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New Life for a Sixten Ivarsson Designed Stanwell Regd. No. 969-48 Hand Made Ukulele 91

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By Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table to work on is one that was purchased on 09/18/2020 from a seller in Los Angeles, California, USA. This is a oval shank ukulele with a smooth finish and an oval shank, vulcanite saddle stem. It is another Made in Denmark Stanwell. The smooth finish on this pipe, around the bowl and shank has a mix of grain highlighted by the brown stain. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads STANWELL [over] Regd. No. 969-48 [over] Hand Made. On the underside of the shank the shape number 91 is stamped [over] Made In Denmark. The pipe was a well used pipe when Jeff received it. There was dust and grime ground into the finish on the sides of the bowl. The brown stain highlights some mixed grain under the dirt. The bowl was thickly caked and there was an overflow of lava on the smooth rim top. The condition of the inner edge was hard to know due to the lava coat but there appeared to be some nicks in the edge. The saddle stem is vulcanite and was dirty, oxidized and had light tooth marks, chatter and scratches on both sides ahead of the button and on the button itself. There is a stamped Crown S logo on the topside of the saddle stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work on it. He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show what they looked like before his clean up. You can see the cake in the bowl and the spattering of lava on the rim top and inner edges. You can see the nicks in the inner edge of the rim. He also took some of the stem to show the condition of both sides. It is heavily oxidized and calcified and very dirty. There appear to be tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button and on the button surface itself. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the grain around the bowl and shank. The grime hides the grain in many ways. The finish on the pipe is worn but the grain stands out. The stamping was on the top and underside of the shank as noted above. It is clear and readable as noted above. The Crown S stamp on the top of the saddle stem can partially be seen in the first photo below. Before I started my work on the pipe I wanted to see if I could find any information that would help me get a sense of the background on the pipe. I turned to Pipephil to see if there was any listing on the

I then turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell) for more information. The article is great and gives a lot of history on the brand. There was a category of pipe call Pre-regd. 1945-1948 where all the photos of pipes had the same stamping as the one I am working on. That gave me a clue as to the dating on this particular pipe – it was made between 1945-1948.

There were also links to a shape article by Bas Stevens that I originally published on rebornpipes. I looked up the 91 shape number to see who had designed that shape (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I quote the information below.

  1. Slightly bent wide, flattened volcano with an oval shank and a short, standard saddle, trapezoidal saddle, or tapered stem, by Sixten Ivarsson. Nicknamed the ‘Ukelele’ (pictured, right, in its reissued design).

Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and shank brushes. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove the grime and calcification. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. The pipe looked very good when it arrived here. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim and the stem. You can see the nicks on the thin inner edge of the bowl. The vulcanite saddle stem is in good condition with light tooth marks and some chatter as noted above.I took photos of the stamping on the top and underside of the shank. It is readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. The briar is quite beautiful and I think that polishing it will make the grain stand out. I worked on the damage to the inner edge of the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the chips in the finish. By the end it looked much better.I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to smooth out the finish and bring some life back to the briar. I wiped the briar down after each sanding pad to wipe off the debris left behind by sanding. I polished the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad to remove the grit. The bowl began to take on a rich shine. It is a beauty. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes and the Balm did its magic. It enlivens, cleans and preserves the briar. It certainly brought this bowl back to life. I buffed it off with a clean cloth and took the following photos. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I touched up the “Crown S” stamp on the topside of the saddle stem with some white acrylic fingernail polish. I worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick. I scraped off the excess with piece of 320 grit sanding pad and buffed it off with a soft cloth and some Obsidian Oil. It looked very good. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Sixten Ivarsson Designed Stanwell Regd. No. 969-48 Ukulele 91 with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The stain really highlights the grain and the polished finish is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Stanwell Regd. No. 969-48 Ukulele 91 fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 65 grams /2.33 ounces. I will be adding the pipe to the Danish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in purchasing this pipe send me a message or an email.

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.

New Life for a Republic Peterson’s DeLuxe 106S Billiard

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By Steve Laug

In the last box of pipes Jeff sent me there was an interesting, nicely grained Peterson’s Billiard to restore. This one is a Peterson’s DeLuxe 106S Straight Billiard. It is stamped on the left side of the shank Peterson’s [over] Deluxe and on the right side it bears the 106S shape number near the bowl shank junction and (three lines) Made in the [over] Republic [over] of Ireland. On the underside of the shank it is stamped with a large interlocked GH. From a past restoration (I have included the link) [https://rebornpipes.com/2023/10/14/petersons-kildare-special-hg-republic-of-ireland-10-canadian/], I remembered that the GH stamp is a “GH Retailer’s Monogram.” The SPECIAL stamp indicates that this pipe was made specially for George Huber of Munich, who had other Peterson pipes made expressly for their shop. It was a dirty pipe when we received it. There was lava on the rim top and heavily coated on the bevelled inner edge of the rim. The rim top was dirty and showed some wear and tear on the surface coming up for the bowl. There was a thick cake in the bowl that had remnants of tobacco stuck in it. The finish was dirty and there were spots of grime and oils. There also seemed to be spots of paint on the surface. The stem was heavily oxidized and there were light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show their general condition. You can see the tars on the inner edge of scuffing on the rim top. The cake in the bowl is quite thick and there is tobacco debris on the walls of the bowl. The finish on the bowl is dull but the grain is still very stunning. This pipe has a classic Peterson’s P-lip stem on a saddle stem. It has heavy oxidation on the surface of the vulcanite that is quite deep. There seems to be some tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside. He removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the aluminum chimney screwed into the end of the tenon.Jeff took some photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give an idea of the grain on this particular piece of briar. It is amazing and I cannot wait to see what it looks like once it is polished and waxed. He took photos of the stamping on both sides of the shank to capture it for me. The first photo shows the left side of the shank and the stamping as noted above. The second and third photos show the right side of the shank with the Made in the Republic of Ireland stamp and shape number 106S. The fourth photo shows the underside of the shank and it bears the GH Retailer’s Monogram. The final photos shows the P logo stamp on the left side of the saddle stem. I did a bit of work on Google to gather background on the DeLuxe line of pipes when I worked on the 4S recently. I decided to quote that here as well.

The first information I found was on the Peterson’s website (https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/system/deluxe-system-smooth/). I quote from the description of the line below. I have highlighted several key portions in bold black for emphasis.

While the Deluxe stamp first appeared on our System pipes in 1940, the design itself dates to our 1896 and 1906 catalogues and, with the exception of the Supreme, has always marked our highest tier of System pipe. Like the System Standard and System Spigot lines, the Deluxe System pipe incorporates Charles Peterson’s patented System design, including a deep reservoir to collect excess moisture from the smoke; a graduated-bore mouthpiece that funnels the smoke and allows moisture to collect within the reservoir; a sturdy sterling silver military mount, which allows the pipe to be broken down and cleaned without damage or warping; and our patented P-Lip bit, which draws the smoke upward, thus reducing tongue bite. The Deluxe differs from those aforementioned lines, comprised of bowls with only the finest grain patterns and featuring a sterling silver mount and a push-gap stem, which was never designed to be flush-fitting, the space between the mount and stem base gradually decreasing with prolonged use. The Deluxe also elevates the System pipe by fixing each stem with a traditional chimney, an aluminum fitment that extends the tenon past the chamber’s airway for optimal System performance. Created for Peterson enthusiasts interested in acquiring the finest System pipe on the market, the Deluxe System will serve as the crown of any collection. Seen here in the Smooth finish.

