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Restoring a Sandblast Handmade in Denmark Freehand

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that came to us from the group of pipes that Jeff and I purchased from our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark on 10/17/2022. It is clearly a Danish Freehand style sandblast that is in good condition. It is stamped on a smooth panel on end of the shank and reads Handmade in Denmark stamped diagonally across the shank end. There is no other stamping on the pipe so it is unclear who made it. The rim top and shank end are plateau briar and quite rugged. Everything about the pipe suggests that it is a Preben Holm made pipe but of course I cannot prove that. The pipe has a mix of black and brown stains on a sandblast finish and some amazing grain that the shape follows well. The finish was dusty around the nooks and crannies of the sandblast but otherwise fairly clean. The rim top had a thick lava cake on the top in the plateau that was heavier on the left side. There was also lava on the inner edge flowing from thick cake in the bowl. The fancy saddle stem was oxidized, dirty and had light chatter ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before he started working on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition. There is a thick cake in the bowl and a thick lava in the plateau on the rim. He captured the condition of the stem when it arrived. The stem has light chatter ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the beautiful grain in the sandblast around the bowl. It really is a beautiful piece of briar that has a shape that follows the grain. The finish is nice but it also dirty with dust ground into the finish. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above.Once again it is on pipes like this that I really appreciate Jeff’s thorough cleaning process. It gives me real freedom in dealing with pipes when they arrive here. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. He soaked the vulcanite stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and once finished rinsed off the remaining product when he removed it from the mixture. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. Look at the amazing sandblast grain on this beauty. I took photos of the bowl and rim top from a closer angle to show how good it looked. The darks stain on the rim stop is slightly washed out and will need to be restained. The stem photos show how good the stem looks and even the tooth chatter is gone. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the look of the parts of the pipe to give a sense of size and perspective.I tried to capture the diagonal stamp on the underside of the shank. It is clear but I did not capture it well. It reads as noted above.I touched up the stain on the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a black stain pen. It looked much better after staining. I went over it with a brass bristle brush to knock off an loose pieces in the plateau.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a shoe brush to get it into the nooks and crannies of the plateau and blast. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the wood while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and turned to the vulcanite stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the remnants of oxidation on the and finish blending in the chatter. It looked very good once finished.I polished it 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 buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect it. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it looks better than when we picked it up. As always, I put this Handmade in Denmark Freehand back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished fancy vulcanite saddle stem. This Handmade in Denmark Freehand is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.26 ounces/65 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by Danish Pipe Makers. 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.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Beautiful and Bountiful Ropp Altesse 284 Billiard

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Here is another pipe I’ve restored for a local family – and I’ve been drip feeding the restoration stories over a stupidly long time. However, after that bit of self-deprecation, let’s have a look. This is a really handsome, solid Ropp Altesse 284 billiard. It’s a lovely shape and a big bowl. Gosh, when my friend selected this pipe, I thought to myself, ‘Good choice’. This is an older Ropp and the markings are definitely worth examining. On the left side of the shank, we see (inside an oval) the word Ropp [over] Altesse. The French word ‘altesse’ means ‘highness’ in English. The right side of the shank reads 284, which is the shape number. Finally, the stem has the Ropp logo, which is very familiar – however, this time the logo is in brass, rather than the normal nickel. This is significant because the brass version of the logo was reserved for higher quality pipes. From Pipedia, here is a very brief history of the Ropp company:

