Tag Archives: Stanwell Danish Design pipes

Restoring a Stanwell Danish Design Night and Day 109 Apple

by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the worktable is a nice looking Stanwell pipe that we purchased from a fellow in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/21/2024. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the underside of the shank it reads Stanwell [over] Danish Design [over] Night and Day. On the right side of the shank it is stamped with the shape number 109 mid shank. The finish was in good condition though it was dirty. The grain shone through the grime and was beautiful. There was a light cake in the bowl and some light lava on the inner edge and rim top. The stem had a Crown S gold logo on the left side of the taper. It was dirty and had some light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. It is a 9mm filter stem. It had a lot of potential. Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw it at this stage of his examination. Jeff took close up photos of the rim top from various angles to show the general condition of the bowl and rim. The photos show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the darkening and spotty lava build up on the inner edge – heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edge looks like it might have some damage on the front left of the bowl but will probably be fine once the bowl is reamed and cleaned. The acrylic stem was dirty and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took a photo of the sides and heel of the bowl to give an idea of the beauty of the grain on the heel and sides of the bowl. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable as noted above. The shape number on the right side is also clear.
I did some reading to see if I could find out anything about the Danish Design Night & Day Line of Stanwell pipes. The pipe I have does not say Made in Denmark and from what I can find it seems that the line is a newer one and was made in Italy. I can’t find anything listed on the line itself on either PipePhil or Pipedia.

I did find several listed on the web for sale so they are available. I found the line offered online on cigarsunlimited.co.uk site (https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/stanwell-night-day-9mm-filter-pipe-480014213). The description was helpful so I have included that below.

Stanwell Night & Day 9mm Filter Pipe Shape No.109. The Stanwell Night/Day pipe series is a stunning line of pipes. Each pipe features contrasting woods in the shank, providing an appearance that resembles night and day.

I also did some looking through the catalogues on Pipedia and the information there and did not find the line listed. I did have a look at the article on Shape Numbers and Designers there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). From there I found that 109 was a Quarter-bent apple with a tapered stem, sometimes with an army mount. Reminiscent of the English ‘banker’ shape, or Savinelli’s shape 320.

Jeff had done his usual thorough clean up of the pipe. He had reamed it with a PipNet reamer and finished with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the exterior with Murphy’s Oil Soap and the interior with isopropyl alcohol, shank brushes, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He worked on the acrylic stem with Soft Scrub then let it soak in Before & After Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. It has a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work. I took some close up photos of the bowl/rim top and the stem to show the condition they were in at this point. The rim top and edges looked good and the bowl was clean. The stem had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I also captured the shape number on the right side of the shank. I removed the stem from the shank to give a sense of the pipe.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The finished bowl and shank look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is amazing and works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let it sit on the briar for 10 or more minutes and then buff it off with a soft cloth. It really makes the briar come alive and look quite rich. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I touched up the gold Crown S stamp on the left side o the taper stem with some Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I worked it into the stamp with a tooth pick and buffed it off with a soft cloth.The chatter and marks were light enough that I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a cloth and Obsidian Oil. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil. I fitted the 9mm filter stem with a Dr. Perl Junior 9mm Filter. It sat well in the tenon and would slip into the shank perfectly.I am excited to put the finishing touches on this Stanwell Danish Design Night & Day 109 Apple. 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 Danish Design Night & Day 109 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 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.15 ounces/61 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemaker Section on the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

Stanwell Danish Design Trio 118 with an acrylic 9mm filter stem

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the worktable is a nice looking Stanwell pipe that we purchased from a fellow in Ogden, Utah, USA on 12/21/2024. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the left underside of the shank it reads Stanwell [over] Danish Design [over] Trio. On the right side of the shank it is stamped with the shape number 118 mid shank. The finish was in good condition though it was dirty. The grain shone through the grime and was beautiful. There was a light cake in the bowl and some light lava on the inner edge and rim top. The dirty acrylic stem had some light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. It is a 9mm filter stem. It looked very good. Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw it at this stage of his examination. Jeff took close up photos of the rim top from various angles to show the general condition of the bowl and rim. The photos show the thickness of the cake in the bowl and the lava build up on the inner edge – heavier toward the back of the bowl. The edge looks like it might have some damage on the back of the bowl but will probably be fine once the bowl is reamed and cleaned. The acrylic stem was dirty and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Jeff took a photo of the sides and heel of the bowl to give an idea of the beauty of the grain on the heel and sides of the bowl. The stamping on the underside of the shank is clear and readable as noted above. The shape number on the right side is also clear. He also took a photo of the Stanwell Crown S logo on the left side of the stem. I did some reading to see if I could find out anything about the Danish Design Trio Line of Stanwell pipes. The pipe I have does not say Made in Denmark and from what I can find it seems that the line is a newer one and was made in Italy. I can’t find anything listed on the line itself so that is what I am left with.

