ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above. I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

Supply of meer from East Africa ran out (Kenya / Tanzania exhausted, Somalia inaccessible), and thus the last Laxey meers were supplied to trade in May, 2001. Laxey Pipe Ltd. tried to survive continuing with briar pipes – mainly in the Danish style, but to no success. It closed down business in July, 2002.

I know that the pipe was made on the Isle of Man by Laxey Pipe Ltd. out of African Meerschaum. It was made for export for Peterson’s of Dublin. The flumed top on the bowl and the smooth finish around the bowl and shank fit the 1984 date indicated by both the silver hallmarks and the Paris 23-7-84 engraving on the band.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare meerschaum. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He cleaned up the tarnish on the nickel ferrule. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Before & After Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked very good when it arrived. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. There was still some lava marks on the rim top that would need to be removed. The stem showed some light tooth marks and chatter on the surface near the button.I took a series of photos of the stamping on the Silver ferrule. You can see that once the tarnish was removed it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the proportions of the pipe. The shank is lined with a Delrin insert. I cleaned up the debris in the rim top with a worn 1500 grit micromesh sanding pads and was able to remove it all. I touched up the rim top and edges with a Black Sharpie Pen. Once it was finished it looked very good.I rubbed the meerschaum down with Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba mix. I worked it into the surface of the meerschaum with my fingertips to protect it. I let the wax sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. Once the wax had dried on the meer I buffed the bowl on my wheel with a clean buffing pad. It raised the shine and the surface really glowed.I polished the Sterling Silver ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to raise the shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded out the chatter and tooth marks with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I enjoy working on these Peterson’s Meerschaum pipes and it is always exciting to be on the homestretch. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich developing patina of the bowl and the polished Silver ferrule. It really is a stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 49 grams/1.73 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe.

Restoring a Damaged Tan Peterson’s Meer in a Shape 302

Leave a reply

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a tan coloured Peterson’s style meerschaum pipe. We purchased it from a seller in Spring Branch, Texas, USA on 02/29/2024. It is a classic Peterson’s 302 shaped bowl and probably made like all their meerschaum by Laxey Pipes Ltd, on the Isle of Man. It has a tan rusticated bowl that really gives depth to the pipe. The bowl is dirty with grime in the meerschaum. There is a cake in the bowl and a lava overflow in the rustication on the rim top and edges. It looks like the rim top and first 1/8 inch of the rim top have a dark flume coat. The only stamping on the pipe is on the nickel ferrule and it reads K&P over Peterson. The ferrule has some oxidation and is dull but otherwise undamaged. The stem is oxidized, calcified and has tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the P-lip button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is oxidized, calcified and has tooth chatter and tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the condition of the rusticated finish around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He took photos of the nickel ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above. I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of these Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

I know that the pipe was made on the Isle of Man by Laxey Pipe Ltd. out of African Meerschaum. It was made for export for Peterson’s of Dublin. The flumed top on the bowl and the rustication around the bowl and shank make me think that it is a 1970s era pipe. That was as much as I could figure out.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare meerschaum. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He cleaned up the tarnish on the nickel ferrule. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked very good when it arrived. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges were in rough condition. The back rim top and edge were thin and the front left top and edge were damaged. It looked like the rim top had been rusticated like the bowl at one point but it was not clear due to the damage on the top and inner edges. The stem showed some light tooth marks and chatter on the surface near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the ferrule. You can see that once the tarnish was removed it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the proportions of the pipe.This pipe needed a bit more work than the previous Peterson’s meer. The rim top had a lot of damage and was burned and chipped on the front inner edge of the bowlw. The back of the bowl rim top and edge were very thin and also had damage. I cleaned up the inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. While I was able to remove the damage on the inner edge the bowl top and out edge on the front were damaged and there was a dip in the front outer edge. To deal with this issue I gently topped the bowl on a topping board with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished I used a Dremel and dental burr to rusticate the rim top to match the finish around the bowl sides. I restained the finished rim top and edges with a walnut and a black stain pen. The original bowl had a dark stain on the rim top and on the first 1/8 inch of the bowl side.I polished the nickel ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good. I rubbed the meerschaum down with Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba mix. I worked it into the surface of the meerschaum with my fingertips and a shoebrush to protect it. I let the wax sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The pipe is looking quite good. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded out the chatter and tooth marks with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich developing patina of the tan bowl and the polished ferrule. It really is a stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 54 grams/1.90 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe.

