Tag Archives: shaping a stem

A Better Life for a Torben Dansk 16 Bent Billiard

by Kenneth Lieblich

Now, this is a perfect example of the sort of pipe that we should all have in our collections: a really good smoker – and, by all accounts, that’s exactly what this is. This pipe is a dapper, sandblasted bent billiard from Torben Dansk of Denmark. The blast is gnarly and wonderful. The pipe looks well made and feels very nice to hold.

The markings are found on a smooth patch of briar on the underside of the shank. They read Torben [over] Made in Denmark [over] Dansk. Off to the right of this, and at a right angle, is the shape number, 16. Finally, on the stem, we see a Viking helmet as logo.

So, what do we know about Torben Dansk? There is a brief write-up at Pipedia about the label. It reads as follows:

Torben Dansk pipes were originally made by Torben Hetler. Next to other manufacture brands (Danmore, Tabago e.a.) they appeared in the first cataloge of Dan Pipe (originally named “Danske Pibe”), a pipe and tobacco mailing enterprise established by Heiko Behrens in 1972. Following the pipes became well-known and quite popular in Germany. Later they were made by Lars Christensen’s manufacture. According to the cataloge 1992/93 they were made by Poul Winslow.

I checked in at Pipephil, but they didn’t have any significant information to offer. However, there were three interesting comments from different fellows in the forums over at PipesMagazine:

The old briar buffed up like new and now it’s one of the best lookers and best smokers in my collection.

I had two Torben Dansk pipes in my collection several years ago. I remember they were both great smokers and I am sorry I traded them away.

Well, I wish I could say I had one in my collection. I was eyeing one on the bay and was outbid at the last second.

There was also mention of Torben Dansk at DutchPipeSmoker, in an article about the Dan Pipe company:

The history of Dan Pipe began in 1972 when, after a holiday in Denmark, teacher and enthusiastic pipe smoker Heiko Behrens decided to sell the creations of then unknown Danish pipe makers. In a small catalogue handmade pipes by Former, Emil Chonowitsch and Poul Hansen were presented together with factory pipes from Tabago, Torben Dansk, Danmore and other Danish producers. Soon also pipe tobacco was added to the catalogue, including Dan Pipe‘s first own-brand Torben Dansk. The quality of the pipes and tobaccos from the Dan Pipe catalogue provided good word-of-mouth advertising amongst the German pipe-smokers so gradually the customer base grew.

Sounds like a quality pipe. Let’s get working.

The stem’s calcification was quite substantial. I used an old butter knife and gently scraped some of the thicker accretion off. Doing this now helps later in removing the oxidation. I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.

The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it.

Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some Briarville Stem Oxidation Remover. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface of the vulcanite. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew out the stem from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush.

As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. This was done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on. After this, I painted the logo on the stem with some enamel nail polish. I restored the logo carefully and let it fully set before proceeding.

The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduced the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I removed the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.

As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I only used a pipe knife and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel – fortunately, there was very little debris in the bowl.

Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. With a pipe this dirty, it took quite a while and much cotton to clean.

I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.

To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a toothbrush in the crevices. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.

I gave a quick pass of the micromesh pads on the smooth bit of briar on the shank. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth.

For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of conservator’s wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.

All done! This Torben Dansk 16 sandblasted bent billiard looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Danish’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅜ in. (138 mm); height 1⅞ in. (48 mm); bowl diameter 1⅓ in. (34 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¼ oz. (36 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

A Handsome Old Bruyere 56 Prince with a Special ‘Sitter’ Feature

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by Kenneth Lieblich

This pipe is quite fascinating and quite delightful, as it has a highly unusual feature. We don’t normally associate the prince pipe shape with the function of being a ‘sitter’, but this one has that feature – and with a screw-in base. Really nifty! I found it at one of those ‘antique’ fairs. You know the sort: the stuff they are selling makes the word ‘antique’ do an awful lot of heavy lifting. Anyway, I saw the pipe, thought it was good-looking, and then turned it over. Wow. It has a base that screws into the bottom of the bowl with a bone tenon. I thought that this one was really interesting – I hope you will too. This is a great pipe for the collector of unusual pieces.

Let’s look at the markings, because the origins of this pipe are a bit mysterious. Hopefully, the markings can help us. On the left side of the shank, we see Old Bruyere. On the right side of the shank, we see Made in England. Finally, on the underside of the shank, we see the shape number 56.