I did find several listed on the web for sale so they are available. I found the line offered online on cigarsunlimited.co.uk site (https://www.cigarsunlimited.co.uk/product-category/pipes-pipes/pipes/stanwell-pipes/stanwell-trio-serie-pipes/). The description was helpful so I have included that below.

Dark brown polished bowl with a superior grain and a combination of metal and acrylic rings on the shank. The rings create a perfect match to the pitch-black acrylic mouthpiece displaying the Stanwell Silver S. The Trio Series is an example of a pipe that will suit any occasion.

I also did some looking through the catalogues on Pipedia and the information there and did not find the line listed. I did have a look at the article on Shape Numbers and Designers there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). From there I found that the shape 118 is Freehand, slightly bent, saddle mouthpiece designed by Sixten Ivarsson.

Jeff had done his usual thorough clean up of the pipe. He had reamed it with a PipNet reamer and finished with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the exterior with Murphy’s Oil Soap and the interior with isopropyl alcohol, shank brushes, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He worked on the acrylic stem with Soft Scrub then let it soak in Before & After Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. It has a few tooth marks and chatter on both sides. I took photos of the pipe before I started my work. I took some close up photos of the bowl/rim top and the stem to show the condition they were in at this point. The rim top and edges looked good and the bowl was clean. The stem had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides near the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above. I also captured the shape number on the right side of the shank. I removed the stem from the shank to give a sense of the pipe. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. The finished bowl and shank look very good. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my finger tips. The product is amazing and works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let it sit on the briar for 10 or more minutes and then buff it off with a soft cloth. It really makes the briar come alive and look quite rich. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. The chatter and marks were light enough that I polished it with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each pad with a cloth and Obsidian Oil. I finished the polishing with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil. I fitted the 9mm Filter tenon with a Dr. Perl Junior 9mm filter. The fit is perfect and it will provide the option of smoking with a filter or without.I am excited to put the finishing touches on this Sixten Ivarrson Danish Design Stanwell Trio 118 Pot. 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 Danish Design Trio 118 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 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.59 ounces/44 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemaker Section on the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.

Restoring a Stanwell Danish Design de Luxe 191 Rhodesian

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Blog by Steve Laug

I moved on to work on another pipe. The next one I chose was another Stanwell in a Pipe Sock. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the left underside of the diamond shank it reads Stanwell [over] Danish Design [over] de Luxe. On the right underside of the shank, next to the shank was the shape number 191. The stem had a silver Crowned “S” Stanwell logo inlaid 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 spots where it ran down the outer edges of the bowl. The finish was in okay condition underneath grime and oils ground into the surface of the bowl. The twin rings around the bowl cap are in excellent condition. The stem was dirty acrylic with light tooth marks on the top and underside next to the button. It showed a lot of promise through the grime. The pipe was well used and was obviously someone’s favourite pipe! Jeff took photos of the pipe as he saw it at this stage of his clean up. The next photos of the rim and the shank show the condition of the pipe at arrival in Idaho. The grain around the rim top is quite stunning to me. You can see the cake in the bowl and the grime on the top. It was a mess but the stain makes the grain even show through the grime around the bowl sides and cap. The stem looked good with light marks on the top and underside at the button edge. Jeff took photos of the grain on the sides and heel of the bowl. It really is a stunning piece of briar. The contrast stain really makes it stand out clearly. The next photos show the various stamping on the shank sides and bottom. It is clear and readable as noted above. He also captured the Silver Crown “S” Stanwell logo on the left side of the saddle stem. I did some looking through the catalogues on Pipedia and the information there and did not find the line listed. I did have a look at the article on Shape Numbers and Designers there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). From there I found that the shape 191 is a small Rhodesian that was designed originally by Tom Eltang.

Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet reamer and cut back the cake back to the bare briar. He cleaned up the walls with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the Deoxidizer. The pipe looked far better when it arrived. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem to show how clean they were. You can see that rim top and edges look very good. The stem is clean and the tooth and chatter on both sides ahead of the button is very light.I took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping is readable as noted above.I took the stem off the shank and took a photo to give a sense of the flow and proportion of the pipe. It is a beautiful looking pipe.I started my work on the pipe by polishing 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 sanded out the tooth marks on the stem surface near the button with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I was able to remove them all. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.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 Tom Eltang Danish Design Stanwell Deluxe 191 Rhodesian. 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 Danish Design Deluxe 191 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: 1 ¾ 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. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemaker 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.