Restoring a Peterson’s Meerschaum in a Shape 302

Leave a reply

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a white Peterson’s style meerschaum pipe. We purchased it from an estate sale at Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA on 09/16/23. It is a classic Peterson’s 302 shaped bowl and probably made like all their meerschaum by Laxey Pipes Ltd, on the Isle of Man. It has a slight patina making it almost golden with a black flume around the bowl and rim top. It is a rusticated bowl. The bowl is dirty for sure with grime in the meerschaum. There is a cake in the bowl and a lava overflow in the rustication on the rim top and edges. The only stamping on the pipe is on the nickel ferrule and it reads K&P over Peterson. The ferrule has some oxidation and is dull but otherwise undamaged. The stem is lightly oxidized and has tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the P-lip button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is oxidized and has tooth chatter and tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the condition of the rusticated finish around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He took photos of the nickel ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above.I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of these Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare meerschaum. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He cleaned up the tarnish on the nickel ferrule. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Before & After Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked very good when it arrived. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. There was still some debris in the rustication on the rim top that would need to be removed. The stem showed some light tooth marks and chatter on the surface near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the ferrule. You can see that once the tarnish was removed it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the proportions of the pipe.I cleaned up the debris in the rim top with a brass bristle wire brush and was able to remove it all. I touched up the rim top and edges with a black Sharpie Pen. Once it was finished it looked very good.I polished the nickel ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good. I rubbed the meerschaum down with Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba mix. I worked it into the surface of the meerschaum with my fingertips and a shoebrush to protect it. I let the the wax sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I sanded out the chatter and tooth marks with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich developing patina of the bowl and the polished ferrule. It really is a stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 51 grams/1.80 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe.

A Simple Refurbishing Of A Meerschaum Bulldog From Renowned Turkish Pipe Carver Ismet Bekler

Leave a reply

Blog by Paresh Deshpande

I had completed the restoration and repairs of an early (probably 1920s) cased pair of meerschaum pipes with Amber stems and had sent this pipe out to its new owner. Though the end results were very satisfying, this pair had proved to be more than handful and had tested all my skills and patience. Well, all’s well that ends well! The feedback I got from my friend as to the smoking qualities and aesthetics was greatly satisfying.

From amongst the pile of 10 odd Meerschaum pipes that awaits restoration, I selected a cased Meerschaum pipe that appeared to be in great condition requiring minimal work. That being one reason for selecting this particular pipe, the second and important reason was the classic Bulldog shape which I am quite fond of (in fact I just love all the classic British shapes). This is a large sized meerschaum pipe with a tortoise shell acrylic stem that is beautifully cut, most likely hand cut. The following picture is of this meerschaum with a group 4 sized Dunhill Bulldog and should give you an idea of the size of this pipe.The only stamping that could be seen on this pipe is on the left shank surface and is stamped as “I. BEKLER”. The stem is devoid of any stampings.This is the first time that I have worked on a pipe that is stamped as such. Curious to know more about this pipe maker, I visited pipedia.org and a search on this site lead me to a Turkish pipe company, CAO. (https://pipedia.org/wiki/CAO)

It was revealed that Ismet Bekler was a pipe carver who had carved many meerschaum pipes for CAO. I have reproduced certain relevant snippets of information from that article on pipedia.org.

C.A.O International, Inc. is the producer of one of the country’s top lines of premium cigars, cigar accessories, Meerschaum pipes, and pipe tobaccos. CAO’s Meerschaum pipes are smoked by presidents, senators, actors and other dignitaries. CAO was founded in 1964 by Cano A. Ozgener. Using his initials as the company logo.

Cano Ozgener’s interest in tobacco began on the banks of the Bosporus. Born on January 19, 1937, Ozgener was raised in his birthplace of Istanbul, Turkey, by his Armenian parents. His father was a jeweller, his mother a homemaker. He studied at a Jesuit French grammar school before being accepted into the American-run Roberts College in Istanbul, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1960.

As a student in Turkey, Ozgener enjoyed smoking pipes, especially those made from meerschaum.

