Tag Archives: restaining a bowl and rim

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 Republic Era Petersons “Kildare” 87 Apple

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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. It came to us from an Antique Store on 10/20/2022 in Vancouver, Washington, USA. 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 87 near the shank/bowl junction. The pipe was in filthy condition when he brought it to the table. The finish was dirty with grime ground into the briar sides and rim. There was a thick cake in the bowl and 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 tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside on and near the button and on the button edges as well. The P lip portion of the stem was bent downward putting the airway on the end of the stem. There was no “P” stamp logo on the taper stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is thickly caked and 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 but I will know more once it is cleaned up. The photos of the stem show the oxidation, calcification and the tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. The P-Lip has been heated and turned downward making the airway enter at the bend end! Jeff took some photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the amazing grain that is peeking out from underneath that overflow of lava and grime on the surface around this bowl. It is appears to have a nice looking pipe hidden underneath it all! He 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. 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.  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. There were portions of the bowl sides where the tars had stained the briar but it was clean! He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Soft Scrub to remove as much of the oxidation and calcification as possible. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I started to work on it. I took some close-up photos of the rim top, bowl front and heel as well as the stem surface. I wanted to show what an amazing job Jeff did in the cleanup of the rim top. The rim top and inner edge had darkening and damage. There was damage to the inner edge on the front and back of the bowl. The bowl front and heel had some darkening from the tars staining the briar. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the vulcanite. It was quite clean and the light tooth marks on the stem ahead of the button that do not show up well. The button was also bent downward and the airway was at the stem end. One of the things I appreciate about Jeff’s cleanup is that he works to protect and preserve the nomenclature on the shank of the pipes that he works on. The stamping on this one was very faint to start with so I was worried that it would disappear altogether with the cleanup. He was not only able to preserve and maintain its condition in the process. I took some photos to show the clarity of the stamping. I have noticed that many restorers are not careful to protect the stamping in their cleaning process and often by the end of the restoration the nomenclature is almost destroyed. I would like to encourage all of us to be careful in our work to preserve this as it is a critical piece of pipe restoration! I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe. I decided to start my work on the pipe by cleaning up the rim top, inner edge of the bowl and the darkening on the front of the bowl. I worked over the edge with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I minimized the damage on the inner edge and rim top. It looked significantly better. I used a medium grit sanding sponge and 220 grit sandpaper to sand the darkening on the bowl front. It looked better but still was too dark to my liking. I mixed a batch of oxalic acid and wiped down the darkened areas to see if that method would lighten it more. Each step took more of the darkening away. I sanded it again with the sanding sponge and 220 grit sandpaper and finally it was as good as it would get. Some of the darkening remained but it was still a big improvement. I stained the bowl with a light brown aniline stain to try to cover and blend in the darkening on the rim top and front of the bowl. I applied the stain with a wool dauber and flamed it with a Bic lighter to set it in the grain. I set it aside to let the stain coat cure. I wiped the bowl down with alcohol on cotton pads to lighten the opaque stain and make it more transparent. I like the way the pipe looked at this point in the process. I still needed to use micromesh on it but it was looking better. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the dust. The briar was really shining by the final pad. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. Someone had heated the tip of the button and bent it down to bring the airway on the top of the P-lip down to form a straight opening in the stem end. I heated the tip with a heat gun and carefully bent it back up and straight once again. The airway opening is certainly closer to the original than it was when I started. A bit more shaping is going to be necessary but it is better. 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.    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 Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 87 Apple with a taper 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 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. This Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 87 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.

My Grandfather’s Apple

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Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

Next on the chopping block is a personal pipe – and one that is staying in my collection. This pipe is a charming apple shape with a straight stem of what I assume is amberoid – and not real amber. I do not know where my grandfather acquired it (or under what circumstances), but I suppose it does not ultimately matter. My grandfather was an enthusiastic pipe smoker and he clearly enjoyed this one. I am definitely looking forward to cleaning this one up. It has a value well beyond dollars. As the photos show, this pipe has a stem that tapers towards the button. In addition to this, it also has an orific button. These two facts suggest a pipe from the pre-WW2 era. For more information on the orific button, take the time to read Steve’s interesting article on the subject. This type of button is a feature that apparently disappeared by the 1930s, but the metal tenon suggests a date that is more likely in the 1940s. The pipe’s markings read Racine de [over] Bruyere [over] Garantie (on the left side of the shank). Alas, there are no other markings to be found. As you may know, Racine de Bruyere Garantie means “Guaranteed Briar Root”. This indicates that the pipe almost certainly comes from St Claude, France, but gives no indication of who made it. As previously mentioned, I do not know the exact date of the pipe, but it is likely from the 1940s.Anyway, on to the pipe – and it’s a pipe that just makes you smile. There is something wholesome and comforting about the look of the pipe. I must admit, however, that I may be thinking of my grandfather more than the pipe!

This poor pipe was not without its issues. The stummel had the following problems: lava on the rim, charring to the rim, a bashed rim, plenty of cake in the bowl, a few substantial and ugly fills, and a tired, worn-out colour of wood. By the way, some of the strange “marks” on the bowl are, in fact, old bits of newspaper. After my grandfather died, the pipes were wrapped in newspaper and stuck in a box. The newspaper got wet at some point in the intervening years. Meanwhile, the stem had its own set of problems: major tooth marks and dents, a bite-through, and a filthy stinger. The stem was first on my list. The stinger actually screwed into the tenon – and it was being quite stubborn about coming out! I opted to warm the stinger with a heat gun and this provided just enough softening of the internal goo to allow me to pull it out. The stinger then went for a soak in some lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. I let it set for several hours and then cleaned it off and it looked much improved. I then finished it with some 0000-grit steel wool, greased the threads with some petroleum jelly and moved on. I wiped down the outside of the stem with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton pads. Then, I cleaned out the insides with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. As I mentioned earlier, I think this stem is made from amberoid. This is a synthetic of small pieces of amber, pressed together under great pressure and high heat.Now it was time to make a fix the damage. I tried desperately hard to clean the discoloration inside and outside the stem, but this met with limited success. I ended up filing the dents etc. with clean cyanoacrylate adhesive. 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. I then sanded the stem down with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. This ensures that it keeps its shape and looks like it should. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) on the stem to make look as much like amber 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, but I was pleased with how the stem finished up. On to the stummel, and the usual cleaning procedures were in order for this pipe. I used the KleenReem to remove the built-up cake, and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper to remove as much as I could. I wanted to take the bowl down to bare briar to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the walls of the bowl. Fortunately, there were none. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol. There was quite a bit of filth inside this stummel – it took many pipe cleaners et cetera to clean it out. Have a look at the photos – disgusting! I decided that a de-ghosting session would be a good idea. 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 the oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. The bowl was nice and clean after this. One interesting point of note is that the mortise on this pipe is lined with cork (another sign of the pipe’s age). This complicated the cleaning process, as I needed to ensure that the alcohol etc. didn’t degrade the cork. I worked carefully and it turned out alright.I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some Castile soap and tube brushes. I then moved on to cleaning the outside of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil Soap and some cotton pads. That removed the bits of aforementioned newspaper and any remaining dirt. I also soaked the rim in Murphy’s for a while, then used a toothbrush to loosen up the lava.There were several notable dents and nicks on the rim. Normally, I would top the pipe on a piece of 220-grit sandpaper. I didn’t do that this time because I wanted to maintain the rounded profile of the rim. I still used 220-grit sandpaper, but made sure to keep the look of the pipe.Having completed that, I was able to address the fills on the stummel. I used a dental tool to dig out the old, crumbly putty. I filled the divots with a mixture of cyanoacrylate adhesive and briar dust – then let it cure. Now, with the nicks filled, it was time to sand down the stummel. I used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand everything smooth.After that, a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm brought out the best in the stummel’s grain. What a difference that made! I felt that this pipe really needed some colour for two reasons: some dark colour would contrast nicely with the orange of the stem and it would help obscure some of the dreadful fills. I applied Fiebing’s Cordovan Leather Dye with a cotton dauber. I flamed it with my Bic lighter, let it set, then coated it again with dye, flamed it again, and let that set too. I decided to let the pipe sit overnight. Upon the morrow, I used isopropyl alcohol to wipe down the pipe and remove excess stain. I am very happy with the results.Then it was off for a trip to the buffer. A dose of White Diamond and a few coats of carnauba wax were just what this pipe needed. The lovely shine made the wood look absolutely beautiful.This is a wonderfully crafted pipe and has a very elegant feel to it. It took a lot of work, but I am proud of it and the final product is (hopefully) worthy of my beloved grandfather’s memory. Obviously, this is one pipe that I am keeping for myself and adding to my collection. I am sure that I will be enjoying this one for many years to come. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did restoring it. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅜ in. (136 mm); height 1⅝ in. (43 mm); bowl diameter 1⅜ in. (37 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (19 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¼ oz. (40 g). If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