It seemed to me that this pipe was likely made by one of the big English makers. Comoy and Hardcastle do use the phrase ‘Old Bruyere’ on some of their pipes, but that isn’t convincing evidence. The shape number doesn’t correspond to Barling, Bewlay, Charatan, Comoy, Hardcastle, or Sasieni – but Orlik does fit. They do have a prince shape that is numbered 56. I can’t guarantee it, but I think this is likely to have been made by Orlik. My only hesitation is that the Orlik 56 is a quarter-bent prince – the straight prince is 55. Who knows? Alas, I haven’t worked it out. I suspect that this pipe is an experiment – and a really neat one, at that.

The condition of the pipe is great. The pipe has hardly been smoked. The bowl is clean and the briar is lovely. There are some very slight dents, but I can deal with those. The stem is also in good shape. There are more tooth marks than one would expect of a pipe that has been seldom smoked, but no big deal. The tenon in the base looks sound, clean, and firm.

I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.

As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks in the vulcanite. This was done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on.

As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. Of course, there wasn’t really much. I used a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel to clean the inside.

Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. Again, not too much here.

Having completed that, I was able to address the nicks on the rim and the bowl. I dug out my iron and a damp cotton flannel cloth. By laying the cloth over the affected areas and applying the iron to it, the hot and moist steam can cause the wood to swell slightly and return to shape. There was considerable improvement!

I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the outside of the stummel and finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth.

For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.

All done! This Old Bruyere 56 prince sitter with a screw-in base looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘British’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅞ in. (149 mm); height 1¾ in. (45 mm); bowl diameter 1⅝ in. (41 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¼ oz. (36 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Giving Three Old Pipes New Life

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by Kenneth Lieblich

I recently received a package of three pipes from a fine gentleman in Texas. These old pipes belonged to his father-in-law and he was hoping to bring them back to working order. He wanted to get them smoking again after 20+ years of inactivity. I was happy to receive them and happy to work on them. I decided to do a blog about all three at once, so here we go. The three pipes are quite handsome. One is a little Savinelli 105 (probably a Petite) with a military tenon and acrylic shank extension. The second is a Dr Grabow bent billiard with a filter system and acrylic stem. Third is a large, round meerschaum with a variegated acrylic stem. You can see from the photos that they are attractive, very serviceable pipes.

Let’s get started. I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the three stems to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stems with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean. I used lots and lots pipe cleaners and cotton swabs.

The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. There was only one stem (the Savinelli) that was made of vulcanite and, therefore, in need of de-oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it.

After this, I painted the Savinelli logo on the stem with some enamel nail polish. I restored the logo carefully and let it fully set before proceeding.

As the stems were now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents. This was done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive (impregnated with carbon and rubber) on the Dr Grabow stem and clear cyanoacrylate adhesive on the meerschaum stem. I left them to cure and moved on. The Savinelli stem didn’t need this treatment. The photos don’t show this very well, but the meer’s stem had very deep dents that required quite a bit of attention.

The penultimate step for the stems is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduced the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I removed the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the stems. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even things out, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep shine to all three stems when I was done. I am embarrassed to say that I forgot to take any photos of this step. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

As the stem were (nearly) complete, I moved on to the two briar stummels. The first step was to ream out the bowls – that is to say, remove all the cake. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowls and determine if there was damage or not. I used a reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.

Same sort of thing (kind of) for the meerschaum bowl. Normally, as above, I would use a reamer to remove the built-up cake inside the bowl, but meerschaum has the potential to crack in those circumstances. Instead, I used just the pipe knife and the sandpaper/dowel. There wasn’t too much.

Similar to the stems, I then cleaned the stummels with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. With pipes this dirty, it took quite a while and much cotton to clean. With the meer, I did this carefully because too much soaking can cause meerschaum to soften. In this case, I moved quickly, nothing softened, and everything turned out well.

I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the two briar pipes – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowls and the shanks with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummels sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. However, I didn’t use this treatment on meerschaum for the aforementioned reasons.

My next step was to remove the lava on the rims of the two briar pipes. For this, I took a piece of machine steel and gently scraped the lava away. The metal’s edge is sharp enough to remove what I need, but not so sharp that it damages the rims.

To tidy up the briar pipes, I wiped down the outsides, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a toothbrush in the crevices. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummels with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipes clean. Again, this was only done on the briar pipes.

The Dr Grabow had a serious nick at the end of the shank. I filled this in with CA glue. Worked perfectly.

I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the outside of all three stummels and finish them off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar (and meerschaum) and provides a beautiful smoothness to the surfaces. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the two briar pipes and let them sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummels with a microfibre cloth.

I then applied some Clapham’s Beeswax Finish to the meerschaum and also let it sit for about 30 minutes. As meerschaum pipes don’t do well on a bench-polisher, I then buffed it with a microfibre cloth. I repeated this process and left it – it sure was pretty!