From that information I knew how the De Luxe fit in the hierarchy of Peterson’s pipes. It was always the highest tier of the System pipes. It also was made with the gap in the fit of the stem to the shank on purpose with the idea that the distance would decrease over time with prolonged use. The attachment of a chimney at the end of the tenon was to maximize System performance.

From there I also turned to Pipedia. I quote from an article by Jim Lilley and have included much of it below. (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_Closer_Look_at_The_Peterson_Deluxe_System_Pipe). Once again I have highlighted pertinent sections in bold below.

By Jim Lilley

The version of the system pipe for our closer inspection is one of Peterson’s more recognisable series, the handsome and very distinctive Deluxe system pipes, which include the Darwin and Mark Twain. These pipes are at the top of the ‘system’ series in terms of quality and finish.

Each Peterson Deluxe is made from carefully selected, age mellowed root briar. In matte finish with hallmarked sterling silver mounts and a unique space fitting mouthpiece to allow for years of wear. They are available in a wide range of shapes numbered, as follows 1s,2s,3s,4s,5s,8s,9s,11s,12.5s,20s,XL5s, 20FB and 11FB.

The pipes are well carved, construction, engineering and workmanship, is outstanding. The stems are well drilled and aligned. Silver work is excellent, finish very good, and the often maligned briar is of outstanding quality.

The design is a very typically Peterson classic shape. Apart from the Darwin, the balance can be stem heavy, the bit is thick and chunky, especially in the larger versions. I also enjoy the sense of presence they give to the pipe, particularly if smoking in company with friends or strangers. They have a sophistication about them.

The smoking qualities are excellent, dry and cool. The draw is good, and the flavour is particularly great in new pipes. The Mark Twain’s are outstanding in this department.

As for the aesthetics and ergonomics, I find some shapes much more attractive than others. Favourites for me are the 1s,2s,3s,the Mark Twain’s and the Darwin deluxe. As a clencher most are very good to hang, except the beautiful Darwin which is more of a ‘hand holder.’

The one weakness I find is the modern orange/golden colour, (the so called natural) it is, in my opinion, less attractive than that found in the older Walnut finish of the eighties.

As far as value and cost is concerned, for the excellent quality finish, these are competitively priced at around $135 to $250 depending on size and briar grade.

For what it is worth, I reckon the Deluxe s are probably the best value range of pipes that Peterson produce, both in terms of functionality and value. There is not a thing wrong with these pipes. Those who malign the brand because they’re made by the hundreds using machines, are very wrong, IMHO. I like them a lot and the bang for the buck is the best I’ve ever seen for new pipes of this quality.

The De-luxes are all excellent smokers. The Darwin, of course, is a truly outstanding pipe, its only “flaw” being that it’s not a clencher. One particular aspect of this pipe, that appeals to me most is its physical beauty and presence, they are a pipe like no other. For me, they also offer a bowl capacity that I like and a balance in the hand that I appreciate. They are well named Deluxe s for giving that special experience.

I turned to page 300 of “The Peterson’s Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg as noted by him and found a great paragraph on the stamping. I quote in full.

GH Retailer’s Monogram (c. 1960s) George Huber of Munich, Germany, a Peterson distributor and retailer for decades, stamped their monogram on pipes sold in their store, G overlaid on H. Peterson shared in the 1988 commemoration of Huber’s 125th year in business by producing a special pipe with a sterling rim cap, stamped HUBER over CELEBRATION.

The pipe I have is one that bears that monogram but does not appear to have ever had the sterling rim cap and was not stamped HUBER over CELEBRATION. With that information I turned my attention to working on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned it thoroughly. He had reamed it with a PipNet reamer and cleaned that up with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He had scrubbed the exterior of the briar with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it with running water to remove the grime and oils. He cleaned out the interior of the shank, sump and airway in the shank and stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub to remove the oxidation and calcification on the surface. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation. He removed it from the Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took some photos of the pipe before I started my part of the work. I took some photos of the rim top and stem. The rim top and bowl looked very good. The cake and lava overflow were gone and the inward bevelled rim was very clean. There was also some darkening on the bevelled inner rim edge and light damage on the edge of the top and the bevel. Jeff had been able to get rid of all of the lava and tars. The rim top looked good with light marks and scratches on the surface. The closeup photos of the stem shows that it is a much cleaner and better looking stem. The tooth marks and chatter were still present with deeper ones on the button and on the underside of the stem next to the button.I took some photos of the stamping on the shank sides and the silver on the ferrule to show the condition after the cleanup. Often the stamping takes a hit with the cleaning and is lessened in its clarity. Jeff does a great job in leaving the stamping looking very good. I also took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to show the proportion. It is a beauty. I started my restoration work on this pipe by addressing the darkening around the inner edge of the bowl. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the bevelled inner edge and the rim top with the same sandpaper. The finish rim top looked very good.I started my polishing regimen on the bowl. I used nine micromesh sanding pads and dry sanded the bowl with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. The bowl really shines by the final three pads. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I touched up the “P” stamp on the left side of the saddle stem with some Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick. I buffed it off with a soft cloth and some Obsidian Oil. It looked very good. It was in pretty decent conditions so I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped them down after each sanding pad with a cloth containing some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Oil to preserve and protect the stem. I don’t know how many times I have said this but I love it when I come to the end of a restoration and all of the parts come together and the pipe looks better than when we started the cleanup process. I put the stem back on the Peterson’s DeLuxe 106 Billiard and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I carefully avoided the stamping on the shank sides during the process. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad on the buffer. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is a real stunning example of a Republic Era Peterson’s DeLuxe 106 Straight Billiard. Once again, the grain and the way the shape follows the grain is amazing. Give the finish pipe a look in the photos below. I can only tell you that it is much prettier in person than the photos capture. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.55 ounces/44 grams. This Peterson’s De Luxe 106 is a great piece of pipe history that is in exceptional condition. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. I will be putting this one on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section. Let me know if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for your time.

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 Peterson’s Dublin Meerschaum System Pipe

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by Steve Laug

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Restoring a Rare & Lovely James Upshall P L2 95 Long Canadian

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by Steve Laug

Earlier this month a friend, Ilan wrote about a pipe. He was looking for an Upshall and wanted to know if I had one to sell. Unfortunately, I did not have one at that time. A few days later he wrote back about one that he had a line on. It was one that was recommended to him by a fellow, Pete Siegel on one of the forums who used to work for Upshall. He said he loved the look of it and wanted to know what I thought about it. His main question was if it was restorable. He sent me the link from eBay. I went to the link and carefully looked over the photos. It was a huge Upshall Canadian with great grain. The bowl had a moderate to thick cake with lava overflow on the rim top. To me the bowl was still in round and it looked like the edges were undamaged under the lava. The finish was dirty with a small burn mark on the outer edge on the left front. Otherwise it was undamaged under the grime. The stem was quite heavily oxidized and the logo was faded but looked to be deep enough to recolour. Overall, I felt that the pipe was a good buy and one that would clean up quite well. I wrote Ilan and let him know. Below is his response.