New Life for a Peterson’s London & Dublin 86 Apple

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is smooth finished Peterson’s London& Dublin Apple shaped pipe that had a very dirty/grimy finish but had some good looking grain around the bowl sides and shank. It came to us from an Antique Store on 10/20/2022 in Vancouver, Washington, USA. This Lightweight Apple was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Peterson’s [over] London & Dublin. It was stamped on the right side near the shank/stem junction it is stamped with the shape number 86. The pipe was in filthy condition when he brought it to the table. The finish was dirty with grime ground into the briar sides and rim. There was a thick cake in the bowl and 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 tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside on and near the button and on the button edges as well. There was no “P” stamp logo on the taper stem. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe. Jeff took photos of the rim top and stem to show the general condition of the pipe. The bowl is caked and the rim top has a lava coat and the inner edge of the bowl is rough and shows knife damage. The photos of the stem show tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. Jeff took some photos of the bowl sides and heel to show the amazing grain that was around this bowl. It is a nice looking pipe. He 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 have restored a few Peterson’s Dublin & London in the past so I turned to my blog to have a look at the background information that I included in those blogs. I found the following link to a one of those pipes (https://rebornpipes.com/2021/02/24/restoring-a-made-in-ireland-petersons-dublin-london-999-rhodesian/). I also am including the background information I had gathered on the line from the previous blog. I quote:

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 Dublin & London Pipe. On page 298 it had the following information.

Dublin & London (c1940-97, 2016-) First mentioned in a 1940 brochure, but probably not widely distributed until ’45, Dublin & London was the highest quality line (aside from the Supreme, introduced in ’53) until about ’86. P-lip or fishtail mouthpiece, polished finish, although sandblast described in ’70 Iwan Ries & Co. catalog. COMs include MADE IN over IRELAND (1940-80) and MADE IN THE over REPUBLIC over OF IRELAND (c1980-97)…

…London & Dublin – English made version of the Dublin & London, made in Peterson’s English factory until it closed in 1962. Classic Range shapes were not as a rule banded and no genuinely hallmarked specimens of the pipes with this model name have been documentd. Rare examples may be additionally stamped Natural. COM on all pipes is LONDON MADE over ENGLAND. Mouthpiece maybe stamped P.

Judging from the description above, the pipe I am working on is stamped with the stamp noted in red above. It does not have a COM stamp or if it did it has been buffed out. The London & Dublin stamp identifies the pipe as an English made version of the Dublin & London. 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 the darkened spots 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 Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took 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 had some looked quite good and the inner edge had some darkening and damage. It should clean up really well. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the tooth marks on the surface near the button on both sides and on the button itself.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to have a look at the parts and overall look. I decided to address the damage on the rim top and the inner edge of the bowl first. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage and bring the bowl back to round. I polished the bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped down the bowl after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the bowl and shank 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 “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a “Bic” lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to raise them some but not completely. I 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 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 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 am excited to finish this English Peterson’s London & Dublin, Apple 86. 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 mixed grain all around it. Added to that the polished black vulcanite stem combined with the bowl and brass band on the shank and made a stunning pipe. This smooth Classic Older Peterson’s London & Dublin English Made Apple 86 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: 5 ¼ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 34grams/1.20oz. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be putting on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection send me an email or a message. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

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

Restoring a Budapest Purchase – A Tatu Pipe 1126 Freehand

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Blog by Steve Laug

When I was traveling for work I was in Budapest, Hungary I visited the Gallwitz Pipe Shop. It is a shop I have visited several times in the past. I wrote about my first visit to various Budapest Pipe shops including Gallwitz back in 2015 (https://rebornpipes.com/2015/09/30/my-how-things-change-reflections-on-pipe-smoking-while-visiting-budapest/). When I visited it this time I spent time with the current owner and proprietor of the shop, Viktor Zollner (the grandson of the last Gallwitz owner). We had a great visit talking about the current state of pipes and pipe repair in Hungary since I had visited in 2015. Viktor had carved many pipes but was currently focusing his attention on pipe repair and estate pipes. He said that he loves the challenge of pipe and stem repair more than pipe carving – just as I do. He brought out some boxes and bags of estate pipes for me to look over and there were some real beauties that I have not seen before among them. We talked about repairs and cleaning of pipes and stems. One of the pipes that he had not worked on yet was a freehand that he said was a Tatu Pipe. It caught my attention enough that I laid it aside while looking at the others he brought out. It was stamped with two pipes toward the front of the smooth panel on the underside. That was followed by the stamping 1126 [over] Tatu Pipe. It was a large freehand pipe in a mushroom shape. It had a smooth rim and a sandblast bowl finish. There was a bit of plateau on the rim top toward the front of the bowl. There as also what looked like a boxwood shank extension. It was light and a contrast with the briar. The shank end had a brass circle to re-enforce the mortise of end of the shank. There was what appeared to be a burn mark on the bottom front of the bowl toward the bottom. I examined it but it was not clear if it was a burn mark on the briar or the beginning of a burn through. The bowl had a thick cake around the bowl and some lava overflow and darkening on the inner edge, heavier toward the back of the bowl. The stem was lightly oxidized and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the pipe when I got back to the flat we had rented in Budapest. I took some photos of the bowl, rim top and the stem. The details of the rim top and inner edge were as noted in the description above. The stem also shows the condition as noted in the above.I took a photo of the stamping. It was faint but readable with a lens and read as noted above.I also took a photo of the burn damage on the front lower part of the bowl. It was hard to tell whether it was the beginning of a burn out or burn damage on the briar from setting it in an ashtray.  I decided to take a calculated risk and purchase the pipe. I would more once I had cleaned it up.Before I started my work on the pipe I really wanted to know about the brand. It was a brand I was not overly familiar with and wanted to gather background information. I did a Google search to see if there was anything under the Tatu Pipe stamp. The first site that came up was for a pipe for sale on smokingpipes.com. I quote from there below as it pointed toward more information for me (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/japan/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=143673). It was description of a particular freehand pipe but the background information included was very helpful in giving me clues to move ahead.

Japanese Estates: Tatu Pipe by Tetsuo Tajima (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Tajima-san made his US debut at the 2011 CPCC, and his work impressed enough, that both European and American dealers were all but slapping each other’s hands, in an effort to acquire his briars. Up until the end of 2004, Tatsuo worked as film and graphic designer, but 2005 found him committing his time to learning pipe carving and his mentor was none other than Shizuo Arita. If memory serves, this Tajima oceanic denizen was carved in 2012, and it remains unsmoked to this very minute. Novel shape, solid grain, and best held with the ever-reliable finger-crook method.

