Tag Archives: shaping a stem

Restoring a Kaywoodie Mandarin with Bamboo shank and loose stem

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe is on the table is a great looking Pot shaped pipe with a Bamboo\d shank and a vulcanite taper stem. Jeff and I purchased it from an auction in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The pipe is well shaped and has nice grain around the bowl. It has a flat thin rim top and a rounded heel on the bowl. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and reads Kaywoodie [over] Mandarin. There was grime and dust ground into the smooth finish of the bowl and shank. The bowl was heavily caked with thick lava on the rim top and edges. The inside edge looks like it may actually be undamaged under the lava coat. The outer edge looks very good. The vulcanite taper stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button and on the button edge. The tenon was a Kaywoodie style metal screw tenon, without a stinger apparatus. It was loose in the stem and stuck in the shank. There was no logo or stamping on the stem at all. The pipe showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe 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 tobacco debris as well as the inner edge of the rim. You can see the thick lava coat on the rim top and inner edge. It is obviously a well loved and heavily smoked pipe. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like under the grime on the surface. It truly has some nice grain around the bowl and shank. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear, though faint in spots. It is still readable and read as noted above. Jeff took a photo to capture the stamping on the underside of the shank.I wanted to confirm a possible date for both of these pipes. I turned to Pipephil to see what he had to say about the brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-kaywoodie-2.html). I have included a screen capture of the listing on the site as well as the sidebar notes. The Mandarin line was produced from 1958 to 1967.

I turned next to Pipedia to check out the Kaywoodie Collector’s Guide to see if I could get some more information on the Mandarin line. I found an interest monograph there called Notes on Kaywoodies Introduced between 1955 and 1968. It included reference to the Mandarin line. I include that in part below (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Collector%27s_Guide_to_Kaywoodie_Pipes). I have highlighted and underlined the Mandarin in the list below. Both of the pipes I am working on are the smooth versions.

NOTES ON KAYWOODIES INTRODUCED BETWEEN 1955 AND 1968

The material presented in this monograph is extracted from 1936, 1947, 1955, 1968-69, and four undated Kaywoodie catalogs. Based on a comparison of prices in the 1955 and 1968-69 catalogs, the four undated catalogs appear to span the period from the late 1950’s to the late 1960’s (i.e., after 1955 but before 1968). This section presents a brief summary of the Kaywoodie Pipes that appeared in these undated catalogs, but did not appear in either the 1955 or 1968-69 catalogs…

Here is a list of pipes from this time period.

…Hi-Bowl. Tall, tapered bowl in six shapes (see Table 5). Available in smooth or “rough” finish ($10).

Mandarin. Smooth or relief grain finish with burnished-bamboo shank ($10).

Setter. No shank, just a ridged hole for a slender, filter-free, push-bit. Available in “flat bottom” (hence, “Setter”) panel, billiard, and poker shapes. Smooth or textured finish ($10).

Tuckaway. The 1955 catalog shows a Drinkless Tuckaway that was simply a smaller version of other Kaywoodie styles. The Tuckaways of the 1955-1968 period had military mountings, filter-free see-thru bits, and were packaged in a leatherette case. Available in Standard, Relief Grain, and Super Grain grades ($6-$8, depending on grade). Miniatures. Two-inch miniature replicas of “their big brother”, complete with the Drinkless fitment and Synchro Stem. The catalogs show these as individually-cased pipes but multiple pipe sets were apparently available. Price: $5.

Miniatures. Two-inch miniature replicas of “their big brother”, complete with the Drinkless fitment and Synchro Stem. The catalogs show these as individually-cased pipes but multiple pipe sets were apparently available. Price: $5.

Colossal Super Grains. Available in three “oversize” shapes (see Section 3.2) in hand-carved or smooth finishes ($5).

Now I knew that the pipe came from this time period. It was made between 1955-1968. Somewhere along the way I assumed the stinger disappeared and only the threaded portion was present. There was also no logo on the side of the stem though it appears to be original.