Graduating from Columbia in 1964 with a professional engineering degree, Ozgener was recruited by DuPont to work in the firm’s Kinston, North Carolina, plant. It was during his stint in the textile division at the age of 27 that he came across some imperfect Turkish meerschaum pipes. In his spare time, he decided to use his engineering abilities to improve the pipes.

As Cano and the tobacconists were not happy with the quality of Turkish meerschaum, he decided to take the meerschaums and change the stems, make modifications and work with the carvers to improve them,” One day a tobacconist from Wilmington, Delaware, asked him where had he found the meerschaum, that he had never seen such quality. Cano told him that he had modified them. The tobacconist then ordered a dozen or two. That was just the beginning.

Ozgener kept his engineering job as he built his company. He worked constantly; his vacations from DuPont were spent attending tobacco conventions, which left little time to relax with his wife and two young children. Finally, in 1977, he left his engineering position to devote more attention to his growing business and to spend more time with his family.

The preceding article is reprinted here with the permission (forth coming) of Bennington Tobacconist

Ismet Bekler carved many meerschaum pipes, which were signed by him and sold by CAO, beginning in 1977. CAO actually trademarked his last name for use in 2001. Other carvers also provided pipes to CAO, and at least one other, Kural, also signed pipes made for CAO.

I surf the net to know more about the pipe carver Ismet Bekler. I chanced upon a website that had some beautiful pipes on sale and most prominently, had many un-smoked meerschaum pipes carved by Ismet Bekler. Here is the link to the website. I have also noted some information about Ismet Bekler which is given in the introduction on this website.

https://www.therightpipe.com/meerschaum-pipes/ismet-bekler-c382.html

Ismet Bekler was a prolific and popular carver. He began carving in the early 1970’s. Bekler is known as one of the best carvers in the history of Turkish Meerschaum. Master carver Bekler passed away in 2018 at the age of 84.

In 1980, the CAO Meerschaum Company contracted with Bekler to sell all of his carvings to them. CAO wanted to make Bekler a more well-known carver in the US and it was at this time he began signing his pipes.

Thus, from the above, my guess would be that this pipe is from the period post 1980 but could be pre- 2001 since it is signed in full. However the lack of CAO in brass logo on the stem makes matters murky. Any inputs on this would definitely help me and other readers to know more about this pipe maker whose demise has left a void in the pipe carver’s community.

Initial Visual Inspection
The pipe, as compared to the many pipes that I have worked on till date, is in excellent condition. The case that housed this pipe and the green velvet inner lining is also in good condition. The chamber has a thick layer of cake with the rim top surface covered in overflowing lava. The stummel is in pristine condition with just a few hand stains and dust covering the stummel. The meerschaum has started coloring at the shank end. The stem too is in pristine condition with just faint traces of accumulation of old oils and tars on the metal tenon. Here are a few pictures of the pipe as it sits on my worktable. Overall, this pipe is in excellent condition and should be an easy refurbishment project.