Perfect. I’ve bought it, and sent it to you. Happy to work with you again. I attaching the correspondence with the guy from Upshall. The pipe world is just outstanding!!! All the best. 

I went on the eBay link and saved the photos before the seller removed them after the sale. I wanted to have before photos for comparison sake. I was amazed at the volume of photos included and, in some ways, the odd angles they captured. I have included key photos below from the seller. They give a good picture of the condition of the pipe.I included some of the photos of the bowl and rim to show the cake and the lava build up on the top and inner edge of the bowl. It looks okay but one cleaned up I will know for sure. The lava could hide some darkening on the top but I will soon know. The stem photos show the stem from a variety of angles. You can see the tooth chatter and marks along with the heavy oxidation. I have also included shots of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the interesting grain patterns hidden under the grime. It is a pretty pipe. The seller included several photos of the stamping on both sides of the shank. It is very clear and readable from his photos. The stamping on the topside of the shank reads JAMES UPSHALL in an oval and there is a JU in an oval on the top of the taper stem. On the underside it reads L2 95 (Shape Number) followed by Tilshead [over] England [over] Made by Hand. Ilan also included a screen capture of his conversation on PipesMagazine.com with Peter Siegel for me to have a look at. I am including it as well because of the pertinent information that it gives regarding this particular pipe.Pete described what he saw as he looked at the pipe from the seller’s photos. He notes the inside edge of the rim on the right side appearing to be slightly out of round. That was certainly a possibility in the photos but I was not certain of it due to the build up around the inner edge. It would become very clear once the pipe was cleaned and reamed. He also notes the build up on the rim top as I pointed out above as well as the oxidation on the stem. Overall there were not too many issues that he noted that I have not mentioned above.

The rest of the post is perhaps the most important to me at this point in my process. The pipe is an L series which Pete says was his concept to make long shank pipes (mostly Canadians) free from flaws but focused on the shape rather than trying to force the grain. He believes that the pipe was one of the earliest L series pipes of a few dozen made in 1986. The stamping for length was L2 to the longest L4. The 95 indicates 9.5-centimetre shank (3 ¾ inches). They were marked P as Ken refused to grade them G or E as Pete felt they deserved because they were not straight grains.

He goes on to say that this pipe is beautifully shaped, (fff = Free from flaws) and a nearly perfect size to smoke. He also notes that he remembers this pipe in particular because of Ken’s brilliant cutting getting the cross grain perpendicular to and running the length of the shank. He states that these were some of the finest Upshall pipes ever made and are very rare. I found it interesting that he ends his post with a not on the L stamp which he says was an homage to Barling’s LF & LLF long shank Canadians.

Ilan also included an email that Pete wrote with the explanation that Pete was the US distributor for Upshall pipes. He asked if I wanted to be included in the correspondence. I answered unequivocally YES.  Have included that below:

Here’s what Pete wrote regarding the pipe. He was the US distributor. Do you want me to include you in our correspondence? — Ilan

Hi Ilan,

Nice to meet you. I was afraid that someone might buy the pipe out from under you. $160 is a great price. I think your pipe may be 1985 rather than 86 (as I wrote earlier) but it’s right there. To correct what I wrote, Ken wouldn’t grade the L series higher (at least at the beginning) because they weren’t straight grains so they were all (initially) P grade with a surcharge for the L series.  Iirc, the P was $125, P L2 $175, L3 $200 and L4 $225.  The longer shanks may have been impressive but they weren’t as symmetrical or beautifully (classic English) shaped as the L2.  

Upshall “Canadian” (really a large Liverpool)The pipe above is selling for ~$450.  Large and long, not an “L” series.  Looks a little buffed and rounded.  Nice but imho your Canadian is a better pipe to smoke and it should be more valuable.  

I used to get Steve’s blog and he seems to be an exacting craftsman.  

Looking forward to seeing pictures of the pipe 🙂

Pete

The Upshall arrived in Vancouver, Canada yesterday afternoon. I was excited to see what it looked like so I carefully unwrapped the package that it came in. I went over it carefully to check my initial observations and see if there was anything further to note. Thankfully, there were no surprises or issues that came up in this initial assessment. I took photos of the pipe when it arrived to document its condition before I started my clean up. I took photos of the rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris in the finish. There was darkening all around the bowl edge and on the inner edge. I took photos of the stem to show the oxidation and tooth chatter and light marks on both sides of the stem ahead of the button.I captured the stamping as best as possible on the top and underside of the shank. It reads as noted above. I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the parts to show the proportions of this long shank Canadian. It really is a beauty.Now it was time to work on the stunning 1985 Upshall P L2 95 Canadian. I started by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer and took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and then sanded the walls smooth with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I do this thorough stripping of the cake so that I can check out the condition of the walls under the cake. I know others don’t do this but it is necessary in my opinion for a thorough look at the pipes condition. In this case the walls looked very good. I also carefully scraped the lava on the rim top with the Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I did an initial scrubbing of the briar with Mark Hoover’s Before & After Briar Cleaner to try to break through the darkening on the rim top. I applied it by hand, scrubbed with a tooth brush and wiped it off with a cotton pad. While it looked better it still needed more work. It did a good job of cutting through the grime around the bowl sides. I scrubbed out the internals of the shank and stem with 99% isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs, smooth and bristle pipe cleaners to remove the tars and oils that were on the walls of the mortise and shank and in the airway on the shank and stem. It came out looking and smelling much cleaner than when I started.I decided to further scrub the rim top and finish with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap to see if I could remove more of the darkening on the edges and top of the bowl. I scrubbed it with a tooth brush and rinsed it with warm water. I certainly did look better but I wanted a bit more removed! I took a photo of the rim top at this point to show where I was in cleaning it off. It still needed more to remove the darkening. I mixed up a batch of Oxalic Acid and wiped the rim top down with that on a cotton pad. I removed even more of the issue. I gently cleaned up the inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage to the edge. I wiped it off with a damp cloth. I stained the rim top and edges with an Oak stain pen which matched the stain around the rest of the bowl. Once it was buffed it would be perfect.I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the briar after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris from the surface. The briar began to take on a shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I wiped the stem down with a cotton pad and some Soft Scrub cleanser to remove the oxidation on the surface and the area around the stamping in preparation recolouring it.I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter to lift the tooth marks and chatter out of the surface. It worked very well and lifted all of them. I sanded out what small marks that remained with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove the damage and the stem looked much better. I touched up the faint stamp on the top of the stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I rubbed the product into the stamping and buffed it off with a soft cloth. It looks much better.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. Between the pads I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil. It is starting to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each pad to enliven and protect the vulcanite. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I rubbed the stem down with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I am excited to be on the homestretch with this beautiful James Upshall P-Grade Made by Hand L2 95 Canadian. I look forward to when it all comes back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the tiny remnants of scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. 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 beautifully grained finish looks really good with the interesting grain patterns standing out on the shape. The long, well grained shank and the polished black vulcanite taper stem went really well together. This James Upshall Long Canadian L2 95 was another fun pipe to work on. It really has that classic English look that catches the eye. The rich colour of the polished briar really makes the pipe look attractive. It is a large but comfortable pipe to hold in the hand. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 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 52 grams/1.87 ounces. This is an Upshall that catches my eye. I will soon be packing it up and sending it back to Ilan. I look forward to hearing from Ilan what he thinks of this beauty. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

