Tag Archives: restemming a pipe

Restemming and Restoring a Monte Verde Golden Tan Freehand Sitter

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was purchased from a seller 05/28/24 from Santa Cruz, California, USA. It has that verve that I have come to associate with pipe made by Preben Holm and the fellow we purchased this lot from obviously loved Preben Holm carved pipes because we acquired several from him in this lot. They are unique and beautiful. The pipe is stamped on a smooth panel on the underside. It reads Monte Verde [over] Made in Denmark [over] by Hand [over] Golden Tan. The shank extension is a marbled green acrylic shank extension has a gold Crown MV on the top. I have refurbished several Monte Verde pipe so if you are interested in the brand here is a link to one I did back in 2019 that has a similar finish to this one (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/09/new-life-for-a-preben-holm-monte-verde-twin-finish-freehand/). It was quite dirty, like the rest of the pipes in this collection. There was a thick cake in the bowl and a lava overflow on the rusticated rim top. The inner and outer edges of the bowl looked very good. The stem was present for these photos but somehow disappeared in its journey from Jeff to me. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup process. He took close up photos of the bowl and rim top from different angles to show the condition of the rim top. The bowl has a thick cake that lining the walls and overflowing lava and build up on the rim top and flowing over the inner edge of the bowl onto the top. It is hard to know if there is damage or if the lava protected it. He also took photos of the stem to show the surface of the top and underside of the acrylic stem. You can see the tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I only wished that the stem had travelled to me here. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the lay of the rustication and grain around the pipe. It is a beautiful piece of briar. It had a very unique double rustication! The green acrylic shank extension works well with it. Jeff took several photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank to capture all of the stamping. It was clear and read as noted above. He also captured the stamp on the top of the missing stem. I turned to Pipephil’s site to get a read on the brand (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-m6.html). It confirms that the Monte Verdi line was made by Preben Holm. The pipe in the photo had a very similar rustication to the Monte Verdi I was working on. I did a screen capture of the section on Pipephil. I have included it below. There were also photos that were included on Pipephil of what this particular pipe looked like when it left Denmark. The rustication around the bowl and shank is very similar. The pipe I have has the same shank extension and finish. The pipe in the photo had a fancy turned vulcanite stem. The stem on the one I have in front of me is missing so I will need to replace it with one similar to the one in the photos below.I also Googled the brand and found a thread on Pipes Magazine about the brand that gave me some more information (http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/monte-verde-pipes). I include that below.

The Monte Verdi line was indeed a pipe style offered by Holm. It usually features heavily blasted and rusticated briar and smaller group sizes than some of his other lines. Some refer to this line as a “second”, but it provided an outlet for briar that had flaws and therefore unsuitable his other lines. Holm marketed many different lines featuring a variety of finishes in both stains and carvings and this is merely one of those. The ones I own are good pipes and smoke well. The blast finish is very interesting to look at and the tactile sensations make it fun to hold.

Jeff reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer and followed up with a Savinelli Fitsall pipe knife to remove the cake. He scrubbed out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl, rim, shank and stem with a tooth brush and Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils and tars on the rim and the grime on the finish of the bowl. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He was able to the lava build up on the rim top and you could see a little darkening in the finish on the top of the bowl. I took photos of the pipe bowl to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took a photo of the rim top. You can see the spots of darkening in the rim top and some bits of lava in the grooves. I had a stem in my can that was similar to the one that was lost but was black vulcanite. With a bit of work, it would fit the shank nicely. I took photo of both sides of the stem to show its condition.I cleaned the rim top with Before & After Briar Cleaner to soften the dark spots and darkening on the rim top. I used a brass bristle wire brush with the product deep clean the grooves in the double rusticated rim top. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The Balm did its magic and the grain stood out. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I used the slot saw and a series of flat files to shape the slot and make it a football shape. I cleaned up the shape with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the slot. It worked very well and the slot began to take on a very classic look.I worked over the tenon end with a flat file to get a snug fit into the shank extension of the pipe. It took a slight step down on the vulcanite to shape it for the proper fit. I fit it into the shank and took photos to show the look. While it was in place I heated the vulcanite and gave it a bend to match that of the original stems in the photos that Jeff sent that I included above. I sanded the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil impregnated cloth. The stem began to take on a shine. I finished working on the stem by sanding it with 32-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to smooth out the repair and to remove the tooth chatter. The pipe stem was looking very good. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiped down the stem with some Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I finished the polishing with some Before & After Stem Polish – both fine and extra fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside. This beautiful, double rusticated Preben Holm carved Monte Verde Golden Tan Freehand Sitter is a special looking pipe and it feels amazing in the hand. I polished stem with Blue Diamond polish on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The multi-coloured grain shining through the rustication came alive with the buffing. The rich contrasting brown colour works well with the polished swirling brown, tan, black and white Lucite stem. The finished Monte Verde Golden Tan Freehand Sitter is a beauty and feels great in the hand. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.36 ounces/68 grams. I will be putting this Monte Verde by Preben Holm on the Danish Pipe Making Section on the rebornpipes online store soon. It is such an interesting tactile pipe and if you have been looking for a freehand then this might be the one for you. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this interestingly shaped Preben Holm Hand Made pipe.

