Tag Archives: Rebuilding a damaged button

Restoring a Handsome Tanganyika Meerschaum

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Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

My cousin sent me a very good-looking pipe that he found in his meanderings and send it to me for some repairs. Naturally, I was happy to help, but this one provided some tough work. I like the tough ones though – makes me feel like an old timer has truly been saved. This is a Tanganyika Genuine Block Meerschaum 290 Bent Dublin. As soon as I saw it, I liked it. It looked like a really good smoker. The stummel was very handsomely cut – thick and robust. The stem had a metal tenon that screwed into the mortise. There were a few markings on the pipe. On the underside of the shank was engraved Genuine Block [over] Meerschaum. To the left of this (and perpendicular), was the number 290, the shape number. On the left side of the stem was the logo: a charming little elephant. Underneath the stem was the word Tanganyika – this stamping was very faint and I was worried about it. Finally, I wonder if there was something else. On the very end of the shank, was engraved what looked like a capital T. If that’s what it is, then presumably it stands for Tanganyika. If anyone has further information, please post it in the comments below. I looked in the book, Pipes: Artisans and Trademarks by José Manuel Lopes, to learn more about Tanganyika pipes. It had the following entry for the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation:

Company formed in 1955 by Kenyan businessmen from Nairobi after the discovery of a meerschaum mine relatively close to the surface on Kilimanjaro. The meerschaum is tougher, less porous, and cheaper than the Turkish variety. Another mine was soon discovered in Sinya, in the famous Amboseli Game Park. The company, previously based in Arusha (Tanzania), became an associate of a Belgium firm, but closed some years after. It produced the Caveman, Countryman, Kiko, Killimanjaro, Sportsman, Townsman, and Wiga brands. It maintained a link with GBD for the making of the GBD Block Meerschaum series, and after its closure, the English firms, London Meerschaum and Manx Pipes (Manx Meerschaum) continued producing with African meerschaum.Pipedia also included the above information, but also referred me to the page on Amboseli Pipes.

Amboseli Pipes made calabash and meerschaum pipes in Tanganyika. They moved to Arusha, Tanzania, and later closed. Countryman is one of the brands Amboseli produced. Its symbol is an elephant. Other brands include Hillbilly, Kiko, Kilimanjaro, London Meerschaum, Merlin, Sportsman, Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation, and Tembo.Pipedia also seemed to direct all related pages to Kiko Pipes. This page did have the most information, but I wasn’t much closer to figuring out which brand of pipe this was. By comparing the descriptions from the Amboseli brochure below and various animal logos, I was able to eliminate some of the brands. I also looked at some previous articles here on rebornpipes. Therefore, this pipe is probably either a Caveman, Sportsman, or Townsman – without having that specific nomenclature on the pipe itself. But, truth be told, that is no more than an educated guess.Moving on. The stummel was in nice shape. The outside definitely had seem some wear and tear, but there were no major issues. Sure, it was dirty inside, but nothing more than what would be expected. I was pleased to see that the threaded mortise was in excellent condition. I had been concerned that the threads might have been damaged over the years, but no such damage was there. Meanwhile, the big problems lay with the stem. It was heavily oxidized, and thoroughly chewed. In fact, as the photos attest, the button was completely broken. A major rebuild would be required. Even though I would need to rebuild the stem, I wanted to save as much of the original as possible. So, I “painted” the stem with my BIC lighter in order to try and lift some of the bite marks all over the end of it. This worked reasonably well, but there was still a lot of damage.Next, I took some pipe cleaners and lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol, and cleaned the revolting insides of the stem. The photo only shows a few of the pipe cleaners needed. It was pretty darn dirty. I also wiped down the outside with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. This removed some of the surface filth. As usual, I sent the stem for a swim in the deoxidizing fluid over night. I could tell even before this that the oxidation was deeply set into the vulcanite, but I needed to clean what I could. The following day, I wiped down the stem with SoftScrub cleanser and made sure to scrub hard. A lot of oxidation came off, but a lot of oxidation remained. I actually sent it for a second bath, and that helped, but not enough. Once it was a clean as I could get it, it was time to build up the damage. I brought out my black cyanoacrylate adhesive and I applied it to the bitemarks and such. The missing chunks would need far more work. I created a new button out of black cyanoacrylate, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I first plugged up the stem’s draught hole with a folded pipe cleaner, coated in petroleum jelly. This ensured that any of the glue would not accidentally plug up the air passage in the stem. This is always a tricky business and it took some patience to make it work. After I applied the cyanoacrylate, it looked pretty darn ugly, but I was expecting that. After the curing, I ended up sanding down the end of the stem to reduce some of the excess material. To carry this process on, I used some miniature files to further shape the button and make it suitable for sanding. I used another file on the inside to ensure there were no rough edges in the bore. I then sanded the stem down with sandpaper to keep the shape. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to smooth everything out. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. It is worth noting that a repair this big on a stem will never be completely invisible – especially on this pipe. Finally, I used some 0000-grit steel wool on the aluminum tenon to make it shiny.

On to the stummel. Normally, at this point, I would use a reamer to remove the built-up cake inside the bowl, but meerschaum has the potential to crack in those circumstances. Instead, I simply used some sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel to scrape the bowl down. Fortunately, everything looked sound on the inside of the bowl. I then proceeded to clean out the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol. There was a lot of nastiness inside this stummel and – boy-oh-boy – it took a lot of cotton to get this thing clean! I then moved on to cleaning the outside of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil Soap and some cotton pads. I also cleaned the insides with some Castile soap and tube brushes. Now in this case, I did it especially carefully because too much soaking can cause meerschaum to soften. In this case, I moved quickly, nothing softened, and everything turned out well. After this, I used my Micromesh pads to sand down and minimize the scratches in the meerschaum and make everything smooth. I then applied some Clapham’s Beeswax Finish to the meerschaum and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth. I repeated this process and left it – it sure was pretty! I took the stem (but not the stummel) to my buffing wheel and finished it with some White Diamond polish. Worked like a charm. This Tanganyika Genuine Block Meerschaum 290 Bent Dublin looks beautiful once again. I’m sure my cousin will love it. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did restoring it. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅛ in. (131 mm); height 2¼ in. (58 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅝ oz. (49 g). If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

New Life for another Dunhill – A Patent Era 1928 Dunhill Bruyere EK7 Panel Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

This Dunhill Panel Billiard was one of five other Billiards that came to us in the same lot as the 1922 Dunhill Bruyere Reading Pipe, a cracked shank 1962 Dunhill Shell Briar Pot and the 1905 BBB Calabash Reading Pipe and 1911 BBB Glokar Poker. I have drawn a red box around the pipe in the picture to the left. It is an interesting square shank Panel billiard. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank DUNHILL [over] LONDON. On the right side of the shank it was stamped “INNER TUBE [over] PAT. NO 116989/178 that is followed by the shape number EK7.

It was another filthy pipe with a thick cake in the bowl and a heavy lava overflow on the rim top. The finish was tired and dirty with grime and debris stuck to the surface of the briar. The stem has a small white dot on top and the button on the topside had a deep tooth mark and damage. There was tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he did his clean up work.   He took photos of the bowl and rim to give a picture of the thickness of the cake and lava on the rim top. This must have been a favourite pipe to have that thick of a cake and lava buildup. The stem had a chip out of the button on the topside and tooth chatter and marks on both sides. It was a square stem that looked very good with the pipe. Jeff took photos of the bowl from various angles to give a sense of the dirtiness of the finish but also the unique shape of the panel billiard. It is going to be a real beauty! Jeff took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank . There are some faint spots but over all it is readable as noted above.There was also a Reg. No. stamped on the stem that read REG.NO. [over] 654638. I looked up what the Reg. No. stamp meant in John Loring’s The Dunhill Briar Pipe – The Patent Year and After, pg. 42. I quote the pertinent section below.

Prior to the war the bottom of the Dunhill black vulcanite bit had a “REG. No 654638” stamped (without color) on thee underside of the bit near the meeting point with the shank. I have yet been able to determine what the number refers to but I am fairly certain it is not to the White Spot trade mark since the stamping has been consistently found on pipe bits dating back to the 1918 while the White Spot trademark stamp was not awarded until 1922.

I turned to Pipedia’s section on Dunhill Root Briar Pipes to get a bit of background on the Dunhill finishes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill#Root_Briar). I quote:

Bruyere

The original finish produced (usually made using Calabrian briar), and a big part of developing and marketing the brand. It was the only finish from 1910 until 1917. A dark reddish-brown stain. Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red.

There was a link on the above site to a section specifically written regarding the Bruyere finish (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill_Bruyere). I turned there and have included the information from that short article below.