Restoring a Very Handsome Custombilt Lovat

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by Kenneth Lieblich

My last blog post was the restoration of an Oversize Kaywoodie and, in that article, I mentioned that it reminded me of a Custombilt. Well, lo and behold! I have a Custombilt to present to you all. I was rummaging through a box of junk (and calling it ‘junk’ is being kind) and came upon a really good-looking, substantial Lovat with a great saddle stem (which is ever-so-slightly bent). It’s a pipe that instills confidence. An interesting coincidence (or is it?) is that both the Kaywoodie and this Custombilt were made at almost exactly the same time. Read on. As you can see, the pipe has the classic Custombilt rustication on it. There’s something quite satisfying about this rugged rustication. These marks are reminiscent of Tracy Mincer’s original work and are seen as something of a hallmark of the brand. On the left side of the shank, the markings were as follows: Custombilt [over] Imported Briar. No markings on the right side and no markings on the stem. The history of Custombilt pipes is an interesting one and the most comprehensive source of information comes from Individual as a Thumbprint: The Custom-Bilt Pipe Story by Bill Unger. It is a very good book. Since the last time I worked on a Custombilt, I acquired a copy and it is an excellent resource on these pipes – as well as an entertaining read.

Unger’s book gives us some good information about the dating for this pipe. He displays five different logo stampings and this particular pipe corresponds to stamp number two. Unger writes:

The second stamp, which was used during the Eugene Rich years, from 1946 through 1952 (at the latest; it could have been 1950 or 191), is also quite unmistakable. Custom-Bilt became Custombilt in 1946, and the stamp reflects the major advertising campaign that was undertaken. The script letters do not slant, but the major feature is the big, looping C, which extends over the t (although, in some cases, it extends just to the top of the t). The t has a longer cross than on the Custom-Bilt stamp, but a shorter one than would be used during the Wally Frank era. Remember that the Eugene Rich-era stamp was used on pipes still being made in [Tracy] Mincer’s Indianapolis factory.

Pipedia’s article on Custombilt consists primarily of reviews of Unger’s book. It offers a cursory view of the markings and their approximate dating. This information confirms what I found in Unger’s book. Meanwhile. Pipephil provided a bit more information on the brand, although not strictly related to my pipe. In short, I think it’s fair to say that this sturdy pipe dates from the late-1940s.Let’s get on with cleaning up this pipe. I worked on the stem first and, I must say, I was surprised at its good condition. Not too dirty, not beat up at all.I wiped the outside with some oil soap on some cotton pads. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. The stem had a bit of oxidation, so I let it soak overnight in pipe stem oxidation remover. The following day, I cleaned all of the de-oxidizing mess off with a toothbrush. The oxidation had migrated to the surface and I scrubbed with SoftScrub on some cotton pads to remove the leftover oxidation. The stem turned out very well. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) all over the saddle stem to remove any scratch marks and make it smooth and lovely. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing.All that finished, I set the stem aside and I began work on the very dirty stummel.Firstly, I decided to ream out the bowl. This is a large bowl and I used the PipNet Reamer’s biggest blade to remove the built-up cake, and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper taped to a couple of dowels to eliminate as much as I could. I took the chamber down to bare briar, as I wanted to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the wall. Fortunately, there were none. As the photos show, there was quite a mound of debris.I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. It was ridiculously dirty and took up the country’s supply of cotton to get it clean. To exorcise the demons of tobaccos past, I decided to de-ghost the pipe. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and 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. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. Spic and span after that. There was still quite a bit of debris on the ample rim and it was time to address it. I took a piece of machine metal and meticulously scraped away the cake without affecting the finish of the wood. This quite a while – but it is most certainly worth it. Following that, I used some oil soap and a toothbrush to clean up the balance of the rim – especially the grooves of the rustication. I was really pleased with the results.Then I sanded the stummel down with the Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit). The smooth areas got all nine pads, whereas the rusticated areas on received only the last three or four. I then coated the pipe with restoration balm and let it sit for 20 minutes or so, before polishing with a microfibre cloth and a horsehair brush. The balm does wonderful things to the wood and makes the whole stummel sing. Finally, I took it to the buffer and applied some White Diamond and a few coats of Conservator’s Wax. The lovely shine made the wood very attractive. This is a very handsome pipe and will provide many years of smoking pleasure.This handsome Custombilt Lovat looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘American’ pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 7 in. (177 mm); height 2⅛ in. (53 mm); bowl diameter 1⅝ in. (41 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2¼ oz. (65 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Terrific Handmade Oversize Kaywoodie

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Next up is this interesting, rugged pipe from Kaywoodie. It is from the handmade Oversize Kaywoodie line and has wonderfully thick walls. When I first saw it, this nifty pipe reminded me, in style, of a Custombilt pipe. It is not that, but it is reminiscent of that. This was a bizarre and challenging restoration, but the results are terrific. Let’s examine the markings on the pipe. The left side of the shank shows HandMade [over] Kaywoodie. The right side of the shank shows, merely, Imported Briar. Finally, the stem has the famous cloverleaf logo on the top. As you can see, it is a white circle with a black leaf inside. Unfortunately, there was no shape number, no shape name, nor any other markings. Hmm… Dating this Kaywoodie is a bit of a head-scratcher. I think I’ve figured it out, but the historical details of many a pipe have been lost in the mists of time. This is an Oversize Handmade Kaywoodie and it doesn’t help that, as I mentioned, there isn’t any shape number on the pipe. Perhaps the cloverleaf logo on the stem can help. Pipephil says:

The cloverleaf logo: the round logo (black cloverleaf in white circle or white cloverleaf in black circle) was first used in 1937. Up until the late 40’s this logo was used on all of the upper-grade pipes. The concomitant use of the plain white cloverleaf and the disk inlaid logo continued until the early 80’s. Up until the late 1940’s/early 50’s, the logo was on top of the stem. After that the logo was moved to the side of the stem (exceptions exist).So, perhaps this is a better-quality pipe! From what little I understand, this was, indeed, considered to be a better pipe. Pipedia laid this information out:

Throughout much of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, the Kaywoodie family of pipes consisted of 11 basic grades of briar pipes; though new grades were frequently added to the line and some older grades were discontinued or downgraded. These 11 basic grades of pipes, listed in ascending order of quality, were:
Drinkless
Hand-made Super Grain
Super Grain
Relief Grain
Flame Grain
Silhouette
Oversize Kaywoodies
Meerschaum Inlaid Kaywoodies
Connoisseur
Ninety-fiver
Centennial