Detailed Inspection
There is a heavy build up of cake in the chamber with a thicker layer seen at the bottom half of the chamber. The cake has dried and is crumbly due to prolonged storage. The condition of the inner walls of the chamber can be ascertained only after the cake has been removed completely. The rim top has darkened due to thick overflow of lava. This should be a fairly simple cleaning of the chamber.The stummel, likewise, is in good shape. There a few specs of dirt and grime on the surface that have accumulated due to oils on the human palms. These should clean up easily by wiping the stummel with oil soap. There are a couple of very light scrub marks on the base of the stummel. The mortise is not visible due to the small opening in to which fits the brass metal tenon. This would need to be cleaned using bristle and regular pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. The stem is a beautiful acrylic tortoise shell with beautiful transparency, sharp buttons and a nice slot end. The bite zone in the stem shows slight calcification with no tooth chatter. There is a slight build up of oils and tars in the stem airway that can be seen. The brass tenon too has traces of dried oils and tars. This stem should clean up clean up easily and I just can’t wait to see the stem after all the cleaning and polishing process.The Process
I started the refurbishing of this gorgeous pipe by cleaning the stem first. I cleaned the brass tenon and stem surface with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs. I ran a few bristled and regular pipe cleaners, also dipped in alcohol, through the stem airway till it was clean and transparent.I followed this cleaning up with internal cleaning of the chamber. Using my fabricated knife, I carefully scraped the accumulated cake from the walls of the chamber. I avoid using a pipe reamer while cleaning the chamber as the rotational movements of the reamer head exerts outward longitudinal forces on the walls of the chamber and may damage the walls of the chamber. Next, I used a 220 grit sand paper, pinched between my thumb and forefinger, to sand the inner walls of the chamber of the pipe. Once I had reached the bare walls, I wiped the chamber with a cotton pad dipped in isopropyl alcohol. This removed all the residual carbon dust and also rid the chamber of all ghost smells. The walls of the chamber are nice and solid with no signs of cracks. Using a sharp knife, I gently scraped out the overflow of lava from the rim top. Though the lava flow over the rim top surface had been scraped out, the darkening persisted. I would further clean out the rim surface while I cleaned the stummel surface using oil soap.Next, I cleaned out the mortise and shank airway using shank brush and pipe cleaners. I started the process with cleaning the shank internals using shank brush dipped in isopropyl alcohol (I use only 99.9% pure alcohol). I ran this shank brush wetted with alcohol through the shank a few time and thereafter ran a couple of bristled pipe cleaners through the shank to draw out the loosened gunk. I continued the cleaning of the shank internals with pipe cleaners and alcohol till the pipe cleaners came out clean.I cleaned the surface of the stummel with cotton swab and Murphy’s oil soap. I also cleaned the rim top with the soap on a cotton swab. I further wiped the surface with a moist soft cotton cloth till all the traces of the soap were removed from the stummel surface. Thereafter I dried the stummel with a soft dry cotton cloth and set it aside to dry out naturally. The dark areas on the rim surface are still visible and would need to be addressed using higher invasive methods. While the stem was drying out naturally, I worked the stem. I began the process of polishing the stem by wet sanding the stem surface with 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. I wiped the surface with a moist cloth and wiped the surface with a little EVO just to clean and bring a shine to the stem surface.I addressed the darkening over the rim surface by sanding the rim with a folded piece of 320 grit sandpaper. I sand the rim surface with minimum force as my intent was only to remove the dark stains and not removal of any meerschaum material from the surface. The rim looks much better now at this stage in restoration. I polished the stummel and specifically the rim, dry sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped the stummel regularly with a dry soft cloth. I like the pristine look of the stummel after this polishing. Thereafter, I polished the stem by wet sanding the surface with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. The last item that required cleaning was the leather covered case that housed this pipe. Using a hard bristled toothbrush and soap water, I cleaned the velvet lining on the inside of the case. I dried the lining with paper napkins. Next, I cleaned the external surface with a moist cloth and polished the surface with a neutral color shoe polish. Once the wax was absorbed, I polished the surface with a horse hair shoe brush.Since this Meerschaum pipe is now looking fresh and the coloration is not too developed, I decided to forego the step of polishing the stummel with beeswax. I gave a final rub down to the entire pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. This is one gorgeous looking pipe which I am happy to include in my personal collection. Here are a few pictures of the finished pipe.

Cleaning up a New Old Stock Meerschaum Sheik

2 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on is an unsmoked New Old Stock Meerschaum Sheik that Jeff and I picked up in a lot somewhere. Neither of us have any memory of where or when we picked it up. It had a lot of dust and debris in the grooves and on the smooth surface of the shank and bowl sides as well as the heel. It was dirty but unused. The bowl was clean on the top and inside. The stem was also clean and unused but still had stickiness on the top near the shank from the price tag that must have “graced” its surface somewhere in its life. There were no tooth marks or chatter on the stem and the pipe smell clean. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on to try and capture the condition it was in when I brought it to the table. I include those below. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of them both. The bowl and rim are clean and with a bit of polishing should clean up. The stem was dirty – it had sticky substances on the top and underside of the stem just ahead of the button.I took photos of the carving on the bowl from the front and from both sides. It is a nicely done carving of a sheik with a tall turban and feather. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe as a whole to show the overall look of the bowl and the proportions of the pipe.I polished the meerschaum with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wet sanded the grime that was on the sides of the bowl and shank. It was marked and a little dirty on the surface of the bowl. I worked several coats of Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba Mixture wax into the meerschaum and let it sit for 20 minutes. I buffed it with a soft cloth and repeated the process several times until the finish looked and felt right. I polished the tortoise shell acrylic stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each pad with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish and buffed it out with a soft cloth. I don’t know if I would say that I am excited to be on the homestretch. But I do look forward to the final look when it is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I hand buffed the bowl and stem with a soft cloth to polish the waxed bowl and stem. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum looks much better with the wax and polish. The shiny tortoise shell acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the white of the bowl and thick shank. This Carved Sheik Figural Meerschaum was an interesting pipe to work on. The pipe is actually quite comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 3 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.15 ounces/61 grams. I will be putting this pipe on the rebornpipes store in the Ceramic & Meerschaum Pipes section. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Breathing Life a Peterson’s African Block Meerschaum Bent Pipe