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 each mortise and the airway in the shanks and the stems with alcohol, cotton swabs, shank brushes and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exteriors 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 of each pipe and bamboo shank. He rinsed them under running water. He dried them off with a soft cloth. He was able to remove the lava build up on the rim top. He scrubbed the stem with Soft Scrub and soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He rinsed it off with warm water and ran pipe cleaners through it once again. It looked much better.  I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. It really has a great look and the patina on the bamboo shank crackles and looked aged. It is a pretty pipe. I took close up photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem on the pipe. You can see the condition of the rim top and bowl in the first photo of each pipe. Jeff was able to remove all of the lava but there was darkening on the rim top. The vulcanite stem had some chatter and several deep tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button.The stamping on the underside of the shank is faint in spots but is nonetheless readable. It is stamped as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The taper stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like.I needed to free the threaded tenon from the bamboo shank so I could glue it in place in the stem. It had long ago come free of the stem and it would no longer hold the stem in place. I heated the tenon with a lighter flame until the goop in the shank loosened and then unscrewed it with needle nose pliers. It came out quite easily and the threads from the bamboo were covered with debris. All looked good in the shank and the tenon.I cleaned up the thread on the tenon with a brass bristle wire brush and greased it with some Vaseline to make the threads turn more easily into the shank. I screwed it in place. Once it was snug I painted the stem end with black, rubberized CA glue and push the stem in place and aligned it on the shank. I set it aside to allow the glue to cure before unscrewing the stem. Last evening after the glue had cured holding the tenon in the shank I unscrewed the stem from the shank. The bond was very well done and well cured. It was solid and the stem lined up well when it was screwed onto the shank.I filled in the deep tooth marks on both sides of the stem ahead of the button with black rubberized CA glue. I set it aside to cure. Once cured I used a file to recut the button edge and flatten out the repairs in the surface. I sanded them smooth with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. They blended into the stem surface very well. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend the repairs into the surface. 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 used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage to the rim top and the inner edge and to remove the darkening. 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 rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips where it works to clean, restore and preserve the briar. I let it do its magic for 15 minutes then buffed it off with a cotton cloth. The pipe looks incredibly good at this point in the process. I am excited to finish this Kaywoodie Mandarin Pot with a Bamboo shank. 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 Kaywoodie Mandarin Pot is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 39 grams/1.38 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will soon be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the US/American Pipe Makers 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.

The Golden Beauty

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by Kenneth Lieblich

I’ve mentioned several times that I have an interest in French pipes and pipemaking. In recent decades, French pipes have received a fair amount of derision – and deservedly so. However, old French pipes are often very beautiful, well-made, and wonderful models of early pipe history. In my own small way, I am aiming to resurrect the reputation of early French pipes. There are superb pipes to be had from France. This blog post is about the restoration of a pipe that really attracted me and is going into my ‘French Collection’. This is an attractive bent billiard, with the brand name La Belle d’Or – which literally means ‘The Beauty of Gold,’ but is better translated as ‘The Golden Beauty’. It has strong, thick, briar walls, a classic, brass ferrule, and a long, luxurious, horn stem. The left side of the stummel’s shank reads, La Belle d’Or [over] Vieille Bruyère. The stamping is clear, albeit a bit worn through the middle. The right side of the stummel’s shank reads, Vieille Bruyère [over] “Double Or”. The words vieille bruyère can be literally translated as ‘old briar,’ but are probably best understood as ‘aged briar’. Why those words are mentioned on both sides of the pipe is unknown to me. The words double or literally mean ‘double gold’, and this phrase is meant to imply something extra special – not just gold, but double gold.Before examining the background of this pipe, I want to take a moment and reflect on its aesthetics. To my taste, this pipe is just sublime. The shape is an admirable exemplar of what a bent billiard should be. The proportions are right. The curves are alluring. The grain in the wood is lovely. The brass ferrule complements the thick briar perfectly. The size is comfortable (around a Dunhill ④, for comparison). The draught hole is perfectly drilled. In short, whichever pipemaker made this, he did an excellent job. As is the case with so many early French pipes, there is next-to-no information about the name, La Belle d’Or. I have access to quite a few resources on French pipes – books and websites – and I could not establish any definitive information on the brand. I do know that the pipe dates to approximately 1900, so it’s about 125 years old. I know this because the Amsterdam Pipe Museum has a pipe of the same brand, with similar features, that they date to 1900. Back in 2021, Steve restored a La Belle d’Or pipe (to my knowledge, the only one he’s done) and, unfortunately, he didn’t find any background information either. I have to assume that, based on the ample size of the bowl and the quality of the construction, this was probably an expensive pipe in its day.

This pipe was clearly well-loved by its historic owner. The horn stem is solid, but thoroughly chomped by teeth of ages past. The stem has a bone tenon which is sound, but dirty. It also has an orific button. For more information on the orific button, please take the time to read Steve’s interesting article on the subject. The stummel is charming and dirty. As I mentioned, one can see the wonderful wood grain peeking through the grime. The bowl is thoroughly caked and obviously hasn’t been cleaned in aeons. There is also some light burning to the rim. I am excited to get this pipe cleaned up and back to its best.I used isopropyl alcohol on a few cotton rounds and wiped down the stem to provide an initial cleaning of filth before moving on. The primary cleaning came next. I disinfected the inside of the stem with pipe cleaners dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean. I used a lot of pipe cleaners! As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the dings and nicks in the surface of the horn. This was done by filling those divots with clear cyanoacrylate adhesive. 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 horn. Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws, even out the horn, 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, variegated 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 reamer, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed. Fortunately, the inside walls looked very good.The inside of the stummel needed to be cleaned thoroughly. However, this pipe was so clogged, that I first needed to open the horribly occluded airway. So, I took a long drill bit, held in a drill chuck, and hand-cranked it to dislodge the dreadful detritus inside. Hand cranking is essential because it provides a precision and caution that a power drill cannot provide.My next step was to remove the lava on the rim. 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 rim.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 get 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.The brass ferrule is quite tarnished and needs to be cleaned up. In order to protect the wood, I taped the shank off and then created a paste of powdered salt and lemon juice. This worked very well and the metal cleaned up nicely.Next, I took a closer look at the markings in the briar. Most of them are deep and sharp, but there’s a substantial part which is thin and rubbed out. I used some Rub’n’Buff, a wax metallic pigmented finish, to recreate the original gold colour of the markings.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 then used some micromesh pads that I have saved solely for metal work and buffed the ferrule up to a lovely shine. 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 La Belle d’Or Vieille Bruyère bent billiard is a beauty and has been added to my collection. It was a pleasure to work on. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅞ in. (150 mm); height 2¾ in. (70 mm); bowl diameter 1⅔ in. (42 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (21 mm). The weight of the pipe is 2⅛ oz. (61 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 at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

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.

Restoring a Richmond London Made 190 Bent Volcano

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe is on the table is an interesting looking smooth volcano shaped pipe with a vulcanite saddle stem. Jeff and I purchased it on 08/28/2024 from Antique Store in Astoria, Oregon, USA. The pipe is well shaped and has nice grain around the bowl. It has a flat thin rim top and a rounded heel on the bowl. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Richmond [over] London Made. On the right side it is stamped with the shape number 190 [over] Made in England. There was grime and dust ground into the smooth finish of the bowl and shank. The bowl was heavily caked with lava on the rim top and edges. The inside edge looks like it may actually be undamaged under the lava coat. The outer edge looks very good. The vulcanite saddle stem was oxidized, calcified and had tooth chatter and marks on the top and underside near the button and on the button edge. There was no logo or stamping on the stem at all. The pipe showed a lot of promise but it was very dirty. Jeff took some photos of the pipe 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 tobacco debris as well as the inner edge of the rim. He also took photos of the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the overall condition of the stem. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a picture of what the briar looked like. It truly has some nice grain around the bowl and shank. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable and read as noted above. Jeff took several photos to capture the stamping on the underside of the shank.The shape and conformation of this pipe reminded me of a Sasieni Four Dot Ruff Root Richmond Volcano I had worked on in the past. Here is a link to that pipe and I think you can see the similarity (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/10/04/restoring-a-sasieni-four-dot-ruff-root-richmond-volcano/). The curves of the bowl and shank match quite well as do the angles of the walls of the bowl. I need to do a bit more work but I think there is a potential Sasieni connection with this one.

I turned to Pipephil (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-r4.html) and found a listing for Richmond pipes – actually two of them. The first links the brand to Sasieni and the second links it to  John Redmond. The stamping on both is similar however the Richmond stamp and the  Made in England stamp is virtually identical to the John Redman.Pipedia confirmed that the Richmond brand is a Sasieni sub-brand or second. Here is the link for that information (https://pipedia.org/wiki/British_Pipe_Brands_%26_Makers_R_-_T). Given the information on Pipephil I lean toward the pipe being a John Redmond made pipe.

In googling the shape and brand further a link took me to the blog and to a post I had made on a John Redman Leaflet (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/02/04/john-redman-leaflet/). The third pipe down on the London Made Briar list (stamped on the pipe in hand) is the Richmond.

The description says that the Richmond is a superior quality series in a full assortment of shapes, pre-smoked, hygienic filters, three or four finishes which include Antique, Natural Tinted, Red Natural and Shell and the line comes in single boxes and bags. I think that confirms that it is indeed a John Redman Pipe with a Red Natural Finish. Now it was time to work on the pipe itself.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe with his usual penchant for thoroughness. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it 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 a Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer bath and rinsed it off with warm water. I took photos of the pipe before I started my part of the restoration work. It looked very good with just a slight tinge of remaining oxidation on the stem. The rim top cleaned up really well. The rim top, inner and outer edge of the bowl are in excellent condition. The stem surface looked very good with a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button. There was also some remaining oxidation. The stamping on the shank sides is faint in spots, double stamped but is nonetheless readable. It is stamped as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. The taper stem is nice and the photo gives a sense of what the pipe looks like. The pipe is was in such good shape that I started my work on it by sanding 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 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. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the vulcanite stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the tooth marks and chatter against the button edge. 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. This smooth, nicely grained Richmond Volcano 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 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 John Redmond London Made Richmond Volcano 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: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 45 grams/1.59 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. There are many more to come!

Restoring a Handsome, Classic Falcon 7D

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by Kenneth Lieblich

If I remember correctly, this pipe came in a lot from the US of A last year. I don’t really remember the details of its acquisition, but no matter. Falcons are always fun, good-looking pipes. This one was already in good shape, it just looked tired and worn. This particular Falcon has a straight shank and a carved, Dublin-style bowl. The stem has a nice dental bit. Let’s have a look at the marks. On the underside of the bowl, engraved in the metal, is the word Falcon. Also engraved, inside the centre circle, is the shape number 7. At the opposite end of the shank, near the stem, is engraved the letter D. The number 7 is the mould number from the factory and the D indicates that this pipe has a dental bit (as previously mentioned). The lack of a country-of-origin mark indicates that this one was made in the USA.Looking into the background of Falcon Pipes, my first stop was SmokingMetal.co.uk – a very fine resource for all things related to metal pipes. Here are a few snippets:

There are an incredible number of combinations of Falcon pipes. many variants of the stems and of the bowls. All I can hope to do here is to show some of them. Some of course are no longer avaliable but very many are. Contrary to most descriptions you will see, the smoke tube is not a twisted alloy tube, but a tube that has been scrolled to increase the surface area for cooling.

There are at least three distinct eras of Falcon production, those stamped under the stem with just the single word ‘Falcon’ indicating a USA made pipe, those with ‘Falcon Ireland'( indicating, or it ought to, that the casting originated in Ireland but actually only some bowls originated in Ireland) and those with ‘Falcon Made in England’ which does tell us where that model actually originated from. The bowls come in an incredible range of shapes and finishes, but can always be pinned down as Falcon as they have a 4 start thread, enabling a quarter turn to lock them on the stem. Very, very few other makes have this feature. The numbers and letters under the humidome are mould numbers.

Pipedia has some good information too (which you can find here). Here is a brief summary of Falcon history:

The Falcon pipe was created in 1936 by the American engineer Kenly Bugg. However during WWII the production of the Falcon was limited. In 1949 George Hunt took over production and marketing and by 1954 6 million Falcon pipes had been sold in the U.S.A. By 1961 production started in England. In 1964 the Alco was launched. In 1967 the Brentford was launched but in 1979 it was withdrawn from the market. In 1968 production of the Falcon in Chicago, U.S.A. stopped. The Falcon International was introduced in 1977, which featured a removable mouth piece and filter.

Based on all that I read, I can conclude that this pipe was made sometime after 1948 and prior to 1968, when production was moved to the UK.Let’s take a closer look at the condition of the pipe. As I indicated before, nothing too serious – just some minor wear-and-tear to address. The bowl is lightly smoked and just needs a good cleaning. The metal body has no notable damage and I will simply clean and polish it. Finally, the acrylic dental bit also has only minor wear – should be quite straightforward. I started on the bowl. The first step was to ream it out – 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. Fortunately, there was none. As the cake was light, I used a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to several sizes of wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.I then took a dental tool and cleaned any gunk from the grooves in the threads of the bowl. 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. While cleaning, I noticed the number 75 on the bottom of the bowl. I assume this is some sort of shape number. If you have more information, please let me know in the comments below! 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. I then moved on to the metal body of the pipe (including the acrylic stem, which is attached). It didn’t initially look dirty, but took a surprising amount of elbow grease to clean! I disinfected the inside and outside of the pipe with both pipe cleaners and cotton swabs dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly. I also used a wire brush to scrub some of the more stubborn areas.In addition, I began my polishing procedure with some 0000-grit steel wool. This worked incredibly well – I was so pleased with the results. I then used some micromesh pads that I have saved solely for metal work and buffed it up to an incredible shine. Looks fantastic! Following that, I used all nine of the micromesh sanding pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to sand out flaws in the stem, even out the acrylic, 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. 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.