Eugène-Léon Ropp (1830–1907) acquired a patent for the cherrywood pipe in 1869. In 1870, he established a workshop to manufacture such pipes in Bussang, in the Vosges mountains. Around 1893, his business moved into the former mill of Sicard (part of the community of Baume-les-Dames in Upper Burgundy. The pipes were a big success in export as well. Shortly before 1914, Ropp designated A. Frankau & Co. (BBB) to be the exclusive distributor in the UK and its colonies. Probably in 1917, a workshop in Saint-Claude in the rue du Plan du Moulin was acquired to start the fabrication of briar pipes. In 1923, another small building in Saint-Claude, serving as a workshop for polishing, was added. Cherrywood pipes were the mainstay of Ropp until the company finally closed down in September 1991. The company was taken over by Cuty-Fort Entreprises in 1994. What sort of condition is this pipe in? Quite frankly, it looks as though someone in the past has made some elementary steps to cleaning or restoring this pipe. The stem has been thoroughly chewed and someone has clearly tried to scape off something in the path – you can the see scratch marks. The stummel has lovely feel to it. Not too dirty, but the rim has – like the stem – been scraped or cleaned in some way. The photos show how different the rim looks from the rest of the pipe.I used a disposable lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame. The gentle heat of the flame can cause the dents in the vulcanite of the stem to expand back into shape. In this case, not much happened. Alas. This pipe also had an unusual metal and acrylic innertube. As the photos of this restoration show, I initially started cleaning it, but discovered that it was badly cracked – and so I elected to remove it altogether.I used oil soap on a few cotton rounds and wiped the stem down to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning comes next. I cleaned the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was clean. I used a lot of pipe cleaners and cotton swabs, as it was pretty dirty.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result is a hideous brownish mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some Briarville Stem Oxidation Remover. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew the stem out from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.Now that the stem is clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. This is done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on.The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduce the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I want to remove the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I use all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also apply pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.Now that the stem is (nearly) complete, I can move on to the stummel. The first step for me is to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplishes a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleans the bowl and provides a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake is removed, I can inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there is damage or not. I used a reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensure that all the debris is removed.Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in 99% lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. With a pipe this dirty, it took quite a while and much cotton to get clean.I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I also wiped down the outside with some oil soap on cotton rounds (and a toothbrush). This does a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process is to scour the inside of the stummel with some soap and tube brushes. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.The rim is a bit more rugged than I would like. In order to lessen the nicks etc. on the rim, I ‘topped’ the pipe – that is to say, I gently and evenly sanded the rim on a piece of 220-grit sandpaper. This effectively minimizes the damage, without altering the look of the pipe.I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) on the outside of the stummel to finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. After that, the bare wood on the rim needed to be tinted in the same colour as the rest of the stummel. I used some of my furniture pens (which is simply dye in pen form) to match the colours. I rubbed some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench buffer and carefully polished it – first with a white diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.All done! This Ropp Altesse 284 billiard looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its new owner. It was a pleasure to work on. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5¾ in. (146 mm); height 1⅞ in. (48 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (19 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¾ oz. (52 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Made in Ireland Peterson’s of Dublin Irish Harp 150 Straight Bulldog

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is another Peterson’s pipe with a red and black swirled acrylic stem. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. It is stamped on a smooth panel on the left underside of the diamond shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] of Dublin [over] Irish Harp. To the left of that it is stamped Made in Ireland and to the right the shape number 150. The Sterling Silver band is stamped on the left topside of the diamond shank and reads Peterson [arched over] a Harp with Sterling Silver arched underneath. On the right underside it bears the Peterson silver Hallmarks. It reads Peterson [over] the first hallmark, Hibernia seated arm on a harp for the country of manufacture. That is followed by .925 which help to date the pipe as after 2003 and designates the sterling quality. The final Hallmark is the date stamp and in this case is an italic upper-case I which dates it as made in 2019. The finish is a rich reddish-brown sandblast that is a stark contrast to the silver band the red and black streaked fishtail stem. The bowl had been recently reamed and there was tobacco debris in the bottom of the bowl. It was also lightly smoked. The fish tail stem was red acrylic with black swirls and was a tapered. The stem was lightly soiled and had light chatter on both sides There was an inlaid silver Peterson’s “P” logo on the left topside of the diamond taper. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up.He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the tobacco debris in the bowl and the light cake. The next photos show the top and underside of the stem. It is looks very good. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed a great sandblast. It is a pretty piece of briar. He took some photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank and the silver band and its hallmarks. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. He also took a photo of the “P” logo on the left side of the taper stem. Before doing my part of the work on the pipe I turned to see what I could find out about the line. I turned first to the Peterson’s website to see what they had listed. I quote below from that site (https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/premium/irish-harp/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_Id=950).

One of the warmest finishes in our portfolio, the Irish Harp debuted in 2002 and combines an array of our Classic range shapes with deep, ruby-tinged walnut stains, cumberland-patterned acrylic fishtail stems, and bright bands of sterling silver, applied by the hands of our most experienced silversmiths.

I then turned to La Pipe Rit – St. Claude for their description of this particular Peterson’s line of pipes (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/peterson/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=608936). I quote from the description by Truett Smith l below.

Peterson’s “150” straight Bulldog is a pert, upright rendition that fits in perfectly with the Irish firm’s characteristically muscular shaping style. It’s quite the forthright take on the classic English shape, but in keeping with the marque’s tradition, it features an incredibly robust, crisp diamond shank… Marked by a concise sandblast, dark walnut stain, and acrylic stem to match, the Irish Harp line from Peterson poses an elegant aesthetic, the bowl and mouthpiece separated by a generous band of sterling silver. Peterson’s craftsmen spend years training under the factory’s senior smiths, and the Irish marque is esteemed for its use of sterling silver. In the Irish Harp series, Peterson pays tribute to one of Ireland’s most iconic symbols: the Celtic harp or cláirseach in Irish. The traditional instrument is here emblazoned on the silver accent, celebrating Peterson’s Irish origins while simultaneously showcasing their superlative silverwork.

Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with Soft Scrub and had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was very clean and showed that the pipe was very lightly smoked. The stem looked good with no tooth marks or chatter. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. It is very clear and readable. I also took a photo of the stamping on the shiny nickel band. It was readable and clear. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The bowl was in excellent condition. I did not need to sand or do anything in preparation on the pipe. I set the stem aside and worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I polished the silver with a jeweller’s cloth to protect and polish the silver and keep the tarnish at bay. It looks very good at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. There were no deep tooth marks and very little chatter on the stem surface so I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I am excited to finish this one and look forward to seeing the 2019 Made in Ireland Peterson’s of Dublin Irish Harp 150 Bulldog put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny red and black swirled acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the rich brown/red stain on the bowl, thick shank and Sterling Silver Band. This Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Apple was a fun pipe to work on. The pipe is tactile in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.69 ounces/48 grams. I will be putting this one on the store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

A Refresh of a Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Bent Apple

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a Peterson’s pipe with a red and black swirled acrylic stem. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Peterson’s [arched over] Dublin [over] 03. The bright nickel band is stamped Dracula in a banner on top with a Bat before and after the name as well as underneath it. The finish is a dark coloured, almost black sandblast that is a stark contrast to the silver band the red and black streaked fishtail stem. The bowl was lightly caked and there was a tobacco debris in the bottom of the bowl. The fish tail stem was red acrylic with black swirls and was a tapered. The stem was very clean with no tooth damage. There was a white or silver Peterson’s “P” logo on the left side of the taper. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up.He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the tobacco debris in the bowl and the light cake. The next photos show the top and underside of the stem. It is looks very good. Jeff took a photo of the side of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed a great sandblast. It is a pretty piece of briar.He took some photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank and the nickel band. The stamping was clear and readable as noted above. He also took a photo of the “P” logo on the left side of the taper stem. Before doing my part of the work on the pipe I turned to see what I could find out about the line. I turned first to the Peterson’s website to see what they had listed. I quote below from that site (https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/classic/dracula-sandblasted/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_Id=303).

The Dracula line started as a special commemorative line of pipes, first released in 2012, celebrating the death centennial of fellow Irishman and esteemed author Abraham “Bram” Stoker. Characterised by jet-black sandblasted finishes, bright nickel bands, and black-and-red-swirled acrylic fishtail stems, the Dracula Sandblasted appeals not only to fans of gothic horror, but of quality classic pipes in bold presentations.

I then turned to La Pipe Rit – St. Claude for their description of this particular Peterson’s line of pipes (https://www.pipe.fr/en/peterson-dracula-pipes-417). I quote in full below.

Peterson must be the most famous pipe brand in the world. Since the late 19th century, the company began to hire and train Irish men and women (whereas some other manufacturers used to hire French craftspeople from Saint-Claude). Nowadays, Peterson pipes are made with a real know-how thanks to a team of passionate craftspeople that share their expertise. The company “Kapp & Peterson” creates traditional pipes of great quality. On this webpage, we present you the incredible “Dracula” collection. First released in 2012, this series was designed to pay tribute to the Irish writer Abraham “Bram” Stoker to mark the centenary of his death. With the red and black stem, this must be one of the favorite pipes of horror stories readers, and more generally Peterson pipe enthusiasts. To stick to the spirit of the novel, the pipe is designed with a black finish (lacquered or sandblasted), a “bloody” acrylic stem, and is decorated with a nickel band (on which is stamped “Dracula”)…

Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with Soft Scrub and had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was very clean and showed that the pipe was very lightly smoked. The stem looked good with no tooth marks or chatter. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. It is very clear and readable. I also took a photo of the stamping on the shiny nickel band. It was readable and clear. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The bowl was in excellent condition. I did not need to sand or do anything in preparation on the pipe. I set the stem aside and worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I touched up the “P” logo with some white acrylic nail polish. I applied it with the brush and once it cured sanded off the excess with a 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad.There were no deep tooth marks and very little chatter on the stem surface so I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping the surface down after each sanding pad. It is really shining. I am excited to be on the homestretch and look forward to seeing the Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Bent Apple put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together and lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish them. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe on the wheel with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The depths of the sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny red and black swirled acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the black stain on the bowl, thick shank and Polished Nickel Band. This Peterson’s Dublin 03 Dracula Apple was a fun pipe to work on. The pipe is tactile in the hand and should feel great as it is warmed up when smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/ 50 grams. I will be putting this one on the store in the Irish Pipemakers Section soon. I remember reading Dracula in High School so I had to pause and think about letting this one go, before putting on the store. Let me know if you wish to add it to your collection.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a 1923 cased Finest H.G. London Quality Briar Bulldog

