Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table was one of a pair of pipes that I picked up when my daughters and I went to the Vancouver Flea Market not too long ago when the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted some here. We walked through all the stalls in the market and talked to vendors. We were chatting with an English chap about pipes and he took a bag out from under the table and in it were two pipes. The first was worn and had varnish peeling off. It was stamped Polo Sport Bruyere 21. The second one was this dusty and lightly smoked (perhaps one time!!) petite sandblast pipe. It was stamped on the underside of the shank and read BENT BOB’S followed by the Savinelli shield and the shape number 630 [over] Italy. It was stamped Savinelli on the left side of the saddle stem. The pipe had some darkening and when I ran a pipe cleaner through there was some tars but otherwise the bowl and rim top were immaculate. There was dust in the grooves of the sandblast. The stem was not oxidized but had light tooth chatter on the top and underside near the button. It was a good find and I was able to negotiate a good price for the pair of pipes that I picked up. I took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a sense of what I saw. I also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the light tooth chatter next to the button on both sides. It really was minor but it was present.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the bowl and shank. It captured the Bent Bob’s stamp well but the Savinelli shield and the shape number [over] Italy are obscured in the sandblast. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the look of the pipe proportionally. It is a pretty little blast.I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-b4.html) and looked up  Bent Bob’s and found a listing for the brand with a note linking it to Savinelli. I have included a screen capture of the listing below.I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Pipe_Brands_%26_Makers_A_-_C) and looked up the Bent Bob’s pipes. I found the listing with the following information. When I turned to the Savinelli site it repeated that information but added nothing else. I quote:

Bent Bob Pipes – Savinelli made budget pipe for USA

I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I used a tooth brush to work the soap into the grooves and valleys of the sandblast. I rinsed it off with warm running water and dried the bowl off with a cotton towel. It definitely took away all of the dust and debris in the finish and left the bowl looking much better. I scrubbed out the internals of the shank and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. After removing a little bit of oil and tar I started to see a red stain come out on the pipe cleaners. I worked until both the shank and stem were clean.I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the sandblast with a horsehair shoe brush. The product works to revitalize, protect and polish the briar. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and then buffed it off with a cotton cloth. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the tooth marks and chatter on the stem with a worn piece of 220 grit sandpaper and then started polishing it with 400 grit wet dry sandpaper.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I rubbed the stem down between pads with Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing using Before & After Stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I rubbed the stem down a final time with Obsidian Oil. I have worked on a few Savinelli Made Bent Bob’s Pipes over the years and found them to be well made and extremely light weight. This Sandblast Bent Bob’s Bent Acorn 630 is no exception. The sandblast is very nicely done and the finish is a combination of black and red stain that really makes the blast pop. The condition is exceptional and for all intents and purposes this pipe is new. If you pick it up for your rack you get the privilege of breaking it in for yourself with your favourite tobacco. The dimensions of the petite pipe are Length: 4 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Bowl diameter: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .67 ounces/18 grams. It is a great looking pipe that feels great in the hand and is light weight in the mouth. The bend in the stem and shank make it a perfect clencher. I will be adding it to the Italian Pipe Makers section of the rebornpipes store shortly. If you are interested in adding it to your collection send me a message on Facebook or an email. Thanks for walking through the process with me. Cheers.