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Do you ever regret walking away from a pipe deal?

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Blog by Steve Laug

This story starts like many of my blogs when I am travelling. On my last visit to Budapest I was able to visit Gallwitz shop and visit with Viktor Zollner. I enjoyed looking through the estate pipes that he had there – both those he had finished restoring and those yet to be restored. I purchased the interesting Japanese Tatu pipe which I restored and wrote about on the blog (https://rebornpipes.com/2023/11/06/restoring-a-budapest-purchase-a-tatu-pipe-1126-freehand/). Here is the regret that the title hints at. When I returned to Canada I was haunted with the regret that I had walked away from a beautiful and unique LASSE SKOVGAARD Tadpole sandblast pipe shown to the below. I loved the unique look of the pipe and was intrigued by it. I turned it over in my hands looking at the blast, the carving, the construction and the well-made stem in the shank end. I looked it over many times before I set it aside and chose the Tatu. I regretfully set it aside and left the shop and Budapest. Inside I was hoping that perhaps I could sell a few of my own pipes to fund the purchase of the Skovgaard but that was a gamble. I took a few “horrible photos” of the pipe so that I could remember it! I really had no idea if it would be available when I had the funds ready to buy it. Here was hoping and regretting! I remember meeting Lasse Skovgaard in Chicago in 2004 when he was introduced to the pipe world and missed the opportunity then and again when he was there in 2005. I had wanted to add one of his pipes to my collection at that time but he sold out and I went home empty handed. Since them I have looked for one of his pipes that called my name on eBay and other sales sites to add to my collection. I have looked at online sellers as well and have not found the pipe that spoke to me. I don’t know how to explain it other than this description. Then in Gallwitz shop in Budapest I saw this one and it spoke to me. It was one I wanted to add to my rack.

Sadly, I walked away and left it there while I tried to sell a few pipes to finance this purchase. A month went by after my return from Budapest, finally I had sold enough pipes to help with the purchase of this one. I figured it would be a great present for my early December Birthday. In the middle of November, I was ready to see if the pipe was still available and to put it on order. I sent Viktor an email about the pipe and sent him the above photos so he would know which pipe I was speaking of… I think the funniest part of the transaction for me was the fact that in the month since I had returned home my old brain had totally dropped Lasse’s name but I knew it was one that I was looking for. I am sure Viktor must have laughed when he received my email about the above pipe without a name attached and asked him to remind me of the maker’s name.

It is one of those moments when it is almost embarrassing to admit that you have forgotten the name of a maker that you have been saving for! But I did forget and Viktor was kind of enough to not only send me the information I had asked for as well as four far better photos of the pipe than the ones that included in my email to him. I have included is photos along side of these paragraphs.

Viktor replied that the pipe was stamped Lasse Skovgaard on the underside of the shank and had a small symbol stamped on it as well. I believe that the shank is boxwood but I am not certain. The photos capture what I saw when I had held the pipe in my hands when in his shop in Budapest.

The sandblast briar bowl and the curved tail wrapped around the shank make a unique and memorable pipe even for my old brain and “shaky memory”. (Keep in mind I did not forget the pipe just the name of the maker!)

It was very tactile and I think that as it heats up during a smoke it would be warm and even more so.

The blast on the bowl and around the tadpole twisting tail is stained dark and the contrast with the smooth wooden shank and black stem is quite stunning. The smooth shank has the look of a piece of bamboo in terms of colour but not in terms the finish on the wood. It does not have the knuckles or the striations that I expect in a piece of bamboo but the colour is very similar. The fit of the shank to the bowl is quite unique. When Dunhill fit bamboo to a briar bowl there is generally a bit of briar shank to attach it too. Other pipemakers use a piece of stainless steel or Delrin to attach the shank and bowl together. My guess is that this one is attached with either of those.

I really like the way that the briar tail curves around the boxwood shank. The sandblast on the briar continues down the bowl sides and all around the tail. The grain that shows through the blast is quite nice and mix of different patterns. The contrast between the sandblast and the smooth wooden shank is quite nice.

It appears to me that the stem is Ebionite or high-quality vulcanite. There was no oxidation on the stem which speaks to either it having been recently buffed and cleaned or to the quality of the material. There were light tooth marks and chatter on the stem surface on both sides ahead of the button. The slot in the stem is well done with rounded ends on each side. It should easily pass a pipe cleaner.

I wrote back to Viktor and asked him tell me the details of the stamping on the underside of the smooth shank. He said that there was a hard to read symbol above the stamp that read LASSE [arched over] SKOVGAARD. He also included a photo of the stamping to show me. The issue for me was that the stamp curved around the underside of the shank. You can see portions of the stamping in the photo to the left. You can also see remnants of the small symbol above the stamp. My guess is the symbol will give me the information I will need to grade the pipe when it arrives.

I wanted to refresh my memory about the background of the pipemaker himself. I turned to the two sites that I always turn to for background information offered by Pipephil and Pipedia as generally one of them gives me a short synopsis of the brand and the other gives me detail and history of the brand.

I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-s9.html) and found the information in the screen capture and the sidebar info as well below.Artisan: Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen (born 1983) is the son of Bennie Jørgensen. Production (2006): ~ 400 pipes/year. Grading (ascending): 1, 2, 3 and lion.

I think that I just figured out the symbol stamped on the pipe I have coming in. It is a lion stamp symbolizing the highest grade of Lasse’s pipes.

From there I turned to Pipedia to gather more information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Skovgaard). I was happy to learn that the article there was written by Lasse himself and included an email address that I could send him some questions about this pipe. Here is what I found including a photo of the carver.

By Lasse Skovgaard My name is Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen, I am 22 years old (2006). I live in Denmark on the southern part of Zealand, where I enjoy my life as a Danish pipe maker.

Since I was a little boy, I’ve been interested in what my father (Benni Jørgensen) was doing in his workshop. At the age of sixteen I started to make buffalo horn tampers for W.O. Larsen, and I also tried to make a couple of “pipes”, (my father did not think they looked like pipes) but they were not good enough.

After making like a hundred pipes, they started to look better and better and of course with just a little help from my father. I realized that it definitely was not easy to even make a pipe functional, and it also has to look beautiful and elegant. With lots and lots of practice it got easier, and when I was about eighteen I started to make “two tone” and “select” pipes for W.Ø. Larsen.

Along with my education in high school, I was practicing making pipes in my father’s workshop. I was nineteen years old when I started to make the W.O. Larsen straight grains.

Teddy Knudsen is a friend of my father; I spoke to him about the big pipe show in Chicago. Teddy told me to try and come to the show in Chicago and bring pipes stamped with my own name.

I went to the 2004 Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show with a batch of 12 smooth pipes.

I could not have wished for a better welcome; everyone treated me very friendly and it was a lot of fun to meet many of the other pipe makers in the world. I sold out all 12 pipes at the show.

The next year in Chicago 2005 I brought 75 pipes and a lot of them were sandblasted pipes. My sandblasted pipes seemed to be extremely popular and I sold out all my pipes again.

After attending the show in Chicago, I am now selling my pipes in many countries around the world.