Initially, made from over century-old briar burls, classified by a “B” (denoted highest quality pipe); “DR” (denoted straight-grained) and an “A” (denoted first quality), until early 1915. After that, they became a high-end subset to the Dunhill ‘Bruyere’. The DR and B pipes, a limited production, they should be distinguished as hand-cut in London from burls as opposed to the Bruyere line which was generally finished from French turned bowls until 1917, when the Calabrian briar started to be used, but not completely. Only in 1920 Dunhill took the final step in its pipe making operation and began sourcing and cutting all of its own bowls, proudly announcing thereafter that “no French briar was employed”.

Bruyere pipes were usually made using Calabrian briar, a very dense and hardy briar that has a modest grain but does very well with the deep red stain.

“Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red. The Shell finish was the original sandblast with a near-black stain (though the degree to which it is truly black has varied over the years). Lastly, the Root finish was smooth also but with a light brown finish. Early Dunhill used different briars with different stains, resulting in more distinct and identifiable creations… Over the years, to these traditional styles were added four new finishes: Cumberland, Dress, Chestnut and Amber Root, plus some now-defunct finishes, such as County, Russet and Red Bark.”

There was also a link to a catalogue page that gave examples and dates that the various finishes were introduced (https://pipedia.org/wiki/File:Dunnypipescatalog-1.png).I turned to Pipephil’s dating guide to show how I arrived at the date of manufacture for this pipe (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1.html). I am including two charts that are provided there for the dating a pipe. I have drawn a red box around the pertinent section in each chart. Since the pipe I am working on has a suffix 8 that is raised superscript it points to 1920+ 8 for a date of 1928 on the charts below. I also turned to John Loring’s, The Dunhill Briar Pipe – The Patent Year and After, to do some checking on the Patent number on this pipe. I found what I was looking for on page 58 where he spells out the Smooth Finish Patent Nomenclature Usage. In a very helpful chart he identifies the Pat No. 116989/17 as occurring between 1918? and 1934. The date stamp of 8 coincided with that identifying the year as 1928.

I now knew that I was working on a Bruyere that came out in 1928 because of the date stamp 8. The shape of the pipe was one of many Billiards that Dunhill put out and that the EK7 was a normal Panel Billiard shape with a taper stem. The Reg. No. on the underside of the stem also fits well within that date time.

I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had carried out his usual thorough cleanup of the pipe. He had reamed it with a PipNet reamer to remove the cake and cleaned the reaming up with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and once it had soaked rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and scrubbed it down with Soft Scrub All-Purpose cleaner to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very clean when I received it.  I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the darkening on the rim top. It is roughened and slightly out of round with nicks on the inner edge. The stem came out looking quite good. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button but the oxidation was gone.  The damage on the topside at the button can be seen in the second photo of the stem surface below.I took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. It is a nice looking pipe.I decided to start the restoration on this one by working on the damage on the inner edge of the bowl. It had darkening and some damage to the edge. The pipe is almost 100 years old so it is not surprising that there was burn and reaming damage marks on the edge from a previous pipeman. I worked it over with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove and minimize the damage. When I finished with it, the bowl and the rim top looked much better.I polished the rim top and bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. Even though there were small marks on the briar from the pipe’s journey it began to take on a shine.     I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 15 minutes while I worked on the stem. After the time passed I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and work on the stem. I greased a pipe cleaner with Vaseline and inserted it in the button and filled in the damaged areas with black rubberized Loctite 380 CA glue. I sprayed the repair with an accelerator and removed the pipe cleaner. I checked and the airway was wide open… Whew! Once it cured I used files to sharpen the edge of the button and smooth out the top and undersides. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to blend it into the surrounding vulcanite. I started polishing it with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper. I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Dunhill Bruyere EK7 Patent Panel Billiard from 1928 is a beautiful looking piece of briar that has a shape that follows grain. The Bruyere is an early finish that Dunhill specialized in making. The finish on the pipe is in excellent condition. The red and brown stain on the bowl works well to highlight the grain. The polished black vulcanite panel taper stem adds to the mix. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Bruyere EK7 Panel Billiard is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. I can only tell you that like the other pipes I am working that it is much prettier in person than the photos capture. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 29grams/1.02oz. I am still working through what I am going to do with this old timer. I will keep it with me for a while until I decide. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This pipe is classic reminder that we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.