This Falcon 7D Dublin 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’ pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5⅞ in. (150 mm); height 2 in. (51 mm); bowl diameter 1⅝ in. (41 mm); chamber diameter ⅞ in. (22 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1½ oz. (44 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a “Malaga” Imported Briar Oom Paul

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is a great looking full bent Oom Paul. The pipe has a vulcanite saddle stem. We purchased it from an eBay seller on 08/22/2024 in Harrison Township, Michigan, USA. The contrast of the brown stains on this oil cured pipe makes the grain stand out. It was stamped left side of the shank and read “Malaga”. On the right side it was stamped Imported Briar (stamped upside down). It is a beautiful piece of briar. The pipe bowl was heavily caked and there was a coat of lava on the rim top and inner edge. There were some darkened spots on the inner edge on the front right side and left rear. The condition of the rim and top looks okay under the grime. The black vulcanite saddle stem was in good condition other than being dirty and having light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. There were no stampings or logo on the stem itself though it is certainly the original. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. Jeff took close up photos of the bowl and rim to capture the condition of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. The heavy cake in the bowl and the lava on the edges and rim top are visible. The next photos show the stem surface. There is light oxidation and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button and a groove on the underside of the stem. He also took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl and shank to show the beautiful grain around the bowl. It is very dirty but this is another beautiful pipe. He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. They are clear and readable on both sides of the shank. I am including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand, the pipemaker, George Khoubesser and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. The information ther is a great read to garner understanding on Malaga pipes. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/tag/malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. Follow the links to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also including a flyer “The Pipe of True Smoking Enjoyment” that Malaga sent with each pipe they made. The language of the brochure is well written and gives a clear picture of how Malaga sees the process of breaking in their pipes. Take time to read it as it is very much written in the language of the times.Now it is time to work on the pipe itself. 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 end and stem with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils, tars and lava 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 remove the lava build up on the rusticated rim top and shank end. The inner edge of the rim looked very good. The outer edge looked very good. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it with hot water. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. I took photos of the stem to show the condition it was in. There were light tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button and what appeared to be some wrinkles in the vulcanite on the underside.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good looking pipe with great grain. I started my work on the pipe by trying to reduce the darkening and damage to the inner edge of the rim with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I worked it over until the rim edge was clean and smooth. There was also a deep scratch on the right side of the bowl toward the back top that I filled in with clear CA glue and sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the rim top, edges and sides of 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 the rim top and shank end 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. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the vulcanite stem. I sanded out what appeared to be wrinkles in the vulcanite on the underside at the bend with 220 grit sandpaper. I also smoothed out the chatter and roughness on the rest of the stem at the same time (I forgot to take photos of this part of the work). I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the tooth marks and chatter against the button edge. 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 put the stem back on the “Malaga” Imported Briar Oom Paul and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Oom Paul with a smooth finish and faux plateau on the rim top and shank end looks great with the vulcanite fancy saddle stem. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.61 ounces/74 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

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

Breathing Life into a Malaga Second Freehand with carved plateau on the rim top and shank end

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen is a Freehand with a faux plateau rim top and the shank end. The pipe has a fancy vulcanite saddle stem. We purchased it from an eBay seller on 08/22/2024 in Harrison Township, Michigan, USA. The contrast of the brown stains on this oil cured pipe makes the grain stand out. It was stamped left side of the shank and read Malaga [over] Second. On the right side there was not any stamping. I am uncertain why it is a second. Perhaps, it is because it has some small sandpits in the heel of the bowl on the right side. I am uncertain as it is a beautiful piece of briar. The pipe bowl was heavily caked and there was a coat of lava on the carved rim top and inner edge. The condition of the rim and top looks good under the grime. The black vulcanite saddle stem was in good condition other than being dirty and having light tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. On the underside of the stem there was a groove that looked like it had been chewed in place. There were no stampings or logo on the stem itself though it is certainly the original. Jeff took photos of the pipe before his cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the pipe. Jeff took close up photos of the bowl and rim to capture the condition of the pipe before he started his cleanup work. The heavy cake in the bowl and the lava on the edges and rim top are visible. The next photos show the stem surface. There is light oxidation and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button and a groove on the underside of the stem. He also took photos of the sides and heel the bowl and shank to show the beautiful grain around the bowl. It is very dirty but this is another beautiful pipe. He took a photo of the stamping on the side of the shank. It is clear and readable.I am including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand, the pipemaker, George Khoubesser and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. The information ther is a great read to garner understanding on Malaga pipes. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/tag/malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. Follow the links to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also including a flyer “The Pipe of True Smoking Enjoyment” that Malaga sent with each pipe they made. The language of the brochure is well written and gives a clear picture of how Malaga sees the process of breaking in their pipes. Take time to read it as it is very much written in the language of the times.Now it is time to work on the pipe itself. 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 end and stem with a tooth brush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap to remove the oils, tars and lava 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 remove the lava build up on the rusticated rim top and shank end. The inner edge of the rim looked very good. The outer edge looked very good. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer and rinsed it with hot water. I took photos of the pipe to show its condition before I started my work on it. I took close up photos of the rim top and the stem surface. I wanted to show how well it had cleaned up. The rim top and edges looked very good. I took photos of the stem to show the condition it was in. There were light tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank. You can see that it is stamped as noted above. It is clear and readable. I took the pipe apart and took a photo of the pipe. It is a good looking pipe with great grain. I started my work on the pipe by trying to reduce the darkening in the faux plateau on the rim top and shank end. I wanted a bit of contrast in the finish but it had some uneven darkening. I used a brass bristle wire brush to work over the high spots and carved crevices in the carving. Once I finished the rim top and shank end I was happy with the look.I sanded the rim top, edges and sides of 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 the rim top and shank end 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. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the vulcanite stem. I filled in the deep tooth troughs ahead of the button on both sides with the rubberized CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once they cured I flattened the repairs ahead of the button area with a flat file to begin blending them into the surface of the stem. I followed that by sanding them with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to remove the tooth marks and chatter against the button edge. 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 put the stem back on the Malaga Second Freehand with a carved rim top and shank end and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Second Freehand with a smooth finish and faux plateau on the rim top and shank end looks great with the vulcanite fancy saddle stem. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.69 ounces/48 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

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

Restoring a Block Meerschaum Apple with a Twin Bore Stem

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by Steve Laug

This afternoon I decided to work on another pipe that I no longer know where or when we purchased it. I have a large box of Meerschaum pipes that is sitting in my storage that I need to clean up and restore. I have honestly avoided them for years but now was the time to start my work on some of them. The one I chose was a ball or apple shaped smooth meerschaum with a Twin Bore vulcanite stem. It is a beautifully shaped meer with light scratches from its journey and some nice patina developing around the shank and sides. The meer is dirty from use with a thick cake in the bowl and an overflow of lava on the inner edge and rim top. The stem fit well against the shank end and had a threaded tenon in the shank that aligned with properly with the stem in place. The tenon was a Kaywoodie type threaded one without a stinger and was oxidized and pitted. There were no identifying logos on the bowl or shank. I took photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work on it. I took photos of the rim top and the stem to show the condition of the pipe when I brought it to the worktable. You can see the cake in the bowl and the build up of lava and debris on the edge and top of the rim top. It is another dirty pipe but still a charmer. The TWIN BORE vulcanite taper stem has light chatter and deep tooth marks on both sides near the button. I took a photo of the stamping on the inside of the case. It is clear and readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts. I took photos of the end of the stem to try to show the threads on the end that sat against the shank end and the twin bores in the button.I started my work on the bowl by reaming the thick cake out of the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer and the 2nd and 3rd cutting heads to take back the cake to the walls of the bowl. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I sanded the bowl walls with a piece of dowel wrapped with 220 grit sandpaper. Once finished it looked very good. I cleaned out the airway in the shank and mortise as well as in the stem with pipe cleaners (both bristle and regular). It was much better.Now it was time to work on the scratches on the bowl and rim top. I started my work by sanding with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. It smoothed out the scratches and revealed more and more of the patina around the bowl and shank. It is a beautiful looking pipe. I polished the meerschaum with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cotton cloth. The bowl took on a shine by the last pads. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Clapham’s Wax that blends both carnauba and beeswax in a soft wax. I rubbed the wax on the bowl sides and the shank end with my fingers and set it aside to dry. Once the wax cured I buffed the bowl with a clean buffing pad and then with a soft microfibre cloth. The bowl has a rich glow. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the tooth marks with some clear CA glue. When it cured I flattened the repairs with a small flat file to blend them into the surface of the stem. I then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. I continued sanding the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a damp pad to remove the debris. By the end it was quite shiny and ready for polishing.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding it 1500-12000 pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad to protect it and preserve it. I polished it with Before After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I am really happy with the way that this Meerschaum Apple with a Twin Bore Stem turned out. It really is a beautiful looking pipe with a unique shape and smooth meerschaum bowl. The vulcanite taper stem is really nice. The rich patina on the meerschaum came alive with waxing and buffing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of beeswax/carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Meerschaum Apple really is a beauty and feels great in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 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. The pipe will be going on the rebornpipes store soon. It will be in the Ceramic and Meerschaum Pipes Section if you would like to add it to your collection. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. It was a fun one to work on!

Restoring a Rare Peterson Kapruf 56

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Well, now, this is quite the pipe! I recently acquired a collection from a (late) gentleman 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 Pete caught my eye. It’s a handsome one, isn’t it? It’s a Peterson Kapruf 56 chubby bent billiard, with a beautiful sandblast. This one is really worth restoring. It’s such a comely pipe and deserves to be back in someone’s collection. Let’s look at the markings. We’ve got Peterson’s [over] Kapruf. Then we have Made in the [over] Republic [over] of Ireland. Finally, there is the shape number, 56. Of course, there is also the stylized P on the stem, indicating the famous Peterson company of Ireland.The history and origins of this particular model are quite interesting. It’s an uncommon pipe and, if you’re a Pete collector, you ought to have one. In a blog post from 2019, Al Jones posted here on Reborn Pipes about a Kapruf 56 he had been working on and expounded on the background of this pipe. Rather than simply retyping what he wrote, I urge you to read his blog here and learn more. Meanwhile, here’s a catalogue photo from one of Steve’s blogs on the same pipe:I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you: the pipe was a bit of a mess. The stummel was in decent condition, but so, so dirty and clogged. The stem, on the other hand, was a localized disaster. The oxidation was extreme, the chomping of the bit was extreme, the tooth scrapings were extreme – and there was a small fissure in the vulcanite (on the underside of the P-lip to boot. I had my work cut out for me. I used a disposable lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame. The gentle heat of the flame can cause the dents in the vulcanite of the stem to expand back into shape. Sadly, in this case, not much happened. 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 pipe cleaners dipped in lemon-infused 99% isopropyl alcohol. I scrubbed thoroughly to make sure the interior was very clean. Given the general state of the pipe, I was surprised at how relatively clean it was.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, brownish 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.As the stem was now clean and dry, I set about fixing the marks and dents in the vulcanite. Quite frankly, this was a substantial rebuild of the button – including the fissure on the underside. This was done by filling those parts 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. You can see in the profile photo below just how much better the P-lip looks after my work. 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, a pipe knife, and a piece of sandpaper taped to a wooden dowel. Collectively, these ensured that all the debris was removed.The inside of the stummel needed to be cleaned thoroughly. However, this pipe was so clogged, that I first needed to open the horribly occluded airway. So, I took a long drill bit, held in a drill chuck, and hand-cranked it to dislodge the dreadful detritus inside. Hand cranking is essential because it provides a precision and caution that a power drill cannot provide. 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 get 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 distilled water, with cotton rounds. I also used a toothbrush in the crevices. I also scoured the inside of the stummel with the same detergent and tube brushes. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work in getting the pipe clean.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 – with three coats of conservator’s wax. This procedure makes the pipe look its best – the stummel sings and the stem glows.

This Peterson Kapruf 56 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 ‘Irish’ pipe section of the store here on Steve’s website. You can also email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. The approximate dimensions of the pipe are as follows: length 5½ in. (140 mm); height 2 in. (52 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (38 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅞ oz. (55 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring and Restemming an Angelo Saddle Stem Bulldog