The pipe arrived in Vancouver yesterday. It was a quick delivery by DHL from Budapest to Vancouver. The familiar yellow and red plastic package held a box inside. It came with no damage or tears in the package. I took it to the worktable and cut the yellow envelope open and removed the box inside. It was a good-sized box marked Passatore on the top. Passatore is the maker of fine accessories for cigar and pipe smokers. That was an appropriate box for what was inside.I opened the box and inside was a leather pipe pouch stamped with the Gallwitz logo over 1880 (the year that the shop opened). It was a nice-looking suede pipe sock with a draw string. To me it was another layer of fine packaging. It also was another layer that kept me from seeing the pipe that was on the inside! Sweet impatience!I removed the leather pipe sock from the box and then slid the second pipe sock that was on the inside of the first pouch. It was printed and read Lasse Skovgarrd Handmade Made in Denmark (three lines). It was a black felt draw string pouch with scalloped edges.I loosened the draw strings on the pouch and removed pipe from inside. I really is everything that I remembered. Amazing sandblast on the bowl, the tail of the tadpole wrapped around the Boxwood shank and the vulcanite stem look very good together. it was one of those moments when you know you made the right decision.Now it was time to examine the pipe itself more thoroughly. It was obvious that the pipe had not been cleaned at all other than a cursory polishing. That is what I actually like as I have my own methods and standards for the clean up of a pipe. Knowing that I examined the bowl and found that I was correct in that it had not been reamed or cleaned. The shank and airway in the stem were both dirty. The joint of the bowl to the boxwood shank is a glued joint but I think there is a tube inside joining the two parts together. It appears to have been repaired or at least the glue repaired around the joint. It was a little sloppy in that there were glue spots on the boxwood shank. They were under the first twist of the tadpole tail. The finish on the bowl looked very good and the blast was deep and rugged. The joint of the stem to the shank was well fit. The stem showed no oxidation though there were tooth marks on the top and underside just ahead of the button. There was no chatter on either side to speak of. I was pleased with what I saw and the clean up would be very straight forward. I took pictures of the pipe to show its condition. You can hopefully see why I am taken with it. It is different from every other pipe I have in my collection. I took a close up photo of the bowl and the rim top. You can see the cake in the bowl and it is a moderate cake. The rim top was in very good shape with no grime in the grooves of the sandblast surface. The inner and outer edges looked very good. The stem also looked quite good. There were tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. They were not too deep but would need work to lift and then repair.I took a photo of the stamping. It is hard to capture the whole stamp as it is wrapped around the shank ahead of the stem shank joint. It does read as noted above. The figure stamped over Lasse is hard to see in total but I am pretty sure it is a lion which makes the pipe a Lion grade pipe. I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the parts together to get a sense of the flow of the pipe.Now it was time to work on the pipe. I used a sanding stick with a pointed end to work on the glue around the shank/bowl joint. I also used it to sand the dark spots on the shank side under the first wrap of the tail.Now I turned to work on the inside of the bowl and shank. I reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer using the second reaming head. I took the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and sanded the bowl walls smooth with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I checked the bowl walls and they were smooth and showed no heat damage or checking. I let out a sigh of relief as this is one of the invisible risks that you take when purchasing an estate pipe. I cleaned out the shank – mortise and airway and the airway in the stem. I used pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to clean out tars and oils in both. There was a lot of that in both.I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush. I carefully worked it into the twisted tail around the shank and the boxwood shank as well. I used qtips to get into the tight spots. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for fifteen minutes then buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the surface of the stem with the flame of a lighter to try and lift the tooth marks. They did not come up much at all. I filled them in with black CA glue and set it aside to cure. I used a small file to flatten the repairs and blend them into the surface. I sanded out the repairs to blend them into the surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. I set it aside to dry. I really like the both the craftsmanship and the artistry of this beautiful Lasse Skovgaard Hand Made Sandblast Lion Grade Tadpole. It is a real stunning example of the skill of the pipe maker. I carefully worked some Conservator’s Wax into the briar and the boxwood to polish and protect it. I did it by had so I would not potentially damage the twisted tail of the pipe. I buffed it with a shoe brush and a microfibre cloth to raise the shine. I buffed the stem with Blue Diamond on the wheel and gave it multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the stem with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I put the pipe back together and hand buffed it again with microfibre cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished boxwood shank and the vulcanite stem. The rugged sandblast on the bowl, rim top and twisted tail of this Lasse Skovgaard Tadpole make it a beautiful pipe that feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.45 ounces/41 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I am looking forward to enjoying soon. I have some aged Seattle Pipe Club Deception Pass that should smoke well in this bowl. It will be a great afternoon smoke and one I will savour along with the memory of the trip and circuitous purchase of the pipe. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

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. 

Repairing a Cracked Shank and Restoring a Stanwell Regd. No. 969-48 Royal Guard 22

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I am working on was purchased on 01/26/18 from an eBay seller in Akron, Ohio, USA. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Stanwell [over] Regd. No. 969-48 [over] Royal Guard. It is stamped on the left side with the shape number 22. On the flattened underside of the shank it is stamped Made in Denmark. There was a thick cake in the bowl, debris in the bottom and on the bowl walls and some remnants of tobacco. The airway was dirty and tarry and there was a hairline crack in the thin underside of the shank. There was a light lava overflow on the back of the crowned rim top. The crowned and inwardly beveled rim top looked to be in good condition. The outer edge actually looked quite good with no visible damage. The finish was dirty and dusty and with grime ground into the sides and heel of the bowl. The stem looked fairly good but underneath the calcification and oxidation the tooth marks and chatter looked minimal. There was a gold Stanwell S Crown on the left side of the half saddle. When the stem was removed it was clear that it was a filter pipe. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took close-up photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl. The rim top shows some thin lava spots on the smooth finish. The inner edge of the bowl also had some lava buildup. The outer edges of the bowl look very good. He took photos of the top and underside of the stem surface and button to show its general condition. It looked very good under the spotty oxidation. Jeff took a photo of the heel of the bowl and the shank to give a sense of the grain around the bowl sides. It is gorgeous looking pipe that has grain that chases the shape of the bowl. It should clean up very well.He took photos of the stamping on the shank sides. They are clear and readable as noted above. There was no photo included of the right side of the shank and the shape number there. The Crown Stanwell Logo was clear on the left side of the half saddle stem. It was interesting that the Royal Guard had that stem logo rather than the typical RG logo. Jeff took a closer photo of the hairline crack on the shank. It started on the thin bottom side of the shank end and curved upward through the Made in Denmark stamping before it disappears. I turned to Pipedia to see if there was any clear information on the Royal Guard line of pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell). I found the Royal Guard listed under the second lines of Stanwell pipes listed there.

I then followed a link there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). It took me to an article on Shape numbers and Designers. I quote from that below.

22. Two versions of this shape number:

a) Straight billiard with an oval shank and a tapered stem (early 1950s – see catalog).

b) Bent apple-horn hybrid with a half-saddle stem.