4 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is a multi-faceted finish Peterson’s African Block Meerschaum pipe. This one is a Bent Meerschaum pipe that has facets around the bowl and shank. The rim top is flumed as was the style of the 60s and 70s. This pipe was purchased on 12/08/21 from Facebook Marketplace in Durham, North Carolina, USA. This faceted bowl and shank adds a touch of depth to the pipe. The pipe was dusty in the meerschaum ridges and flat spots on the bowl and shank. The contrast of the colouration/patina developing on the high spots and shank with the flumed top looks very good. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was lava on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The Sterling Silver ferrule is oxidized and dirty. It is stamped Peterson’s [over] Dublin followed by Sterling [over] Silver. On the underside are three hallmark stamps – 1. Seated Hibernia (Ireland) 2. The Harp (symbol for the silver quality) 3. The lower case letter “l” for the date of the pipe. The stem was oxidized, calcified and had light tooth chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top and edges have lava overflowing on to them. The stem is oxidized, calcified and has light tooth marks on the top and underside near the button. Jeff took photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the faceted finish around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He took photos of the Sterling Silver ferrule to show the stamping around it. You can see that it reads as noted above. He did not capture the hallmarks on the underside.I took some time to remind myself of the provenance of these Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum pipes. I am pretty sure the pipe was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Man for Peterson’s in Ireland (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Pipes_Ltd). I quote from the Pipedia article in full:

Furthermore Laxey Pipe Ltd. manufactured the meer bowls for Peterson, Barling, Nørding and others from the later 1960’s until 2001. Man Pipe e.g. was a brand distributed by Comoy’s. The bowls usually showed no nomenclature indicating the orderer. “Genuine Block Meerschaum” was engraved frequently. Often, just the stems were different, while bowls were the same.

I know that the pipe was made on the Isle of Man by Laxey Pipe Ltd. out of African Meerschaum. It was made for export for Peterson’s of Dublin. From the hallmarks on the silver I know that the pipe (or at least the silver) was made in 1977. That fits the flumed top on the bowl and the faceted carving around the bowl and shank. That was as much as I could figure out.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare meerschaum. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He cleaned up the tarnish on the silver ferrule. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked very good when it arrived. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. The stem showed some light tooth marks and chatter on the surface near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the silver ferrule. You can see that once the tarnish was removed it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good looking pipe and has an interesting style of rustication around the bowl.I polished the meerschaum bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. I polished the Sterling Silver ferrule with a jeweler’s cloth to shine and slow down the process of oxidation. The ferrule really looks good even with a few worn spots around it. Once it was polished with the Before & After Balm and buffed with a microfiber cloth the stain would blend perfectly. I rubbed the meerschaum down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the meerschaum with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. Mark Hoover’s Balm is a product that I have come to appreciate and one I use on every pipe I have been working on. I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. As usual at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when it is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem of this Peterson’s Meerschaum back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the meerschaum and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The meerschaum has a rich glow with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich developing patina of the bowl and the polished silver ferrule. This Peterson’s meerschaum was made by the Laxey Pipe Ltd. on the Isle of Mann. The faceted finish on this pipe made it another fun pipe to work. It really is a quite stunning pipe whose shape and finish make it stand out. The thick/chubby shank makes it a very comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inches, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 44 grams/1.52 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