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by Steve Laug

One of the things I love about pipe hunting – whether in person in a shop or online at a sale. This is one of those interesting pipes that we picked up on 12/09/2024 from a seller on Facebook Pipe Exchange. It came from Wellsville, Kansas, USA. It is a smooth Bulldog with a Sterling Silver Band on the shank. It is faintly stamped on the top left side of the diamond shank and reads H.G. in an oval [over] London. The silver band is stamped H.G. in a lozenge followed by three hallmarks. The first cartouche holds an anchor which is the mark for Birmingham. The second cartouche holds a rampant lion which is the mark for Sterling Silver. The third cartouche holds a lower case y which gives the date of the pipe. The pipe was in good condition in terms of the finish on the bowl. The bowl had been reamed quite recently and there was some slight checking on the bowl walls. The rim cap was quite clean with some wear around the top and on the inner edge. Otherwise it was a beautiful pipe. There vulcanite saddle stem had light oxidation on the surface and some tooth marks and chatter on the surface. Jeff took photos of the case which bears a stamp that reads Finest Quality Briar in the outer ring of the oval. On the inside of the oval it is stamped H.G. He also took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up to capture the condition of the pipe when it arrived. It is a real beauty. He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the damage on the top and inner edge of the bowl. It looks like a combination of burn damage and over reaming damage on the front and back mid bowl. The stem was very dirty with grime and sludge build up from the button forward on both sides of the stem. Jeff captured the smooth finish around the bowl sides of the bulldog and it is stunning. There are twin bands below the rim cap. The bowl shows some great grain. He captured the stamping on the top left side of the shank. The stamping is faint but readable. It read as noted above.  He took a photo of a the silver band on the shank with the hallmarks that I noted above.I did some checking online on Pipedia and Pipephil for the HG brand and could not find anything about the stamping. I did however, find a silver Hallmark chart. I have included that below. I drew a red box around the section that includes the year stamp “y” on the band. It identifies the date as 1923. This is an old timer.Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The bowl walls looked very good. 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 undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how clean it was. The top and the inner edge of the rim show the damage that I mention above. It definitely has burn damage and also reaming damage on the front and back inner edge. The stem looks clean of debris and grime. The tooth marks and chatter are clear in the photos of each side ahead of the button.I took photos of the stamping on the top left side of the shank – it was faint but it read as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank to show the look of the pipe.I set the stem aside and started working on the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the nicks on the inner edge of the bowl and the top of the cap. It was looking better when I finished.I sanded briar bowl with 320-3500 sanding pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. It began to look very good. I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The grain of the briar began to shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the wood while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I “painted” the tooth marks with the flame of a lighter to lift them. They come up very little. I filled in the remaining two deep marks with black rubberized CA glue and set it aside to cure. I recut the button edge with a small file and sanded the repairs smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I continued to sand the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. The stem looked better at this point. 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 buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem from UV and slow down future oxidation. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it does indeed look better than when we picked it up. As always, I put this Cased 1923 H.G. London Finest Quality Briar Bulldog back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished clear acrylic stem. This 1923 H.G. London Bulldog is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with 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 .92 ounces/26 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by British Pipe Makers. 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.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Byron Harwood Olivewood Apple Shaped Churchwarden

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on was one that we purchased on 12/28/2024 from as part of an estate that belonged to a pipeman and carver, Byron Harwood from Missoula, Montana, USA. This Olivewood pipe was one of Byron’s own handmade pipes. It is a lovely piece of olivewood that was shaped with an apple bowl that highlighted the grain. The bowl and shank were smooth and highlighted some beautiful grain around the bowl sides and shank. The airway in the mortise and shank are well executed and the draught is very good. The bowl was lightly smoked and there was debris in the bowl. There was some darkening around the inner edge of the bowl and top. The stem is a clear acrylic with spots or bubbles of white that look quite intriguing. It has a great fit to the shank, has been bent to fit the angles of the pipe. The tenon is a white Delrin that is screwed into the stem. The button is fishtail and well finished. The pipe fit well in the hand and had a small bowl but there was a charm to it! Here is what it looked like when Jeff received it. He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the light cake in the bowl and the darkening and light lava coat on the inner edge and rim top. He also took photos of the stem. It is dirty and has light tooth chatter on both sides at the button. Jeff took some photos of the sides of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed grain around the bowl sides. Under the oils and grime it was a nice looking bowl. It is a large pipe with a smooth rim top and heel. Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with Soft Scrub and had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. The stem looked good just some light tooth chatter and marks near the button. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The stem is long but the pipe is mini Churchwarden.I sanded the olivewood bowl with 320-3500 sanding pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. It began to look very good. I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The grain of the olivewood began to shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the wood while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I sanded out the light tooth marks and chatter with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. The stem looked better at this point. 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 buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem from UV and slow down future oxidation. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it does indeed look better than when we picked it up. As always, I put this Byron Harwood Olivewood Mini Churchwarden back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished clear acrylic stem. This Byron Harwood Olivewood Churchwarden is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 7 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/52 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by American Pipe Makers. 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.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring an A. Curtz 13 Amber Stemmed Churchwarden Sitter