From that clue I turned to the Tatu pipe information on Pipephil’s site to get some more history and background on the brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-t2.html#tatupipe). I have included a screen capture of the information that was included there along with a photo of the pipe maker, Tatsuo Tajima and some sidebar information below. It also helped give me information on the stamping on the pipe. Artisan: Tatsuo Tajima (born 1955) formerly was a film and graphic designer. He started making pipes in 2005.

Since the pipe I had bore the stamp 1126 which I could now interpret to refer to the year the pipe was made (11=2011) and the 26 indicates the manufacture rank in that year (rank 26). That was a significant piece of information on the pipe. I now knew the date of the carving was 2011 and that this was the 26th pipe of the year.

I turned then to Pipepedia and looked in the Japanese Pipe Makers section under the name Tajima (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Tajima) and found some more information as well as other pipes that he had carved with similar design features. I quote below.

Tatsuo Tajima, born in 1955, native of Tokyo. His previous life was a well decorated Film and Graphic Designer. Since 2007, as fate says under the guidance of Shizuo Arita and Shigeyoshi Yanagihara embark on pipe crafting as a second career.

Drawing from other genre of smoking culture such as shisha and similar paraphernalia he makes you wonder and reconsider what smoking pipe actually is about. At most part, he would say the experience, the quality of smoke (moisture, flavour, and temperature) while using something that we can appreciate aesthetically. His work set boundaries free and invite smokers to be more universal and uniting at one point: on the flavour of tobacco and the experience of drawing a smoke.

For inspiration, he goes to the same park most of the time. He picks up elements of nature that he saw interesting. “Nature is different everytime we visit.” says Tatsuo-san. It is alive. Some days, even hours, leaning more towards the sun. It might be blooming, or fallen to the ground. There are movement.

Not only a naturalist in approach but artificial landscape and man-made creation also inspire him. NASA space shuttle to construction site digging gave him inspiration. I just called it simply being a Japanese and their fascination of robots and mechanical wonders. If his pipe is a painting, his expression would be Dali kind of surrealism.

Capturing nature in his own way, it could often be more realistic as a result.

Often you will see his combination of modernism and retro being executed with Wabi-sabi aesthetic. Also, behind that artistic styling and unique structure, he is always on the exploration on the new experience of smoking, when possible contribute to the health aspect. Such as the use of reverse calabash and longer shank to decrease moisture and cool down the smoke due to longer travel.

In life, he drinks tea throughout the year, warm Oolong Tea in winter and cold Mugicha in summer. He drinks no alcohol. By all means, I have tried with both tea or alcohol, and his pipes still smokes like a dream. He is also in touch almost on a daily basis with a retired senior pipemaker, Shigeyoshi Yanagihara.

Tatsuo Tajima, currently resides in Tokyo, lives quite close with his teacher and friend, Yanagihara-san. His current pipe production is about 60 pipes a year.

I then turned to Pipes2smoke where Maxim Engel currently sells Tatsuo Tajima’s pipes for further information (https://pipes2smoke.com/collections/tatsuo-tajima). I quote from that site below.

Tatsuo Tajima, (“Tatu”) was born in 1955 in Tokyo. He originally worked as a film and graphic designer and contributed large-scale image displays mainly for feature films and for such events as Tsukuba Expo ’85, Nara Silk Road Expo ’87, and Design Expo Nagoya ’89 as well as for museums such as Edo-Tokyo Museum. From ’93 onwards, with the general shift to digital media, he focused on multimedia titles and graphics as a graphic designer. He has received numerous awards from such competitions as Opel Design Contests, Epson Imaging Contests, and Victor Video Festivals.

From 2005 onward, Tatu committed himself to pipe making under the guidance of Shizuo Arita and Shigeyoshi Yanagihara. In 2009 he made his debut as a full time pipe artist at Amanoya in Setagaya, Tokyo. 

He had his first US exposure in 2011 at the Chicago Pipe Show. Every Tatu pipe shows the Japanese pipe aesthetic with its mix of curved and straight lines & at times asymmetry flowing into a harmonious whole. And always with the famous Japanese attention to detail.

If you would like to see more of Tatsuo Tajima’s work have a look at his Instagram site (https://www.instagram.com/tatupipe/). He does some fascinating work.

Now it was time to work on restoring this interesting Japanese Freehand. I decided to evaluate the damage to the front of the sandblast bowl. I wanted to know if it was the beginning of a burn out in the briar or if it had come from it having been set on a live coat in an ash tray. I examined the interior of the bowl and could find no obvious damage on the walls. I would know more once I had reamed and cleaned the bowl. I worked on the exterior of the finish with a brass bristle wire brush. I wanted to know if the damage was surface or only on the top of the finish. The brass brush revealed that it was not too deep. It appears that there was a flaw in the briar – a sandpit in blast. I circled the area with a red line in the second photo below.I filled in the sandpit with briar dust and clear CA glue. I used the brass bristle wire brush after the repair had cured to remove the excess repair and also rework the sandblast finish. It looks very good though there is some darkening around the spot. Once I knew that there was a sandpit/flaw and had repaired it I turned to more deeply examine the walls of the bowl to see if there were any checking or burns on the bowl walls or heel in the surrounding interior area behind the flaw. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet piper reamer to remove the thick cake on the walls. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe knife to remove the remaining cake on the walls. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I wiped the bowl out with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris. I examined the bowl walls and they were smooth and wihtout checking or burn damage on the wall behind the mark on the outside of the bowl. I cleaned up the darkening and the burn damage to the rim edge and the top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. Once I had finished it looked much better.I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and warm water to remove the grime in the sandblast finish. When I cleaned it the shank extension was loose but the pipe looked much better. I cleaned out the inside of the shank extension, shank and the stem with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and 99% isopropyl alcohol. It was really filthy so with a bit of work the pipe smelled much better.I reglued the shank extension to the shank with Weld Bond all purpose glue. I applied it to both smooth ends of the shank and extension with a tooth pick and pressed it onto the tube that held it in place on the shank. I aligned the sharp edge of the extension with the sharp edges of the shank and press it in place until the glue cured. I stained the bowl with a light brown aniline stain to blend in the burn marks on the exterior of the front lower sandblast bowl. I felt that it would blend in the damaged area with the rest of the sandblast on the bowl. I applied it with a dauber and then flamed it to set it in the finish. Once the stain had cured I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush. I wanted to make sure that it was in the deep grooves of the sandblast. I also worked it into the smooth shank extension with my fingertips. I let it sit and do its magic for 15 minutes then buffed it off with a soft cotton cloth. The pipe looked much better and the burn marks were blended into the surface with the stem. I set the bowl aside and “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a “Bic” lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to raise them some but not completely. I 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 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 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 am excited to finish this Japanese Tatu Pipe by Tetsuo Tajima. 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 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 mixed grain all around it. The polished black vulcanite stem combined with the bowl made a stunning pipe. This smooth Japanese Made Tatu Pipe 1126 Freehand 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 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 ¼ inches wide x 2 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 57 grams/2.01 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe that I will hang onto for awhile to enjoy. One day I may add it to the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