From that information I knew that I was working a 22 B – a bent apple-horn hybrid with a half-saddle stem. There was list of designers below that included the 22 in pipes designed by Sixten Ivarsson. The problem was that I did not know if it was referring to the a) or the b) design. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

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 briar. 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 scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem to show how clean they were. You can see that rim top and edges look very good. The stem is clean and the tooth and chatter on both sides ahead of the button is very light.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping is readable as noted above. Royal Guard was a Stanwell second and generally was not stamped Stanwell. This one was! The stem on the Royal Guard was also stamped RG and this one bears the Stanwell Crown S.I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show that the tenon was drilled for a filter. I tried to fit a 9mm filter but it did not work. My guess is that it takes Vauen Dr Perl Junior 6mm size filter. I tried a Dr. Grabow 6mm filter it fit well but was too long. I would trim a Grabow filter to fit the proper length and whoever adds it to their collection will be able to use it until they are able to get some of the ones in the photo below. I also took a photo of the bowl and stem to get an overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. It really is a beautifully shaped pipe. I decided to start my work on the pipe by dealing with the cracked shank. I chose not to drill the crack end so as not to damage the stamping. Instead I put some glue on the cracked shank and held it in place until the CA glue set. I hand fit a band to the shank end. It sounds simple but it was an interesting challenge. The bottom edge of the shank was very thin which I think is why it cracked. There was no extra briar to work with. The other piece of the puzzled was that the bottom of the shank was flattened and the shape was not round any more. I went through my bands and found the one that had the proper diameter. It also had a curved edge that covered the shank end and would provide some extra thickness to the thin bottom of the shank. I gave the band a rough shaping by hand then put it on the shank and used a small furniture hammer to fit it smoothly to the shank shape. It fit nicely and it firmly held things in place.  I used a folded pipe cleaner to paint the shank end with all purpose glue and then pressed the band in place on the glue. I took photos of the newly fitted band. It looked very good at this point and the crack was pressed together tightly. I polished the briar with micromesh because it was in such good condition. I polished it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes while I worked on the stem. After the time passed I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I have a box of Dr. Grabow 6mm filters so I took one out of the box, shortened it to fit and inserted it in the tenon. The fit is perfect and fills in the tenon. I then used some White Acrylic Fingernail Polish to touch up the white that remained in the Crown S stamp on the top of the stem. The S and part of the crown looked much better. There were some light spots on the top of the crown but otherwise it looked good. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. This Sixten Ivarsson designed Stanwell Royal Guard 22 Bent Apple/Scoop with a half saddle vulcanite stem turned out very nice. The mix of brown stains highlights the grain around the bowl sides and bottom. The rim top and edges look very good. The finish on the pipe is in excellent condition. The thin brass band on the shank end looks good and adds strength to the shank stem fit. 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 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 Royal Guard 22 is very nice and feels great in the hand and can be used as a sitter with the wide base. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. It is a nice pipe whose dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 57 grams/2.10 ounces. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This one will be going on the rebornpipes store, in the Danish Pipe Makers Section shortly. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know by message or by email to slaug@uniserve.com. 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 Republic Era Petersons “Kildare” 87S Apple with a Saddle Stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is smooth finished Peterson’s “Kildare” Apple shaped pipe that had a very dirty/grimy finish but had some good-looking grain around the bowl sides and shank. Both Jeff and I have no memory of where we picked up this pipe. Was it a trade or a pipe hunt find? Could easily have been either one. This Lightweight Apple was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [over] “Kildare”. It was stamped on the right side and read Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines) followed by the number 87S (faint but present) near the shank/bowl junction. I believe the “S” is for the saddle stem designation. The pipe was filthy when I brought it to the table. There was grime ground into the briar sides and rim. There was a minimal cake in the bowl but there was still a coat of lava on the rim top but the edges of the bowl. The inner edge of the bowl was thickly coated in lava and it was hard to know how the rim top and edges looked underneath. The stem was dirty with oxidation and calcification on it. There were light tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. There was a light “P” stamp logo on left side of the saddle stem. I took photos of the pipe before my cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. I took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl has been but the rim top has a lava coat flowing down the outside of the bowl and the inner edge. The finish on the bowl is rough around the outer edge but I will know more once it is cleaned up. The photos of the stem show the oxidation, calcification and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. The P-Lip button and edges look good.I took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is faint but readable in the photos below and is as noted above. There is a “P” logo stamp on the left side of the saddle stem. It is faint but I am hoping that I can bring it back with white acrylic. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts of the pipe to give a clear picture of what I see here. I am including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

During the 1950’s and 60’s the Kapp & Peterson Company was still in the ownership of the Kapp family. However, 1964 saw the retiral of the company Managing Director Frederick Henry (Harry) Kapp.

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s System Line. On page 314 it had the following information.

Kildare (1965-) First issue of line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes, P-Lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue C.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on pipe surface. Third issue 2010, matte-brown, P-Lip or fishtail mouthpiece, no band. Fourth issue 2011-, burgundy sandblast finish, nickel army mount, fishtail mouthpiece, exclusive to smokingpipes.com.

Judging from the description above I believe that I am working on a First Issue of the line in the time period of 1965-1979. It is a late Republic Era Classic Shaped pipe with a matte-finish and a P-Lip stem. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

With that information at hand I turned to work on the pipe itself. 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. I scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. The bowl was much cleaner though there were many small nicks and divots in the surface of the briar – but it was clean! I used a half wooden ball and a piece of 220 grit sandpaper to bevel and clean up the rim top. I also used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the outer edge as well and give a slight curved or crown rim top look. I filled in the many nicks and divots in the bowl surface with clear CA glue. Once it cured I smoothed them out with a medium and a fine sanding sponge. Once finished it looked much better. I cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. Many pipe cleaners later the airways were clear and the smell much better.I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove the dust on the surface. I did not need to restain the rim top and edge because with polishing the match is very good. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove as much of the oxidation and calcification as possible. It certainly is improved!In the photos above you can see roughening on the top of the stem surface. I cleaned up the surface and there was some pitting in the surface on both sides. I filled in the pitted surface with clear CA glue. Once it cured I flattened it out with a small file and sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I started polishing it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I touched up the “P” stamp on the left side of the saddle with some white acrylic fingernail polish. Once it cured I used a worn 1500 grit micromesh pad to polish off the excess material. The stamp is faint in the vulcanite so it is quite hard to see clearly.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. NOTE: When I was buffing the pipe I notice a scratch on the left side the shank above the stamping that looked like a crack in the shank… I was a bit frustrated so I stopped buffing and checked it out and was relieved to see under bright light that it was a scratch and not a crack. I also removed the stem and checked the mortise end and there was no crack! I tried steaming the scratch out and was able to improve it but it is still present. There is also a small on the underside of the stem… irritating but part of the pipe’s story.

I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when the Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 87S Apple with a saddle stem is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the 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 grain really pops with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl and thick shank. This Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 87S Apple was another challenging pipe to work on. It is a nice piece of briar that cleaned up really well. The pipe feels great in the hand will be better when warmed up while smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.13 ounces/32 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section if you would like to add it to your rack and carry on the previous pipeman’s legacy. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

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.