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by Steve Laug

While I was travelling Rob stopped by with a bag containing a pipe that was gift from his daughter. It was a mess with a very thick cake in the bowl, burns and damage to the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The finish was very worn and the shiny varnish coat was spotty and very damaged. The shank end was coated with a lot of grime and oils and had cracks on the topside of the diamond shank on both right and left sides. The tenon was stuck in the shank and the stem was wrapped in electrical tape to hold it in the shank. The button on the top side was chomped and showed a lot of tooth marks. The underside of the button was cracked and a chunk was missing. The pipe appeared to be a basket pipe from Italy and bore the stamp Angelo on the top left side under the dirt and debris. The crack ran through a portion of it and obscured it. It was a brand I was familiar with and had worked on before. Here are some photos of the pipe as it was initially fit together. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts. I also removed the tenon from the shank using a pair of pliers and took a photo of the parts.I took a photo of the stamping on the left topside of the shank and captured crack on that side of the shank as well.Before I started my cleaning up the and crafting a new stem for the pipe I wanted to have a bit of information on the Angelo brand. I personally like to have the background so that when I am working on a pipe I know who carved or made it originally. Then as I work on it I can carry on a dialogue with them (at least in my mind) about my changes. I turned to PipePhil’ site for information (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-a6.html#angelo). I have included a screen capture of the pertinent section and the sidebar information below the photo.Second brand used by the Rovera family (Angelo and Damiano) who produces Ardor, Roverart and Rovera.

I started my work on the pipe by reaming the bowl. You can see the spotty varnish coat of the finish on the bowl and shank in the photos. I started the reaming with a Pipnet Pipe Reamer using the second and third cutting heads to take back the cake to the bare walls. I cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife to scrape the remnants. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel. It looked. much better. I decided to try and remove the spotty varnish coat. I wiped the bowl down with acetone on cotton pads to remove as much as I could. I would need to do some sanding on it as there were still dark spots on the finish that would need to be removed. I went through my bands and found a ferrule style diamond band from the shank end. It was a good fit from the look of it. I heated it with a lighter and pressed it onto the cracked shank. It fit very well and brought the cracks together. It slight covered the “o” on the end of the Angelo stamping. I sanded the top of the bowl with a folded piece of 320 sandpaper to clean up the rim damage and the inner edge. Once it was flattened I used a wooden sphere to further clean up the rim top and to minimize the damage on the inner edge of the bowl. I sanded to remove the darkening around the rim and inner and outer edge of the bowl. It is frustrating, but I forgot to take photos at this point so I posed the bowl after my polishing to show what I had done.I stained the bowl with dark brown aniline stain (Feibings Shoe Dye) and flamed it to set it in the briar. Once the stain cured, I sanded the bowl with sanding pads – 320 -3500 to smooth out the finish and remove all the scratches and excesses. Once again, I forgot to take these photos. I think I am out of the habit of photographing the pipes as I work on them. After sanding the bowl with the 320-3500 grit sanding pads I moved on to polish the briar with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove the dust and debris left behind. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm and set it aside to let the product do its work. After about 10 minutes I buffed it off with a soft cloth to polish the briar. The pipe bowl and polished band looked very good. I really am rusty after a month of not restoring any pipes. I forgot to clean out the inside of the shank. I used cotton swabs, pipe cleaners – both bristle and fluffy and isopropyl alcohol to work over the inside of the shank. It is much cleaner now that I remembered to do it!I polished the nickel band on the shank with a jeweller’s cloth to give it a shine and protect it from oxidizing. It looked much better with the shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the new stem I needed to fit on the pipe. The previous stem (origianal??) had many cracks in the saddle portion, the tenon was loose and the whole thing had been wrapped tightly with electrical tape. I went through my stems and found one that would work well wit the bowl. In the photo it looks longer but it is actually about the same length. The tenon will need to be reduced in diameter and the casting marks removed but the stem should look great once it is finished.The next phojto showed the bowl before I had finished it. I started fitting the stem to the shank before I worked on the bowl finish. I used two files to reshape the tenon. I shortened the tenon to match the depth of the shank with the Dremel and sanding drum. Once I had the length correct and the fit of the tenon correct I put it on the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the new look it had with the new stem. It still needed much more work to smooth out the stem surface but it looked good on the shank with the band. I sanded the stem surface with 220 grit sandpaper. I smoothed out the castings on the sides of the stem and the button surface. I sanded the saddle portion and the top and underside of the blade with the 320 sandpaper. It looked better and the fit to the band on the shank end was very good.I sanded the stem further with 320-3500 sanding pads. I worked on the surface of the stem to give it a smooth finish. The finish on the stem was getting smoother with the work.I polished the stem with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. It began to take on a rich glow and the surface was very smooth. This reworked and restemmed Angelo Straight Bulldog has a beautiful finish now that the varnish coat has been removed and the bowl restained. It truly has a new lease on life. The medium brown/black finish gives depth to the grain around the bowl and shank. The newly fit polished black vulcanite stem adds to the mix. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe 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 Angelo Straight Bulldog 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: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.66 ounces/49 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. The fellow who dropped it off will pick up his pipe on the weekend. I am looking forward to seeing what he thinks of it.