by Steve Laug

I moved on to work on another pipe. The next one I chose was a Stanwell. We purchased this from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark on 02/16/2023. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the underside of the shank it reads Stanwell [over] Made in Denmark [over] Compact [over] RO 25. The stem had a gold stamped Crowned “S” Stanwell logo on the left side of the saddle stem. The bowl had a thick cake that overflowed onto the rim top and edges in thick lava. There were some nicks in the rim top as well as some nicking on the front outer edge. The finish was in okay condition underneath grime and oils ground into the surface of the bowl. The stem was dirty acrylic and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. It showed a lot of promise through the grime. The pipe was well used and was obviously someone’s favourite pipe! I took photos of the pipe before I started my clean up work. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the thickness of the cake and the lava coat on the rim top. The stem photos show the condition of the acrylic saddle stem ahead of the button. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable as noted above. I also took a photo of the gold Crown S on the left side of the stem. I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to give a sense of the proportions of the pipe. The mortise is lined with a nylon liner that makes for a snug and smooth fit in the shank. I started my work on the pipe. 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 up the inside edge of the rim and the rim top with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove the thick lava coat and clean up the outer edge of the bowl and nicks on the rim top.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 scrubbed the bowl and shank with a tooth brush and some undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. I also worked it over with a brass bristle wire brush and the 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. I sanded the bowl and rim top with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the remaining scratches and marks on the rim top. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the sanding dust and debris. I polished the briar with micromesh because it was in such good condition. I polished it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes while I worked on the stem. After the time passed 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 turned my attention to the stem. I filled in the tooth marks in the top and underside of the stem near the button with black CA glue. Once it cured I flattened the repairs out with small files. I sanded them with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to further blend them into the stem surface. I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch pads to further blend in the repairs to the acrylic surface. I wiped the stem down with an Obsidian Oil cloth after each sanding pad.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I am excited to put the finishing touches on this Stanwell Made in Denmark Stanwell Compact RO 25 Dublin. 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 buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished black, fancy turned vulcanite stem was beautiful. This Stanwell Made in Denmark Compact Dublin is nice looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.19 ounces/63 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemakers Section on the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

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.