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

Thanks Bill for the chance to craft one of my own

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Blog by Steve Laug

Earlier in the summer I received a package from a friend in Saskatchewan that included some nice pipes for me to enjoy that he had restored along with this partially finish Billiard. It had been shaped and drilled and had some large flaws on the left side of the bowl. The one mid-bowl was quite large and another toward the top of the bowl and onto the rim top. Both were deep and ragged looking and both would need work. I filled them both in with briar dust and clear CA glue and set it aside to cure. I was not too worried about it as in the shaping process much of the briar around the sides and rim would be removed. I took closer photos of the repairs to the flaws in the sides of the bowl. I layered in briar dust and clear CA glue to build up the flawed areas. I wanted to be able to start the process with a smooth surface on the bowl and shank. Once the repairs cured I flattened them out with files and then sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I used a Dremel and a sanding drum to further blend them into the surface of the bowl. I removed the long taper billiard stem and “discovered” that it was a filter stem made for a 9mm filter. I decided to get rid of that stem and with the length of the thick shank that I would fit a new stem. I chose a stem that was about an inch shorter than the taper original. It was a thick looking saddle stem that I thought would look great and create a nice looking Lovat.I set up the PIMO tenon turning tool on my hand drill. I adjusted the settings to give me a very clean turn on the tenon. In the first photo you can see the misshaped tenon. I measured the tenon and then turned it once. I cleaned off the excess and turned it a second time to smooth out the roughness of the edges. I tried it in the shank and though the diameter of the stem was larger it looked very good. I used a flat rasp to remove excess material from the stem diameter. I continued to sand and file off the excess until it was close to the same diameter as the shank. I took photos of the fit of the stem to the shank on the pipe. I used a Dremel and sanding drum to bring it down further. I worked on the stem/shank fit with 220 grit sandpaper. It was looking very good at this point. It was getting very close to the shank fit. I fit the stem on the shank and took photos of the new look of the stem/shank fit. It still needed work but it looked very good at this point. I worked on the stem some more with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the transition between the stem and the shank. Once it was smooth I decided to see what the shank would look like with a band. I had a gold band that was perfect size for the shank. I put the band on the shank and took photos of the bowl with the shank. What do you think? To me it is exactly the touch I needed for this pipe to step up a bit. I like the look on the shank. I fit the stem to the shank to have a look at the flow of the pipe with the gold band and the saddle stem. Now I was even more convinced that the band was a great idea. It gives the pipe a classic Lovat look with a touch of bling. In preparation for staining the bowl I polished it with micromesh sanding pads 1500-400 grit pads to smooth out the repaired areas and the scratches on the surface of the bowl and rim top. It looked much better at this point in the process. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and then put a cork in the bowl and prepared the bowl for staining. I have had success in using a Cordovan stain when I am dealing with large repairs like this bowl had on the rear and left side of the bowl. It works to blend them in better than just a brown stain.I applied the stain with a dauber and then flamed it with a lighter it to set it in the grain. I repeated the process until I was happy with the coverage. You can see the darkness and coverage of the stain in the photos below.I like the stain to be more transparent to allow the grain to shine through but I want it opaque enough around the repairs to blend them into the surrounding briar. I sanded the bowl and shank with a medium and fine sanding sponge and I am really pleased with the coverage and the transparency of the colour. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I sanded out the file marks and the scratches with 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It looked significantly better and was ready to polish it. 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. I love it when I am carving or shaping a pipe to come to this point in the process. If always feels I am on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when the Lovat I have carved 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 gold band on the thick shank. This Thick Shanked Lovat was a fun pipe to carve and to finish. It really is a quite stunning piece of briar whose shape follows the flow of the briar. The repaired fills blend well into the stain of the finish. 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: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.15 ounces/61 grams. I am looking forward to loading a bowl and enjoying this pipe. Thanks again Bill for the gift and the joy I had in working on it.

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

A Resurrection of a 1920 Dunhill Patent Ao Bruyere 52 Bent Billiard

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Blog by Eric Fleming

Eric and I have chatted about pipe restoration for some time now and when he picked up this Dunhill I asked him to keep me posted on his work on it. I have to say, he went far beyond anything I have done and really, what I expected when I saw the pipe. It is a very creative and innovative restoration that I thought you might all enjoy! Without further introduction or discussion, Eric will walk us through his process in the following pages. Thanks Eric for allowing me to post it on rebornpipes!

As a student of history and all things of antiquity I am a sucker for an old Tobacco Pipe. And as a result, when I ran into this poor old and somewhat disabled Patent era Dunhill I couldn’t resist the temptation to “try” to rehabilitate it. Configuring a plan of attack based solely on pictures is usually riddled with surprises and this plan was the usual. The damage was as adequately represented as an image can be but holding a thing in one’s own hands and soaking in the magnitude of it is another thing entirely. Upon unboxing, it was obvious that my plan was slightly premature.

The moment I concluded my purchase I moved straight on to Pipedia to confirm some of what I already knew (Dunhill Bruyere – Pipedia.html). This old boy was a Dunhill (shape 52) Inner Tube patent# 1130806/15 (1924-1926) Ao Bruyere. The history of the early Bruyere is interesting. By 1920 Dunhill was making all of their stummels in house and the Bruyere of this time was “usually” made of Calabrian briar due to its physical traits and ability to take on a deep red stain (Pipedia Dunhill Dating Guide – Pipedia.html).

Here are the Before pics. The Dunhill had some things going for it. The original Vulcanite stem had already been polished and exhibited very little external wear. There are a few indentations near the tenon that a previous owner decided, rightly, to leave alone rather than reduce the diameter where it matches up to the stummel. This pipe is almost 100 years old. A little original wear is, in my opinion, a mark of character. Proof of a past existence if you will. The tenon to mortice fit was surprisingly tight. Extreme care was taken to remove it. This will have to be remedied before it is re-inserted. The stem’s draft hole was heavily caked in tar. The stummel was in reasonably good shape everywhere but the rim. This poor old boy survived many violent blows over the years, Severe mushrooming and on one side it chipped out at some point. A crude epoxy fill was employed to fill the damage. The rest of the stummel had almost no original finish and was clean internally and sooty externally. The factory stampings were difficult to read, rather thin but enough to make out. I was hopeful that cleaning would bring them back some. The bottom of the bowl was hard to make out since a very thick bowl coating had been applied. Shining a light into the bowl revealed that the bottom of the bowl was eroded below the draft hole. This pipe might have been someone’s favorite. It has been smoked heavily. It was now time for deep cleaning. Aiming towards the low hanging fruit, I decided to deal with the stem first. The draft hole had an impressive build up. The first alcohol soaked bristle cleaner was tough to push through and many were employed to finish the job. Toward the end I couldn’t help but wonder if I was removing the end result of a fine smoke that took place nearly 100 years ago.Now on to the stummel. Because it was quite clean already I decided to skip the soapy water scrub and just scrub the outside with Murphy’s oil soap concentrate and a toothbrush. This action effectively revealed the briar under the grime and I was quite happy to see that the stampings were clearer and more visible. Still light but legible.

Next was the issues with the inside of the bowl. The coating was hiding much of the real condition of the pipe. Cotton balls were inserted into the bowl and wadded up tissue pressed into the mortice. 99% alcohol then poured in to perform its overnight magic. The next morning the coating had been dissolved, easily removed with a wipe. Now the real condition is revealed and it wasn’t all that good. The epoxy fill was deep and the side of the bowl had light erosion from the many smokes this pipe had delivered. The erosion at the bottom of the bowl was deeper than originally perceived. Not near burnout, but about 1/8” below the draft hole. At this point a decision had to be made as to how to proceed. The epoxy fill was poorly done and would likely cause future problems if left alone. The mushrooming of the rim was unlikely to be steamed out and the height of the rim was obviously below it’s original state. After a day of rolling it around in my mind I decided that there was no other acceptable option but to remove the offending rim and replace it. The erosion would also need to addressed.