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a long flat-bottomed pipe with a long amber acrylic stem. We picked the pipe up from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/12/2024. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads A. Curtz 13. I had heard about the name in connection with Jeanie’s Smoke Shop in Salt Lake City when I worked on the brand in the past. The finish is deeply rusticated and has some great grain on the top and bottom of the bowl and shank. It was quite dirty but still had a charm about it. The bowl was caked and there was a light lava coat and spots on the top and the inner edge of the rim. The stem was amber acrylic and was a tapered. There were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem. There was an interesting 2 circle logo on the topside of the taper that looked like a large white circle with an offset red circle inside of it. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show the general condition of the pipe before he started his clean up.He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. You can see the cake in the bowl and the darkening and lava coat. It is hard to tell if there was any damage to the edge at this point. The next two photos show the top and underside of the stem. It is dirty and has calcification on both sides at the button. There is also some tooth chatter and some light tooth marks. The third photo shows the condition of the slot while the final photo shows the curve of the full stem. Jeff took some photos of the sides of the bowl to show the condition of the finish on the pipe. The photos showed deep rustication around the bowl sides. Under the oils and grime it was a nice looking bowl. It is a large pipe with a smooth rim top and heel.He took some photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable. My guess at this point is that the “13” is a grade stamp but I will do some digging into that. He also took a photo of the inset dual circle logo on the stem top. To learn a bit more about the brand I turned to Pipephil to see what I could find out (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-c8.html). It turns out the pipe was made by an artisan named Arley Curtz who was from Utah. I did a screen capture of the photo and have included that below. I also included the side bar information below the photo.Artisan: “Arley” Curtz, Utah (USA).The stems of the A. Curts pipes are also marked with 2 dots (a red and a white).

I then turned to Pipedia to find out some more dedtail (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Curtz). The information was brief but helpful. I have included that article below.

Arley G. Curtz retired the director of the Bountiful Davis Art Center (Bountiful, Utah) and is now a pipe repairman and pipe maker. He was formerly the pipe repairman at Jeanie’s Smoke Shop, and has been making pipes ever since.

He makes about 70 pipes a year using Greek and Italian briar. His pipes are available at Edward’s Pipe & Tobacco Shop in Denver, CO, at the Tinderbox in Salt Lake City, on the web at The Pipe and Pint, and at Curtz Handmade Pipes and Pipe Repair in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I did a bit more searching to learn more about the repairman/pipe maker. I came across a 2018 article on a site called Utahstories (https://utahstories.com/2018/05/arley-curtz-pipe-making-and-memory-collecting/). The article included a photo of Arley Curtz that I have inserted below. I am also including a short section of the article that makes me want to meet this gentleman.

For Arley Curtz, a pipe is more than just a way to smoke tobacco. It summons up a time when pipe smoking was both acceptable and part of a gentler civility in our culture.

Curtz is a pipe maker and collector of smoking pipes. He has over 300, ranging from simple corn cobs to handmade antiques. Each one has a story. As the smoke from a pipe curls upwards, it allows Curtz a time to pause and reflect. “A pipe,” he says, “is a keeper of memories.”

Just as a pipe cannot be smoked in haste, a handmade pipe requires patience to craft. Curtz forms his pipes from briarwood, which grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

I only wish I had found this earlier before I met my brother in Salt Lake City and visited Jeanie’s Smoke Shop. I would have certainly made a point to visit Arley at his own shop and gotten to meet him. Until my next trip to Idaho to visit my Dad and brother I will leave this on my wish list. Now to get on with working on his pipe.

Jeff did his usual thorough job cleaning the pipe which I really appreciate because of the freedom it gives me in dealing with pipes. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and got rid of the cake. He cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife so that we could see the walls of the bowl and assess for damage. He cleaned the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and alcohol. He scrubbed the exterior with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed the pipe under warm water. He dried it off with a cloth and then let it air dry. The stem was scrubbed with Soft Scrub and had a soak in Before & After Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. One it was rinsed off, it came out looking very good. The finish on the bowl and the rim top cleaned up nicely. I took pictures of the pipe to show how it looked when I unpacked it. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show how clean the pipe was. There was some spotty varnish on the rim top and darkening on the inner edge of the rim on the back of the bowl. The stem looked good just some light tooth chatter and marks near the button. Overall the pipe is a beautiful looking piece.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. It is very clear and readable. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts. The stem is long but the pipe is really not a full Churchwarden, perhaps it is a mini warden.I decided to address the issues with the rim top first. I worked on the darkening on the inner edge of the rim. I worked over the edge to smooth out the rim edge and remove the darkening.I wiped down the rim top and the heel of the bowl with acetone on a cotton pad to remove the spots of varnish that remained.With the varnish removed a flaw in the heel of the bowl. It was a small flaw that followed the grain mid-bowl. I filled it in with some clear CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once cured I sanded it with 220 girt sandpaper to smooth it our and blend it into the surrounding briar.I sanded the smooth portions of the rim top and the heel of the bowl with 320-3500 sanding pads. I wiped the briar down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. It began to look very good.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping down the briar after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The briar began to shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a paper towel and soft cloth. The product is a great addition to the restoration work. It enlivens, enriches and protects the briar while giving it a deep glow. It is a product I use on every pipe I restore. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I sanded out the light tooth marks and chatter with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad. The stem looked better at this point.  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 buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem from UV and slow down future oxidation. I don’t know what it is about finishing a restoration but I have to tell you that it is my favourite part of the process. It is the moment when everything that I have worked on comes together. I can compare it to where I started and there is always satisfaction that it does indeed look better than when we picked it up. As always, I put this A. Curtz 13 Rusticated Churchwarden back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. 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 and hand buffed it to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like along with the polished amber acrylic stem. This Arley Curtz Rusticated Sitter CW is a great looking pipe and I am sure that it will be comfortable in hand when smoking as it is light and well balanced for a pipe of this size. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 8 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/53 grams. It is another beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store soon. You can find it in the section of Pipes by American Pipe Makers. 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.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Cleaning up a Dunhill Tanshell Quaint Tomato