Given how singularly rare the last two were (Ninety-fiver and Centennial), this would indicate a very good quality pipe. Pipedia gave me reason to think this particular pipe was from 1947. Part of the article entitled “Collector’s Guide to Kaywoodie Pipes”, states:

The 1947 Kaywoodie catalog shows 12 grades of briar pipes and introduces the Kaywoodie Block Meerschaum. The briar pipes were available in 69 shapes. In addition to these individual pipes, the 1947 catalog shows two- and seven-pipe matched grain sets. The Oversize Kaywoodies were, as the name implies, “Giants”. Lowndes notes that these pipes were stamped simply, “Hand-Made”. The pipes were all roughly “bulldog-ish” in appearance and were available in the following styles and grades:

Hand-carved “Colossus” ($10)
Walnut finish, banded “Hercules” ($20)
Hand-carved “John Henry” ($10)
Virgin finish, specimen grain “Paul Bunyan”
($25) Virgin finish, banded specimen grain “Goliath”
($25) Walnut finish “Atlas”
($20) Hand-carved, Meerschaum-Inlaid “Samson” ($15)Now, there is no model number or name on my pipe, so it’s not clear to me if this pipe one of the model names mentioned above or some other.

Let’s get on with restoring the pipe. The stummel was in good shape. The main issue with this pipe was the stem. The photos demonstrate that the bit had a small bite through. No big deal, I thought. I’ve repaired those before. Alas, this ended up being much more challenging than I had expected.I worked on the stummel first. In order to clean out the cake in the bowl, I used the Pipnet reamer and followed that up with a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. I sanded down the cake until I hit the briar walls, so that I could inspect them for potential damage. Everything looked good on the inside, which is great.I proceeded to clean out the inside of the shank with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was a bit dirty in there, but I got it clean in the end.When that was done, I set up to clean the pipe’s insides with soap and some tube brushes. The pipe was beautifully clean after that.As I was cleaning, I noticed that there were a few minor dents on the rim. I wet a piece of cotton cloth with water, heated up my iron, and set about trying to raise the dents. Often, the hot, moist air created by the cloth and iron can lift the wood back into shape. This technique worked really well on this occasion.After this, I used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to remove the scratches in the wood (especially on the rim) and make everything smooth. Then a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm brought out the best in the stummel’s grain. The grain on this pipe is pretty great! Moving on to the stem – I started out by cleaning the inside of the stem with lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was dirty, but not too bad. I also cleaned the stem with some Murphy’s on some cotton rounds. As you can see, the stem wasn’t too dirty and won’t need a soaking.Now it was time to fix the bite-through. Obviously, one option here would be to get another stem from my stock and replace the broken one, but I always try to use original materials wherever possible. I noticed that a repair had already been attempted on this stem at some point in the past. Someone had used some soft rubber (from one of those stem bits) to bridge the gap in the stem.I figured that adding my black carbon and rubber infused cyanoacrylate adhesive to this existing repair would be a good idea. I first plugged up the stem’s draught hole with a pipe cleaner coated in petroleum jelly. This ensured that any of the cyanoacrylate would not accidentally plug up the air passage in the stem.I then used a miniature file to shape the button and make it suitable for sanding. Uh oh – big problem. The soft rubber repair was not nearly good enough and broke off completely while I was sanding. Sigh. I repeated the process of building up the bit with black cyanoacrylate glue. This time I used a piece of cardboard coated in petroleum jelly (rather than a pipe cleaner). I then sanded the stem down with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. I also used a sanding sponge to ensure that it keeps its shape and looks like it should. I won’t bore you by repeating myself, but I had to add black cyanoacrylate adhesive two more times until it was satisfactory. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) on the stem to make it look as good as possible. 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 invisible or perfect, but I was pleased with how the stem finished up. Off to the bench polisher to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave it a thorough (but light-handed) going-over with White Diamond compound. One doesn’t want to use too much for fear of gumming up the rustication. Following that, several coats of conservator’s wax created a beautiful seal on the pipe.All done! This Handmade Oversize Kaywoodie looks fantastic and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “American” section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6 in. (152 mm); height 2 in. (51 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (39 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2¼ oz. (64 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Preben Holm Hand Made Ben Wade Spiral Sandblast Freehand

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By Steve Laug

This interesting Preben Holm made Ben Wade Freehand with both smooth and sandblast finish and plateau rim top and shank end came to us from an estate we purchased from Santa Cruz, California USA on 05/28/2024. It is a unique looking pipe. The stamping on the underside of the spiral shank read Ben Wade [over] Spiral [over] Sandblast [over] Hand Made [over] In [over] Denmark. The pipe has some smooth strips around the bowl flowing from the rim edge to the bottom of the bowl. The rest of the bowl has a very good sandblast. The spiral shank is sandblast on the top and sides and smooth on the underside The finish is dirty with dust and oils ground into the finish and dust and debris in the plateau rim top and shank end. The rim top has a thick lava on the inner edge and heavier at the back of the rim top. The bowl has a thick cake. The fancy, turned saddle stem and is oxidized and has tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris in the finish on the rim top. There was darkening all around the bowl edge. He took photos of the stem to show the oxidation and tooth marks on both sides of the stem ahead of the button.Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the finish on the bowl sides. Even under the grime it is a beautiful piece of briar in a unique shape. He captured the stamping as best as possible on the underside of the shank. It reads as noted above.I turned first to Pipephil to see what I could find about the Spiral line of pipes and get some background (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-benwade.html).  There was nothing there in terms of photos. There was however an interesting note that I am including below.

During the period 1972 (about) – 1989 Ben Wade pipes were mass produced for Lane Ltd. by Preben Holm’s workshop in his very personal style.

That gave me the time period for the manufacture of this pipe – 1972-1989. I knew that it was a Preben Holm pipe and that it was made for Lane Limited.

I turned then to Pipedia and read the listing on the brand to refresh my memory and flesh out the knowledge of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Holm,_Preben) and the article on Ben Wade (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade). I quote the portion of the Ben Wade article that summarizes the Danish period of the history of the brand:

Young Copenhagen master pipemaker Preben Holm had made a meteoric career heading a pipe manufacture employing 45 people at the age of 22! But around the turn of 1970/71 he was in major financial difficulties. His US distributor, Snug Harbour Ltd. in New York City, left him in the lurch. Holm had three unpaid invoices on his desk and another large shipment was ready for the USA, when Snug Harbour’s manager told him on the phone that there was no money at all on the account to pay him.

So, the Dane went to New York for an almost desperate search for a new distribution partner. He made contacts with Lane Ltd. and met Herman G. Lane in February 1971. Lane Ltd. had no interest in Holm’s serial pipes produced at that time but so much the more in the hand-carved freehands because the hype for Danish freehands and fancies in the States was still on its way to the climax then. The meeting resulted in an agreement to start a cooperation. Lane insisted to improve the quality considerably and in return he assured to be able to sell essentially larger quantities.

Holm went back home to work on new samples with all-new designs and altered finishes for Lane. Both, Lane and Holm, agreed that it would be unwise to sell the pipes under Preben Holm’s name as long as Snug Harbour had a considerable stock of Preben Holm pipes and might sell them pipes at very low prices just to bring in some money.

So on Mr. Lane’s proposal it was determined to use the name Ben Wade belonging to Lane Ltd. Lane spent considerable amounts of money for advertising the new brand in the big magazines– the centerpiece being whole-page ads showing a very exclusive Seven Day’s Set.

The cooperation with Lane Ltd. proved to be an eminent business success for both partners. Within a very short time Ben Wade Handmade Denmark sold in much larger quantities and at higher prices than they had ever dreamed of. And the hype these freehands and fancy pipes caused went on unbroken long after Herman G. Lane deceased. Preben Holm – obviously much more brilliant in pipe making than in pipe business – was in major troubles again in 1986 and had to sack most of his staff. The Ben Wade production was significantly lowered but continued until his untimely death in June of 1989.

Up to now Preben Holm made Ben Wade pipes are cult and highly sought for on the estate markets.

With that information my initial thoughts were confirmed. This pipe was a Preben Holm made Freehand distributed in the US by Lane Ltd under his own name. The freehand rage occurred in the late 70s and the pipes were made until Preben’s death in 1989. My guess would be that this pipe was made sometime during that time period.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe following his normal cleaning process. In short, he reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer to strip out the cake in the bowl and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the lava and debris on the plateau rim top and shank end and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove the debris and oils on the stem. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and then rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It really looked good. I took close up photos of the stem and the rim top to show both how clean they were and what needed to be addresses with both. The rim top and bowl look good. The inner edge bevel looked clean and undamaged. The stem looked better and there were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. You can see from the photo that it is clear and readable. I removed the stem from the bowl and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the beauty of the pipe. The bowl was in such good condition that I started by polishing the smooth briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the briar after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris from the surface. The briar began to take on a shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a horse hair shoe brush to get into the crevices of the plateau rim top and shank end. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the tooth marks on the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift them. It worked very well and what remained I sanded out with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I touched up the stamp on the top of the stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I rubbed the product into the stamping and buffed it off with a soft cloth. It is very visible and clear.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. Between the pads I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil. It is starting to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each pad to enliven and protect the vulcanite. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave the stem another rubdown with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I am really happy with the way that this Preben Holm made Ben Wade Spiral Hand Made Danish Freehand turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a very unique shape and mixed sandblast and smooth finished bowl and rim and plateau on the rim and the shank end. The fancy original vulcanite saddle stem is really nice. The polished black of the stem works well with the briar. The briar really came alive with the buffing. The rich brown stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Ben Wade Spiral Hand Made really is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches long x 2 inches wide, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 60 grams/2.05 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Would this Stanwell Hexagonal Pipe with a 9mm Filter Stem be a disappointment?

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by Steve Laug

When this beautiful hexagonal Dublin by Stanwell came to us from our source in Denmark last year on 02/16/2023 I was pretty excited to work on it. The grain around the bowl and shank were amazing looking and the silver rim edge and shank band were great additions that gave the pipe a sense of polish. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and on the left reads Stanwell. On the right it reads Made in Denmark. The silver band on the shank is stamped .925 identifying it as Sterling Silver. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was darkening and lava on the inner edge of the rim and the rim top. The filter stem was oxidized and had tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button on both sides. It looked like it should clean up very well. I was looking forward to getting it here in Canada and working on it. Jeff took photos of it before he started his clean up process. Do you see any issues in the photos below? I don’t see any other than what I have noted above. Nothing alarming! That would prove to be very wrong! Jeff took photos of the rim top that clearly show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the darkening on the rim edge and top on the left front. There are scratches and tar on the silver rim cap that will need to be polished out but there is some beauty in the pipe. So far, no issues that can see. There does appear to be a bit of a shadow in the darkening on the right front of the top. The stem has some heavy oxidation that that will take work to remove but the tooth marks are light and there does not appear to be a lot of chatter ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the grain around the sides and heel of the bowl. It is a pretty pipe. It is dirty but the grain is quite stunning. The silver band and the rim edge are tarnish and look like there are scratches. I am not seeing any alarming damage…. YET. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank. On the left side it is stamped Stanwell and on the right side it reads Made in Denmark. There is not a shape number or a line name on the pipe. It is clean of other stamping so that remains a mystery. The left side of the saddle stem has an inlaid silver Crown S logo. Before I started working on the pipe I wanted to nail down the shape and the designer. I turned to an article on rebornpipes by Bas Stevens that was a compilation of Stanwell shapes and also noted the designers (https://rebornpipes.com/2013/09/03/stanwell-shapes-compiled-by-bas-stevens/). There I found the shape number I was looking for. The pipe was a 163 and was described as a Freehand, “Facet”, hexagonal, with brass ring. It was a shape designed by Jess Chonowitsch. The pipe I had included a Silver Band instead of a brass one and also added a Silver Rim Edge. Now I knew I was working on a 163 designed by Chonowitsch. Now it is time to do my part on the restoration. This is where the disappointment starts to build for me.

Jeff had carefully cleaned up the pipe following his normal cleaning process. In short, he reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer to strip out the cake in the bowl and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the lava and debris on the rim top and shank end and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove the debris and oils on the stem. He also scrubbed the silver and removed the tarnish. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and then rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. The oxidation was less but still present. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. Looking at it as a whole it really looked good. I took close up photos of the stem and the rim top to show both how clean they were and what needed to be addresses with both. The first disappointment showed up on the rim top as I examined it. There was a crack on the left side of the top radiating from the inner edge toward the side almost at the corner of the hexagonal cap. It did not go all the way to the edge so that was a plus but it still was a disappointment. The inner edge bevel looked clean but there was some darkening on the surface of the bevel. The stem looked better and there were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There were no disappointments at this point on the stem.I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. You can see from the photos that it is clear and readable. I removed the stem from the bowl and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the beauty of the pipe. Before I started working on the rim top I decided to examined the sides of the bowl and see if the crack ran down the side below the rim cap. This is where I found the second disappointment. There appeared to be a crack on the side panel flowing from the rim cap at an angle toward the front of the bowl for about an inch. I have drawn a circle around it in the photo below. I also took another photo of the crack in the rim top and circled it as well. Once I saw those two glaring disappointments I set the pipe aside and worked on some other things as it is just too frustrating to look at such a beautiful pipe that had these signs of abuse.Last evening after work I finally decided to address the two glaring issues noted with the pipe. I put on my magnifying head lamps and examined both cracks. The crack on the rim top came from the inner edge but did not seem to drop too far into the bowl. Maybe an eighth of an inch. The “Crack” on the side of the bowl may well not be a real issue. There is a deep scratch in the silver band just above the line with the same arc. It may just be a deep scratch rather than a crack. I poked at it and probed it with a dental pick with the headlamp and magnifier in place and I am 99% sure it is just a scratch!!! I was leaping for joy at this point! I decided to treat it as a small hairline crack and also the crack on the rim at the same time. I used a micro drill bit and put a small pin hole at the end of the line on the side of the bowl and the end of the crack on the top of the rim. I used a tooth pick to put a spot of clear CA glue in the drill hole on both the top and side and on the crack on the rim top. I used a dental spatula to press fine briar dust into the glue on both and set it aside to dry. Once the repairs cured I sanded the areas smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I polished the bowl and rim top with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the briar after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris from the surface. The briar began to take on a shine. I also polished the silver rim edge and band at the same time remove some of the scratches. For those I used 3200-12000 grit pads. My disappointment was fading with way the repairs blended into the briar. It was a beauty. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. The disappointments mentioned above were taken care of! I set the bowl aside and turned to work on the stem. I used Soft Scrub and cotton pads to work on the oxidation remaining on the pipe. It was deep and it took a bit of scrubbing to bring it to the surface.I “painted” the surface of the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift the tooth marks ahead of the button on both sides. It worked very well and I was able to lift them all to the point that sanding the stem would remove the remnants. I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the tooth marks and also remove the oxidation. It looked much better. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. Between the pads I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil. It is starting to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each pad to enliven and protect the vulcanite. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave the stem another rub down with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I fit the stem with a 9mm Dr. Perl Junior filter. The fit of the filter to the stem was perfect. The 9mm was made for it. This Jess Chonowitsch Designed Stanwell Faceted Hexagon Freehand 163 with a hexagon vulcanite saddle stem fit for 9mm filters is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The beautiful grain on the briar and the silver rim edges and band shines through the polished finish and is stunning. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Stanwell Faceted Silver Rim and Shank Band 163 fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 52 grams/1.83 ounces. I will soon be adding it to the rebornpipe store in the Danish Pipe Making Companies Section. If you are interested in this pipe send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Preben Holm Crown Hand Made in Denmark flat bottom Sitter