For the final step, I took the two briar pipes (only) to my bench polisher and carefully buffed them – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipes look their best – the stummels sing and the stems glow.

All done! These three handsome pipes look fantastic again and I am delighted with the results. I’m sure the Texan gentleman will be too. Stupidly, I forgot to take measurements of the pipes before I returned them. However, I hope you enjoyed reading the story of the pipes’ restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring them. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a WDC Demuth Aristocrat 88 Churchwarden

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Here is a beautiful, early-twentieth century churchwarden for your perusal. I’ve had it sitting around for a little while, and now it’s time to get it cleaned up. It’s got the typical elegant shape and feel of a regular churchwarden, but this one is a full twelve inches long. This is an old timer and I can’t wait to get it into the hands of its next owner.

As the title tells you, this pipe is from WDC – the William Demuth Company, a venerable American pipe maker. The markings are as follows: on the left side of the shank are the letters WDC inside an inverted triangle, next to Demuth [over] Aristocrat. On the right side of the shank, we read Imported [over] Briar Root. And next to those, the shape number 88. Finally, the top of the stem shows a metal representation of the invested triangle – the logo for the WDC company. The Aristocrat was one of WDC’s better lines and, indeed, this is a handsome pipe.

Pipedia has some great information on the history of the company and I encourage you to read it here. In the meantime, here is a quotation from their article:

William Demuth. (Wilhelm C. Demuth, 1835-1911), a native of Germany, entered the United States at the age of 16 as a penniless immigrant. After a series of odd jobs he found work as a clerk in the import business of a tobacco tradesman in New York City. In 1862 William established his own company. The William Demuth Company specialized in pipes, smoker’s requisites, cigar-store figures, canes and other carved objects. The Demuth Company is probably well known for the famous trademark, WDC in an inverted equilateral triangle. In 1897 Ferdinand Feuerbach joined the Demuth company and by 1903 had become the production manager. Feuerbach is credited with developing Demuth’s popular Royal Demuth and Hesson Guard Milano pipelines. He left in 1919, when Sam Frank Sr. needed an experienced pipe man to run his pipe factory, located at 168 Southern Blvd., in the Bronx. Feuerbach and Frank had been close friends since Frank started his own business in 1900 and was closely associated with the sales staff of WDC, selling their line of pipes.

The pipe is in good condition. There are some dark marks on the rim of the briar and a bit of cake in the bowl. Nothing serious. The stem is just fine, aside from some tooth chatter.

I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.

As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a reamer and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.

To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.

All done! This WDC Demuth Aristocrat 88 churchwarden looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘American’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 12 in. (305 mm); height 1⅔ in. (42 mm); bowl diameter 1⅓ in. (33 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¼ oz. (38 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Another Wonderful Hand-Carved Søren Freehand Bent Egg

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by Kenneth Lieblich

The last few weeks have been an extraordinarily busy time for me, so I haven’t posted in a bit, but this pipe is from the same lot as the one I posted last time. I recently acquired a collection from a gentleman, now deceased, who clearly loved his pipes. They were all well used and, according to his family, he had a pipe hanging out of his mouth at all times. They were all interesting pipes, but this one called to me. It’s a Søren Hand-Carved Freehand Bent Egg, with a beautiful look and feel, by master carver, Søren Refbjerg Rasmussen. It also has an attractive plateau on the rim and the end of the shank. This one deserves to be back in someone’s collection – maybe yours! On the underside of the shank, we read Søren [over] Hand-Carved [over] Made in Denmark. Those are all the markings we can see.Pipedia has an article on Mr Rasmussen and I quote a part of it here:

Søren Refbjerg Rasmussen founded a company in 1969, which employed an average of 8 – 12 craftsmen in the 1970’s. The semi-freehands they produced were traded under his prename Søren. Rasmussen himself finished only the very best pipes. So his way of pipemaking closely resembled the ways of Preben Holm, Karl Erik Ottendahl or Erik Nørding. Altogether more than 1,000,000 pipes were sold. Today he works alone as Refbjerg and manufactures only a small number of pipes in his workshop in DK-2860 Søborg, which are considered to be tremendously precisely executed. The dimensions mostly range from small to medium sized, corresponding to his personal preferences. The shapes adhere to the classical models, but often he gives them a touch of Danish flair. Refbjerg accepts minor faults but never uses any fillings. “Straight Grain” is the only grading, used for his very best pieces. He likes stem decorations made of exotic woods or metal rings.Meanwhile, over at Pipephil, there is the following entry:And, finally, scandinavianpipes.com includes these details about him:

Søren Refbjerg was born 1943 in the city of Søborg where he still lives and has been a full time pipe-maker since 1969. In the 70´s Søren had his own small factory with 10 employees producing a huge number of pipes mainly for the US market. Søren has indeed been one of the most productive Danish pipe-makers and for many years he also produced pipes for W.Ø. Larsen For the last decades Søren has been making pipes by himself, always using briar from Corsica. Søren derive much relaxation from being on the coast while angling for Sea Trout with his own hand-tied flies and find this environment to be a great inspiration for making pipes. Many times Søren say to himself: “Inspired by nature, made by me”.