Restoring and Restemming a Mixed Finish Frasorteret Hand made in Denmark Freehand

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by Steve Laug

This interesting Freehand with both smooth and sandblast finishes came to us from an estate we purchase from Santa Cruz, California USA on 05/28/2024. It is a unique looking pipe that took some work to figure out the stamping. With some digging and comparing we knew that the stamping on the underside of the shank just ahead of the shank read Frasorteret [over] Hand Made [over] In [over] Denmark. You might well ask why we had to figure it out. That is simple in the half of the name line was hidden by the sandblast. The finish is dirty with dust and oils in the sand blast portions on the bowl sides. The smooth portions are also dirty with oils and dirty ground into the finish. The plateau rim top has some darkening toward the back of the bowl as well as thick lava filling it the grooves in the finish. The bowl has a heavy cake. The vulcanite shank extension is oxidized and also dirty. The stem is actually a poor replacement that is a saddle stem for a straight shank. The pipe would have originally had a fancy freehand style military style stick stem that sat in the extension. It will need to be replaced. Jeff took some photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the thick lava coat and debris in the plateau finish on the rim top. You can see that it basically fills in the grooves of the finish. The shank extension is also oxidized and dirty. He took photos of the stem to show the oxidation and calcification on it but at some level it does not matter as it will be replaced. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the finish on the bowl sides. It is really a beautiful pipe with great grain in the smooth portions. He captured the stamping as best as possible on the underside of the shank next to the vulcanite shank extension. It reads as noted above.It seemed to me that Frasorteret pipes came from the creative carving of Preben Holm so I wanted to confirm that memory. When you get a certain age memory can fool you! I turned first to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-f4.html). It tied the line to Preben Holm but there was not too much more information at this point.I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Frasorteret) to gather further information. There the information was scant but none the less made the connection to Preben Holm very clear. Here is the information.

The Frasorteret line of pipes were made by Preben Holm and were nearly identical to his normal line of pipes but for fills and pits and the like. The pipes were stamped Frasorteret Made in Denmark.

Now I had the background I needed. I was ready to start working on this pipe. As usual, Jeff had thoroughly cleaned up the pipe. I probably don’t say enough about how much I appreciate him doing the hard clean up work before I even get the pipes. He does an amazing job. He had reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer back to bare briar and removed the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He used a small blade to pick out the thick lava on the rim top. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and shank brushes. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe and the stem that came with it before I started my part of the restoration work. Preben’s Holm’s magic is very visible in the shaping of the pipe. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the clean condition. The bowl walls look very good. The replacement stem looks very clean and will be a good addition to my can of stem options.I tried to capture the stamping on the shank underside. It is a bit blurry but it is still very readable and clear as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe with the replacement stem removed. It really makes it clear to me that it is a replacement. The pipe was ready for me to work on but I decided first to go through my stems. I went through both vulcanite and acrylic stems which may sound easy but I have several hundred stems to sort through. I was looking for something that flowed with the delicate shape of the bowl and shank and was simply weightless looking. I found what I was looking for and took a photo of the stem I found. I put the new stem in the shank and took a photo, I like the looks of the new choice.What to do next? I figured I might as well continue working on the stem since I had already started. I sanded out the tooth chatter on the stem end and worked on the oxidation with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper.I fit the cleaned stem into the shank of the pipe and it was an odd fit. When I pulled it out this piece of scotch tape came out with the tenon. That is yet another testimony to the stem being a replacement. The tape would have been around the tenon to snug the fit in the shank. I cleaned out the shank with pipe cleaners and alcohol to remove the residual gum from the tape. Much better and the stem fit!I sanded the stem with 2×2 sanding pads – 320-3500 to start the polishing process and further remove the oxidation and marks. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. It was beginning to look very good.I love watching the shine develop on the vulcanite as I polish it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished this part of the polishing by using Marks Hoover’s Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I sanded the shank extension with 320-3500 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the vulcanite extension down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. It began to look better.I polished the smooth portions of the briar and the vulcanite shank extension with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. I wiped the shank extension down with Obsidian Oil. I finished this part of the polishing by using Marks Hoover’s Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and gave the stem another coat of Obsidian Oil. Once again, by the end of the process it looked quite good. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the bowl sides and shank with my fingertips. I worked it into the plateau finish with a shoe brush. It works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The grain came alive. This newly restemmed Frasorteret Hand Made in Denmark Freehand is a great looking pipe with some interesting shaping around the sides of the bowl and vulcanite shank extension. You can easily see the handiwork of Preben Holm in the shaping of the pipe. The beautiful grain around the smooth portions and sandblast on the other portions of the bowl is quite stunning and works well with both the shape and the polished vulcanite shank extension and the fancy vulcanite saddle stem. I put the new stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and followed by buffing the pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Preben Holm Hand Made Frasortert Freehand fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 49 grams/1.69 ounces. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipemakers Section shortly. If you wish to add this interesting pipe to your rack it is a great addition. Send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. I appreciate your support and time!

Restemming and Restoring a Sandblast Benaderet’s Coral 135 Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Benaderet’s [over] Coral followed by London Made [over] the shape number 135. The sandblast highlights great grain around the sides of the pipe. The shape number said I was dealing with a GBD made pipe. It had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. The rim and the inner edge were clean and with some light areas on the front right of the bevelled rim top and inner edge. The finish had been scrubbed and was very clean. I took photos of the bowl before I worked on it. I found an acrylic taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. The tenon would need to be reduced in diameter and the diameter of the shank end would also need to be reduced. The size and shape of the stem were perfect to start with. I took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. With the new stem in place it is going to be a beautiful pipe once it is completed.From the shape number on the shank I was pretty certain I was dealing with a GBD pipe. The stamping Benaderet’s Coral was a dead end but the shape number hit the mark. I turned to Pipedia’s shape number listing and found it (https://pipedia.org/wiki/GBD_Shapes/Numbers). I have included a screen capture of the listing below.

I did some more digging on the net and found that Benaderet’s was a pipe shop in San Francisco that closed in the 70’s. Their house pipes were made by Comoys or Sasieni although smokingpipes had one listed that was made by GBD once.

The other link was to a blog (http://theothersideofthelizard.blogspot.com/2018/11/benaderets-pipe-shop.html). That blog gave the original address of the shop in San Francisco and the names of the owners of the shop.

Benaderet’s Cigarette, Pipe and Tobacco Shop – 215 Sutter Street [Formerly at 566 California Street], San Francisco.

Owners: Robert and Edith Rashaw (Robert Rashaw: born 1916. Edith Edna Rashaw: born 1916.) Store still extant in the late seventies. No longer there by the eighties. At one point, they had Egyptian cigarettes made for them. Their house pipes were usually by Comoys. There are also Benaderet’s Sasienis. More research required.

Quote: “Benaderet’s Inc., was California’s oldest pipe and tobacco store when it went out of business in 1980. Sam Benaderet was a tobacconist from New York City who came to San Francisco in 1915 to work at the Panama Pacific International Exposition. An immigrant to the United States from Turkey, Mr. Benaderet decided that he liked the West Coast’s Mediterranean like climate. After the Exposition closed, he stayed to open his own tobacco business. This new firm produced custom private-label cigarettes for men’s clubs. A lavish retail store was opened in the late 1920’s that quickly became a mecca for tobacco connoisseurs.”