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by Steve Laug

This interesting Preben Holm Freehand Sitter with both smooth and plateau spot on the rim and shank end came to us from an estate we purchase from Santa Cruz, California USA on 05/28/2024. It is a unique looking pipe even for Preben Holm pipes. The pipe is a flat bottom pipe that is shaped from a rectangle. The stamping on the underside of the shank read Preben Holm [over] Crown [over] Hand Made [over] In [over] Denmark. The pipe has a flat bottom so it is a sitter. The top and bottom of the bowl has some great birdseye grain. The sides of the bowl have straight grain all around. The finish is dirty with dust and oils ground into the finish and dust and debris in the plateau spots on the rim top and shank end. The rim top has some darkening on the right and the back of the bowl. There is thick lava on the inner edge and all around the rim top. The bowl has a thick cake. The fancy, turned saddle stem had a twist around the saddle portion and is oxidized and has tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris in the finish on the rim top. There was darkening all around the bowl edge and on the bevelled inner edge. He took photos of the stem to show the oxidation and tooth marks on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the finish on the bowl sides. Even under the grime it is a beautiful piece of briar in a shape that I have not seen before. He captured the stamping as best as possible on the underside of the shank. It reads as noted above.I turned first to Pipephil to see what I could find about the Crown line of pipes and get some background (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-p5.html). I have included the photo capture below as it shows the look of the stamping and logo on the pipe I am working on.I turned then to Pipedia and read the listing on the brand to refresh my memory and flesh out the knowledge of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Holm,_Preben) and the article on Ben Wade (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade). I quote the portion of the Ben Wade article that summarizes the Danish period of the history of the brand:

Young Copenhagen master pipemaker Preben Holm had made a meteoric career heading a pipe manufacture employing 45 people at the age of 22! But around the turn of 1970/71 he was in major financial difficulties. His US distributor, Snug Harbour Ltd. in New York City, left him in the lurch. Holm had three unpaid invoices on his desk and another large shipment was ready for the USA, when Snug Harbour’s manager told him on the phone that there was no money at all on the account to pay him.

So the Dane went to New York for an almost desperate search for a new distribution partner. He made contacts with Lane Ltd. and met Herman G. Lane in February 1971. Lane Ltd. had no interest in Holm’s serial pipes produced at that time but so much the more in the hand-carved freehands because the hype for Danish freehands and fancies in the States was still on its way to the climax then. The meeting resulted in an agreement to start a cooperation. Lane insisted to improve the quality considerably and in return he assured to be able to sell essentially larger quantities.

Holm went back home to work on new samples with all-new designs and altered finishes for Lane. Both, Lane and Holm, agreed that it would be unwise to sell the pipes under Preben Holm’s name as long as Snug Harbour had a considerable stock of Preben Holm pipes and might sell them pipes at very low prices just to bring in some money.

So on Mr. Lane’s proposal it was determined to use the name Ben Wade belonging to Lane Ltd. Lane spent considerable amounts of money for advertising the new brand in the big magazines– the centerpiece being whole-page ads showing a very exclusive Seven Day’s Set.

The cooperation with Lane Ltd. proved to be an eminent business success for both partners. Within a very short time Ben Wade Handmade Denmark sold in much larger quantities and at higher prices than they had ever dreamed of. And the hype these freehands and fancy pipes caused went on unbroken long after Herman G. Lane deceased. Preben Holm – obviously much more brilliant in pipe making than in pipe business – was in major troubles again in 1986 and had to sack most of his staff. The Ben Wade production was significantly lowered but continued until his untimely death in June of 1989.

Up to now Preben Holm made Ben Wade pipes are cult and highly sought for on the estate markets.

With that information my initial thoughts were confirmed. This pipe was a Preben Holm made Freehand distributed in the US by Lane Ltd under his own name. The freehand rage occurred in the late 70s and the pipes were made until Preben’s death in 1989. My guess would be that this pipe was made sometime during that time period and potentially in the late 70s.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe following his normal cleaning process. In short, he reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer to strip out the cake in the bowl and then cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the lava and debris on the rim top and the spots of plateau on the top and shank end and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove the debris and oils on the stem. He soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and then rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It really looked good. I took close up photos of the stem and the rim top to show both how clean they were and what needed to be addresses with both. The rim top and bowl look good. The inner edge bevel looked clean and undamaged. The stem looked better and there were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. You can see from the photo that it is clear and readable. I removed the stem from the bowl and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of the beauty of the pipe. The bowl was in such good condition that I started by polishing the smooth briar with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the briar after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris from the surface. The briar began to take on a shine. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a horse hair shoe brush to get into the crevices of the plateau rim top and shank end. The product is incredible and the way it brings the grain to the fore is unique. It works to clean, protect and invigorate the wood. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I wiped the stem down with a cotton pad and some Soft Scrub cleanser to clean up the surface around the turned portion and the stamping area in preparation for trying to bring out some of the stamping on the stem top. I touched up the faint stamp on the top of the stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I rubbed the product into the stamping and buffed it off with a soft cloth. It is not perfect but is visible and distinguishable.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. Between the pads I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil. It is starting to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each pad to enliven and protect the vulcanite. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave the stem another rub down with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I am really happy with the way that this Preben Holm Crown Hand Made Danish Freehand Sitter turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a very unique shape and smooth finished bowl and rim and the remnant of plateau on back edge of the rim and the shank end. The fancy original vulcanite saddle stem is really nice. The polished black of the stem works well with the briar. The briar really came alive with the buffing. The rich brown stains of the finish gave the pipe a sense of depth with the polishing and waxing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Preben Holm Crown Hand Made really is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 ¾ inches long x 2 ¼ inches wide, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 89 grams/3.17 ounces. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Restoring a Carey Magic Inch Pat. No. 3267941 Mediterranean Briar Israel Calabash