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is one that came to us from the group of pipes that Jeff and I purchased from a seller of an estate collection in Superior, Montana, USA on 12/28/2024. It is another Dunhill sandblast that is in good condition. It is stamped on a smooth panel on the heel of the bowl with the Group size of the pipe 4 in a circle. Underneath is a Dunhill in an oval [over] Tanshell. Under that it is stamped Made in England with the date number 05 after the D in England. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. The original box bears the label Tanshell 4 QNT. The pipe has a mix of tan and brown stains on a sandblast finish and some amazing grain that the shape follows well. The finish was dusty around the nooks and crannies of the sandblast but otherwise fairly clean. The rim top was in excellent condition with a little darkening around the inner edge. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was lava on the sandblasted rim top or edges. The taper stem was lightly oxidized, dirty and had light chatter ahead of the button. It came with the original double box, a pipe sock and original paperwork that came in the box. Jeff took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before he started working on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the condition. There is a moderate cake in the bowl and darkening around the inner edge of the bowl. He also captured the condition of the stem when it arrived. There is a tooth mark on each side ahead of the button. He took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the beautiful grain in the sandblast around the bowl. It really is a beautiful piece of briar that has a shape that follows the grain. The finish is nice but it also dirty with dust ground into the finish.Jeff took photos of the stamping on the heel of the bowl. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above.One of the first things I like to do is to unpack the stamping and understand each element in it. I turned to Pipephil helpful site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/tanshell1.html). The stamping is interpreted as follows: The pipe has no shape number on it but the box is stamped with QNT which means QUAINT. The Tanshell stamp refers to the finish. The size of the pipe is given by the 4 in a circle making it a Group 4. The 05 following the D of England gives the date the pipe. Pipephil also has some helpful dating keys on the site that are basically flow charts that you can walk through to date your pipe (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1.html). I turned to Part 1 of the Dating Key and followed the chart. This pipe has a superscript 05 following the D in England. The chart below (column one) instructed me that the pipe could be dated as being made posterior to 1954. I followed the link following the “Your pipe is posterior to 1954. Narrow down your dating”. That took me to Page 2 of the dating key (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1a.html).   The fourth column (suffix 00, 01, 02…) led me to the section with a 0 followed by a number after the D in England that is the raised above the D. It is a 05. There was a directive for dating the pipe spelled out as follows: 2000 + suffix which gives the pipe a date of 2005.I then turned to Pipedia’s section on Dunhill Root Briar to get a bit of background on the Dunhill finishes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill#Root_Briar). I quote:

Tanshell

The first lot was distributed in 1952 (usually made using Sardinian briar). The prototype was called “Root Shell “, produced in 1951. The Tanshell is a light tan sandblast. Sardinian briar was used for this sandblast. There is a distinct contrast in the sandblasts using Sardinian as opposed to Algerian briar. The Sardinian is much denser and much harder. The resulting pattern, when blasted, is far more even and regular both in terms of the surface texture and the finish.

The TanShell was Dunhill’s fourth finish and its first major post-war line addition. Introduced in 1951/1952 the TanShell was a naturally stained sandblasted pipe made exclusively from Sardinian briar through the 1960s. The TanShell apparently was not simply a light stained Shell but rather was also the product of “certain processes [unrevealed] not previously employed.” Initially, it appears that the pipe was to be named the Root Shell and a stamp to that effect was ordered and received by Dunhill in May 1951. Ultimately, however, the name TanShell was settled upon but the stamp for the TanShell name was not received by Dunhill until the beginning of December. Thus while the Tanshell was in production in 1951 it appears that most if not all TanShells made in that year did not enter into retail distribution until 1952 and were given a 1952 date code. Loring, J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998).