Time to enjoy another Peterson’s Pipe – a Republic Era “Kildare” 6 Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is smooth finished Peterson’s Billiard pipe. This one is a smooth Billiard that has a rich coloured finish around the bowl sides and shank. It came to us recently from an estate of a pipeman in Idaho, USA. The contrast of the brown stains makes the grain really pop. It was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [over] “Kildare”. It was stamped to the right of the shank and reads Made in the Republic of Ireland (3 lines) with the shape number 6 next to the bowl. It came to us quite clean, just some dust and debris and little bit of oxidation. The bowl was very clean and I am pretty sure it was either lightly smoked or unsmoked. There is no smell of tobacco in the bowl. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl looked good. There is one spot on the inner edge on the right front of the bowl that is slightly darkened that makes me wonder if it had been smoked. The mortise was also clean with no oils or tars darkening it. The stem was lightly oxidized but there were not any tooth marks or chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. I took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is very clean other than dust and the rim top and edges look good. Though, there appears to be a little darkening on the right front inner edge. The stem is lightly oxidized but there are no tooth marks on the surface or the button. I took photos of the sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is readable in the photos below and is as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the bowl and stem to give a sense of proportion for the pipe. It is a beauty. I am including the link to the Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson).

I turned to “The Peterson Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to get some background on the Peterson’s System Line. On page 314 it had the following information.

Kildare (1965-) First issue of line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes, P-Lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue C.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on pipe surface. Third issue 2010, matte-brown, P-Lip or fishtail mouthpiece, no band. Fourth issue 2011-, burgundy sandblast finish, nickel army mount, fishtail mouthpiece, exclusive to Smokingpipes.com.

Judging from the description above I believe that I am working on a First Issue of the line in the time period of 1965-1979. It is a late Republic Era Classic Shaped pipe with a matte-finish and a P-Lip stem. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I decided to address the darkening on the front inner edge of the bowl first. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel to minimize the darkening and blend it into the surrounding briar. It looked much better at this point.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads to remove the scratches in the briar – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes 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 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 wiped it down with another coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to cure.  I am excited to finish this Peterson’s “Kildare” 6 Straight Billiard. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful flame grain all around it. Added to that the polished Sterling Silver band and the black vulcanite stem was beautiful. This smooth Classic Peterson’s “Kildare” 6 Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 38 grams/1.34 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you want to add it to your collection you can send me a message or an email to slaug@uniserve.com. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

 

 

Fresh Life for a “Captain Peterson” Made in England N24 Rhodesian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on my work table is another one that I have no idea where or when we picked it up. I know that it has been here for a long time. I figure that it probably came in the same lot as the Captain Peterson N23 Apple. The pipe is stamped on the left side and read “Captain Peterson” (upper case letters in two lines). On the right side it was stamped A “Peterson’s Product” [over] Made in England. That is followed by the shape number N24 near the shank/bowl union. There is a C in a Circle logo on the left side of the taper stem. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned somewhere along its journey which told me that it had come to me from Jeff after he had done is work. He also has no idea of the provenance of the pipe. The finish on the bowl was dull but very clean. There were burn marks on the right and left side toward the cap and on the rim top and edges. It appeared that the pipe had been laid in an ashtray. The bowl was reamed and the rim top was also clean. The inner edge of the bowl looked quite good. The taper stem was also very clean. It had no oxidation on the finish but there were tooth marks and chatter on the surface of the stem. There was a bite through on the underside next to the button edge. This one lacked a stinger. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work on it. I took a photo of the bowl and rim top to show how well it had cleaned up. There was no lava on top and no cake in the bowl. You can see the burn marks or darkening on the rim top and edges – both the inner and outer.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. The stamped white logo on the side of the taper stem is also clear and readable.I removed the stem from the shank to give a sense of proportion to the pipe and to also show the unique stinger apparatus in the tenon end of the other Captain Peterson was missing on this one.I have included the information from the previous Captain Peterson restoration. For me this is a part of the restoration. I turned first to Pipephil’s site where I found both Captain Pete and Captain Peterson (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-peterson-rep.html#captainpete). I have included a screen capture of the Captain Pete information and also one of the Captain Peterson information. I also included the sidebar information as well.Captain Pete was a brand of Peterson’s English branch (1899-1960). Dublin continued to produce Captain Petes a couple of years after 1960. At the end of the eighties just as the Sherlock Holmes range was being issued, Peterson reintroduced the modern Captain Pete series.Captain Peterson was a brand of Peterson’s English branch. This English made pipe was crafted prior to 1960.

From there I turned to the “Peterson Pipe The Story of Kapp & Peterson” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg, page 295 to see what information I could find there. I quote:

Captain Pete – This line’s name was derived from the nickname of Charles Peterson, known affectionately by friends and employees as “Captain Peterson.” The first issue. C. 1940-62, was in a smooth finish produced for Rogers Imports with a white stamped P inside C or a circled P on the mouthpiece. CAPTAIN over PETE on shank, and MADE IN IRELAND in a circle. English made versions show CAPTAIN over PETE on the shank or “CAPTAIN PETERSON” and a PETERSON’S PRODUCT over MADE IN ENGLAND or LONDON MADE over ENGLAND. The second issue (1998-), features an XL bowl with Sherlock Holmes shapes and compact stems, in rustic or combination of smooth and rustic finish, with a nickel band between two narrow brass bands.

I knew that I was working on a pipe made before 1960 in London, England. Thus, the pipe was a first issue C. 1940-62. It is a beautiful pipe that will need some work but overall was in very good condition for a pipe made before 1960. It was time to start my work on the pipe.

I began by cleaning up the inner edge of the bowl and gently topped the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the edge to give it very slight bevel and minimize the damage. I also sanded the burnt spots on the sides of the bowl to blend them into the surface. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the bowl and shank with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down with a damp cloth between each sanding pad. The bowl took on more of a shine with the completion of each sanding pad. I gave the bowl and shank a wash of Light Brown aniline stain and alcohol. I applied it with a wool dauber and flamed it to set it in the briar. Once it cured I buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. After buffing I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my fingertips. I let it sit on the bowl for 15 minutes. I buffed it off with a soft cotton cloth to raise the shine. It was a beautiful piece of briar. With the bowl finished other than the final buffing I set it aside and turned my attention to the stem. I greased a pipe cleaner with Vaseline and inserted it in the button below the bite through. I filled in the bite through on the underside with black super glue and the tooth marks on the top side with you. I removed the pipe cleaner from the stem and then used a small file to flatten the repair. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper and then started polishing it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I touched up the Circle C logo the left side of the stem with some white acrylic fingernail polish. Once it dried I sanded off the excess and the logo looked very good.I polished it with micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down between each pad with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. By the final pad the pipe stem looked very good. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem polish (both Fine and Extra Fine) then wiped the stem down with another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am excited to finish the easy restoration of this “Captain Peterson” Made in England N24 Rhodesian. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished black, taper vulcanite stem was beautiful. This “Captain Peterson” N24 Rhodesian turned out very well and feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .99 ounces/28 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in carrying on the trust of this let me know through a message or an email to slaug@unserve.com . Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

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.