For me the easiest way to remove the top of the rim is with my old manual knee mill. Using the disc sander an even flat is ground on the top of the rim. The stummel is then placed in the machine vise with protective strips of leather. The leather not only protects the briar from indentation but it also adds some traction for the jaws to grip. A dial indicator is then used to indicate the flat on the top of the rim. This operation could have been done with the disc sander alone but I am partial to the control allowed by the mill. After the mill the refreshed rim is lightly sanded by hand to 400 grit on a sanding block. To fabricate a new rim a small piece is cut from a chunk of briar left over from another build and sanded flat on one side then milled flat and parallel on the knee mill. The only references I had to estimate the correct height of the bowl were the measurements taken before the rim removal and an image found online of a 52 shape Dunhill.

By the way, The shape 52 is listed as a Bent Low Pot. My measured estimation is that once the rim was removed there needed to be .200 added back. This is not an exact science. The .200 thick block of briar then has two diameters marked with a compass for outside diameter and inside diameter, leaving a little extra on each of course, and taken to the scroll saw to be roughed out. Glue up comes next. All briar surfaces to be bonded are wiped with alcohol to remove dust and or oil residue. The epoxy I have grown fond of is West Systems G Flex 2 part epoxy. It is incredibly durable, neutral when cured and easy to work with. Since it is undesirable to have an epoxy filled bowl, I have found it advantageous to mix the epoxy, wait 45 minutes (the listed pot life) and then apply to both briar surfaces. At this point the epoxy is gel like and will not run. The stummel is clamped in a vise and remains for 24 hours. Once the rim replacement has cured the tedious hand work begins. Extra material is removed with aggressive hand files. Then small needle files are used to bring the profile close to finished. To match and blend the two surfaces at the end a ¾” wood dowel wrapped in 150 grit sandpaper is used to mate the inside diameters while a small thin sanding block with 150 grit is used to mate the outside diameter. The entire stummel (except for the stampings) are at this point sanded from 250 grit thru 2400 grit micro mesh. The stamped parts of the stummel sanded 1500 thru 2400 grit micro mesh only. The erosion damage to the bottom of the bowl is the next focus. I have used “pipe Mud” with success in the past but it can be precarious and doesn’t always stay put long term. I wanted a more permanent fix and didn’t feel the need to bore a hole through the bottom of the stummel for a plug. So, I shot a call to my pipe making and repair mentor Mark Tinsky of American Smoking Pipe Co. Mark has been making Artisan Pipes longer than I have been alive, tolerates my frequent calls and emails, and is an all around great guy and wealth of knowledge. Upon presenting my Dunhill issue he shared with me one of his bowl bottom repair tricks. A mixture of Elmer’s multi purpose glue, Briar dust and Charcoal dust mixed into a black paste. This was a new one to me. When I asked Mark “why not Pipe Mud”? He replied… “I don’t smoke Cigars”. Apparently, Elmer’s glue is an organic material and when mixed with both briar and charcoal holds up to the temperature and general abuse well. The Briar dust was left over from the rim removal and the charcoal dust was made from Willow Charcoal sticks easily found at an art store. The mixture is easy to adjust for texture and also easy to apply. The draft hole of the stummel was plugged with a pipe cleaner and the mixture slowly scooped in to the desired level which was almost to the top of the cleaner. The stummel was then set aside to cure for 24 hrs.  The next day I had a high and flat surface at the bottom of the bowl. A ¾” wood dowel was taken to the disc sander and slowly profiled to my desired radiused bowl bottom. This took several attempts. Then a small diameter was cut from a sheet of 80grit sandpaper and glued to the radius of the dowel. I used super glue for it’s fast adhesion. The bottom of the bowl was then sanded with the abrasive dowel until the desired depth was achieved. The result was surprisingly good. The shiny dark color was noticeable but very uniform to the bowl.  All that was then necessary to complete the repairs to the inside of the bowl was to address the light erosion to the sides. Since they were shallow It was decided that Pipe Mud would be a good solution. A nice Maduro was sacrificed to fulfill my pipe repair needs. You owe it to yourself to employ a “good” cigar for this purpose. Not only is it a nice change of pace but a fine cigar actually produces a higher quality ash. Using a dropper, I slowly added water to the ash. This can easily be overdone. If the mixture becomes shiny, you have added too much water and need to add more ash. If the mixture is too dry it wont stay put. I experimented before using it the first time. I am glad I did. The Pipe Mud was then scooped into the bowl, not allowing it to settle in the bottom and then worked into the erosion with a finger. The Dunhill was again set aside for the day. With the Dunhill repaired, sanded and ready for dye I had reached a point of concern. How do I blend this light colored briar to the rest of the stummel without it looking like a repair? I had previously researched the old Bruyere finish used in this era Dunhill. Apparently, it consisted of a light brown dye under a dark red dye. A few examples were found online and saved for comparison. The light briar of the repair then received 6 coats of dark brown dye lightly polishing each back until it was darker than the original briar color. The rest of the original stummel received one coat of light brown dye and polished back. At this point I tried to blend the light into the dark for a seamless look. Then the dark red was lightly received and polished back. The result was not great. The original part of the stummel looked nearly identical to the sample images I had found but the repair was still obvious. With no other option I gave the repair many coats of dark red overlapping onto the original briar to try to create a pure dark red blending into the lighter dark red. This took several tries and applications. In the end, I was not able to perfectly match my sample images due to the very dark rim, but I think it’s better than having a obvious mismatch that would surely stand out. Indoors the repair is almost invisible. Outside in sunlight it can be faintly seen. Because I was a little hesitant to mess with this time consuming and difficult dye job, it was decided to take the light-handed approach to waxing the stummel. Crystal Clear Paste Wax was lightly rubbed on with a soft clean cloth and polished off. Letting it sit for 30 minutes, polished again and re-applied 3 times. This approach is probably not as durable as pure carnuba wax applied with a buffer but I was not willing to risk spoiling the hard won appearance. Normally I would call this repair complete but there had been so much work done to the inner bowl I was uneasy to leave it as is. There are many versions of Bowl Coatings but from what I have read and heard they all server the same purpose. To protect the inner bowl from heat damage. At this point I had a glue concoction for a bottom and pipe mud lightly coating the sides and epoxy joint. That is worth protecting. I decided to go with another of Mark Tinsky’s suggestions and use the honey/charcoal version of the bowl coating. A couple drops of honey were placed in a small bowl. Water was mixed in with it 1 part honey to 3 parts water to create a very thin yet sticky liquid. I still had charcoal dust laying around from earlier. Using a pipe cleaner bent in half It was dipped into the honey water and lightly swabbed on the entire inside of the bowl. The charcoal then dumped into the bowl, a piece of cardboard held over the rim and a good blow into the draft hole to scatter the charcoal and clear the draft hole. It was then let sit for a few hours and the charcoal dumped and blown out. This Old Dunhill has been rehabilitated and is ready for a few more years of service.I learned a lot from this project. It is the most involved pipe repair I have attempted to date and has opened my eyes to the possibilities from this point on.  Because I know this project could not have been a success without the incredible depth of knowledge that was shared with me I would like to thank those individuals for their giving nature.

I have been reading rebornpipes for years and have structured much of my method after Steve Laug’s style of pipe repair. I don’t think I would have started refurbishing pipes if it were not for this Blog and am honored to be a part of it.

A shout out to Mark Tinsky as well. I doubt there is any aspect of pipe repair or pipe making that this man has not experienced. His patience with me has been instrumental and is greatly appreciated.