I have also included a chart from the site from Dunhill spelling out the Standard Pipe Finishes and giving short information and a timeline. Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. The photos show the box within the box and the pouch and pipe itself it is a beauty. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how clean it was. The top and the inner edge of the rim look very good. The stem looks clean of debris and grime. There are two tooth marks – one on each side of the stem ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the heel of the bowl. The stamping is clear and readable. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. The pipe was in excellent condition with a deep blast around the bowl. It was clean and free of debris. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoebrush to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the two deep marks on the stem surface with black CA glue. I set it aside to cure. Once cured I smoothed out the repairs with a small file. I sanded it further with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to break up the remaining oxidation. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It began to look good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. This 2005 Dunhill Tanshell QNT Group 4 Tomato with a Taper Stem has a beautiful, unique Dunhill Sandblast finish that was deep and craggy and crisp. The Tanshell finish highlights some great grain around the bowl and shank through the depths of the blast. It has some great rugged sandblast that Dunhill specialized in making. The polished black vulcanite 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 multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax 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 Dunhill Tanshell QNT Tomato is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.34 ounces/38 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. I have a friend who has the right of first refusal for this pipe. It is totally in his wheelhouse.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

PipaCroci fatta a mano Manitova-Italia Amica Dublin

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by Steve Laug

The pipe was a nice little Pipa Croci smooth, nicely grained Dublin. The bowl and rim were smooth. We purchased it 12/09/2024 via Facebook’s Pipe Exchange from a seller in Wellsville, Kansas, USA along with the other two previous Pipa Croci pipes I have written about. It is stamped on the left underside of the shank and reads Pipa Croci [over] Fatta A Mano [over] Mantova – Italia. Underneath and toward the bowl it is stamped Dal 1983 – the year that the company started. On the right underside it is stamped with the PC logo [over] Amica. It is a light weight well-made pipe with an amber/tan – coloured acrylic half saddle stem that fits against the shank end. The stem has the insert bar and dot logo on the top side. There were light tooth marks on both sides at the button but otherwise the stem was in good condition. The black Delrin tenon was in excellent condition. The tenon was made for a 9mm filter. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on the pipe. I have included those below. Jeff took photos of the rim top to show the condition. There is some darkening around the inner edge of the bowl and spots of lava on the rim top. He also captured the condition of the stem when it arrived. He took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the beautiful grain around the bowl. It really is a beautiful piece of briar that has a shape that follows the grain. The finish is nice but it also very dirty with grime and oils ground into it.Jeff took photos of the stamping on the shank sides. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above. Before I started working on my part of the restoration I decided to do a bit of research on the Pipa Croci brand. I wanted to clearly understand the stamping and possibly get date for the pipe and some background on the brand. I turned to Pipephil first to see what I could learn from there (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-c8.html). I have included a screen capture from the section on the brand and a few of the sidebar notes below that.Artisans: Paolo & Gianni. Grading (ascending): Pipa Croci, Amica, True, True I, Quality Street, Starlight, Golden Flame. Production (2007): ~ 3000 pipes/year. Pipa Croci is part of the Molina Group (2012)

I knew from that information that I was working on a grade two Amica pipe. I also learned that the pipe was made by Paolo and Gianni Croci. It is a great looking pipe and I was looking forward to seeing what Pipedia added to the information.

I turned to the link on Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipa_Croci). I have included the article in part below.

Pipa Croci pipes are created by Paolo & Gianni Croci from Mantova, Lombardia. The company was founded in 1983 and on each pipe you will find the nomenclature reads “dal 1983”. Each and every pipe is hand crafted from aged Italian Plateau Briar. This is a company that makes no two pipes alike and they truly create some masterpieces. In their own words:

“The Pipa Croci is an artisan enterprise. The pipes which are born from our hands are all differnt from each other. This means that the owner of a Croci pipe possesses something totally unique. Keeping up with the avant-garde in styling and marketing, in addition to our Free Hand we have created the Classical Models. Furthermore, we produce several hand-carved objects related to the pipe smoker and made of briar.”

The quality classification of the pipes is as follows (ascending): Pipa Croci; Amica; True; True 1; Quality Street; Starlight; Golden Flame.

So the “Pipa Croci” is the least expensive and the “Gold Flame” the most costly, but the most exceptional. The classification takes place in a careful and accurate manner and the criteria for these choices are form, character of the briar and beauty of its grain.

The pipes are divided into groups according to their design; these groups or series have been given the following names: Normale; Artistica; Gran Camino; Gran Camino Artistica; Calumet; Calumet Artistica; Calumet Gran Camino; Calumet Gran Camino Artistica; Calumet 2000; Calumet 2000 Artistica; Calumet 2000 Gran Camino; Calumet 2000 Gran Camino Artistica.

The Classical models are hand-made reproductions of the traditional shapes. These well-known shapes have the following letter-number references: Billiard = A1; Apple = F1; Dublin = H1, etc…