He died in 2021. Let’s take a closer look at the pipe. It is in very nice shape. The stem is remarkably clean – a little bit of tooth chatter, but very little oxidation or calcification. The stummel is very nice – some cake in the bowl and a bit of darkening on the rim. I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a nasty, black mess – but better off the stem than on it.The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done.As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a pipe knife and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol.I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a brush in the grooves of the plateau. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.Some darkening remained on the rim, so I took some crystalized oxalic acid and dissolved it in warm water. I took some cotton swaps, dipped in the solution, and rubbed the burned spot vigorously. The weak acid works very nicely to alleviate superficial burns (where the integrity of the wood is still sound).I then used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the outside of the stummel and finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.This Søren Hand-Carved Freehand Bent Egg looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Danish’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6⅛ in. (155 mm); height 2⅓ in. (60 mm); bowl diameter 1⅔ in. (43 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1¾ oz. (52 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Breathing New Life into a Dunhill Root Briar 710 Silver Banded Billiard

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by Steve Laug

Early February I received an email from Blake regarding two pipes he wanted me to have a look at. I have included that email below

Hello, I have two pipes that are in need of restoration. I was just curious if you take on projects from others. One is a Charatan Perfection Dublin, the other is a Dunhill 710 Group 4 Root Briar Billiard. Both pipes need the standard ream/clean/deoxidize, however they also have small cracks. The Charatan has two cracks in the bowl, which I do not believe go all the way through (also the previous owner tried to put wood glue over them). The Dunhill has a crack in the shank, however it has been banded so I do not know if it needs any additional work on it. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Sincerely, Blake

As I usually do, I wrote him back and asked for photos of the pipes. He sent a few photos of them both. I have inserted the photos below of the Dunhill he sent. The bowl was typical of older pipe finds, thick cake, lots of grime in the finish, oxidized silver band and stem. The shank had a crack in the top left side that extended from the shank end up the shank about an inch. The silver band was the repair that had been done to the pipe quite a few years back. This Dunhill had some rugged beauty under all the grime. To me it was worth a restoration to see what was happening internally and externally under the grime of the years. I wrote and told him to send them to me. It took a while but they arrived yesterday afternoon. I unpacked them and took a photo of the pair to show what they looked like when they arrived. I would take more photos of each pipe as I worked on it but this one gives you a sense of what I saw as I took them out. I chose to work on the Dunhill Root Briar next. It is a Group 4 sized Dunhill Billiard with a vulcanite taper stem. It is in dirty condition and has a repaired crack on the top left side of the shank. It is stamped on the left side of the shank next to the bowl/shank union with the shape number 710. That is followed by Dunhill [over] Root Briar [over] Perfection. On the right side of the shank it bears the stamping Made In [over] England followed by 4 in a circle and an R. There is what looks like an underlined 1 at an angle under and to the right of the D in England. The pipe was dusty, scratched and dirty with grime ground into the finish. The bowl had a thick cake. The rim top had a lava coat on the top and inner edge. There was some damage on the inner edge of the rim and some heavy lava on the smooth rim top. The original Dunhill White Spot Taper stem was dirty and oxidized with light tooth marks and chatter on both sides. The crack in the top of the shank on the left side is bound together with a very tarnished silver band. I took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before I started working on it. I took a photo of the bowl and rim top to show the thickness of the cake and the condition of the rim top. You can see the band of hard cake mid bowl. The stem photos show the condition of the stem ahead of the button.The stamping on the sides of the shank is faint in spots. I took a photo with the band and with the loose band removed. Overall it is clear and readable as noted above. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. Under the grime it is a real beauty. One of the first things I like to do is to unpack the stamping and understand each element in it. I turned to Pipephil’s helpful site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/shell-briar1.html). The stamping is interpreted as follows: The 719 is the shape of the pipe which is a Billiard. The Dunhill Root Briar is the finish. Following the Made In England there does not appear to be any date number. Below the D and to the right there is an underlined 1which gives the year that the pipe was made.

From there I wanted to pin down the date stamp 1. I have included Page 2 of the Dunhill Dating Key (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1a.html). Following that it takes me to the box with 1960+suffix. That tells me that the pipe is a 1961 pipe.I wanted to know more about the Root Briar finish and when it was introduced by Dunhill. I turned to a listing on Pipedia that gave me the information I was looking for (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill).