Restoring a Hand Carved Meerschaum Calabash with a 9mm Acrylic Filter Stem

1 Reply

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on came from a trip Jeff and his wife took to Europe in the Fall of 2017. He picked it up in a bazaar in Frankfurt, Germany. It was a nicely carved smooth Calabash with a round brass Altinay logo on the ruby coloured acrylic stem. The finish on the bowl and cap were scratched and worn looking but still had a lot of charm. The bowl and rim top appear to have been quickly cleaned for the sale but there was still a light cake in the bowl and some lava spots on the inner edge and rim top. The meerschaum was beginning to develop a patina on the shank and lightly on the bowl and rim top. The ruby coloured acrylic stem was made for a 9mm filter which is not surprising. It gave a good first impression but had deep tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button. He took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition. You can see the issues on the rim top and stem as I noted above. There are also some scratches on the rim top itself that I am hoping will polish out and look much better. You can see the tooth damage on the stem surfaces on both sides ahead of the button. The mortise on the shank has been fitted with a nylon tenon that holds 9mm filters. The stem has been drilled out to fit snug over the tenon. Jeff took photos of the side and heel of the bowl. You can see the graceful lines and nicely carved bowl of the pipe. It is a lightweight block meerschaum that is well made. There are a lot of visible scratches around the sides and top. He took a close up photo of the left side of the bowl to show the scratches. He took a photo of the brass Altinay two pipe logo inset on the left side of the taper stem.I turned to Pipephil to see what I could learn about the brand (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a4.html). There was a sidebar that said that the Altinay Pipe Co Ltd. was founded in 1964 in Eskişehir (Turkey). I did a screen capture of the section on the site and included it below.I then turned to Pipedia to learn a bit more about the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Altinay). I have copied pertinent information on the history of the brand below.

HISTORY OF ALTINAY

Necdet Altınay (1941-2018), who worked in various jobs from a young age to support his family, entered the meerschaum carving sector at the age of 14 and became a meerschaum master at a young age by training from the best masters of the time.

After developing himself in all areas of meerschaum carving such as compositions, sculptural works, famous claw figures until the age of 23, he founded Altınay Pipe Co. in 1964 and started working on purely classical style pipes by noticing the important deficiency in the pipe industry about classical style meerschaum pipes.

He has developed his skills on classical pipes with tactics he received from European pipe masters and has gained an important place in the sector with international fairs he attended regularly.

The importance he attaches to quality and customer satisfaction in his business has made the ALTINAY brand a popular and sought-after brand in meerschaum sector. And soon started exporting worldwide, America, Russia China and especially in Europe through distributors.

Besides his own brand ALTINAY, he also produced meerschaum pipes for world famous brands such as Dunhill, Peterson, Savinelli, Chacom, Brebbia, Butz Choquin. As it is already for Rattrays and Andreas Bauer now.

After working 3 generations together for several years, before he passed away in 2018, largely transferred his superior skills and vision to his son (Nedim Altınay,1967) and grandson(Said Altınay,1990), whom he worked and trained for many years. Now Nedim and Said are working together to take the company further in His quality and vision…

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual thoroughness. He carefully reamed the pipe with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with 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 and pipe cleaners. He cleaned the stem Soft Scrub cleanser and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe 3 years later when I finally got around to working on it. The rim top and inner edge of the rim looked very good with some slight darkening on the rim top and inner edge. The stem surface looked very good with some deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the logo on the left side of the taper stem. The fit of the stem to the shank is snug. The shank also shows some patina developing nicely along its length.I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The tenon is nylon and is integrated in the shank. The stem is drilled to slide snug on the tenon. The stem is a nice looking ruby red acrylic. I polished the smooth meerschaum with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I worked on the darkening of the rim top at the same time. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The longer I polished it the more the patina came to the surface. The pipe became more beautiful with each grit of polishing pad. I took out my Dr. Perl Junior 9mm filters made by Vauen to fit one to the stem of this beauty. It fit in mortise and tenon perfectly and did not inhibit the air flow significantly. Impressive.I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the stem surface on both sides with clear CA glue. Once the repairs cured I sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a cloth and Obsidian Oil. I finished polished it with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish. I wiped it down with the cloth and Obsidian Oil one final time and set aside to dry. This Altinay Meerschaum Calabash with a ruby coloured acrylic stem is a beautiful pipe. The polished light weight meerschaum that shines through the polished finish is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Altinay Meerschaum Calabash 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: 6 inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 55 grams/ 1.94 oz. This Altinay Calabash is a real beauty and the 9mm filter ruby coloured acrylic stem just highlights the beauty. Jeff made a great find when he picked this up in Frankfurt. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!