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how clean it was. The top and the inner edge of the rim look very good. The stem looks clean of debris and grime. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of shank. The stamping is clear and readable. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe. I sanded the briar with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grits sanding pads. Once again, I wiped it down with a damp cloth following each pad. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to break up the remaining oxidation. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It began to look good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I fit the stem with a 6mm filter and put it back on the shank. It fit well but if the next pipeman wishes, the pipe could be smoked filterless though it would have a wide-open draught.I put the Pipa Croci Hand Made, Manitova, Italia, Amica Dublin Freehand bowl and 9mm filter stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the acrylic. I gave the bowl 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 rich brown stains worked amazingly well with the polished acrylic saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. This is truly a beautiful Pipa Croci Amica Dublin. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches wide x 2 inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.87 ounces/54 grams. This beautiful, Italian Hand Made Pipa Croci will be added to the rebornpipes store in the Italian Pipe Makers Section. Let me know if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Pipa Croci fatta a mano Manitova-Italia dal 1983 Diamond Shank Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The pipe was a nice little Pipa Croci smooth Diamond Shank Billiard. The bowl and rim were smooth. We purchased it 12/09/2024 via Facebook’s Pipe Exchange from a seller in Wellsville, Kansas, USA. It is stamped on the left underside of the shank and reads Pipa Croci [over] Fatta A Mano [over] Mantova – Italia. Underneath and toward the bowl it is stamped Dal 1983 – the year that the company started. On the right underside it is stamped with the PC logo. It is a light weight well-made pipe with a rose/amber – coloured acrylic stem that fits like a military bit into a matching shank extension. The stem has the insert bar and dot logo on the top side. There were light tooth marks on both sides at the button but otherwise the stem was in good condition. The black Delrin tenon was in excellent condition. The tenon was made for a 9mm filter. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on the pipe. I have included those below.Jeff took photos of the rim top to show the condition. There is some darkening around the inner edge of the bowl and spots of lava on the rim top. He also captured the condition of the stem when it arrived. He took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the beautiful grain around the bowl. It really is a beautiful piece of briar that has a shape that follows the grain. The finish is nice but it also very dirty with grime and oils ground into it. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the shank sides. It is clear and readable and reads as noted above. Before I started working on my part of the restoration I decided to do a bit of research on the Pipa Croci brand. I wanted to clearly understand the stamping and possibly get date for the pipe and some background on the brand. I turned to Pipephil first to see what I could learn from there (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-c8.html). I have included a screen capture from the section on the brand and a few of the sidebar notes below that.Artisans: Paolo & Gianni. Grading (ascending): Pipa Croci, Amica, True, True I, Quality Street, Starlight, Golden Flame. Production (2007): ~ 3000 pipes/year. Pipa Croci is part of the Molina Group (2012)

I knew from that information that I was working on a grade one Pipa Croci pipe. I also learned that the pipe was made by Paolo and Gianni Croci. It is a great looking pipe and I was looking forward to seeing what Pipedia added to the information.

I turned to the link on Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipa_Croci). I have included the article in part below.

Pipa Croci pipes are created by Paolo & Gianni Croci from Mantova, Lombardia. The company was founded in 1983 and on each pipe you will find the nomenclature reads “dal 1983”. Each and every pipe is hand crafted from aged Italian Plateau Briar. This is a company that makes no two pipes alike and they truly create some masterpieces. In their own words:

“The Pipa Croci is an artisan enterprise. The pipes which are born from our hands are all differnt from each other. This means that the owner of a Croci pipe possesses something totally unique. Keeping up with the avant-garde in styling and marketing, in addition to our Free Hand we have created the Classical Models. Furthermore, we produce several hand-carved objects related to the pipe smoker and made of briar.”

The quality classification of the pipes is as follows (ascending): Pipa Croci; Amica; True; True 1; Quality Street; Starlight; Golden Flame.

So the “Pipa Croci” is the least expensive and the “Gold Flame” the most costly, but the most exceptional. The classification takes place in a careful and accurate manner and the criteria for these choices are form, character of the briar and beauty of its grain.

The pipes are divided into groups according to their design; these groups or series have been given the following names: Normale; Artistica; Gran Camino; Gran Camino Artistica; Calumet; Calumet Artistica; Calumet Gran Camino; Calumet Gran Camino Artistica; Calumet 2000; Calumet 2000 Artistica; Calumet 2000 Gran Camino; Calumet 2000 Gran Camino Artistica.

The Classical models are hand-made reproductions of the traditional shapes. These well-known shapes have the following letter-number references: Billiard = A1; Apple = F1; Dublin = H1, etc…

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how clean it was. The top and the inner edge of the rim look very good. The stem looks clean of debris and grime. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of shank. The stamping is clear and readable. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe. I sanded the briar with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I polished the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grits sanding pads. Once again, I wiped it down with a damp cloth following each pad. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips to make sure that it covered every square inch of the pipe. I set it aside for 10 minutes to let it do its work. I buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to break up the remaining oxidation. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. It began to look good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. Once I had finished the polishing I gave it final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I fit the stem with a 9mm filter and put it back on the shank. It fit well but if the next pipeman or woman wishes, the pipe could be smoked filterless though it would have a wide-open draught. I put the Pipa Croci Hand Made, Manitova, Italia, Diamond Shank Bent Billiard bowl and stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the acrylic. I gave the bowl 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 rich brown stains worked amazingly well with the polished acrylic saddle stem. The grain around the bowl and shank and looks quite remarkable. This is truly a beautiful Pipa Croci Hand Made Bent Billiard. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.27 ounces/36 grams. This beautiful, Italian Hand Made Pipa Croci will be added to the rebornpipes store in the Italian Pipe Makers Section. Let me know if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me. Cheers.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.