So what I could find out about the pipe is that it is a pipe made by GBD (Shape number confirms this). It turns out that the pipe was a GBD pipe made for Benaderet’s Cigarette, Pipe and Tobacco Shop in San Francisco, California. Since the shop went out of business in 1980 I now knew that the pipe was made before that time. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I decided to fit the shank with a thin polished brass band. The shank end was tapered slight and was no long round. It appeared to have been sanded for a stem somewhere in its journey. The thin band would smooth out the transition and square it off. It would also set off the briar and the new stem. I pressed it onto the shank and it was firmly in place. I stained the rim edges and top with a Walnut stain pen to match the rest of the bowl and shank colour. It looked very good. I worked some Before and After Restoration Balm into the finish of the briar with my finger tips. The product works to clean, enrich and restore the briar. The photos show the beauty that pipe really had at this point. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I used the Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the stem as much as I safely could do and then used a flat file to take it further. I cleaned up the diameter fit with a smaller flat needle file. It worked well to remove the excess acrylic to match diameter of the shank. It was getting there.I used a small hole saw and small round, oval and flat files to shape the round hole in the button into a slot with an oval. It looked much better once I finished it.I sanded out the files marks on the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I becamse smooth to the touch and was ready to be sanded further with sanding pads.I moved on to sand the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The stem began to look much better.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. Once again, I am at the part of the restoration that I always look forward to – the moment when all the pieces are put back together. I put the Benaderet’s Coral 135 Billiard and new acrylic stem back together and buffed the bowl with Blue Diamond. I buffed the stem with a heavier touch with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished sandblast finish and thin brass band. The black acrylic stem stands out as a shiny black contrast to the colours of the bowl. The reddish brown stain on the Benaderet’s Coral Billiard looks absolutely great. It is nice to know that it has a west coast tie to the San Francisco area and a long-gone pipe shop. It must have been a fine smoking pipe judging from the condition it was when we received it. Have a look at it in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/41 grams. This is one that will go on the British Pipemakers section of the rebornpipes online store shortly. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Restemming an Old Clay Egg and Claw Pipe with a Nickel Ferrule

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was an Egg and Claw Clay Pipe Bowl with a nickel Ferrule. I have had it in my box of bowls to be restemmed for a long time. There is no stamping or markings on the side of the bowl or shank. The maker of the pipe is a of a mystery. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. It had been moderately smoked so it was very clean. The rim top and the inner edge were very clean and had just a few nicks in the surface of the rim. The finish had been scrubbed and the internals were very clean. I would need to find a suitable stem to fit it and figured I would use an old, small WDC stem or KBB stem that I had in my can of stems. I found a stem in my can of stems that almost fit. It had already been sanded and would just need some adjustments. I took some photos the new stem before I started working on it. It was stamped on the top and read KBB in a cloverleaf with Chesterfield arched above it. It had the airway exiting on the stem end even though it looked like a P-lip style was uniquely like a WDC style stem. I would work perfect.I worked on the shape of the stem to fit in the shank and beginning the polislhing. I used 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to shape and polish the stem shape. Each sanding pad brought it into shape and the fit to the shank worked well. The scratches and marks in the vulcanite began to blend into the surface.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. I waxed the clay bowl and the nickel ferrule with Clapham’s Beeswax/Carnauba mixture. I worked it into the carving/pressing on the clay bowl with a shoebrush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a soft cloth to polish it. It really began to take on a shine. This restemmed, Egg and Claw Clay Pipe is a beautiful looking pipe that combines carved finish with a nickel ferrule and an old Chesterfield Vulcanite Stem. The clay has a patina on the bowl that works well to highlight the carving. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not to damage the clay. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 44 grams/1.55 ounces. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe.

Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Restemming and Converting an Unbranded Made in London England 97 Apple into a Churchwarden

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the right side of the shank and reads Made in London [over] England and on the underside is stamped the shape number 97. The maker of the pipe is a bit of a mystery. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. It had been lightly smoked so it was very clean. The rim top and the inner edge were very clean. The finish had been scrubbed and the internals were very clean. I found a long, acrylic, amber, acrylic taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. It would need some shaping and polishing but the size and shape of the stem were perfect to start with. I took some photos of the bowl before I worked on it and the new stem. I took photos of the stamping on the pipe right side and underside. It is clear and readable as noted above.I sanded the bowl and shank extension with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl and shank down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The pipe began to look much better. I decided to make this little bowl into a Churchwarden and to set of the stem I had chosen I decided to add a thin brass band on the shank for decorative purposes. I picked a band that fit the shank snuggly and glued it in place on the shank. I took photos of the pipe with the band in place on the shank. I think it is going to look very good with the stem I have chosen. I polished the bowl ands shank extension with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth. The bowl is starting to look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I turned to the new stem. I went through my can of stems and found a longer amber, acrylic taper stem that would work for the pipe. It had never been used and needed to have a tenon fit in the end that would work in the shank of the pipe. I decided to use a white Delrin tenon as it would be less visible in the stem. I drilled the end of the stem with a drill bit on my cordless drill to fit the end of the tenon.I reduced the diameter of the tenon slightly with a Dremel and sanding drum so that it would fit snugly in the shank of the pipe. I cleaned up the tenon with a flat file. I glued the tenon in the stem with clear CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once the tenon cured in place on the stem I fit it on the shank and took some photos of the new look. I took the stem off the shank and took photos of the look of the pipe and its proportions. It looks good with the brass band and the new amber acrylic stem. I sanded out the scratching on the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and debris. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look very good.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This restemmed, smooth Made in London England Apple Churchwarden is a beautiful looking pipe that combines a smooth finish with a thin brass band and an amber acrylic stem. The brown stains on the bowl work well to highlight the finish. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 8 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 42 grams/1.55 ounces. I will soon be adding it to the British Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe.

Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Restemming and Restoring a Savinelli Made ICE AGE 644 Volcano

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table was a bowl sans stem that I have had in my box of bowls to be restemmed. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads ICE AGE and on the underside is stamped the shape number 644. On the acrylic shank extension left side it is stamped Italy and on the underside of the extension it is stamped N. From my previous work on one of these I knew that I was dealing with a Savinelli product. The pipe had been reamed and cleaned by my brother Jeff many years ago. The rusticated rim top had some darkening around the top and the inner edge but otherwise was clean. The finish had been scrubbed and there was a peeling coat of varnish around the sides and heel. The acrylic shank extension was loose and there was a threaded metal tenon that it screwed onto. I would need to align the extension and shape it to fit smoothly with the shank. I found a vulcanite taper stem in my can of stems that would work with some adjustments. It would need some shaping and tapering but the size and shape were perfect to start with. I took some photos of the bowl before I worked on it and the new stem. I took photos of the stamping on the pipe and the acrylic shank extension. It is clear and readable as noted above. You can see from the photos that the shank extension is snug but does not line up with the round shape of the shank very well. Work will need to be done on it.I adjusted the fit of the shank extension to the shank with 220 grit sandpaper. It took a lot of hand sanding to get the fit correct. It lines up well and the fit to the shank is snug. I glued it in place on the metal tenon in the shank so that the fit did not move. I wiped the bowl down with acetone on cotton pads to remove the spots of varnish on the bowl and shank. It looked much better when I was finished. I cleaned the rim top with a brass bristle wire brush to remove the debris. It looked much better. I stained the rim top with a black Sharpie Pen. I went over it once again with the brush and it looked much better.I sanded the bowl and shank extension with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl and shank down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding debris. The pipe began to look much better. I polished the bowl ands shank extension with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth. The bowl is starting to look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and into the plateau rim top and shank end with a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I turned to the new stem. I went through my can of stems and found a taper stem that would work for the pipe. I gave the stem a smooth angle from the tenon up to the stem. I used a Dremel and sanding drum to give it a new shape.I heated the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter until it softened. I gave it a slight bend so that it followed the flow of the pipe. I sanded the stem with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust and debris. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil cloth. It began to look very good.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil to protect the stem and slow down the oxidation. This restemmed, smooth Savinelli Made Ice Age 644 Volcano Italy is a beautiful looking pipe that combines a smooth finish with a unique shaped acrylic shank extension. The brown stains on the bowl work well to highlight the finish. I put the newly finished stem on the bowl and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished pipe is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. I can only tell you that like the other pipes I am working that it is much prettier in person than the photos capture. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 54grams/1.90ounces. I will soon be adding it to the Italian Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Replacing a broken tenon on a Karl Erik Carved Jobey Dansk 1 Sandblast Freehand

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blog by Steve Laug

Late in September I received an email from Al about a broken stem on his Jobey Dansk 1 Handmade Freehand. I asked him to send me a photo of the pipe showing its condition and what it needed. We emailed back and forth and I told him I could replace the tenon and use the existing stem. He sent the pipe and parts just before Canada Post went on strike so it took forever to get here. This weekend the pipe arrived and I was excited to work on it. It had really nice sandblast finish on the bowl and shank and plateau on the top of the rim and on the end of the shank. It was stamped on the underside of the shank and read Jobey in script [over] Dansk. Underneath it read Handmade in Denmark [over] 1. The carving followed the flow of the sandblast grain very well and really served to showcase it. There was something familiar about the style of carving that reminded me of other Danish Freehand pipes I have worked on. I remembered that Jobey Dansk pipes were carved by Karl Erik. There was some dust in the valleys of the plateau and the sandblast. The bowl was lined with a thin cake. The stem snapped off and the tenon was stuck in the shank end. The break was not quite square but it was clean with no cracks in the stem portion. I have included a photo of the pipe that Al sent me to show the overall condition of the bowl and stem.I unpacked the pipe from the carefully packed box that had been opened by Canadian Customs and had its customs tape on the bottom of the box. I unwrapped it and laid it on the work table so show its condition. You can see the snapped tenon in the shank and the stem showing the break. I took photos of the pipe as it looked before I started. I took a photo of the stamping on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank to show the clarity and readability of the words. It read as noted above and is very clear.I used a pair of pliers to pull the broken tenon out of the shank. I flattened the end of the stem so that it was flat and then used a series of drill bits to open the end of the stem to receive the new tenon. I began with a bit slightly larger than the airway and ended with one that was the size of the threaded tenon that would go in the airway.I used a Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the threaded portion of the insert end and also the diameter of the tenon. I took photos of the parts before I put them together. I took a photo of the tenon inserted in the stem. I coated the threaded end of the new tenon with black rubberized CA glue and then pressed it into the open airway in the stem. I adjusted it so the tenon was straight and then set it aside to let the glue harden.I wanted to look at who had carved the Jobey Dansk line to confirm my suspicions I had about it. I had a feeling that the pipes were carved by a Danish carver known as Karl Erik. I looked up the Jobey listing on Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Jobey) and found the following information. I quote a portion of the article that is pertinent as follows.

English – American – Danish – French… Information about the brand Jobey are only to be found in form of smithereens… Probably established in England around 1920(?) the brand hiked into the USA later. In the course of time owner, distributor and manufacturer changed repeatedly. As far as known:

George Yale Pipes & Tobacco, New York (1942)

Norwalk Pipe Co., New York (1949)

Arlington Briar Pipes Corp., Brooklyn (when?)

Hollco International, New York (1969).

Weber Pipe Co., Jersey City, NJ (1970’s)

The Tinder Box, (1970’s – 80’s).

Throughout decades Jobey pipes were mainly sold in the USA, Canada and England but remained almost unknown in continental Europe. The bulk of Jobeys was predominantly made according to classical patterns and mainly in the lower to middle price range. The predominant judgment of the pipe smokers reads: “A well-made pipe for the price.” So, there is hardly anything very special or exciting about Jobey pipes although a flyer from ca. 1970 assures: “The briar root Jobey insists upon for its peer of pipes is left untouched to grow, harden and sweeten for 100 years. […]Jobey uses only the heart of this century old briar and only one out of 500 bowls turned measures up to the rigid Jobey specifications.” 99.80% of cull… that makes the layman marveling!

Yet then there are partially really exciting Freehands mainly in the seventies, that Jobey – Weber owned back then – bought from Danish pipe genius Karl Erik Ottendahl. These pipes were offered as Jobey Dansk – ’70’s pure! (BTW waning sales caused Ottendahl to discontinue exports to the United States in 1987.)

From that information, my suspicions were confirmed. The pipe that I was working on was carved by Karl Erik Ottendahl. There were some similarities to the Karl Erik pipes that I have worked on in the past. The dating of the pipe line in the 70s fits well with the pipe I have in hand.

I cleaned out the airway in the shank and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. I wiped out the inside of the bowl with a damp cloth.I scrubbed the externals of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed it off with running water and dried the bowl with a soft cloth. I worked over the plateau on the rim top and shank end with a brass bristle wire brush to clean out the hard lava that seems have filled in some of the crevices. It came out looking much better at this point in the process.I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the sandblast and plateau surface of the briar with my fingertips and with a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem that I had repaired. I sanded out the tooth chatter and light marks ahead of the button on both sides with 220 grit sandpaper.I scrubbed the stem and the new tenon with Soft Scrub Cleanser and cotton pads to remove the oxidation in the grooves of the turned saddle stem. It looked much better at this point in the process.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the dust and debris.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 some Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine and buffed it off with a cotton cloth. This is a beautiful Sandblast Jobey Dansk 1 Handmade by Karl Erik with a fancy, turned, black vulcanite stem. It has a great look and feel. The shape fits well in the hand with the curve of the bowl and shank junction a perfect fit for the thumb around the bowl when held. I polished stem and the bowl with Blue Diamond polish on the buffing wheel. I gave the sandblast bowl and the plateau on the rim top and shank end multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax. I gave the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The rich combination of browns and black in the smooth finishes and the plateau areas took on life with the buffing. The rich colour of the briar works well with the polished vulcanite stem. I like the grain and finished look of this Jobey Dansk 1 Sandblast Freehand pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The shape, finish and flow of the pipe and stem are very well done. The dimensions are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches wide x 2 ¾ inches long, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 3.17 ounces /91 grams. This Danish Freehand is a real beauty. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. This one will be going back to Al shortly. I look forward to hearing what he thinks. Thanks for your time.

Restemming and Restoring a Unique Venezia Bruyere Garantie Thick Shank System Billiard

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by Steve Laug

Once again, I am breaking the rhythm of restoration of pipes that Jeff has sent to me work on a bowl that I have in a very big box of bowl without stems. There are probably about 100 bowls that I have been chipping away at for a long time now. Yesterday I had to urge to restem a few of the bowls. The next bowl I chose was this interesting thick shank Billiard bowl that was a system style pipe that had two airways entering the bowl and shank. I ran a pipe cleaner through each airway in the shank and the came out in the bowl bottom. The shank end had a thick step-down brass fitting that was oxidized and greenish coloured. The stamping on the left side of the shank was an oval that reads Bruyere [over] Garantie. The front of the bowl was carved with the word VENEZIA (smooth) in a rusticated oval. Somewhere along the way Jeff had reamed and cleaned the bowl and it was waiting a new stem. The briar was dirty from sitting in my box for years. The rim top had a bit of debris and darkening on the surface that was probably present after Jeff’s previous cleanup. I examined the brass shank end for any stamping and there was nothing in the brass as it was unmarked.

I found the VENEZIA carving interesting, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I have worked on Savinelli pipes that were in a line called VENEZIA and I have worked on a folding pocket pipe from my late friend Chuck (https://rebornpipes.com/2012/09/05/chucks-gift-pipes-part-1-venezia-vogini/) that also bore that name along with Vogini. I have done a bit of digging and I cannot put a finger on the maker other than it is separate from the Savinelli Line. The one thing I know is that they have certainly made some unique pipes. This System Pipe is certainly another unique and special looking pipe. My guess is that it probably had a horn stem with a plunger in the centre of the tenon and an airway on the top left and right of the centre dropping the smoke into the rest of the airway in the stem as cool and dry. I took a photo of the carving on the front of the bowl and the left side of the shank. They are clear and readable as noted above.I took a photo of the airways as they entered the shank. You can see one at the top right and top left. There is also fitment at end of the mortise that looks like it held a pin in the centre as a condenser that fit in the mortise.I went through my stems and found an interesting white acrylic saddle stem that would look good with this bowl and the brass shank end. I would need to reduce the diameter of the tenon to fit in the large mortise and would also need to reduce the diameter of the saddle portion to reflect the diameter of the shank.I used a Dremel and a sanding drum to take down the diameter of the saddle portion of the stem and also the tenon. I decided to try something a bit different – to fit the end of the stem with a reversed shank band/ferrule. I reduced the stem diameter enough to press the band onto the end of the stem.I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the marks from the Dremel. I followed that by sanding it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend down the sanding areas. I wiped the stem down between pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the sanding debris from the stem.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I wiped down the bowl with alcohol to remove the spotty finish and the debris on the bowl sides. It began to look much better. I sanded the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2 x 2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It began to take on a rich shine. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. By the end of the process the pipe bowl looked very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with a shoe brush to get into the carving on front of the bowl and my fingertips on the smooth. The product works 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. This Unique Vezania System Bowl with the new White Acrylic stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The rich finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and the new stem have a great hand feel. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Vezana System Bowl and new stem fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 59 grams/2.08 ounces. This is unique enough that for the time being I am going to hold on to it and enjoy its look, feel and smoke it! Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.

Restemming and Restoring a Savinelli Extra Lumberman

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by Steve Laug

My brother and I have picked up a lot of bowl without stems over the years and boxed them for potential restemming at a later date. Unfortunately, we did not record where we picked them up. This one was a long shanked Canadian. Jeff had reamed and cleaned the pipe before we boxed it so it was clean, just needing finishing and restemming. It spots of rustication around the bowl sides and the shank. There was also a joint mid shank that was “hidden” under the rustication. The pipe was stamped on the underside of the bowl and shank and read Savinelli [over] Extra on the bowl heel [followed by] LUMBERMAN [followed by] Italy. The briar was clean and the rustications were also clean. The rim top had damage on the bevelled inner edge and some darkening on both. The joint of the two parts was well done and the rustication did a great job hiding it. There is a silver band on the shank is a repair band I believe that was added after carving. It is stamped with an arched Sterling Silver on the topside. I took some photos of the bowl before I started working on it. I took photos of the rim top and inner edge to show the condition of the bowl and rim. I also took photos of the junction of the two parts of the shank. Note the condition of the union of the two parts of the long shank. It is very well done and the connection is clean and undamaged.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It was clear and readable as noted above. I did a google search on a Savinelli Extra Lumberman and found one on MBSD’s Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/p/DBu1kPTPCFF/). I captured one of the photos from the site and also the pertinent descriptive information that was in the side bar for the pipe.….…This is an interesting Savinelli. Though technically a Canadian, this extra long Lumberman model is not one you’ll find on Savinelli’s contemporary shape chart. In fact, I think this is a shape from before 1970 and the advent of the chart that Savinelli uses as standard today. It also features something that Savinelli has not done for a long time: spot carving. I.e., partial rustication, which lends the pipe a slightly rugged look, juxtaposed nicely with its virgin blonde stain. Finally, the pipe has vulcanite stem, which is also not very common on Savinellis anymore.