Eric Fleming

Boise Idaho

Peterson’s “Kildare” Special HG Republic of Ireland 10 Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is Peterson’s Large Canadian pipe that we purchased from and our connection in Copenhagen, Denmark on 03/30/2022. It was stamped Peterson’s [over] “Kildare”[over] Special on the topside of the shank. On the right it is stamped with the shape number 10. On the underside it is stamped with a large interlocked HG [followed by] Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines). It is a large Canadian that has a smooth finish with great grain around the bowl and shank that is covered with a lot of oils, debris and grime. There was a thick cake in the bowl with remnants of tobacco stuck on the walls. There was a heavy lava overflow on the rim top and edges. The top and edges of the rim were well hidden under the tars and lava. There was a very beautiful pipe underneath all of the buildup of years of use. The stem was a Peterson’s style Fishtail stem. It was oxidized and calcified toward the end with some deep tooth marks and chatter. There was wear on the edge of the button that would need to be dealt with. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the thick, hard cake in the bowl with remnants of tobacco stuck on the walls of the bowl. There was a lava build up on the top of the rim and the edges of the bowl. The rim top looked pretty good but it was hard to know for sure if there was damage under the thick lava. Only clean up would tell the full story. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth chatter, scratching, calcification and oxidation on the stem surface and wear on the edges of the button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime around the sides of the bowl and shank. Even under the dirt and debris of the years it looked very good. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. I turned first to “The Peterson’s Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg to see what it had to say on the “Kildare” line. On page 306 it says:

Kildare (1965-) First issue of the line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes. P-lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue c.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on the 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.

I wrote to Mark Irwin and asked where I could find information on the GH stamp on this particular pipe. I quote his response below.

Hi Steve, the answer is on p. 300 of your Peterson book: “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. Best, Mark

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. He removed the shiny coat on the briar with acetone on cotton pads. 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 close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show what an amazing job Jeff did in the cleanup of the rim top. The rim top and inner edge had darkening and damage. There was damage to the inner edge on the front and back of the bowl. The rim top is clean but in rough condition. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the vulcanite. It was quite clean and the large and deep tooth marks on the button and on the stem ahead of the button were very visible in the photos.One of the things I appreciate about Jeff’s cleanup is that he works to protect and preserve the nomenclature on the shank of the pipes that he works on. The stamping on this one was very faint to start with so I was worried that it would disappear altogether with the cleanup. He was not only able to preserve and maintain its condition in the process. I took some photos to show the clarity of the stamping. I have noticed that many restorers are not careful to protect the stamping in their cleaning process and often by the end of the restoration the nomenclature is almost destroyed. I would like to encourage all of us to be careful in our work to preserve this as it is a critical piece of pipe restoration! I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe. I decided to start my work on the pipe by cleaning up the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. I started by working over the edge with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I then topped the bowl on a topping board with 220 grit sandpaper. I finished the work with a wooden ball and sandpaper to give the inner edge a slight bevel. Using these methods, I minimized the damage on the inner edge and rim top. It looked significantly better. I touched up the stain on the rim top with a Cherry stain pen. It matched the stain on the rest of the bowl perfectly and once buffed it would blend in very well.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the dust. The briar was really shining by the final pad. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the tooth marks with the flame of a Bic lighter to try and lift the marks. I was able to lift them slightly. I filled in the deep marks on the stem with Black Rubberized CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once cured I used a file to flattened the repairs and redefine the button edge. I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to further blend in the repairs. I polished it with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I touched up the “P” logo on the left side of the saddle stem with white acrylic fingernail polish. I let it dry then I polished off the excess with a worn 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad. Once the excess was removed the stamp looked much better. There were some weak spots on the leg and tail of the “P” stamp.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.  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 Peterson’s “Kildare” Special 10 Canadian with a taper 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 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. This Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 10 Canadian 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 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/51 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.

Restoring a Charatan’s Make 318 Pickaxe Shaped Pipe with a Replacement Acrylic Stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a nice-looking sandblast Pickaxe shaped pipe that we purchased from an estate sale from Plano, Texas, USA on 03/30/2022. It was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Charatan’s Made [over] London England [over] shape number 318. To the left and below the stamping is a circled cursive L. It has a sandblast finish around the bowl and rustication on the shank that is covered with a shiny coat of shellac it appears over a lot of oils, debris and grime. There was a thick cake in the bowl and tobacco debris stuck to the walls. There is a thick lava overflow in the sandblast on the inwardly bevelled rim top. The top and edges of the rim looked good under the tars and lava, but that would be very clear once the pipe is cleaned. There was a very beautiful pipe underneath all of the buildup of years of use. The taper stem was an acrylic replacement. It was filthy and there were some deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. The button had not been shaped at all and still needed to be slotted and shaped. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the thick cake and tobacco debris in the bowl and the heavy lava build up on the sandblast rim top and the edges of the bowl. The rim top and edges looked pretty good but a proper clean up would tell the full story. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth marks and chatter on the stem surface. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime around the sides of the bowl and shank under the shiny coat on the finish. It seems to fill in the grooves in the blast. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the bowl and shank. The stamping was readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. An added part of pipe restoration for me is to try to gather as much background on a brand and maker as I can find. With Charatan that is an enjoyable web to try to untangle. There is a lot of information and it can lead to understanding what era a pipe was made in. To try to figure out the era of the Charatan’s pipe I was working on I turned to the Pipephil website, Logos and Stampings (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-charatan.html). There is some really helpful information on each of the lines of Charatan’s Make pipes that entered the market. There was not a sandblast stamped like the one in hand. The site did give a short history of the brand. I quote the portion that is most pertinent.

The brand was founded in 1863 by Frederik Charatan. When his father retired in 1910, Reuben Charatan took over the family business. All the pipes were handmade until 1973. The brand name has been overtaken by Dunhill in 1978 and sold in 1988 to James B. Russell Inc.(NJ, USA). During the period 1988-2002 Charatans were crafted by Butz Choquin in St Claude (France). Dunhill re-purchased Charatan brand name in 2002 and Colin Fromm (Invicta Briars, Castleford) followed up on freehand production.Next, I turned to Pipedia to see if I could find more information on the brand and possibly a link to a sandblast finished Dublin (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Charatan) but once again in the general article it was not listed. It did give a little more historical information. I quote the pertinent parts that give information on this particular pipe.

In 1950 Herman G. Lane, striving to expand his business in Great Britain, made contacts with the Charatan family. Apparently, Lane got a certain influence soon, but it was not until 1955 that Lane Ltd. became the sole distributor for Charatan’s in the United States superseding Wally Frank. This can be documented in a “biography” written for Herman G. Lane titled “Leaves from a Tobaccoman’s Log”.

Thanks to Herman G. Lane’s dedicated labor Charatan became hugely popular in the States. As reported by Ken Barnes in an interview with Rick Newcombe, Reuben Charatan passed away in 1962, and his widow sold the firm to Herman Lane 1 or 2 years after his death.[1] In the early 1960s Charatan pipes were the first to overstep the $100 Dollar line in US pipe sales. In 1978 Lane’s heirs sold the Charatan company to Dunhill. The Prescot Street factory was closed in March 1982. Thereafter the fame and quality of the make declined.

The pre-Lane period (prior to 1955) and the Lane era pipes (1955 to until sometime between 1979 – 1984) are of primary interest the collector. The Lane era is often quoted as beginning about 1950.

Charatan records are almost non-existent before Lane due to a factory fire, making it difficult to date pre-Lane pipes. Charatan used 4 basic grades prior to 1950: Supreme, Selected, Executive, and Belvedere. After 1950 Herman Lane’s influence began, and the grades started to expand. In 1955 Lane took over sole distributorship of Charatan in the US. In 1957 he introduced the Supreme S. Most of his other introductions were from the 1960s and early 1970s.

From this I am fairly certain I am dealing with a Lane pipe made after 1955. There is also a circle L script mark that is a Lane stampings on the pipe which also supports this.

I continued digging further into the dating of the pipe, but what I had found above was a good start for me. If some of you would like to try your hand at dating it more accurately as to the time period it came out you might want to check out the article on Pipedia on Dating Charatans (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans).

I also reread the article on Pipedia by the Italian fellow who contributed some really helpful information on the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Charatan_-_Milan_2014). I quote the section on the Second period: Reuben Charatan 1910 – c. 1962. I have highlighted a portion of the section on the shank in red to point out some more helpful dating information.

– In 1962 Herman Lane took over the business from the Charatan family, although he had already influenced production from the 1950s.

– The pipes were mostly larger than the previous ones and corresponded in size to Dunhill group 5. These are slightly less rare, but still difficult to find.

– Stem: Usually in ebonite, saddle shaped or tapered, bearing a fine “CP” stamp, underbore system (see below) used when necessary.

– Shank: The shape code is stamped on it together with the nomenclature “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” arranged in two lines. From 1955 onward on the models marketed for the USA there is also a serif and circled capital “L” (but not all models bear this) which resembles the pound sterling symbol. The “L” is for Lane, the importer.

From 1958, Lane changed the nomenclature for models marketed for the US to clarify the message: “MADE BY HAND”.  In this period the underbore was introduced. Its manufacturing period ranged between 1920 and c.1930. This model was equipped with a duralumin plunger trap fitted in the stem, which served to clean the residue more easily. This particular model bore a special stamp on the stem, and also had its own catalogue…

QUALITY GRADES…The stem did not only display the stamps mentioned above. Another stamp that can help dating is the one referring to the quality of the pipe. Until Herman Lane arrived on the scene there were four quality grades. Starting with the lowest: Belvedere, Executive, Selected, and Supreme. Lane went on to add higher grades from time to time: Supreme S, Supreme S100, S150, S200, S250, S300, Coronation, Royal Achievement, Crown Achievement, and Summa Cum Laude; these last three are extremely rare and almost impossible to find. He also invented other, different grades, even changing the previous pipe classification standards. We will not go into detail here, but it means that if we find an S100 or Coronation the pipe was manufactured following Herman Lane’s acquisition. In particular, the FH mark, or Freehand pipe was commissioned to the famous Danish craftsman, Preben Holm.

Nomenclature

The Lane Trademark serif and circled L indicates the pipe is from the “Lane Era” (approx. 1955 to 1979 -1984?), however it appears that both the English factory or Lane themselves sometimes, or perhaps even often forget to stamp the L on a pipe. The Charatan factory was known for inconsistencies, especially in stampings. Therefore, although an L on the pipe definitely defines it as a Lane Era pipe, the lack of it could simply mean the pipe missed receiving the stamp from the factory. The lack of the trademark could also mean the pipe was destined for the European market.

Charatan pipes were not well distributed prior to the Lane Era, so very few pre-Lane pipes exist today. Herman Lane greatly grew the brand in the U.S., which caused corresponding growth in Europe.

Generally, when the pipe is stamped with the BLOCK letters “MADE BY HAND” it means the pipe was probably made between 1958 and 1965”

Generally, block letters “MADE BY HAND” and some of the other nomenclature in script (i.e. City of London or Extra Large next to the MADE BY HAND) means the pipe was made sometime between 1965 and the mid 1970s. The total script nomenclature “Made by Hand in City of London” evolved over this period of time, so many pipes had variants, such as Made By Hand in block letters and City of London in script, or some other variation of the terms or stampings.

It is believed the FH was used on Charatan pipes between 1957 and 1967-68. Three different sizes were used. The Charatan Logo (CP) on the pipe bit was changed over the year

Now I knew I was working on Lane Era pipe which actually means it was between 1955 and 1988 as shown by the stamping. Now it was time to work 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. He removed the shiny coat on the briar with acetone on cotton pads. 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 Before & After 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 close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show what an amazing job Jeff did in the cleanup of the rim top. The rim top was and inner edge were in excellent condition. There were spots on the surface where the stain had lightened – both inner and outer edges. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the acrylic. It was clean but there were tooth marks and chatter on the stem ahead of the button on both sides. One of the things I appreciate about Jeff’s cleanup is that he works to protect and preserve the nomenclature on the shank of the pipes that he works on. The stamping on this one had faint spots on the edges so I was worried that it would worsen with the cleanup. I took some photos to show the clarity of the stamping. The photo is a little blurry but the stamping remains the same. I have noticed that many restorers are not careful to protect the stamping in their cleaning process and often by the end of the restoration the nomenclature is almost destroyed. I would like to encourage all of us to be careful in our work to preserve this as it is a critical piece of pipe restoration! I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe to capture the look of the pipe as a whole.I started my work on the pipe by touching up the light areas around the rim top and edges with a Walnut Stain pen. It blended well into the surrounding briar. With that finished the bowl was very clean and the sandblast looked great. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the sandblast surface of the briar with my fingertips and a horse hair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the tooth marks on both sides of the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter and as expected I was not able to lift them at all. I filled in the tooth marks with clear CA glue and let the cure. I flattened out the repairs with a small file to start blending them in. I sanded the areas smooth with 220 grit sandpaper and started polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper, though I forgot to take photos of this part of the process. 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 to give the sanding pads some bite. 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 know that most think it does nothing for acrylic stems but I use it anyway as I find it works very well to deepen the shine. I set it aside to dry. 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 Charatan’s Make London England 318 Sandblast Pickaxe is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly polished the bowl and the replacement stem with Blue Diamond. I gave the bowl and the newly fit 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 sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny black acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl. This Charatan’s Make London England 318 Sandblast Pickaxe with an acrylic replacement stem 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: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.66 ounces/47 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the British 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.

Breathing Life into a Charatan’s Make 4143DC Sandblast Pot

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is a nice-looking sandblast Pot shaped pipe that we purchased from an estate sale from Plano, Texas, USA on 03/30/2022. It was stamped Charatan’s Made [over] London England [over] a circled cursive L on the left toward the bowl and the shape number 4143DC toward the right toward the stem. It has a sandblast finish around the bowl and shank that is covered with a shiny coat of shellac it appears over a lot of oils, debris and grime. There was a thick cake in the bowl and tobacco debris stuck to the walls. There is a thick lava overflow in the sandblast on the inwardly bevelled rim top. The top and edges of the rim looked good under the tars and lava, but that would be very clear once the pipe is cleaned. There was a very beautiful pipe underneath all of the buildup of years of use. The saddle stem was an acrylic replacement. There were some deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. The button had not been shaped at all and still needed to be slotted and shaped. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the thick cake and tobacco debris in the bowl and the heavy lava build up on the sandblast rim top and the edges of the bowl. The rim top and edges looked pretty good but a proper clean up would tell the full story. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth marks and chatter on the stem surface. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime around the sides of the bowl and shank under the shiny coat on the finish. It seems to fill in the grooves in the blast. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the underside of the bowl and shank. The stamping was faint but readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. An added part of pipe restoration for me is to try to gather as much background on a brand and maker as I can find. With Charatan that is an enjoyable web to try to untangle. There is a lot of information and it can lead to understanding what era a pipe was made in. To try to figure out the era of the Charatan’s pipe I was working on I turned to the Pipephil website, Logos and Stampings (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-charatan.html). There is some really helpful information on each of the lines of Charatan’s Make pipes that entered the market. There was not a sandblast stamped like the one in hand. The site did give a short history of the brand. I quote the portion that is most pertinent.

The brand was founded in 1863 by Frederik Charatan. When his father retired in 1910, Reuben Charatan took over the family business. All the pipes were handmade until 1973. The brand name has been overtaken by Dunhill in 1978 and sold in 1988 to James B. Russell Inc.(NJ, USA). During the period 1988-2002 Charatans were crafted by Butz Choquin in St Claude (France). Dunhill re-purchased Charatan brand name in 2002 and Colin Fromm (Invicta Briars, Castleford) followed up on freehand production.Next, I turned to Pipedia to see if I could find more information on the brand and possibly a link to a sandblast finished Dublin (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Charatan) but once again in the general article it was not listed. It did give a little more historical information. I quote the pertinent parts that give information on this particular pipe.