The Last Filthy and Messy Pipe – a Worn and Repaired No Name Rhodesian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I chose to work on came is another one from the lot of 11 pipes I purchased from a lady in Regina, Saskatchewan. She had found them in a house she bought and wanted to know if I wanted them. We struck a deal, I paid for the pipes and shipping and the box arrived while I was traveling in Europe. In the box were 4 Stanwells, 1 Danmore Bowl, 1 Soren Freehand, 1 Calabash with a Briar Bowl, 1 Nording Freehand, 1 Italian Made Bertenetti, 1 Rhodesian with a banded cracked shank, and 1 Brigham. I have restored the Nording, the snapped Stanwell, the Brigham, the Gourd Calabash with the briar bowl, restemmed the Danmore bowl, cleaned the Lorenzetti, restored the Stanwell Made in Denmark 11 Pot, the Stanwell Antique 25 Scoop and the Danish Sovereign Stanwell Second 64 Dublin. There are blogs on each restoration available. I now am down to one remaining pipe. The next pipe on the table is the last of the dirty pipes in a box full of very dirty pipes. There appears to be some stamping on the shank sides but it is so worn that it is utterly unreadable. The pipe was obviously someone’s favourite. The Rhodesian is one of my favourite pipe shapes. This one had not only been smoked to a point of heavy damage on the rim top and inner edge but the band on the shank held together a repair of three branched cracks on the shank. The stem fit well but there was a lot of grit and grime built up in the shank. There was a thick cake in the bowl, debris in the bottom and on the bowl walls and some remnants of tobacco. The airway was plugged and there was no draught on the pipe. There was a heavy lava overflow on the rim top and down the sides of the bowl and shank. The inner edges of the bowl were heavily damage, particularly on the right front side. The outer edge actually looked quite good under the grime. The rim cap was worn at an angle with more briar at the back of the bowl and on the left side than on the front side and the right side. The finish was dirty and there was lava on the sides and heel of the bowl. The stem was in rough shape in appearance but underneath the calcification and oxidation the tooth marks and chatter looked minimal. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work on it. I took a close-up photo of the bowl and rim top to show the thick cake in the bowl. The rim top shows the thick lava on it and the edges. The inner edge of the bowl is so thickly coated lava that it is hard to know the condition. The outer edges of the bowl were very worn. You can also see how poorly the stem seats against the end of the mortise. There is a gap between the shank end and the saddle stem. I took photos of the top and underside of the stem surface and button to show its general condition. It looked very good under the calcification and oxidation.I took a photo of the underside of the shank to show the cracks in the shank. There is one long crack with two branches off of it. It had been repaired and banded. I also took a photo of the shank end to show the crack and the gummy tars in the shank. It was a mess. I took the stem off the pipe and took a photo to give a sense of the proportion of the pipe. Now it was time to work on the pipe. I removed the stem and turned my attention to the bowl clean up. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the fourth (and largest) cutting head to take the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls with a piece of 180 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel to smooth them out.  I scrubbed the exterior of the briar with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the grime and soap. It looked much better and the dust and debris was gone. I dried it with a cotton towel. I scrubbed out the internals of the shank, mortise and the airway in the stem with 99% isopropyl alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. There was a lot of tar and oil in the shank and airway. It was a mess.Once I had cleaned the shank with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs I topped the bowl on a topping board with 220 grit sandpaper. You can see the repaired cracks in the shank under the band. Once the rim was topped the right side or the rim top and inner edge were very thin and work. The bowl was out of round and a real mess. What was I going to do with the mess? Leave it be or fuss with it? I chose to fuss and rebuilt the inner edge with clear CA glue and briar dust until the bowl was back in round. I cleaned up the inner edge of the rebuilt portion of the rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper and my Dremel and sanding drum. I was actually pretty happy with the finish… it seems I made a good choice.I filled in the deep flaws in the briar with clear CA glue and briar dust. Once they cured I sanded the repaired areas smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I used a dark Cordovan aniline stain to give the bowl an undercoat. I applied it with a wool dauber and flamed it to set it in the grain. I rusticated the finish with a home made rustication tools. I wanted to dig deep enough in the briar to mask the many fills in the wood and the repaired cracks in the shank. It would also give the pipe a tactile finish. I rusticated the bowl and shank but left the bull cap and rim top smooth. The twin rings around the cap are clean and still very visible. I used a light brown aniline wash to restain the bowl. I applied it to the briar and flamed it with a lighter. That set the brown on the top of the rustication. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the finish with a horsehair shoe brush and my finger tips to clean and enliven the briar. If you have read my blogs for a while you know that I do this religiously every time as it really works magic! With that done, the bowl was finished other than the final buffing. I set it aside and turned my attention to the stem. I wiped it down with some Soft Scrub on cotton pads to remove the oxidation and calcification. I was able to remove most of the oxidation and the calcification. It looked much better when I finished.I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to lift all of the marks on the top surface and all but three small deeper marks. I filled in those with black CA glue. I flattened the repair with a small file and further blended it into the surface with 220 grit sandpaper and started polishing it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It really was taking 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 finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem polish (both Fine and Extra Fine) then wiped the stem down with another coat of Obsidian Oil. I am excited to finish the reconstruction of this No Name Rhodesian. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished reworked bowl looks like with the polished black, saddle vulcanite stem was beautiful. This No Name Rhodesian turned out very well and feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches long, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/51 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I am not sure what I am going to do with at the moment. It is unique and rebuilt but looks like new. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

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.

Resurrecting a Savinelli Dry System

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Next on the old chopping block is a wonderful Savinelli Dry System 3621 Bent Dublin. It’s a really good-looking pipe and I understand that this is a popular and well-loved series. I got it recently in a lot of pipes and it called out to me for some help. I suppose this pipe is meant to be reminiscent of the Peterson system pipes – it even has a sort of P-lip button! It’s a terrific-looking pipe, with a bit of a rough history. The main markings of the pipe are on the underside of the stummel. On the left it reads Savinelli [over] Dry [over] System. Next to that is the Savinelli crown and “S” logo. And next to that is 3621 [over] Italy.  The shank has a nickel cap with Savinelli stamped on it. Finally, the stem has a worn, but still readable, stylized “S” on the top.Savinelli is one of the most recognized names in pipe smoking and they have a long and storied history. You can read about them from their own website or from Pipedia’s article about them. However, I was particularly interested in learning more about the Dry System. Sadly, Pipedia had nothing on this subject. I checked with Pipephil and they did have a bit of information which I provide here below:However, the definitive word on the Dry System comes from Savinelli’s own website. It provided some very useful information.

In 1981, after several years of research, Savinelli launched the “Dry System”, combining trap and filter. The name “Dry” comes from the introduction of the balsa “filter” into the traditional system pipe – the “System” being the presence of the built-in moisture trap in the shank. The balsa mops up the moisture in the smoke hence the term “Dry” system, and if the pipe is smoked without the balsa all that will happen is that this moisture will condense and collect in the trap. It can then either be mopped up with a folded pipe cleaner, or flicked out.

Finally, here’s an image of the pipe from an old Savinelli shape chart:This was obviously a terrific smoker, as the wear and tear on this pipe shows. The stummel was quite dirty – both inside and out – and even appeared to have some dust-bunnies inside the bowl (not to mention all the cake). The finish was well worn and would need to be addressed. The nickel cap had some mess on it too. The stem, however, was from another planet. Have you ever seen such oxidation on a pipe stem? In fact, my wife asked me if the stem was actually meant to be brown. “No” was my emphatic answer! Aside from that, the stem had some tooth marks and nicks. I could tell that this stem was going to be a bear to deal with. This pipe is always going to retain some marks from its hard life, but it is my job to make sure this pipe looks as good as possible. It’s a wonderful pipe and it deserves to be part of someone’s collection again.

The stem is going to take a lot of work, so let’s get started. I took up the stem and cleaned it off with Murphy’s Oil Soap. It was quite dirty and needed some scrubbing. I then cleaned out the insides of the stem with pipe cleaners and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol, and, as you can see, if was pretty dirty inside. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame in order to lift the tooth marks. This was only moderately successful in raising the dents.Now to tackle the epic oxidation. Next, I scrubbed (and scrubbed and scrubbed) the stem with some SoftScrub cleanser and then put the stem in my container of deoxidizing fluid overnight. This works to draw the oxidation to the surface of the stem, so that it can be cleaned off again with more SoftScrub. As you can see, this worked in the sense that it drew out the oxidation, but there remained a lot of labour ahead. In fact, I repeated the process of scrubbing and soaking overnight, because the situation was so dire. Eventually, I got to a point where the stem was something I could work with. Before I moved on to sanding, I built up the tooth marks on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure. I then sanded them down with sandpapers to merge a bit better into the stem. I also added some nail polish to the ‘S’ on the stem. At this point, it was clear that more than the ‘usual’ sanding was going to be required here. I took two sanding sponges (220- and 320-grit) and worked the stem hard. I needed to sand out the remaining oxidation to get this stem the best chance of looking decent again. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the lovely black lustre. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. As I mentioned before, there are still hints of its past life, but I’m pretty pleased with how the stem came out. On to the stummel and the usual cleaning procedures were in order for this pipe. I used the KleenReem to remove the cake in the bowl and I followed up by sanding the walls down with some 220-grit sandpaper attached to a wooden dowel. I took it down to bare briar, as I wanted to see if there were any issues in the walls of the bowl. There was some charring and some slight fissures, but nothing serious. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol. There was some nastiness inside this stummel and it took a lot of cotton to get this thing clean. I decided to de-ghost the bowl to be on the safe side. I thrust some 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 then moved on to cleaning the outside of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a toothbrush. What a difference that made! I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. As I mentioned earlier, there were some minor issues to fix inside the bowl. The solution to this problem is an excellent one: epoxy. I prepared some J.B. Weld epoxy and smeared the walls, ensuring that the epoxy was evenly spread. Once done, a good 24 hours was needed to ensure that the epoxy was properly cured. After that, I gently sanded the inside of the bowl to provide a rough surface for what was to come later. I coated the entire inside of the bowl with a mixture of activated charcoal and my wife’s homemade yogurt. Once hardened, this provides a good, slightly rough surface for a new cake to build. Due to the pipe’s hard life, it was clear to me that the pipe needed to be stained. I applied some Fiebing’s Dark Brown Leather Dye. I flamed it with a BIC lighter and let it set. I then removed the excess with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton round. It looked so much better after this. I then rubbed some Before & After Restoration Balm into the wood. I gently brushed it into the rustication grooves and let the balm sit for fifteen minutes or so. The BARB works so well at bringing out the best in the wood. I brushed it with a horsehair brush and buffed it with a microfibre cloth. Beauty! I rubbed the nickel band with 0000 steel wool. This is the least abrasive grade of steel wool and I wouldn’t use anything harsher than that. I then used a few MicroMesh pads to make the metal shine. Later, I went to the bench buffer and applied some White Diamond to the stummel and stem. Then the final polish! The rusticated surface meant that I didn’t use carnauba wax – it gets gummed up in the grooves. Instead, I used Lee Valley Conservator’s Wax which worked like a charm. This was a nifty restoration and I had fun with it. I think the result is terrific and it’s a very handsome pipe once again. 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 “Italy” 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 Savinelli Dry System 3621 Bent Dublin are as follows: length 5 in. (126 mm); height 4 in. (101 mm); bowl diameter 1⅜ in. (36 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (19 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅛ oz. (35 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 309 Bent Billiard

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Blog by Steve Laug

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a customer, Ted about some pipe work for him. He had three pipes that he said needed different things and offered to send some photos. He also sent a second email with a description of what each pipe needed. I have included that email and the photos he sent below.

Peterson 309 needs stem restoration and bowl cleaned out. Rhodesian needs full restoration – my English teacher from high school gave it to me a little over two years ago. The Comoy’s Canadian needs a new bit I broke it… I have finished the Comoy’s Restem and the restoration of the Andre pipe. This third pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [arched over] System [arched over] Standard. On the right side it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (three lines) and next to that is the shape number 309. The nickel ferrule is stamped K&P Peterson over the three common hallmarks on System pipes with Nickel ferrules – a shamrock, a wolf hound, and a tower. There was a moderate cake in the bowl with lava on the rim top. The finish was in decent condition but there was a varnish coat that was spotty. There was dirt and debris ground into the finish on the bowl sides and around the edges of the rim. Under the grime is a coat of varnish that was spotty and worn. The nickel ferrule is oxidized and dirty. The stem was oxidized and there were light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem. I took photos of the pipe before I started work on it. I took a close-up photo of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl. The rim top shows some lava on the smooth finish. The inner edge is quite dirty and is covered with a coat of lava but the outer edges of the bowl looked good. The stem photos show the oxidation and the light tooth marks and chatter next to the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the pipe. It is stamped on both sides and reads as noted above. It was clear and readable as noted above. The stamping on the ferrule is also very clear and readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to give a sense of proportion of the pipe. It is quite nice. I am including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

During the 1950’s and 60’s the Kapp & Peterson company was still in the ownership of the Kapp family. However 1964 saw the retiral of the company Managing Director Frederick Henry(Harry) Kapp.

Pipedia also included a section of information on the System pipes including a diagram of the systems look (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson#Republic_Era_Pipes). I quote a section of the article in part and include a link to another article on Pipedia on the System pipe.

The Peterson System pipes are the standard bearers of the Peterson pipe family, famous for the excellent smoking pleasure they provide. Often imitated but never equaled, the Peterson System smokes dry, cool and sweet, thanks to the scientific effectiveness of the original design. The heart of the System is the unique graduated bore in the mouthpiece. This makes the suction applied by the smoker 15 times weaker by the time it reaches the tobacco chamber. The result is that all the moisture flows into the reservoir and, thus cannot reach the smoker’s mouth. The Peterson Lip further enhances the effectiveness of the graduated bore by directing the flow of smoke upwards and away from the tongue. This achieves a uniquely even distribution of smoke and virtually eliminates any chance of tonguebite or bitterness. Furthermore, the shape is contoured so that the tongue rests comfortably in the depression under the opening. Each “PLip” mouthpiece is made from Vulcanite. For the Peterson System pipes to work properly, the stem/tenon has to have an extension, the tip of which will pass by the draft hole from the bowl and into the sump. Upon the smoker drawing in smoke, this extension then directs the smoke down and around the sump to dispense a lot of the moisture before the smoke enters the extension and stem. On the System Standards and other less expensive systems, this extension with be made of Vulcanite turned integrally with the stem. On the more expensive System pipes this extension will be made of metal which screws into the Vulcanite stem. This extension on the earlier pipes will be of brass and the newer pipes will be of aluminum. Most smokers not knowing this function of the metal extension, assumes that it is a condenser/stinger and will remove it as they do with the metal condensers of Kaywoodie, etc. Should you have a System pipe with this metal extension, do not remove it for it will make the System function properly and give you a dryer smoke (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_closer_look_at_the_famous_Peterson_Standard_System_Pipe).

I have included the information on the shape number on this pipe that I picked up on researching the previous pipes. I have included a page from a Petersons Catalogue that I have on rebornpipes (https://rebornpipes.com/tag/peterson-hallmark-chart/). There is no shape 309 shown in the catalogue page of rusticated shaped shown below. I wonder if it is an older or a newer shape. But I am uncertain of that. I knew that I was dealing with a Republic Era pipe made between 1950-1989. It was a Peterson’s System Standard 309 Bent Billiard with a great rustication. The bowl was stained with a combination of reddish-brown stains. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl with a PipNet reamer to remove the cake from the bowl and take it back to bare briar. I cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. The bowl was very clean. I removed the shiny varnish coat and grime with a cotton pad and acetone. Once it was finished it looked much better. I worked on the rim top and the bowl edges with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and a worn 1550 grit micromesh sanding pad to remove the tars and oil damage.I scrubbed the exterior of the briar with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the grime and soap. It looked much better and the dust and debris was gone. I dried it with a cotton towel. I scrubbed out the internals of the pipe with 99% isopropyl alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. I cleaned out the airway in the stem as well. I worked on these areas repeatedly until the shank and the airway in all the parts was clean.I polished the smooth briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. The bowl began to take on a rich shine. Between the 2440 grit pad and the 3200 grit pad, I stained the rim top with both a Maple and a Cherry stain pen. It was a close match to the rest of the bowl. With the remaining micromesh and the buffing it would be a good match. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I polished the nickel ferrule on the shank end with a jewellers cloth to remove the tarnish, polish the nickel and protect it from further tarnish. It looks very good. With that done, the bowl was finished other than the final buffing. I set it aside and turned my attention to the stem. I worked on the oxidation on the stem with Soft Scrub Cleanser. I worked it into the vulcanite with a cotton pad and was able to remove much of the oxidation.  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 finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem polish (both Fine and Extra Fine) then wiped the stem down with another coat of Obsidian Oil.Once again at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when the Smooth Peterson System Standard 309 is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the 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 depths of the rustication really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl and thick shank and nickel ferrule. This Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 309 Bent Billiard was another fun pipe to work on. It really is a quite stunning piece of briar whose shape follows the flow of the briar. The pipe feels great in the hand will be better when warmed up while smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/51 grams. It is the last of the three pipes that were sent to me by Ted for refurbishing. Now that it is complete I will be boxing up the threesome and sending them back to him. I am sure he will enjoy them and build even more memories with them. This was another interesting estate to bring back to life.

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 Comoy’s Sandblast Squat Straight Bulldog

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Blog by Steve Laug

This Comoy’s Sandblast on my work table has a rugged, swirling sandblast finish with lots of nooks and crannies in the briar. It is a beauty! The straight Bulldog is clearly stamped on a smooth panel on the left underside of the diamond shank and reads Comoy’s [over] Sandblast. Underneath that it is stamped Made in London [over] England in two lines. There is no shape number stamped visibly though it could possibly be underneath the gold band. I received an email a few weeks ago from Alec,  a reader of the blog about the pipe. Here is what he wrote…

I have an old Comoy’s straight, sandblasted, squat bulldog pipe which I got from an antique store. From what I can tell, it is from the 60s or 70s, pre-Cadogan. The stem is vulcanite and has some deoxidization [sp]. I was wondering if you would be able to do some restoration work for me? I am not looking to sell it, but don’t have the time to go about doing it myself.

We wrote back and forth and he sent the pipe to me. It came yesterday and when I looked at it this morning this is what I saw. The valleys and ridges of the sandblasted grain showing through the grime and dirt are a mixture that leaves a rich texture. It had a rich dark and medium contrasting brown stain that does not look too bad. There was a moderate cake in the bowl with remnants of tobacco stuck on the walls. There was a light lava overflow in the blast on the rim. The edges of the rim and top are dirty but look pretty pristine under the grime. There was a scratched gold band on the shank end that upon examination showed a crack on the lower right underside. It was a beautiful pipe that was dirty and tired looking. The stem was oxidized and calcified with what appeared to be marks from a rubber Softee Bit toward the end. It had some tooth marks on the top and underside of the button. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the lava build up on the edges of the bowl. It was thick and hard but hopefully it had protected the rim and edges from damage. The edges look pretty good.I took a photo of the stamping on the smooth panel on the underside of the shank. The stamping was readable as you can see from the photo below. It read Comoy’s [over] Sandblast and underneath Made in London [over] England.  The second photo shows the C logo on the left side of the saddle stem is formed by three circles working to make the C.  I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of proportion. Before my work on the pipe began, I wanted to see where it fit in the Comoy’s timeline. I looked on Pipedia to pin down a date for the pipe. Since the pipe is stamped Made in London England I decided to use that to see what I could find. Pipedia has a great article on dating these pipes (https://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Comoy%27s_Dating_Guide#Made_in_London_England). I found the information below. I have highlighted the pertinent portion in red in the paragraph below. The stamping matches the pipe I am working on.

Appears in two versions. This is again stamped in two straight lines “MADE IN LONDON” on the top and “ENGLAND” beneath. It can be assumed that this stamp was first used in the export drive in the early 1950s. On a Bulldog Sandblast from the early 50s the Comoy name has slightly more fancy block letters with serifs and the apostrophe. (It seems that some grades carried different stamps, or at least that the stamping changed in different years for some grades.)] was used together with “MADE IN LONDON” over “ENGLAND”. There are no known examples of pre-WW II Comoy’s stamped in this way. The second version is the same as above but in a “rugby ball” shape. This shape is verified on Comoy´s “Extraordinaire” pipes.

From that I knew that I was working a Comoy’s Sandblast Bulldog Made in London England from the early 1950’s.

I have also included two catalogue pages from Pipedia as well to show the line for sale at several time periods in Comoy’s history (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Comoy%27s). The first page is from the 1922 Catalogue and the second one is from a later date. Read the description that highlights how they did their sandblasting combining heat and sand to bring out the grain. I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl. I reamed it back with a PipNet pipe reamer using the first two cutting heads to take off all of the cake back to bare briar. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife and then sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I cleaned out the interior of the pipe with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. It was not as dirty as I expected. I was able to remove all of the grime and tars that were in the mortise, shank and airway in the stem.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. It looked surprisingly better and the dust and lava filling in the sandblast was gone. The pipe had a strong aromatic smell remaining in the bowl and shank even after cleaning thoroughly so I filled the bowl with cotton bolls and a cotton plug in the shank. I used an ear syringe to fill the bowl with 99% isopropyl alcohol to deghost it and remove the smell of the aromatic. I let it sit overnight. In the morning the cotton was dark with tars and oils. I removed it from the bowl and ran pipe cleaners and alcohol through it. I used some alcohol thinned light brown aniline stain as a wash on the briar. I applied it to the briar with a wood dauber and flamed it with a Bic lighter to set the stain in the wood. I set it aside to let the wash dry. I rubbed Before & After Restoration Balm on the pipe, working it into the grooves and deeper areas of the sandblast. The balm enlivens, cleans and protects the briar was it is worked into the finish. I let it sit for a short time and then buffed it off with a soft cloth. I took photos of the bowl to show the condition at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I scrubbed the surface with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove some of the oxidation on the surface. While it worked it left behind some very deep oxidation. I “painted” the stem surface with a lighter flame and was able to raise them quite a bit. I cleaned up the stem end with 220 grit sandpaper and then filled in the remaining marks on the button edge and the surface with black CA glue. Once it cured, I used a file to shape the button edge and also smooth out the fill. I sanded the remaining marks with 220 grit sandpaper to blend them into the surface of the surrounding vulcanite. I started polishing the stem surface with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I polished the stem surface with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanding with 3200-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. 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 put the stem back on the bowl and worked the pipe over on the buffing wheel using Blue Diamond to lightly polish both the bowl and the stem. I buffed the bowl and stem to raise the gloss on the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl a lighter buff than I did on the stem to keep the polishing material from clogging the deep grooves of the blast. There is a little remaining oxidation around the C logo which I am leaving as I do not want to damage it. There was also some water damage (lightening) just ahead of the button on both sides that remains after much work! I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and gave the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The contrasting brown stain – both medium and dark brown goes well with the rich black of the vulcanite stem. The dimensions of the pipe are: Length: 5 1/2 inches, Height: 1 3/4 inches, Outside Diameter: 1 1/4 inches, Diameter of the chamber: 3/4 inches. Now that the pipe is finished I will soon pack it up and mail it back to Alec. I know he is looking forward to loading it up and smoking it. Thanks for walking with me through the restoration.

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 BIG, Beautiful Charatan

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Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

Next on the chopping block is a Lumberman-shaped Charatan, from the family of a local gentleman who had passed away. It’s great-looking pipe, with a large bowl and a long, lovely shank. The stem is a handsome saddle – not the “double comfort” version. I’m looking forward to getting this one fixed up and available for sale. On the top of the shank, it says “Charatan’s Make [over] London, England [over] Special”. Nothing on the left side of the shank, but on the right side it reads the shape number “4402 X”. On the stem, there was the traditional “CP” of the Charatan company. The Lumberman is a member of the Canadian family of pipe shapes, and this one is a real beauty. Let’s do some research and see what we find. First of all, a search of Charatan shape numbers provides this nugget:

“402 Outsize Lumberman”

And that fits this pipe to a T. Now let’s see if we can date this pipe. I went to Pipedia and found an excellent article on dating Charatans. Here are some relevant quotations for this pipe:

“From 1863 to 1960 the mouthpieces have a normal shape, saddle or tapered. From 1961 they use the ‘Double Comfort’ style still used today. By the way there are some saddle bits (without the double comfort) used in pipes that date after 1960 but these models are always characterized by a X (in the place of the DC) engraved after the shape number on the shank. This means that if a pipe has a tapered mouthpiece instead of a double comfort one, it is definitely a pre-Lane pipe before 1960. While if a pipe has a normal saddle bit stem, it could belong to every era. Nevertheless the pipe is pre 1961 if the shape code does not include an X, and is a pipe from after 1960 if the X is engraved.”

So this tells us that this pipe dates from after 1960. But there’s more!

“The CP logo on the stem is stamped in a different shape according the era it was used. Some differences are less obvious than others, however the glaring differences are detectable in 4 phases…. From 1961 to 1977 the CP logo is more pronounced and the C penetrates the P.”

So this tells us that this pipe dates from after 1960, but before 1977. And, again, there’s even more!

“Presence of the writing “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” on 2 lines.”

This is the clincher. It confirms that this comes from the “First Lane era, 1961-1965”. After this date, that specific writing on the shank changes from 2 to 3 lines. So this pipe dates from approximately 60 years ago. One important note: from 1955 all the pipes imported into the USA (and presumably Canada?) by Lane has a stylized “L” (to indicate Lane’s proprietorship). This pipe does not have the stylized “L”, so was likely acquired in England. Here’s an image of the pipe in question, from a 1964 catalogue: On to the pipe itself. It arrived in fairly good shape – no major problems to report. Just needs some TLC and it will look fantastic. The stem has a few minor bite marks and a good bit of oxidation, but nothing serious. The stummel had a few very minor nicks on the bowl, plus there was a good amount of lava on the rim and some charring. Most of the stummel, however, was in excellent condition – especially for 60 years old. Time to get to work! The stem was first on my list. I wiped the outside down with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame to lift the few bite marks and dents. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It was minorly dirty and I only went through a few pipe cleaners. I then wiped down the stem with SoftScrub cleaner to remove surface oxidation. Once this process was done, the stem went for an overnight soak in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. This allows me to clean the oxidation off in a couple of ways: by applying a mild cleaner to the surface and sanding the stem. The next day, I used SoftScrub again with some cotton rounds. After this, I used some acrylic paint to restore the logo on the stem. I painted the area carefully and let it fully set before proceeding. I built up the dents on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure. I then sanded the adhesive down with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the stem’s lovely black lustre. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. With the stem shiny and clean, I set it aside and moved on to the stummel. Firstly, I decided to ream out the bowl. I used the PipNet Reamer to remove the built-up cake and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper taped to a dowel 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. There were a few thin, wispy heat fissures inside the bowl, but nothing serious. That’s easily dealt with – later. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. There was a bit of filth inside this stummel and it took a fair amount of cotton to get it clean. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. I decided to de-ghost the pipe to remove any lingering smells of the past. 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. The bowl was nice and clean after this.Even though the nicks on the stummel were slight, I dug out my iron and a damp cloth to try to raise them. The hot and moist steam can often cause the wood to swell slightly and return to shape. This worked quite well, but alas, I forgot to take pictures.

I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel. I decided it wasn’t necessary to top this pipe. I felt that I could remove the charring without removing any patina. I used a piece of machine steel to gently and carefully scrape away the lava on the rim, before using a toothbrush with Murphy’s to get rid of the rest. So, I opted for just the Micromesh pads to finish things up. Since the pipe was in such good condition, I only used the 3200-grit and up.I addressed the small fissures in the bowl, by coating the entire inside of the bowl with a mixture of activated charcoal and my wife’s homemade yoghurt. Once hardened, this provided a good, slightly rough surface for a new cake to build. I applied a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm. This stuff works wonders in bringing out the beauty of wood. I make use of the stuff in every restoration. Then it was off to the buffer. I used White Diamond and carnauba wax to make this pipe super spiffy.This Charatan looks amazing and is ready to be enjoyed 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 British Pipemakers 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 6¼ in. (160 mm); height 2 in. (53 mm); bowl diameter 1⅝ in. (42 mm); chamber diameter 1 in. (24 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¾ oz. (52 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I 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.