Now it was time to restem the pipe. I went through my can of stems to find a stem that would fit this pipe both in terms of the airway and the shank fit. I found a nice taper stem that would work well with this long shank Canadian. With a bit of work it would fit very well. It was close to a fit so I used a Dremel and sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the tenon for a shank fit. I adjusted it further with some small flat files. Once I completed the clean up of the tenon I fit it in the shank on the pipe and took photos of the pipe at this point in the process. I still needed to adjust the width of the stem at the shank as well as the overall shape to match the shank end.I used 220 grit sandpaper to shape and adjust the stem to match the shank end. It took a lot of sanding and shaping but it began to look very good.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad to check the progress of the fit to the shank. It began to look very good.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I set the stem aside and turned my attention to the bowl. I used a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and a half sphere to work over the inner bevelled edge on the bowl. Then I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the inner edge some more. It started to look very good at this point. I sanded the briar with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to smooth out the scratching in the surface. I wiped the briar down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I worked over the inner and outer edge of the rim as well. After each pad I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. It really took on a shine by the last three sanding pads. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a shoe brush to get into the carving on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I polished the silver band on the shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with a jeweller’s cloth to remove the debris and to polish the silver and remove the oxidation and prevent more from developing. I am excited to finish restemming and restoring this Savinellil Extra Lumberman. 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 with just a few small flaws in the briar. The polished grain on the pipe looks great with the black vulcanite stem. This smooth Savinelli Extra Lumberman with spot rustications 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: 7 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.55 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will soon be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes by Italian Pipe Making Companies Section. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know.

Remember we are the next in a long line of pipe men and women who will carry on the trust of our pipes until we pass them on to the next trustee. Thanks for your time reading this blog.

Restemming and Restoring a Neidlinger Imported Briar Rhodesian Bowl

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by Steve Laug

Once in a while I break the rhythm of restoration of pipes that Jeff has sent to me work on a bowl that I have in a very big box of bowl without stems. There are probably about 100 bowls that I have been chipping away at for a long time now. Yesterday I had to urge to restem a few of the bowls. The first of them was this interesting rusticated Rhodesian bowl that looked a lot like some of the rustication on Custombilt pipes though with a bit of variation that separates it from them. It bears an oxidized Sterling Silver band on the shank that will need some attention. The stamping on the left side of the shank reads NEIDLINGER [over] Imported Briar. Somewhere a long the way Jeff had reamed and cleaned the bowl and it was waiting a new stem. I examined the silver and it was stamped across the top of the band and read STERLING. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank side. It was clear and readable as noted above.I went through my can of stems and found one that that was close to the diameter I needed and the tenon would need a slight adjustment for it to fit in the shank. I used a file to reduce the diameter of the tenon. I cleaned up the tenon diameter with my Dremel and a sanding drum. It did not take much for the stem to fit well in the shank. I put it in place and took photos. You can see in the photos that the stem diameter will need to be adjusted as the shank is not round and the stem is. I worked on the adjustment of the outside diameter of the stem with my Dremel and a sanding drum. I took off the majority of the excess vulcanite that way. The rest would need to be done with files and sanding pads. I sanded the stem with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the marks from the Dremel. I followed that by sanding it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend down the sanding areas. I wiped the stem down between pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the sanding debris from the stem.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I set the stem down and turned my attention to the clean bowl. I used a brass bristle wire brush to work over the rim top and remove the debris in the carving. It looked cleaner.I polished the silver band with 1500-3000 grit micromesh sanding pads and then finished with a jeweller’s cloth to raise the shine and protect it from further oxidation. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips and a shoe brush to get into the carving on the bowl and shank. The product works 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. This Rusticated Neidlinger Imported Briar Rhodesian is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored and restemmed. The rich finish gives the shape an elegant look. The flow of the bowl and stem are well done make for a great hand feel. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I buffed the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Neidlinger Rhodesian fits nicely in the hand and feels great. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 64 grams/2.26 ounces. It is a great looking and light weight pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it.