In 1950 Herman G. Lane, striving to expand his business in Great Britain, made contacts with the Charatan family. Apparently, Lane got a certain influence soon, but it was not until 1955 that Lane Ltd. became the sole distributor for Charatan’s in the United States superseding Wally Frank. This can be documented in a “biography” written for Herman G. Lane titled “Leaves from a Tobaccoman’s Log”.

Thanks to Herman G. Lane’s dedicated labor Charatan became hugely popular in the States. As reported by Ken Barnes in an interview with Rick Newcombe, Reuben Charatan passed away in 1962, and his widow sold the firm to Herman Lane 1 or 2 years after his death.[1] In the early 1960s Charatan pipes were the first to overstep the $100 Dollar line in US pipe sales. In 1978 Lane’s heirs sold the Charatan company to Dunhill. The Prescot Street factory was closed in March 1982. Thereafter the fame and quality of the make declined.

The pre-Lane period (prior to 1955) and the Lane era pipes (1955 to until sometime between 1979 – 1984) are of primary interest the collector. The Lane era is often quoted as beginning about 1950.

Charatan records are almost non-existent before Lane due to a factory fire, making it difficult to date pre-Lane pipes. Charatan used 4 basic grades prior to 1950: Supreme, Selected, Executive, and Belvedere. After 1950 Herman Lane’s influence began, and the grades started to expand. In 1955 Lane took over sole distributorship of Charatan in the US. In 1957 he introduced the Supreme S. Most of his other introductions were from the 1960s and early 1970s.

From this I am fairly certain I am dealing with a Lane pipe made after 1955. There is also a circle L script mark that is a Lane stampings on the pipe which also supports this.

I continued digging further into the dating of the pipe, but what I had found above was a good start for me. If some of you would like to try your hand at dating it more accurately as to the time period it came out you might want to check out the article on Pipedia on Dating Charatans (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans).

I also reread the article on Pipedia by the Italian fellow who contributed some really helpful information on the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Charatan_-_Milan_2014). I quote the section on the Second period: Reuben Charatan 1910 – c. 1962. I have highlighted a portion of the section on the shank in red to point out some more helpful dating information.

– In 1962 Herman Lane took over the business from the Charatan family, although he had already influenced production from the 1950s.

– The pipes were mostly larger than the previous ones and corresponded in size to Dunhill group 5. These are slightly less rare, but still difficult to find.

– Stem: Usually in ebonite, saddle shaped or tapered, bearing a fine “CP” stamp, underbore system (see below) used when necessary.

– Shank: The shape code is stamped on it together with the nomenclature “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” arranged in two lines. From 1955 onward on the models marketed for the USA there is also a serif and circled capital “L” (but not all models bear this) which resembles the pound sterling symbol. The “L” is for Lane, the importer.

From 1958, Lane changed the nomenclature for models marketed for the US to clarify the message: “MADE BY HAND”.  In this period the underbore was introduced. Its manufacturing period ranged between 1920 and c.1930. This model was equipped with a duralumin plunger trap fitted in the stem, which served to clean the residue more easily. This particular model bore a special stamp on the stem, and also had its own catalogue…

QUALITY GRADES…The stem did not only display the stamps mentioned above. Another stamp that can help dating is the one referring to the quality of the pipe. Until Herman Lane arrived on the scene there were four quality grades. Starting with the lowest: Belvedere, Executive, Selected, and Supreme. Lane went on to add higher grades from time to time: Supreme S, Supreme S100, S150, S200, S250, S300, Coronation, Royal Achievement, Crown Achievement, and Summa Cum Laude; these last three are extremely rare and almost impossible to find. He also invented other, different grades, even changing the previous pipe classification standards. We will not go into detail here, but it means that if we find an S100 or Coronation the pipe was manufactured following Herman Lane’s acquisition. In particular, the FH mark, or Freehand pipe was commissioned to the famous Danish craftsman, Preben Holm.

Nomenclature

The Lane Trademark serif and circled L indicates the pipe is from the “Lane Era” (approx. 1955 to 1979 -1984?), however it appears that both the English factory or Lane themselves sometimes, or perhaps even often forget to stamp the L on a pipe. The Charatan factory was known for inconsistencies, especially in stampings. Therefore, although an L on the pipe definitely defines it as a Lane Era pipe, the lack of it could simply mean the pipe missed receiving the stamp from the factory. The lack of the trademark could also mean the pipe was destined for the European market.

Charatan pipes were not well distributed prior to the Lane Era, so very few pre-Lane pipes exist today. Herman Lane greatly grew the brand in the U.S., which caused corresponding growth in Europe.

Generally, when the pipe is stamped with the BLOCK letters “MADE BY HAND” it means the pipe was probably made between 1958 and 1965”

Generally, block letters “MADE BY HAND” and some of the other nomenclature in script (i.e. City of London or Extra Large next to the MADE BY HAND) means the pipe was made sometime between 1965 and the mid 1970s. The total script nomenclature “Made by Hand in City of London” evolved over this period of time, so many pipes had variants, such as Made By Hand in block letters and City of London in script, or some other variation of the terms or stampings.

It is believed the FH was used on Charatan pipes between 1957 and 1967-68. Three different sizes were used. The Charatan Logo (CP) on the pipe bit was changed over the year

Now I knew I was working on Lane Era pipe which actually means it was between 1955 and 1988 as shown by the stamping. Now it was time to work 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. He removed the shiny coat on the briar with acetone on cotton pads. 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 Before & After 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 close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show what an amazing job Jeff did in the cleanup of the rim top. The rim top was and inner edge were in excellent condition. There were spots on the surface where the stain had lightened – both inner and outer edges. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the acrylic. It was in clean but there were tooth marks and chatter on the stem ahead of the button on both sides. One of the things I appreciate about Jeff’s cleanup is that he works to protect and preserve the nomenclature on the shank of the pipes that he works on. The stamping on this one had faint spots on the edges so I was worried that it would worsen with the cleanup. I took some photos to show the clarity of the stamping. The photo is a little blurry but the stamping remains the same. I have noticed that many restorers are not careful to protect the stamping in their cleaning process and often by the end of the restoration the nomenclature is almost destroyed. I would like to encourage all of us to be careful in our work to preserve this as it is a critical piece of pipe restoration! I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe to capture the look of the pipe as a whole.I started my work on the pipe by touching up the light areas around the rim top and edges with a Walnut Stain pen. It blended well into the surrounding briar.With that finished the bowl was very clean and the sandblast looked great. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the sandblast surface of the briar with my fingertips and a horse hair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I decided to open the single hole in the end of the button and shape a slot. I used a Kemper Tool (small pottery saw) to begin the process of shaping the slot in the button. Once it was begun I used several small needle files to further shape the slot. I sanded the edges of the slot with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. Once I had finished it was open and the draw was much improved. I “painted” the tooth marks on both sides of the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter and as expected I was not able to lift them at all. I filled in the tooth marks with clear CA glue and let the cure. I flattened out the repairs with a small file to start blending them in. I sanded the areas smooth with 220 grit sandpaper and started polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. 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 to give the sanding pads some bite. 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 know that most think it does nothing for acrylic stems but I use it anyway as I find it works very well to deepen the shine. I set it aside to dry. 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 Charatan’s Make London England 4143 Sandblast Pot is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly polished the bowl and the replacement stem with Blue Diamond. I gave the bowl and the newly fit 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 sandblast really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny black acrylic stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl. This Charatan’s Make London England 4143 Sandblast Pot with an acrylic replacement stem 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: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.62 ounces/46 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the British 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.