Root Briar

Dunhill introduced its third major pipe finish, the Root Briar, in 1931. The new line was developed specifically to showcase briar with a particularly beautiful and pronounced grain. To this end, it was made exclusively from Corsican mountain briar, a wood characteristically prized for its fine grain, a practice that continued into the 1960s.

The pipe was finished with a light, natural stain to allow the beauty of the wood to show through. A particularly distinctive feature of the early Root Briar was its unique mouthpiece — a marble-grained, brown vulcanite bit — that became known to collectors as the ‘bowling ball’ bit. This style, however, was discontinued with the onset of the Second World War.

Because the Root Briar finish requires a perfectly clean bowl with exceptional graining, it has always been one of Dunhill’s rarer and more expensive lines, typically available only at the company’s own stores or through its principal dealers. Its nomenclature was identical to that of the Bruyère, except for the use of an ‘R’ stamp instead of an ‘A’. Straight-grained versions were graded on various scales over the years, evolving into the modern ‘DR’ one-to-six-star system.^[122]^[123]

Now I knew that I was working on a Dunhill Root Briar 710 Billiard with a taper stem that was probably made in 1961.

I turned to work on the pipe itself. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer using the cutting heads 2 and 3. I finished the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. I cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and both bristle and regular pipe cleaners.I removed the Sterling Silver Band from the shank and scrubbed the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and some undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the dust and soap from the finish. I dried it off with a soft cloth and it looked much better. Once I cleaned up the externals of the bowl and shank I found a metal repair piece pressed into the top of the shank to repair what must have been another crack in the shank.I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the inner edge of the bowl and the rim top and minimize the damage. It looked significantly better.I sanded the exterior of the bowl with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratching in the finish. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. It really began to look much better. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads to develop the shine. It began to look very good. It had a rich shine in the finish. I paused the polishing of the bowl and shank after the 4000 git sanding pad. I repaired the crack in the top left side of the shank with clear CA glue and a tooth pick. I ran it the length of the crack and pressed it back together. I held it until the repair cured. Once it cured I ran the other sanding pads over the surface to smooth out the patch. I started sanding it again with the 6000 grit sanding pad. Once it was solid and the polishing with micromesh was finished I gave the shank end a light coat of white all purpose glue and pressed the band onto the shank.I polished the Sterling Silver (Faintly stamped on the topside Sterling in an arch) with micromesh sanding pads to remove the tarnish and polished further with a jeweller’s cloth to give it a final shine and protect it. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips to work it into the finish. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and worked on the stem. I “painted” the tooth m arks in the stem with the flame of a lighter to lift them. I was able to lift them significantly. I figured that sanding the surface would blend them into the surrounding vulcanite.I scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and a paper towel to loosen and remove the oxidation. Then I sanded the button surface and edges along with the remaining oxidation with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to blend in the tooth marks and chatter as well as remove the oxidation and spots on the surface of the stem. It was a lot of work and hard sanding to get rid of it. It felt like I would never win the battle.I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I the polished vulcanite saddle stem and the 1961 Dunhill Root Briar 710 Billiard bowl with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches and raise the shine. I gave the vulcanite stem and the bowl several coats of Carnauba Wax then 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. This turned out to be a beautiful Dunhill Root Briar 710 Taper Stem Billiard. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ 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 1.48 ounces/43 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this beautiful little Dunhill Root Briar. I will be packing it up with the Charatan’s Make Perfection that I repaired and send it back to Blake later this week. Thanks for following the work on the pipe.

Who Carved this Caveman Century Old Briar Italy 8546 Pocket Pipe

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by Steve Laug

This smooth finish, beautifully grained pocket pipe, that is similar to a Savinelli Made Lollo or pocket pipe. It was purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It is unique shaped pipe with a rich brown smooth finish on the bowl and shank. The stem is a short vulcanite saddle stem. The bowl is stained with a mix of browns that highlight the grain around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Caveman. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Century Old [over] Briar Italy. On the underside is the shape number 8546. The bowl had a thick cake and some tobacco debris on the walls. There was an overflow of lava on the rim top that was heavier toward the back left side of the bowl. There was grime ground into the finish which left the finish looking quite dull. The vulcanite had some light oxidation on the surface and tooth chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava and dust ground into the finish of the rim top and edges. There is dust and debris stuck to the walls of the bowl clearly visible in the photos. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the oxidation, chatter and light tooth chatter. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It read as noted above and is clear and readable. The manufacturer of the Caveman Century Old Briar 8546 pipe is a mystery that is twisted and complicated. I thought maybe it was one of the may lines crafted by Savinelli but I would have to see.

The Caveman pipe was typically a meerschaum pipe made of Tanganyika meerschaum. This was not a meerschaum so I am certain this connection is tenuous at best.

I did some more digging to try to identify the maker. I thought there might be a link between the Caveman pipe I was working and the Ice Age pipe. The Ice Age pipe was noted as being made by Savinelli so maybe there was a link here.

I did a quick google search of the Ice Age brand and came up with this information. It definitely links Savinelli to Ice Age but there is nothing linking it to the Caveman that I am working on. I am including the Facebook link (https://www.facebook.com/gerardo.benz.1/posts/ice-age-668-w-faux-plateaux-by-savinelli-nos-esta-pipa-es-un-hallazgo-fascinante/10242750087989992/) and some of the pertinent information below.

Ice Age 668 w/ Faux Plateaux (by Savinelli) (Nos)

This pipe is a fascinating find that allows us to travel back to the golden age of pipe tobacco popularity, an Ice Age 668 specimen with a Faux Plateaux finish, whose manufacturing takes us directly back to Savinelli’s Italian mastery. Although some historical confusion often arises due to the intervention of Oppenheimer Pipe Group—that British giant who articulated the distribution of so many brands during the 20th century—, the “Made in Italy” stamp and shape numbering reveal its true artisanal origin. This is a commercial line probably born for the export market, combining the solidity of a historic house founded in the 19th century with a bold and modern aesthetic not always found in Savinelli’s more classic series.

The pipe is presented under the silhouette of a Bent Egg, where the fluidity of the design is absolute: the reed is born organically from the tub, continuing its line in a harmonious curve that culminates in an eye-catching acrylic extension. This detail not only brings an elegant visual contrast, but also tops it off in a military mount, giving it a technical and sophisticated character. The brezo has been treated with brown dyes that enhance the natural beauty of the vein, while the top of the casserole exhibits that rustic finish that mimics the natural bark of the brezo (the plateaux), creating a play of textures that are exquisite to the touch and to the look. It is essentially a pipe that balances the avant-garde of its time with an impeccable manufacturing base, making it a necessary exception within any New Old Stock (NOS) collection.

There was no link to the Caveman pipe I have so far. I decided to come at it from another angle. I did a search on the Old Briar and Italy link and came up with a link to Nino Rossi pipes on Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-n1.html#ninorossi). That connection took me nowhere so I did further digging.

I also did a search for Caveman Century Old Briar 8546 and found one on eBay for sale (https://www.ebay.com/itm/326285537872). It had the same shape but was rusticated.I followed another link listing a Caveman 8546 shaped sandblast pipe for sale on Worthpoint (https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-italian-rusticated-1981585956). It is described a I attach with the photo below.

Vintage Italian Rusticated Sandblasted Briar ‘Caveman’ 8546 Estate Tobacco Pipe is in very nice condition. It has been used not abused. It should draw pleasure from smoking or from the replies it will bring to its oddity shape. Marked on the underside – Caveman 8546 Product of Italy. The CM is on the pipe stem. Length – 5 1/4 in Outside diameter – 1 3/8 in Inside diameter – 3/4 in,I followed the leads on the google search and found a tie to Lorenzo being the maker of the pipe (https://picclick.co.uk/VINTAGE-LORENZO-CAVEMAN-No8546-USED-SMOKING-332598667470.html).

I checked the four digit shape number and it also pointed to Lorenzo as the manufacturer. I found a link to an 8769 pipe on Dal’s blog (https://thepipesteward.com/2021/05/02/breathing-new-life-into-an-elegant-lorenzo-eleganza-8769-of-italy-bent-dublin/). I know the digits are different but the four numbers points to a similarity.

With that information I have run out of links. Perhaps one of you can help further identify the pipe for me. For now, I am going to say that I believe it is made by Lorenzo as the information below pointed out. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had reamed the bowl with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the debris on the rim top and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove remaining oxidation on the stem. He rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It really looked good. The rim top and the inner edge looked good but there was some roughness to the surface. The stem had some light chatter on both sides near the button. The bowl was very clean and the stem looked good.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It was clear and read as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth. 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. 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. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This unique and beautiful in its own way Lorenzo Made Caveman Century Old Briar 8546 Pocket Pipe with a taper saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel to polish it. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Caveman Century Old Briar 8546 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 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 55 grams/1.98 ounces. I will be adding it to the rebornpipes store shortly in the Italian Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Amazing Grain on a Hand-Carved Søren Freehand

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Well, now, this is quite the pipe! I recently acquired a collection from a gentleman, now deceased, who clearly loved his pipes. They were all well used and, according to his family, he had a pipe hanging out of his mouth at all times. As I was looking through them, this particular one caught my attention. It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? It’s a Søren Hand-Carved Freehand, with some stunning grain, by master carver, Søren Refbjerg Rasmussen. It also has an attractive plateau on the rim and the end of the shank. This one is really worth restoring. It’s a remarkable pipe and deserves to be back in someone’s collection. It promises to be a great smoker. On the underside of the shank, we read Søren [over] Hand-Carved [over] Made in Denmark. Those are all the markings we can see. Pipedia has an article on Mr Rasmussen and I quote a part of it here:

He died in 2021. Let’s take a closer look at the pipe. It is in very nice shape. The stem is thoroughly oxidized (and has a few bite marks), but isn’t damaged. The stummel is lovely! Wonderful condition, with only a little bit of cake in the bowl. It doesn’t look like it was smoked much. I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on to the next steps. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean.The goal of the next step is the removal (or minimization) of oxidation. Going to my sink, I used cream cleanser, cotton rounds, and a toothbrush, and scoured the stem to remove as much surface oxidation as possible. As the photos show, the result was a hideous, ochre-coloured mess – but better off the stem than on it.Once the stem was reasonably clean, I soaked it overnight in some Briarville Stem Oxidation Remover. This solution works to draw oxidation in the stem to the surface of the vulcanite. This is a major aid and an important step in ensuring a clean stem. The following day, I drew out the stem from its bath and scrubbed the lingering fluid with a toothbrush. Due to the severity of the oxidation, I then repeated the scrubbing with the cream cleanser for maximum effect. There will always be a hint of the oxidation in the vulcanite, but that is just fine: it is part of the history of the pipe.As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. This was done by filling those divots with black cyanoacrylate adhesive, impregnated with carbon and rubber. I left this to cure and moved on.The penultimate step for the stem is sanding. First, with my set of needle files, I reduced the bulk of the cyanoacrylate repairs. I removed the excess adhesive as near to the surface as possible, without cutting into the vulcanite. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the vulcanite, and provide gentle polishing of the finished surface. I also applied pipe-stem oil while using the last five micromesh pads. There was a wonderful, deep black shine to the stem when I was done. As the stem was (nearly) complete, I moved on to the stummel. The first step was to ream out the bowl – that is to say, remove all the cake inside the bowl. This accomplished a couple of things. First (and most obviously), it cleaned the bowl and provided a refurbished chamber for future smoking. Second, when the old cake was removed, I could inspect the interior walls of the bowl and determine if there was damage or not. I used a pipe knife and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.Similar to the stem, I then cleaned the stummel with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol.I then decided to ‘de-ghost’ the pipe – that is to say, exorcize the remaining filth from the briar. I filled the bowl and the shank with cotton balls, then saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused the remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton.To tidy up the briar, I wiped down the outside, using a solution of a pH-neutral detergent and some distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a brush in the grooves of the plateau. This did a good job of cleaning any latent dirt on the surface of the briar. The last step of the cleaning process was to scour the inside of the stummel with the same mild detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.I used all nine micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand the outside of the stummel and finish it off. This sanding minimizes flaws in the briar and provides a beautiful smoothness to the wood. I rubbed some LBE Before & After Restoration Balm into the briar and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The balm moisturizes the wood and gives a beautiful depth to the briar. I then buffed the stummel with a microfibre cloth. For the final step, I took the pipe to my bench polisher and carefully buffed it – first with a blue diamond compound, then with three coats of carnauba wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.This Søren Hand-Carved Freehand looks fantastic again and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the ‘Danish’ section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 6½ in. (165 mm); height 3 in. (66 mm); bowl diameter 1⅞ in. (49 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2⅝ oz. (75 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Fresh Life for a Stanwell Danish Star 02 Scoop

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by Steve Laug

I am enjoying an evening free to work on a few pipes. The next pipe on the table came from an a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA. Even though the finish was a dirty and worn it had some amazing grain showing through the grit and grime of the years. On the left side of the shank it was stamped Stanwell [over] Danish Star. On the right side it is stamped with the shape number 02. On the underside it is stamped Made in Denmark. The pipe is a bent egg and as the shape number identifies. The finish is filthy with grime and oil ground into the briar of the bowl and shank sides. The bowl had a thick cake and there was an overflow of lava on the inner edge of the thin rim. The stem was a bent vulcanite taper stem that fit snugly in the shank. It had the Stanwell Crown S faintly stamped on the left side of the stem. The vulcanite was oxidized, calcified and had light chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took some photos of the pipe to show its overall condition before he started his cleanup work. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the thickness of the cake and the lava and dust ground into the finish of the rim top and edges. There is dust and debris stuck to the walls of the bowl clearly visible in the photos. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show the oxidation, chatter and light tooth chatter. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. There is some stunning grain under the grime. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It read as noted above and is clear and readable. I am always curious for more information on the pipes that I work on. Sometimes I have some history of the previous pipeman and sometimes not. This time I knew next to nothing of where the pipe came from so I turned ferret out information the Danish Star Line if I could find it.

I turned first to Pipephil’s site to get a quick idea of when this pipe line was made and where it stood in the Stanwell hierarchy. I found nothing (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-stanwell.html).

I also turned to Pipedia’s article on Stanwell but it did not add any further information. There were a series of photos from Doug Valitchka of the Danish Star but it was a different shape number – a 138. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell).

From there I turned to the section on Stanwell shapes and numbers on Pipedia to see if I could identify the designer (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). Finally, I found a bit of help there. It stated that the shape number 02 came in two versions – a Freehand, oval bowl and stem designed by Sixteen Ivarsson and a Bent Egg Shaped Bowl sloping top and full mouthpiece. Now I knew that I was dealing with the second. There was also a catalogue photo that I have included below that shows the shape 02 at the top left of the photo.

With that information in hand I knew what I was dealing with in terms of the shape of the pipe. I am pretty sure it is a pipe that was made in the 80s or 90s. I was not certain but that is my educated guess. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had reamed the bowl with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He worked over the debris on the rim top and was able to remove it. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and cotton pads to remove remaining oxidation on the ferrule and the stem. He rinsed it with warm water and dried it off. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. It really looked good. The rim top and the inner edge of the rim showed some nicks and marks after the cleaning. The stem had some light chatter on both sides near the button. The bowl was very clean and the stem looked good.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. I left out the Made in Denmark photo that is shown above. It was clear and read as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. I decided to address the nicks on the inner edge of the bowl first. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage and clean up the edge. I was pleased with the smoothed out rim top and edge.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth. 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. 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. I touched up the stamping on the top of the stem. It was a Stanwell Crown S logo. Parts of it were faint but I was able to get some of the stamping to show up with some white, acrylic fingernail polish. Once it had hardened I scraped off the excess and sanded it lightly to remove the remaining excess. It certainly looks better. I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This beautiful Stanwell Danish Star 02 Sloped Bent Egg with a taper vulcanite stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. 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 and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Stanwell Danish Star Bent Egg 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 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 46 grams/1.62 ounces. I will be adding it to the rebornpipes store shortly in the Danish Pipe Makers Section. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Irish Seconds Made in the Republic of Ireland thick shank Dublin

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by Steve Laug

This smooth finish, beautifully grained saddle stem Dublin was purchased on 01/20/2026 from a Facebook seller in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a great Bent Dublin with a rich brown smooth finish on the bowl and shank. The stem is a vulcanite saddle stem. The bowl is stained with a mix of browns that highlight the grain around the bowl and shank. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Irish Seconds. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland in three lines. There is no shape number stamped on either side of the shank. The bowl had been lightly smoked and only the bottom half of the bowl had darkened. The rim top and edges were very clean. There was dust and debris in the finish from a pipe hat had been sitting unused for awhile. It left the finish looking quite dull. The vulcanite saddle stem was dirty but not oxidized and was free of tooth marks on the surface. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his work on it. He took photos of the rim top and bowl to give a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and edges. You can also see that it is lightly smoked and that the top half of the bowl is not darkened by smoking. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem to show how good it looked. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar around the pipe looked like. Though dirty and dried out it has some great grain peeking through the grime.He took photos of the stamping on the shank. It reads as noted above and is clear and readable.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.

I knew that I was dealing with a Republic Era pipe made between 1950-1989. It was a smooth Bent Dublin with an interesting pattern. The finish was stained with a combination of brown stains. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet Pipe Reamer and cleaned up the remnants with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He soaked the stem in Briaville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. The rim top and inner edge of the rim looked very good with minimal damage. The stem surface looked very good with some remaining oxidation and tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. I polished the bowl and the rim top, sides and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad with a damp cloth. 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. I set the bowl aside and polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with an Obsidian Oil permeated cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I gave it another wipe down with the Obsidian Oil Cloth and set it aside to dry. This Peterson’s made Irish Second Bent Dublin with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. There is some great grain around the bowl and shank. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Irish Second Bent Dublin 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: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 60 grams/2.12 ounces. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection I will be adding it to the Irish Pipe Makers Section of the rebornpipes store. Send me a message or an email. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!