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is an interesting looking Carey Magic Inch Calabash pipe. It is unique for several reasons. The first is that it comes with a flat piece of briar that is shaped to the base of the pipe. It has some great grain on the base and plateau on the edges. The second is that the left side and back of the bowl and shank are smooth and the right side and part of the front of the bowl is sandblast. The pipe is stamped on the left side and reads Carey [over] Magic Inch [over] Pat. No. 3267941. The stamping on the right side reads Mediterranean [over] Briar Israel. The stem has the Carey Logo “C” in a box on the topside. We purchased the Carey from an estate sale in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA on 08/05/2018. The finish on the pipe was dirty with grime and oils ground into the briar. There was a thick cake in the bowl that overflowed on to the rim top and inner beveled edge. They both have a coat of lava on them. There is a vulcanite shank extension on the shank end that is quite polished. The stem is a Carey Magic Inch stem that tells me that the pipe has the Carey filtration system in the shank. A slim tube or Papyrite slips over the tube and filters out the oils. The stem has three slots in the top to aid airflow. The stem is the typical Carey special mix of vulcanite and plastic of some sort and in this case, I am thankful that it is not chewed. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the moderate cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris on the rim top and inner edge. He took photos of the stem to show the tooth chatter and marks on the surface. None are too deep and I am thankful for that. He captured the finish and grain on the sides of the bowl. The left side shows the sandblast and the others show the smooth nicely grained finish. It is a beauty. He captured the stamping on the sides of the shank and it is clear and readable. The stamping reads as noted above. The Patent Number is interesting.The stamping gives me pause. I know that Carey Magic Inch pipes were typically made in the USA and for a short time in Great Britain. This one is stamped Mediterranean Briar Israel which I had not seen before. I am also pretty sure it is made by the Shalom Pipe Factory for Carey. But now to do a bit of study on the brand.

I first did a quick Google search of the brand and Israel to see what I could learn of the connection. There I found a discussion on Pipesmagazine forum. In the last line of the section I am quoting from the poster, Briar Lee I found what I was looking for. I have highlighted it in red in the text below for ease. I quote the entire section and have attached the link as well (https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/e-a-carey-pipes-for-new-pipe-smokers.102325/).

A Carey Magic Inch pipe uses a paper sleeve on a ventilated tube in the stem. When smoking a tiny bit of air is metered into the smoke stream.

This air doesn’t materially change the flavor but it significantly cuts back on mouth burn and tongue bite and somehow prevents prevent gurgling and soggy pipes, how I’ve not ever been able to quite figure out. But the system works.

After you become an old leather tongued pipe addict and want the full blast of the smoke stream, use a piece of plastic drinking straw to replace the paper tube.

Carey pipes have been made all over the world through the years, and I have them from the USA, London, Italy, Greece, and Israel.

From there I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-c2.html). And found a listing for Carey. It gave me a pipe with the same patent information but it was made in England so that did not help much. I have included a screen capture below.I turned next to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Carey_Magic_Inch). The site had a short article that gave a basic description of the Magic Inch system. It also provided a link to the EA Carey Website which I would look at next. I quote from the Pipedia article below as it is a simple description of the system and the pipe.

The “Magic Inch” System has been a Carey’s tradition for over 50 years, with over 1,000,000 sold. The “Magic Inch” is an air chamber inserted between the imported briar bowl and the vented mouthpiece which allows cool outside air to enter and mix with the warm tobacco smoke inside the “Magic Inch” chamber. Tobacco tars, oils and moisture, are squeezed out of the smoke. The residue drops to the bottom of the chamber and is absorbed by the Papyrate sleeve. From its rich tradition and thousands of satisfied customers, this pipe is sure to be your smoking favorite for life. Carey Magic Inch pipes can be readily identified by a boxed letter C on the stem, along with a distinctive series of three vent slits and the Carey Magic Inch name stamped into the side of the bowl.

That lead me to the Carey Site as noted above (https://www.eacarey.com/magicinchinfo.html). I did a screen capture of the page defining the Magic Inch system. The diagram is helpful to capture the mechanics of the pipe.The site also had testimonials from satisfied customers about the system and hidden in the bottom of one of the sidebars was the Patent info. I have included that screen capture below as it is very interesting (https://www.eacarey.com/careyclassics.html).Now I knew that the pipes were made in many countries and that Israel was on the list. There was no direct link to the Shalom Pipe Company but I am still confident they made this pipe and Carey added the plumbing.

I was ready to start working on this pipe. As usual, Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. I probably don’t say enough about how much I appreciate him doing the hard clean up work before I even get the pipes. He does an amazing job. He had reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer back to bare briar and removed the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He used a small blade to pick out the thick lava on the rim top. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and shank brushes. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe and the stem that came with it before I started my part of the restoration work. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean condition. The bowl walls look very good. The rim top had some remnants of what looked like varnish – almost rings or swirls on the top. The stem looks very clean and when I run my fingers along the edges it still has the casting marks on it.
I tried to capture the stamping on the shank underside. It is readable and clear as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed. I started by working on the rim top. I wiped the bow and rim top down with acetone to remove the varnish run marks on the rim top. Once it was wiped down the marks still remained on the top and turned out to be marks from when the bowl was finished (poorly finished on the top). I sanded the rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads and wiped it down between pads with a damp cloth to check the progress. It looked much better and was smooth. The scratches were sanded out and feel the way it should feel. I restained the sanded rim top and edges with an Oak stain pen to blend it into the surround colour of the briar. The match was perfect and once the pipe was polished more it would be a great match.I polished the smooth portions of the briar and the vulcanite shank extension with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. I wiped the shank extension down with Obsidian Oil. I take photos of the three groups of pads for my own viewing primarily as I am looking for progress in polishing. Once again, by the end of the process it looked quite good. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. I worked it into the sandblast portions of the finish with a shoe brush. It works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive.  With the bowl finished I decided to put a Papyrate filter on the apparatus at the end of the shank. I took one from the box and carefully slid it in place. The fit is snug and the look is perfect. Now I turned to the stem. I love watching the shine develop on the mixed Carey vulcanite as I polish it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished this part of the polishing by using Marks Hoover’s Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. This Carey Magic Inch Pat. No. 3267941 Bent Calabash is a great looking pipe with some interesting sand blast on the front and right side of the bowl and vulcanite shank extension. The fact that it is stamped Israel fits as I have worked on Alpha Pipes of similar shape and style. The beautiful grain around the smooth portions and sandblast on the other portions of the bowl is quite stunning and works well with both the shape and the polished vulcanite shank extension and the polished Carey Magic Inch style stem. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and followed by buffing the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Carey Magic Inch Calabash fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 63 grams/2.22 ounces. I will be putting the pipe and the briar pipe rest on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes From Various Makers Section shortly. If you wish to add this interesting pipe to your rack it is a great addition. Send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I appreciate your support and time!