A Quick Clean up of an UNSMOKED NOS Stanwell Danish Design Trio Rhodesian

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Blog by Steve Laug

Getting a box of pipes from Jeff is like opening a box of Christmas Presents… though they won’t often be mine for the keeping. The buzz that I get when the box arrives and I am not sure what pipes he is sending always is a highlight for me. Not long ago he sent a box of a group of Stanwell pipes that we purchased from our contact in Denmark. This pipe was in that group of pipes purchased 01/26/2023. When I took this box out of the larger box I got a double dose of excitement. If you want to feel like I felt holding it stay with me and follow the photos in order. It is a black Stanwell box in great condition. I always turn the box over in my hand and read the end panels for any hints. In this case it had a tag on the right end (photo) that read Trio Brown/Pol Model 191. The hint was a good one… I now knew I was going to find a smooth Bulldog shaped pipe in the box when I removed the lid.What I did not know was the condition of the pipe – smoked or unsmoked and the banding that was on a Trio. I seemed to remember it was a combo of metal and acrylic and the stem would also be acrylic. So, I lifted the lid and saw a black Stanwell stamped pipe sock in the box. You can certainly skip ahead to the third photo if you are impatient to see the pipe. 😊So, the moment arrived. I opened the pipe sock and lifted out a beautiful Stanwell Bulldog in the shape 191 which is a favourite of mine. The rich walnut finish was beautiful and the triple (TRIO?) bands looked great. There was an orange/amber acrylic spacer sandwiched between two silver wafers attached to the shank. On the side of the acrylic saddle stem is that classic Silver Crowned S logo inlaid in the acrylic. It really is a great looking pipe.Now it was time to examine the pipe more thoroughly. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands to examine the condition of the bowl and the finish and the stem. Amazingly this pipe was UNSMOKED. The had a light carbon bowl coating that was undamaged. The finish was in okay condition though it had been coated with shellac and in places the shellac had wrinkled. That is a pretty easy fix but it was there. The stamping on the pipe was very clear and readable. On the left underside of the diamond shank it reads Stanwell [over] Danish Design [over] Trio. On the right underside of the shank, next to the Trio shank extension the shape number 191 is stamped alongside the extension/shank joint. The stem was clean and shiny acrylic with no tooth marks or shop display damage. It looked very good. The pipe even smelled great… There you go all the senses come into play – touch, eyes, smell… oops forgot taste but then there is nothing to taste! I took photos of the pipe as I saw it at this stage of my examination. Now I examined it more closely. I will show you what I see and describe it as I go. The rim top looked very good and was clean with a slight bevel inward on the inner edge. The finish was in good condition with no wrinkles in the shellac coat on the top or down the sides of the rim cap. You can see the dark carbon coat on the bowl walls and it was smooth to the touch. Turning to look at the stem I found that it was very clean, just a little dust next to the edge of the button. There were not any tooth marks or nicks in the acrylic. It was also clean on the inside of the airway in the mortise and stem and the slot was clean in the button.I examined the sides of the shank and the stamping is clear and readable. It is deep and clean stamping. The finish on the underside of the shank is where the wrinkles are in the shellac coat are visible. The triple bands are also undamaged and very smooth. The transitions between the briar and the shank extension is smooth as well as that between that and the acrylic stem.I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the parts. It is a beautiful pipe for sure. It is hard to see but the wrinkles in the finish are more on the shank than anywhere else.I did some reading to see if I could find out anything about the Danish Design Trio Line of Stanwell pipes. The pipe I have does not say Made in Denmark and from what I can find it seems that the line is a newer one and could have been made in Italy. However, it does not say that either so I am wondering if it is a transitional line that came out during the move from Denmark to Italy. I can’t find anything listed on the line itself so that is what I am left with.

I also did some looking through the catalogues on Pipedia and the information there and did not find the line listed. I did have a look at the article on Shape Numbers and Designers there (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). From there I found that the shape 191 is a small Rhodesian that was designed originally by Tom Eltang.

Now I knew a little bit about the pipe in my hands. Now where to begin this cleanup? I decided to begin by removing the wrinkled shellac coat. I wiped the bowl down with a cotton pad and some fingernail polish remover (acetone) to remove that top coat. It was so wrinkled on the shank I decided to remove it all. With the topcoat gone I rubbed the bowl down with some Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and into the grooves with a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it off with a soft cloth. I liked the finish sans shellac much better. What do you think? I hand buffed the bowl another time and set it aside. Now it was time to do a little detail work on the stem. It was very clean and there were no marks on the surface on either side. I ran a pipe cleaner through it to remove the dust and worked over the sharp edge of the button with my Obsidian Oil cloth to remove the dust that had collected in that spot on both sides. It looks great.I am excited to put the finishing touches on this Tom Eltang Danish Design Stanwell Trio 191 Bulldog. 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 Danish Design Trio 191 is nice looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is also an UNSMOKED and NOS (New Old Stock) pipe that you can break in as you choose. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions 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 1.80 ounces/51 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will be putting in the Danish Pipemaker Section on the rebornpipes store. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe.