Tag Archives: Stem repairs

Restoring one of Gene’s Favourite Pipes – A Savinelli Made Bings Favorite Italy

1 Reply

Blog by Steve Laug

In January Jeff found out about an estate sale in Pocatello, Idaho, USA. It turned out that the sale was for a fellow Jeff and I had purchased pipes from in the past, Gene. He had been the owner of Outwest Tobacco in Pocatello (long closed now) and I bought tobacco and other smoking items from him in the past. As I think about it now, it seems that I had known Gene for over 30 years Jeff and I had been to his home and enjoyed coffee and a few pipes together. I have no idea how many pipes we bought on those visits as well as to the antique shop of his daughter. I know that there were many pipes. When we heard that it was Gene’s personal collection that was for sale and that he had passed away we decided for Jeff to go to the house and have a look. He went on January 25, 2024 to scope it out as we had seen his personal collection of pipes and there were definitely some among those well smoked old warriors that would be great to pick up. Perhaps there would even be one that could join my own collection in memory of Gene.

Jeff went to the house and looked through the racks, pipe bags, tobacco both bulk and tinned as well as a variety of pipes. All the pipes were well smoked and needed serious cleaning. Another one of the pipes he picked up was this Savinelli Made Bings Favorite pipes with a poorly fit replacement black vulcanite taper stem. It was very dirty and was a reddish, brown coloured pipe when it started. The smooth finish around the bowl was dirty and had hand oils ground into the grooves. The bowl had a thick cake that overflowed in lava onto the rim edge and top of the bowl. The bottom of the bowl was flattened so the pipe could be set on a desktop. The stem was vulcanite that was very dirty and had the marks of a rubber Softee Bit on the end. It had become discoloured and there was a line where the debris from smoking had accumulated along the edge and under the bit protector. The good news was that there were some deep tooth marks and chatter under the calcification and grime. The rest of the stem was dirty and had lost the characteristic shine. The pipe was stamped on the left side of the shank and read Bings Favorite. On the right side of the shank it is stamped Italy. On the underside of the shank it was stamped Savinelli Product. Jeff took photos of the pipe so I could have a sense of what it looked like before he started his work on it.Jeff took photos of the stem surfaces and the bowl and rim to give a sense of condition of the pipe. You can see the thick cake in bowl and the spots of lava overflow on the edges and rim top of the bowl. It is had to know if there is any damage as the cake and lava is quite thick. The stem surface is very dirty and you can see the area on the end of the stem where the Softee Bit had protected it from chewing though there were some previous deep tooth marks covered by the dirt and debris. I am pretty sure the stem was a replacement and it did not fit the diameter of the shank properly. It was larger than the shank and would need to be fitted. He also took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the interesting grain that went around the bowl. The grain is beautiful and you can see the oils and debris in the surface of the briar.  He took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. It is clear and readable on all the shank sides as noted above. I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-savinelli1.html) to get a sense of the Bing’s Favorite. It is a Savinelli Product and it is listed in the Savinelli pipe section. I did a screen capture of the section and included it below. The stamping on the stem confirms that the stem I have is a replacement.I turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Savinelli) and after reading through the history I focused on a section entitled Editions in the “Favorite” line. I have included that section below.

We are compiling a sub-list of known editions in the “Favorite” line of Savanelli pipes, starting with those in Fred Huening’s collection. If you know of others, or have additional information about this line of pipes, please add it here, or send them to sethile.pipes@gmail.com and we can add them for you:

  • Bing’s Favorite
  • Byron’s Favorite
  • Clark’s Favorite
  • Ginger’s Favorite
  • Achille’s Favorite (apparently, I, II, and III)

Now it was my turn to work on the pipe. Jeff had done an amazing cleanup of the pipe. He reamed the cake with a PipNet reamer and cleaned up that with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe stem Deoxidizer and once it had soaked, rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and rubbed it down to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very good when I received it. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and is clean. The rim top and the front inner edge was in great condition. The stem came out looking clean. There were definitely deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides. I took photos of the stamping on the shank. It is faint but still very readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. The pipe had cleaned up so well that I turned to polish the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. By the final pads the briar really had a shine. 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 then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter. I was able to lift the tooth marks significantly. There were still some deep marks. I filled them in with a coat of clear CA glue and spread it across the surface with a dental spatula. Once the repairs cured I flattened them with a small file. I started the process of blending them into the surface of the surrounding vulcanite.Once I finished that work I addressed the diameter of the stem. I needed to take off the excess so that the flow between the shank and the stem were smooth. I used a flat rasp to quickly remove the excess then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the file marks and smooth out the surface of the stem. I moved on to further smooth out the surface of the vulcanite. I sanded it smooth with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend them into the surface of the stem.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. It really took on a shine and I knew that once it was buffed it would look amazing. I put the stem back on the Bings Favorite ¼ Bent Vulcanite Stem Long Billiard and took it to the buffer. I worked it over with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches. 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. The pipe polished up really well and the rim top looked good. I was happy with the look of the finished pipe. The photos below show what the pipe looks like after the restoration. The Bings Favorite Savinelli Product is a beautiful and unique take on a classic shape. The polished, reshaped vulcanite taper stem looks really good with the browns of the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ½ 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 1.23 ounces/35 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Italian Pipe Makers Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. The long shank and tall bowl look and feel great in the hand. This one should be a great smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

An Interesting Project : Resurrection Of a Pre-1920 KB&B Pembroke

Leave a reply

Blog by Paresh Deshpande

The next pipe is stamped as “PEMBROKE” over KB & B” on the left shank surface and came to me as part of inherited pipes that predominantly constituted pipes from various English brands, most notably LOEWE, BBB, COMOY’S, PETERSON’S, BARLING’S etcetera. However, this lot did also contain many pipes from American pipe makers like WDC, KB & B/ KAYWOODIE and others. I have researched and worked on a few of the KAYWOODIE pipes from this collection and recollect that KB & B changed their name to KAYWOODIE in 1920s to promote their Kaywoodie line of pipes or was it for some other reason? For clarification and recollection of history of this renowned brand from USA, I re-read the history from https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaufmann_Bros._%26_Bondy#Brands and have only reproduced that information that helps to date the pipe:-

Early History

Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy (KB&B), Kaywoodie has been making pipes since well before the Civil War – around 1851. They peaked in the late 1950’s along with most American Briar works. In the early 20th century, their pipes were the standard others were measured by, along with Sasieni, Charatan and Comoy’s. There were few other world-class American pipe-crafters (William Demuth Company, early L & H Stern). Their pipes were as good as any of the renowned British firms. Kaywoodie just did not merely produce quantity, they provided quality: in the 1920’s they bought the exclusive rights to some of the choicest briar fields in history, hauling out 250 year-old roots the size of 27″ TVs and fashioning masterpieces out of this spectacular-grained ancient briar.

Early KB&B (non Kaywoodie)

Kaywoodie was the name a pipe offered by Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy Company (KB&B), first appearing in February of 1919.

The origin of the name Kaywoodie is a combination of the K from Kaufmann and wood, as in briar. Not much is known of the original KB&B company other than it was started in 1851 by the German born Kaufmann brothers when they opened a small pipe shop in the Bowery section of New York City.

When one of the men from the New York office got “gold fever” he carried a large supply of pipes with him to California that he sold along the way. This early “national distribution” did much to build the reputation of KB&B. By the late 1800’s, branches of KB&B were opened in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and St. Louis with family and friends acting as agents. The trademarks, for the inlaid cloverleaf and the cloverleaf with the KB&B initials inside, were issued in 1881.

Pre-Kaywoodie KB&B

According to Hackert, the firm of Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy (KB&B) began producing the Kaywoodie Pipe in 1915.

Business thrived and in 1854 the Kaufmanns took in a partner named Bondy. … The three partners retired in 1898, but their relatives continued on with the firm, which had begun to manufacture their own briar pipes under the KB&B trademark. In 1915 the Kaywoodie brand was created as a marketing umbrella for a new briar pipe which the KB&B Company introduced. …”

Hacker concludes his history of Kaywoodie Pipes by noting that: “The KB&B briar pipe brand existed from 1900 until just after World War I (with some overlapping with the Kaywoodie from 1915 — 1917), and collectors refer to the KB&B as a Kaywoodie transition pipe.

The pre-Kaywoodie KB&B pipes were marked on the shank with a cloverleaf around KB&B. 

In March of 1955, when S.M. Frank & Co. Inc. bought Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy, The Kaywoodie Company, Reiss-Premier Corp., The New England Briar Pipe Co. and – of course – Yello-Bole.

Thus, comparing literature notes with the stampings as seen on the pipe that I am working on, I am certain that it dates as to being pre- 1920. Another pointer is the orific slot which was gradually replaced by more elliptical slot from 1920 and progressed further to the horizontal slot that we see on pipes today.

Here are the pictures of the stampings as seen on the PEMBROKE: Initial Visual Inspection
The PEMBROKE, currently on my worktable, is a medium sized classic bent billiards with a decent sized bowl in dark reddish brown color. The well seasoned briar is covered in dirt, dust and grime from decades of use. There are a couple of deep scratches on the stummel surface. There is a thick cake in the chamber with heavy overflow of cake, oils and tars over the rim top surface. The inner rim edge is uneven and charred. The outer rim edge, likewise, is peppered with dents and dings. The high quality hard rubber stem is oxidized with flattened bite zone on either surfaces of the stem. The tenon has a narrow extension at the end and is covered in dried oils and tars. The round orifice slot is similarly clogged with dried gunk. The stem does sit flush with the shank face and the seating is too damn tight within the mortise. Following pictures will give the readers a general idea of the condition of the pipe before I start to work on the pipe. Detailed Inspection
The chamber has a thick hard cake that has spilled over the rim top surface. The cake is thicker around the upper half of the chamber. The outer rim edge has dents and dings all around but is most severely damaged along the front half portion (encircled in yellow), a damage that can result only due to repeated strikes against a hard edged surface. The inner rim edge, prime facie, is sans any damage. The condition of the inner walls of the chamber can be commented upon after the cake has been taken down to the bare briar. There is a strong ghost smell in the chamber which is all pervading. There are remnants of un-burnt tobacco at the bottom of the chamber.The stummel surface is covered in dust, dirt and grime giving a dull, lifeless and lackluster appearance to the pipe. However, the briar has taken on a nice dark patina which has been a result of more than 100 years of usage and would be worth preserving. However, eliminating/ addressing the deep scratches (encircled in green) on both side of the stummel and the few dents and dings would entail sacrificing the patina. This is a call that I would need to take at some stage in the restoration process. The mortise is chock-a-block with old oils, tars, ashes and grime making for a laboured draw. The thick cake and blocked mortise hides the draught hole from the view. These issues need to be addressed. The high quality hard rubber stem is deeply oxidized. The unique feature of the stem is that the stem surface is flattened in the bite zone on either surface with defined cut edges. Now, the question that came to my mind was if these flattened surfaces were original to the stem or carved out by the piper who owned it, probably for ease of clenching? Well, to me it appears that this unique carving of the bite zone is machined and not handmade since the edges are too well defined and sharp to be handmade using home tools. But that the flattening of the bite zone makes it comfortable for clenching is unquestionable. There are no significant bite marks or chatter in the bite zone or over the button edges. The orifice slot shows dried accumulated oils and tars that would need to be cleaned. The tenon has a stepped hard rubber (?) extension similar in shape to the ones seen on Peterson’s Deluxe line of pipes. The tenon and extension too is covered in a thick layer of dried crud. The stem does not seat flush in the mortise and is fit is very tight. I think the seating issues would address itself once the tenon and mortise is cleaned.The Process
I began the repair and refurbishing process with reaming of the chamber. I reamed the chamber with head sizes 1 and 2 of the PipNet pipe reamer. I removed the carbon from the areas where the reamer head could not reach with my fabricated knife. To completely remove the residual carbon from the walls of the chamber and smooth out the walls, I sanded the chamber walls with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper followed by cleaning the chamber with a cotton swab wetted with isopropyl alcohol. The chamber walls are in pristine condition. I gently scrapped off the lava build up over the rim top using a sharp knife to avoid damage to the surface. I cleaned the mortise and shank walls of the pipe using dental tool. I scraped out the dried oils and tars from the walls of mortise and shank walls. The pile of crud that was scraped out is indicative to the amount of gunk that was lodged in the mortise and shank internal. At the end of this step, I still was not able to pass a pipe cleaner through the mortise. Out came one of the many modified tools in my arsenal and after some deft use of this poker, I was able to dislodge the blockage from within the mortise. I ran a bristled pipe cleaner and q-tip dipped in alcohol through the mortise and out through the draught hole further clearing the passage. I will continue this further cleaning during the course of refurbishing of this pipe.Next, I decided to subject the chamber and mortise to cotton and alcohol bath. I packed the chamber with cotton and drew out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner, inserted it into the mortise and through the draught hole into the chamber. I tightly packed cotton balls into the remaining portion of the mortise. Thereafter, I soaked the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. I topped it up once again and set it aside overnight. By next afternoon, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise. I removed the cotton balls and the dirt can be gauged by the appearance and coloration of the cotton balls and the pipe cleaner. I ran pipe cleaners through the mortise and draught hole to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk that was lodged in the draught hole and mortise. The chamber and mortise now smelled clean, fresh and looked it too. I set the stummel to dry out naturally.Once the internals of the chamber and shank were cleaned, I cleaned the external surface of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil soap and cotton swabs followed by scrubbing the surface with a toothbrush and dish washing soap. This rid the stummel surface of all the accumulated dust, dirt and grime. Using a piece of Scotch Brite scrub, I deliberately cleaned the rim top and removed the crud from the surface. The damage to the rim edges is now amply evident.Simultaneously, I also cleaned the shank internals with dish washing soap and a shank brush. I set the stummel aside to dry out naturally while I worked the stem.I began the process of refurbishing the stem by first scraping off the dried gunk from the tenon and tenon end extension using a sharp thin knife. I was careful not to damage or break the extension or the stem face. I cleaned the tenon extension with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol and ran a pipe cleaner through the airway to check if the airway was clear of any blockage. Fortunately, it was.Using thin shank brushes and anti-oil dish washing soap, I cleaned the stem airway. I have modified this process of cleaning the stem airway by doing away with pipe cleaners and alcohol as it saves me a ton of pipe cleaners, which is a precious commodity for me here in India. I continued this cleaning till only white clean foam came out of the stem airway, indicating that the airway was nice and clean. I ran a couple of pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol through the airway to dry it out and make sure that there are no traces of soap and gunk hidden in the airway. I also scrubbed the stem surface to remove surface oxidation and rubbed a small quantity of EVO in to the stem surface. Since there were no damages to the stem, I set it aside and shall return to polishing the stem after I am done with the stummel repairs.Next, I got around to addressing the rim top damage. The extent of the damage to the outer edge, caused due to banging against a hard surface, would necessitate heavy topping off of the rim surface, and I for one, absolutely wish to avoid any loss of briar. Also topping to the extent that was required to eliminate the dents/ dings and chipped areas would completely alter the original shape and symmetry of this pipe.  So, I planned on first filling up these dents and dings on the rim edge using briar dust and superglue to roughly match the surrounding intact rim surface and some more and then topping it to achieve a smooth even surface. Theoretically, this sounds logical.

I resorted to the layering method again; first I layered superglue along the damaged surfaces of the rim followed by sprinkling of briar dust, another layer of superglue followed by a final layer of briar dust. This final layer of briar dust reduces the probability of air pockets (or so I thought). In the second picture, you can see that the layering has not been done to the level of the rim surface but above the surrounding intact rim surface as I would be sanding the rim subsequently. I set the stummel aside to cure. I revisit the stummel the next evening after the repairs are completely cured and hard. Using flat needle files, I sand the repairs to achieve a rough match with the surrounding briar surface. Once I had achieved a rough match, I top the rim surface over a 220 grit sandpaper to even out the surface and achieve a perfectly even rim top surface. The inner and outer rim edges are still slightly uneven and shall be addressed next.To get the inner and out rim edges back to round, I created a bevel over the edges with a folded piece of 220 grit sand paper. I am pretty pleased with the progress being made thus far. It was now that I decided to address the numerous scratches over the stummel surface and the process of steaming these out is the best way forward. I assembled the items that are essential to this process; a wet Turkish towel, a knife and a candle. I heated my fabricated knife over the flame of the candle till it was really hot. I covered the scratched surface with the wet towel and placed the hot knife over it. The steam that is generated expands the briar raising the scratches to the surface. I repeated the process over the areas till the issue of scratches was addressed over the entire stummel surface. Though these scratches were pulled to the surface, I would still need to sand the stummel to eliminate them.Using a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper, I sand the scratched surfaces till these were completely eliminated. I followed the 220 grit sandpaper by sanding the surface with a piece of 800 grit sandpaper. However, here I also realized that this also resulted in losing the patina that I so dearly wanted to preserve. You win some and lose some, that’s how it always is!To further clean and highlight the grains, I sand the stummel with micromesh pads, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I wiped the stummel after each wet pad with a moist cloth to remove the resulting dust and note the progress being made. I rub a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” in to briar and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works its magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance. I further buff it with a horse hair shoe brush. I set the bowl aside and took to working on the stem. I once again cleaned the stem surface using the Scotch Brite sponge and followed it up by a scrub with 0000 grade steel wool. This helps in further removing the oxidation from the surface. I also ran a thin shank brush through the stem airway to ensure that it was clean and clear of all the soap deposits. I rubbed the stem with some EVO to hydrate the surface.To impart a deep black shine to the stem while getting rid of the oxidation from the stem surface, I wet sand the stem surface with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers. I again rub the surface with some EVO to hydrate the stem and prevent oxidation from again creeping over the surface due to exposure to natural elements and set the stem aside.To bring a deep shine to the hard rubber stem, I polished the stem, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads. I rubbed it down with Extra Virgin Olive oil to rejuvenate the hard rubber. The finished stem is shown below.With the stem refurbishing nearly completed, I took a long hard look at the stummel now bereft of the patina and the original dark reddish brown stain. I discussed with Abha about the difference in the appearance of the stummel at this stage in restoration from the way it appeared at the start. The unanimous decision was to stain the stummel to its original color or as close to it as possible and with the decision made; I decided to stain wash the stummel using Feibing’s Cordovan leather dye.

Using a heat gun, I warm the stummel to open the pores in the surface to accept the stain. I mix a small amount of alcohol with the dye to dilute it and apply it over the heated surface with a folded pipe cleaner. I set the stain by flaming it with the flame of a lighter as I went ahead to different self designated zones of the surface. This helps in the setting of the stain into the grain of the briar and set the stummel aside. The next evening, approximately 18 hours later, as Dal describes, I began to unwrap the stain in the hope to see beautiful grains. I mount a felt cloth buffing wheel on my hand held rotary tool and setting the tool at its slowest speed, I began to peel off the stain from the stummel surface first using Red compound. The stain was peeled out gradually revealing a nice shining surface and grains underneath the stain.Next, I mount a fresh felt cloth buffing wheel and polish the stummel with White Diamond compound. This further lightens the stain, highlighting the grains while imparting a nice shine to the stummel surface. The similar coloration achieved at this stage to the original color, uplifted my spirits sky high. I shall continue the polishing regime further using Blue diamond and finish off with carnauba wax polish.I have now reached the homestretch in this restoration project. To complete the restoration, I mount a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand held rotary tool and polished the stummel and stem with Blue Diamond compound. This compound helps to remove the minor scratch marks that remain from the sanding while further highlighting the grain and lightening the stain. I mount another cotton buffing wheel that I have earmarked for carnauba wax and applied several coats of the wax. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to raise the shine further. The finished pipe looks amazingly beautiful and with the Cordovan stain, as good as original. In fact, the pipe looks much more endearing and beautiful in person than it does in the pictures below. It shall find a place of pride in my “American pipe makers” section of my personal collection. P.S. – This then is one project which has given me greatest of satisfaction that I have experienced after it’s completion.

I am not too concerned with successes or failures of any project. What matters to me is the journey.

Resurrecting a Stanwell Royal Silver #214 Following A Duped Deal

Leave a reply

Blog by Paresh Deshpande

Stanwell pipes have always been one of my favourites and I seldom miss an opportunity to lay my hands on one whenever I come across a good deal, especially the older early era ones. These are some of the best factory-made pipes coming out of Denmark. Most of the Readers are more than aware of the history of these pipes; however, I feel it is prudent to reintroduce a brief history of this brand to refresh the memory. Pipedia.org (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell) has an excellent compilation of the brand’s history, picture gallery, various lines etc and a few important pieces of information has been produced from this site.

When pipe smokers talk about pipes that are consistently great smokers, exhibit the creative and beautiful designs that exemplify Danish pipemaking and offer the best value in factory produced pipes, they are talking about Stanwell. We hear time and time again, from customers and top pipe makers from around the world, that Stanwell is the best factory produced pipe in the world. During WWII, Danish pipe smokers could no longer buy the English made briar pipes they preferred to smoke. In 1942, because of the unavailability of English pipes and raw briar, Poul Nielsen began making pipes from beech wood for Danish customers. At the time, Poul was managing a company called Kyringe, which made various wood products.

At the end of the war, briar became available again, so Nielsen began importing his own briar and started making briar pipes to compete with the English manufacturers. It must be remembered that in 1948, England was the single great center for pipe making. Therefore, Nielsen changed the name of his pipes to “Stanwell”, which sounded much more like a proper English name than “Nielsen”. He also created the horse drawn carriage logo for its English connotations. He later changed his own last name from Nielsen to Stanwell, a testament to his devotion to the pipes he made. Stanwell’s relationships with Danish pipe makers goes back to Sixten Ivarsson, who is considered the originator of modern Danish pipe making. Ivarsson was commissioned to design Stanwell shapes. In 1969, the factory was moved a town called Borup, just outside of Copenhagen to be closer to Ivarsson.

Stanwell relies on designs from the great Danish pipe makers, from Sixten Ivarsson to Jess Chonowitsch from which they create their hundreds of shapes. Since most sandblasting for Danish pipemakers is done at the Stanwell factory (Stanwell has a reputation for excellence in sandblasting that is used by many, many Danish carvers from Poul Winslow to Jess Chonowitsch), many of the pipes that they sandblast are then observed and used as starting points for Stanwell shapes with the consent of the original carvers. This interesting and unusual symbiotic relationship gives Stanwell the opportunity to offer hundreds of unusual and interesting shapes at an affordable price. Once a new shape is established and hand carved, it is then reproduced using a lathe. Following the initial carving of the pipe which is done by machine, all other processes are done by hand, from the final sanding and staining to the application of the wax finish. There are approximately 120 manual steps to Stanwell’s pipe making process. The Stanwell factory is arguably the most efficient pipe operation in the world. It is this efficiency that has made Stanwell so remarkably price competitive and able to offer pieces of superior quality to those created by other large factories.

Essentially the goal of Stanwell is, and always has been, to produce high quality pipes at a price that is truly within the reach of the common man. In this they have succeeded admirably, offering perhaps more pipe for the money than any other pipe manufacturer in their price range. Stanwell pipe offers exceptional quality at a remarkably affordable price.

Stanwell pipes are a must for any pipe collection. The Stanwell name is a cornerstone of Danish pipe making. In owning a Stanwell, you will not only enjoy beautifully styled, great smoking pipe at a great price, you will own a piece of pipe making history.

Pricing on top models – mid to late 1980s

  • Golden Contrast 600 DKK.
  • Silver S 600 DKK.
  • Hand Cut, sandblasted 1200 DKK.
  • Hand Cut, smooth 1500 DKK.

Another important aspect of Stanwell pipes is the determination of designers of a particular pipe that is well documented with the help of shape numbers. This pipe has the shape number #214 and from a visit to the under mentioned site it is determined that this pipe is classified as a freehand but without any designer specified.

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers

  • 210 Sixtus, with hexagon stem and mouthpiece, brass ring, Pot by Tom Eltang.
  • 211 Sixtus, with hexagon stem and mouthpiece, brass ring, Freehand by Tom Eltang.
  • 212 Sixtus, with hexagon stem and mouthpiece, brass ring, Freehand by Tom Eltang.
  • 213Sixtus, with hexagon stem and mouthpiece, brass ring, Freehand by Tom Eltang.
  • 214 Freehand, slightly bent, square stem and mouthpiece.
  • 215 Freehand, slightly bent, triangular stem, saddle mouthpiece by Poul Ilsted.
  • 216 Zulu with tapered stem, by Tom Eltang.

This pipe came to me from eBay.com as one of the lot of four pipes, three Stanwells and one Vauen pipe in a pipe bag, from a Germany based Seller. The following pictures were uploaded by the seller with no description at all and based on which I had made my decision to purchase it.Once these pipes reached me here in India, I was aghast to note that each of the pipes had one or the other serious major damage which will be brought out as I work on each of these pipes. This was another sour deal on eBay!!

The first pipe from this lot that I decided to work on is what I consider being a variation of the horn shape but described as a freehand in Stanwell’s shape charts as brought out before and is from the late 1980s. It is stamped as “STANWELL” over “MADE IN DENMARK” over “ROYAL SILVER” on the left panel of the square shank while the right panel is stamped with the shape number “#214”. The stem bears the trademark “S” with a crown in silver. Initial Visual Inspection
This horn shaped Stanwell has many things going in its favor; be it the shape that is eye-catching with paneled surfaces, a size that feels perfect to hold, light weight, quality acrylic stem and capable of housing a 9 mm filter for those who prefer them. A thick layer of cake is seen in the chamber. The rim top and edges are clean with no lava overflow or evident signs of charring. The four paneled stummel is clean and the reddish hued stain makes it a looker! However, I have noticed a darkened spot (encircled in yellow) over the front panel towards the foot and that could potentially be bad news (read a burnout). The mortise has minute traces of old oils and tars, but the airflow is smooth and open. The thin white metallic band (or is it silver?) at the shank end lends the pipe a classy bling. The acrylic black stem is in good condition. The tenon housing for 9 mm filter is clean and so it the horizontal slot. Overall, save for the dark spot over the stummel surface, the condition of the pipe is good. Detailed Visual Inspection
The chamber has a thick, hard and uneven layer of cake. The upper portion of the cake is slightly thicker than at the heel. I am curious to know the condition of the chamber walls, more so the area corresponding to the dark area observed over the stummel surface but that will have to wait till the cake is removed and the walls are exposed. The inner edge is uneven (encircled in green) but not charred. This could be a result of reaming using a sharp knife edge. The rim top surface is clean with no damage or crud accumulation.The stummel has been carved out of a beautiful piece of briar and in true quality assurance that Stanwell is so well known for. The four panelled stummel with square shank has cross grains on either side with mixed grain to the front and aft of the surface. The surface is clean and sans any dents or dings and grime. The red stain with a shank end band contrasts beautifully with the black acrylic stem. The only cause of concern is the dark area seen to the front of the stummel and is highlighted by an encircled yellow. The spot within this darkened area (encircled in orange), so to speak, is the eye of the damaged area. Now, this could just be a darkening of the surface due to a burning cigarette placed in proximity of the pipe or it could be the beginning of through burnout and the clue for the exact reason lies within the chamber walls. However, the dark area feels no different from the rest of the surface…or not? The mortise is clean with just minor traces of old dried oils and tars over the mortise walls. The square silver (?) band at the shank end is dull and would benefit from a nice polish. The square faced acrylic stem contrasts with the red stained stummel surface adding an attractive eye candy affect to the overall appearance of the pipe. The buttons in particular and the bite zone in general, is sans any tooth indentations or scratches. The tenon houses a 9 mm filter and shows minor accumulation of oils and grime, ditto for the horizontal slot. The stem logo of silver letter S with a crown atop is slightly oxidized, but otherwise in pristine condition.The Process
The first step in restoring this particular pipe was the cleaning of the chamber. I began the process of refurbishing this pipe by reaming the chamber with a PipNet reamer tool, using the first and second head. Using my fabricated knife; I further took the cake down to the bare briar. That the cake was thick and hard made this cleaning a lot difficult and a long drawn affair. With a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper, I took the cake down to the bare briar and also smoothened the chamber walls. A final wipe with a cotton swab moistened with isopropyl alcohol removed the carbon dust from the chamber. I had expected that any damage to walls of the chamber would reveal itself at this stage. However, I could not decipher any prominent damage corresponding with the dark area seen on the outer surface. I decided to subject the chamber to a cotton and alcohol bath in the hope that the damage, if any, would reveal itself in the form of seepage of the alcohol or deep heat lines/ fissures.Moving on to deeper cleaning of the chamber and the mortise in an attempt to highlight any damage to the chamber walls… I subjected the chamber to a cotton and alcohol bath. I draw out a wick from the cotton and along with a folded regular pipe cleaner; insert it in to the mortise and through the draught hole in to the chamber. Thereafter, I pack the chamber with cotton balls to about quarter of an inch below the rim inner edge and soak the cotton balls with isopropyl alcohol up to the brim. About half an hour later, the level of alcohol had gone down, having being absorbed by the cotton. It was here that I anticipated seeing seepage to the front of the stummel through what I have assumed to be a burnout. However, this did not happen. Also even at this stage I did not feel any give in the briar in the darkened area as compared to the rest of the stummel surface.  I topped it up once again with alcohol and set it aside overnight. By next afternoon, the cotton and alcohol had drawn out all the remaining oils and tars from the chamber and mortise, fulfilling its intended task. I removed the cotton balls and ran pipe cleaners through the mortise to clean out all the loosened tars and gunk. I set it aside to dry out naturally.Next, I decided to clean the exterior surface of the stummel. I had also hoped that further cleaning of the stummel would reveal the extent of damage or otherwise lurking beneath the darkened area. I used a hard bristled tooth brush and Murphy’s oil Soap, to scrub the stummel, chamber walls and rim top. I washed the stummel under running warm water with anti oil dish washing detergent till the stummel surface was clean. I simultaneously cleaned the shank internals with the detergent and hard bristled shank brush and dried it using paper towels and soft cotton cloth. At this stage in restoration, I still could not fathom the nature and cause of the dark area. I was still not clear if the dark spot was an indicator of the beginning of a burnout or was it just a superficial darkening of the surface. I turned to Steve to seek his advice and sent him pictures of the suspected damaged area. He enquired if the spot was a little soft to the feel or did it sound any different when tapped with finger nail as compared to the rest of the surface. I tried and couldn’t notice any change. Here Steve suggested that I thoroughly clean the darkened spot with oxalic acid. If it is just a superficial burn, oxalic acid would lighten it and reveal the exact condition and that is exactly what I did. When I was done with this step, I shared pictures of the result with Steve. He pointed out that it appeared that the center of the dark spot (encircled in red) maybe damaged and to confirm the same by tapping the area with a screw driver or some such hard tool.As discussed with Steve, I tapped the suspected damaged area, lightly at first and then a bit more firmly and the briar gave way leaving behind a gaping hole. I used a needle file to remove the charred briar from around the burned out spot. I continued to remove the charred briar around using rounded needle file till I reached solid intact hard wood. Now that all the charred briar wood was removed, it was necessary to smooth out the edges of the burned out area to ensure an even round hole for a snug fitting briar plug. I fine tuned the rounded hole at the foot of the stummel using 180 grit sandpaper wound around a thin bamboo dowel. Next, I cut a suitably sized block of briar to be shaped into a plug using a small hacksaw blade.Using a sanding drum mounted on a rotary tool, I roughly shaped the plug that would fit into the foot of the stummel. I deliberately left the top of the plug duly flanged (indicated with blue arrows). The general idea was to push the plug from inside the chamber to the outside so that the plug flanges will sit over the remaining intact heel of the chamber forming a new heel with the rest of the plug protruding outwards of the foot of the stummel. With the rough shape of the plug completed, I began the process of fine tuning the fit of the plug to seat snugly in to the hole at the foot of the stummel. Using a flat head needle file and a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper, I sand down the plug and its flanges checking frequently for the fit in to the hole. I avoided further sanding of the plug once I reached the stage where with a tap of a small hammer, the plug sat firmly in to the hole with no gaps. The plug flanges are also covering the hole at the heel of the chamber (indicated by yellow arrows). To fix the briar plug in to the heel of the chamber, I decided to apply a layer of JB Weld to the bottom of the entire heel. J B Weld is a two-part epoxy Cold Weld that consists of two parts; hardener and steel which are mixed in equal parts in a ratio of 1:1 with hardening time of 5-6 minutes and complete curing time of 6-8 hours. I poured the contents of the two tubes and mixed it well. With a flat bamboo frond, I applied this mix over the heel of the chamber from inside. I turned the bowl over and filled the minor gaps between the briar plug and the adjoining stummel surface with the J B Weld mix and set the stummel aside for the epoxy to cure overnight.  By evening when I continued my work on this pipe, the J B Weld had cured completely. Using my hand held rotary tool mounted with a 150 grit sanding drum, I sand down the plug from the foot (outside) and heel (inside) of the stummel and achieved a rough match with the surrounding surface. I further matched the plug with the rest of the stummel foot with a flat head needle file. I perfectly matched the plug with the rest of the surrounding surface, both inside and out, by sanding with a folded piece of 180 grit sandpaper. The plug is now flush with the foot of the stummel while the flanges of the plug provide additional support to the plug from within the chamber. I had reached that stage in restoration where an important decision was required to be taken which would affect the aesthetics of the pipe. To blend in the repair, I had an option of staining the entire pipe red or to rusticate only the front panel of the stummel right up to the shank end and further stain this rusticated panel in contrasting black/ dark brown. I discussed this step with Abha and she was of the opinion that a perfect geometrical pattern does go with the flow of the shape and recommended a complete rustication of only the front panel followed by the contrasting stain.

To rusticate, I firmly held the stummel in my left hand and with my right hand and began gouging out the briar. The technique is to firmly press the pointed four prongs of the modified Philips screwdriver into the surface, rotate and gouge out the removed chunk of briar. I worked diligently till I was satisfied with the rustications and the appearance of the stummel. I cleaned the debris off the rusticated surface with a brass wired brush. The high points in the rustications were lightly sanded down using a piece of 220 grit sandpaper.Next, I polished the stummel using micromesh pads, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I also polished the high spots in the rustication with the micromesh pads. I wiped the bowl with a moist cloth after each pad to clean the surface. I rubbed a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” into the briar with my finger tips but not in to the rusticated surface. The balm almost immediately works its magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance over the smooth surface with the beautiful grain patterns on full display on the smooth surface of the stummel. I further buffed it with a horse hair shoe brush. The rusticated part of the stummel is now ready for a fresh coat of stain. I had decided to stain the rusticated surface with a black dye which would contrast beautifully with the red of the rest of the smooth surface. I heated the rusticated portion with my heat gun to open up the pores on the stummel so that the stain is well absorbed. I used Fiebing’s aniline black leather dye and liberally applied it over the heated surface, flaming it with the flame of a lighter. This helps in the setting of the stain in the grain of the briar. I ensured that every inch of the rusticated surface was coated with the dye while the smooth surfaces are not stained. I set the stummel aside for a day to set the dye into the briar surface.Once the stain had set, to highlight the contrast of the high points in the rustication, I lightly sanded the high points with a worn out piece of 180 grit sandpaper followed by dry sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit micromesh pads to polish the high points. I rubbed a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” with my finger tips deep into the nooks and crannies of the rustications as well as the smooth surface and let it rest for a few minutes. With this, save for the final polish, the stummel repairs and refurbishing are now complete.It was now time for me to work on the stem. Using thin shank brushes and anti-oil dish washing soap, I cleaned the stem airway. I have modified this process of cleaning the stem airway by doing away with pipe cleaners and alcohol as it saves me a ton of pipe cleaners, which is a precious commodity for me here in India. I continued this cleaning till only white clean foam came out of the stem airway, indicating that the airway was nice and clean. I ran a couple of pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol through the airway to dry it out and make sure that there are no traces of soap and gunk hidden in the airway.Next, I progressed to wet sanding the entire stem surface with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sand papers. I rubbed a small quantity of EVO into the stem surface and set it aside for the vulcanite to absorb and hydrate.To complete the restoration, I mounted a cotton cloth buffing wheel on to my hand-held rotary tool and polished the stem with Blue Diamond compound. This compound helps to remove the minor scratch marks that remain from the sanding. I followed the Blue Diamond polish by applying several coats of Carnauba Wax with a cotton cloth buffing wheel dedicated to Carnauba Wax. I finished the restoration by giving the entire pipe a rigorous hand buffing using a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine further. The finished pipe looks amazingly beautiful and has been transformed from being a write off to being one that is now ready to provide years of happy smokes to one of my club member who had commissioned this beauty! The Pipe Gods are being very kind to me now-a-days and pray that they continue to be so. Following are the pictures of the restored pipe. P.S. The last functional aspect which I addressed was to protect the repairs to the heel of the chamber. I mixed activated charcoal and yogourt to a consistency which allows for an easy and even spread and evenly applied it on the inner walls and heel of the chamber. This coating helps in preventing the epoxy at the heel of the chamber from coming into direct contact with the burning tobacco, a sort of insulation and assists in quicker formation of a cake. I set it aside to dry out naturally for a week before it makes its way to my friend. This was an interesting project that was labor intensive involving long man hours but equally satisfying one. I appreciate all esteemed readers who have dedicated their time in reading this article and thus joining me along on this journey of bring back pipes that are deemed to be lost case!

A Rather Sad, Well Used Peterson March 17, 2009 B2 Bulldog

Leave a reply

Blog by Steve Laug

In January Jeff found out about an estate sale in Pocatello, Idaho, USA. It turned out that the sale was for a fellow Jeff and I had purchased pipes from in the past, Gene. He had been the owner of Outwest Tobacco in Pocatello (long closed now) and I bought tobacco and other smoking items from him in the past. As I think about it now, it seems that I had known Gene for over 30 years Jeff and I had been to his home and enjoyed coffee and a few pipes together. I have no idea how many pipes we bought on those visits as well as to the antique shop of his daughter. I know that there were many pipes. When we heard that it was Gene’s personal collection that was for sale and that he had passed away we decided for Jeff to go to the house and have a look. He went on January 25, 2024 to scope it out as we had seen his personal collection of pipes and there were definitely some among those well smoked old warriors that would be great to pick up. Perhaps there would even be one that could join my own collection in memory of Gene.

Jeff went to the house and looked through the racks, pipe bags, tobacco – both bulk and tinned as well as a variety of pipes. All the pipes were well smoked and needed serious cleaning. Another one of the pipes that he picked up was this Peterson March 17 2009 with a black vulcanite taper fish tail stem. It was very dirty and was a reddish, brown coloured pipe when it started. The smooth finish around the bowl was dirty and had hand oils ground into the grooves. The bowl had a thick cake that overflowed in lava onto the rim edge and top of the bowl. The bottom of the bowl was flattened so the pipe could be set on a desktop. The stem was vulcanite that was very dirty and had the marks of a rubber Softee Bit on the end. It had become discoloured and there was a line where the debris from smoking had accumulated along the edge and under the bit protector. The good news was that there were only light tooth marks or chatter. The rest of the stem was dirty and had lost the characteristic shine. The pipe was stamped on the polished nickel band on the shank and read Peterson [arched over] a Shamrock with March 17 2009 arched underneath. On the right side of the shank it was stamped with the shape number B2. Jeff took photos of the pipe so I could have a sense of what it looked like before he started his work on it.Jeff took photos of the stem surfaces and the bowl and rim to give a sense of condition of the pipe. You can see the thick cake in bowl and the lava overflow on the edges and rim top of the bowl. It is had to know if there is any damage as the cake and lava is quite thick. The stem surface is very dirty and you can see the area on the end of the stem where the Softee Bit had protected it from chewing but had left it dirty and discoloured. The stem no longer fit in the shank correctly. He also took photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel to show the interesting grain that went around the bowl. There were a few spots on the right side of the bowl that seemed to have a flaw or a shrunken fill. The grain is beautiful and you can see the oils and debris in the grooves of the rim cap.  He took photos of the stamping on the nickel band on the left side of the shank. He did not capture shape number on the right side. The stamping on the band is clear and readable as noted above.I did a bit of searching on the internet to see what I could find. Interestingly turning to Peterson’s Pipe Notes I found the pipe I have in my hand (https://petersonpipenotes.org/tag/st-patricks-day-pipe-2009/). Note that in Mark Irwin’s information below the date he gives for the shape I have is 2010 but the band on mine is definitely marked 2009. Ah well another Peterson anomaly. Either way it is a nicely shape Irish Bulldog.Now it was my turn to work on the pipe. Jeff had done an amazing cleanup of the pipe. He reamed the light cake with a PipNet reamer and cleaned up that with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe stem Deoxidizer and once it had soaked rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and rubbed it down to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very good when I received it. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and is clean. The rim top has a small burn mark on the front inner edge and darkening on the back of the rim top and edges. The stem came out looking good. There were definitely light tooth marks and chatter on both sides. I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. The first photo shows that there is no stamping on the briar but the nickel band stamp is very clear. The shape number, B2 on the right side of the shank is also very clear. There was a faint remnant of the P stamp on the left side of the stem.  I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. I also took photos of the pipe with the longer Churchwarden stem in place. It is a nice looking pipe. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the damage on the inner edge of the rim. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the roughness. I then used 220 grit sandpaper and a wooden ball to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel. It looked much better at this point in the process. I touched up the stain on the rim top with a Cherry Stain Pen and the match to the rest of the bowl is perfect. Once the bowl is finished it will blend very well.I sanded the briar rim top and the sides of the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. By the time I finished with the 3500 grit pad the briar had taken on a rich glow. The pipe had cleaned up so well that I turned to polish the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. By the final pads the briar really had a shine. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to work it into the nooks and crannies of the sandblast finish. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe really comes alive with the balm. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the stem surface with the flame of a lighter. I was able to lift the tooth marks significantly. Those that remained were more like waves in the stem surface. I filled them in with a coat of clear CA glue and spread it across the surface with a dental spatula. Once the repairs cured I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to flatten it further. I sanded it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend them in and smooth out the surface of the stem.The P stamp on the left side of the stem was faint but I thought I would give it a shot and see how it work. I painted the stamp with white acrylic fingernail polish and let it dry. Once it had dried I scraped off the excess and polished it with a worn 1500 grit micromesh sanding pad. It was faint though it is still readable.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I put the stem back on the Peterson March 17 2009 B2 Bulldog and took it to the buffer. I worked it over with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches. 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. The pipe polished up really well and the rim top looked good. I was happy with the look of the finished pipe. The photos below show what the pipe looks like after the restoration. The Peterson St. Patrick’s Day March 17, 2009 Irish Bulldog is a beautiful and unique take on a classic shape. The polished vulcanite taper stem looks really good with the browns of the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.08 ounces/60 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipe Makers Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. The long shank and tall bowl look and feel great in the hand. This one should be a great smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

New Life for a Fischer Imperial Long shank Canadian Stack

2 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a smooth finished long shank Canadian with a tall bowl and a vulcanite stem. We purchased it from a seller on eBay from Jordan, Minnesota, USA on 01/22/2024. The pipe is stamped on the topside of the shank and reads Fischer. On the underside of the shank it is stamped Imperial. The rim was in good condition other than a lot of lava overflowing from the thick cake in the bowl onto the smooth rim top It is hard to assess the condition of the inner edge of the rim due to the cake and lava overflow. There may be some darkening or damage at the back of the bowl but I cannot be sure. There were oils and grime ground into the bowl sides gives the finish a flat look. The short taper stem is a dirty stem with grime and grit on the surface. There were also tooth marks on both the top and underside of the stem just ahead of the button. It appears that there may be some small pin hole bite through marks on the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. I have included them below. He took photos of the pipe’s bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl and the lava coat overflowing onto the top. It is another dirty pipe. He also took photos to capture the tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. You can also see the pinhole tooth punctures on the underside. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the grain around the bowl and the amount of grime ground into the surface of the briar. He took photos of the stamping on the top and undersides of the shank. It is clear and quite readable.I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-f2.html) and looked up the Fischer brand. I found the listing below and have included both a screen capture and the side bar notes. The stamping is the same as the one on the pipe I am working on.
Store closed in 1978. Former address: House of Fischer, 1722 Boston Ridge Road, Orchard Park, NY.

I then turned to the listed for US pipe makers/manufacturers (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Fischer) to see if I could find out more information. I have included the article below.

Gustave Fischer was pipe maker for “The House of Fischer’, which was located in Orchard Park, NY, near Buffalo.  The Fischer family apparently made pipes for six generations, starting in Germany and continuing in the United States until the 1970s. Their literature from 1956 said that all their briars were bench made. They also made meerschaums, but some confusion is caused by the fact that there was also Gustav Fischer, who made meerschaum pipes in Boston during roughly the same period.

The article went on to give information on the Fischer from Orchard Park, NY. I quote from that below.

The following information is gleaned from a thread on PipesMagazine.com

PIPES BY THE HOUSE OF FISCHER, ORCHARD PARK NY
Fischer pipes were made in USA through the 1950’s up to late 1978 when the owner, Paul Fischer retired, sold the store and moved to Florida in 1978. Unfortunately, The House of Fischer did not use a date stamp on their pipes, and therefore it is not possible to determine the exact date of manufacture.

Lee Pattison writes the following:

The Fischer shop in Buffalo closed in the late 1950’s last run by Arthur Fischer who moved shop to his home in Orchard Park. Arthur was the last of the family and retired 1978. Early pipes made in shop in Buffalo were stamped Buffalo in loop below name. Art deleted this from the stamp in early on 1960’s which helps in partial dating. Art did only pipe repair and sales. An unconfirmed report from a pipe maker Milton Kalnitz from the same era stated that the later pipe may have been made by Weber. Paul Fisher was part of the unrelated family in Boston Mass. The Buffalo shop started about 1890’s. Source of info was personal contact with family.

FISCHER PIPE QUALITY GRADE STAMPS
This is a list of various Fischer pipe stampings from my personal collection of over sixty Fischer pipes accumulated over the past forty plus years. It is by no means meant to be all-inclusive, however, if you find more Fischer pipe stampings please email me so I can update my list.

  1. Fischer Supreme
  2. Fischer Royal
  3. Fischer Imperial
  4. Fischer Golden 15
  5. Fischer 15 Grand
  6. Fischer 25 Grand
  7. Fischer Ramsgate
  8. Fischer Deluxe
  9. Fischer Special
  10. Fischer Texan (for which they applied for a patent)
  11. Fischer Seconds

The list of Quality Grade Stamps is very helpful. The pipe I am working on is noted in number 3 above. It is a Fischer Imperial and has some great grain on the bowl and shank. I also learned that is was made after the removal of the Buffalo stamp on the shank in the early 1960s.

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The bowl walls looked very good. 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. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took photos of the bowl and rim top to show how clean it was. The top and the inner edge of the rim show some darkening, nicks and scratches. The stem looks clean of debris and grime. There are tooth marks and chatter on both sides. There are also tooth marks on the underside of the stem.I took photos of the stamping on the top and undersides of the shank. The stamping is clear and readable (though fainter on the underside). I took a photo of the pipe with the stem removed to show the overall look of stem, tenon and profile of the pipe. I started my work on the pipe by addressing the damage on the inner edge of the rim. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the roughness. I then used 220 grit sandpaper and a wooden ball to give the inner edge of the bowl a slight bevel. It looked much better at this point in the process. I sanded the briar rim top and the sides of the bowl with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad. By the time I finished with the 3500 grit pad the briar had taken on a rich glow. I polished the briar bowl and shank with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the debris. The bowl took on a rich glow. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth and shoe brush to raise the shine. Mark Hoover’s Balm is a product that I have come to appreciate and one I use on every pipe I have been working on. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stem issues. I took photos of the stem surface to show the deep tooth marks on the top and the small holes on the underside of the stem just ahead of the button.I greased a pipe cleaner with Vaseline and inserted it below the bite throughs on the underside of the stem surface to keep the repair out of the airway in the stem. I filled in the deep tooth marks on the topside of the stem and the bite throughs on the underside with Black rubberized CA glue. I set it aside to let the glue cure. Once the repairs cured I used a file to flatten out the repairs and start blending them into the stem. surface. I sanded it with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to flatten it further. I sanded it with 320-3500 grit sanding pads to further blend them in and smooth out the surface of the stem.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. I put the stem back on the Fischer Imperial Long Canadian and took it to the buffer. I worked it over with Blue Diamond to polish out the remaining small scratches. 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. The pipe polished up really well and the bevelled rim top looked good. I was happy with the look of the finished pipe. The photos below show what the pipe looks like after the restoration. The long shank tall Canadian is a beautiful and unique take on a classic shape. The polished vulcanite taper stem looks really good with the browns of the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 7 inches, Height: 2 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.90 ounces/54 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the American Pipe Makers Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. The long shank and tall bowl look and feel great in the hand. This one should be a great smoker. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

Breathing New Life into an Antique Shell 1021 EX Rusticated Pot

Leave a reply

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is large rusticated finished Pot. We purchased it from an Antique Mall in Ogden, Utah, USA on 07/23/2023.The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank on a smooth panel and reads Antique [over] Shell followed by the shape number 1021 EX. The rim was in good condition other than a lot of lava in the finish overflowing from the thick cake in the bowl. There was grime ground into the bowl sides. The rusticated finish was oily and dirty. The stem is oxidized and calcified. It had light tooth marks on both the top and underside of the stem just ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work. I have included them below.He took photos of the rim top to show the cake and the dust in the rustication on the top. It is another dirty pipe. He also captured the tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem near the button. There is also a spot of blue paint on the top of the stem. He took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the rustication around the bowl and the amount of grime ground into the surface of the briar.   He took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is clear and quite readable. I turned Pipephil’s section on Savinelli pipes and found the Antique Shell listed there with and an example of the stamping on both the shank and the stem. The stamping on the bowl matches the one that I am working on (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-savinelli1.html). I turned to Pipedia and looked up the specifics of the Antique Shell line from Savinelli and read through the article. There were several pictures of the stamping but nothing on the details (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Savinelli).

I knew that I was working on a Savinelli Made Pot that had the unique Antique Shell style of rustication. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

Jeff had done his usual thorough cleanup on the pipe. He 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 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. He rinsed it under running water. He dried it off with a soft cloth. He cleaned the internals and externals of the stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. He soaked the stem in Before & After Deoxidizer and rinsed it off with warm water and cleaned out the airway in the stem with alcohol. The pipe looked very good. I took a photo of the rim top and stem to show the condition. They cleaned up really well and the top of the rim and inner looked very good. Some of the stain lightened around the top and inner edge of the bowl. The vulcanite saddle stem had tooth chatter and marks on both sides ahead of the button and on the button edges.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It read as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of the whole. It is a well shaped large Pot in the Antique line with the EX stamp.Now it was time to do my work on the pipe. I started by restaining the rim top and inner edges of the bowl. I used a Walnut stain pen to match the rest of the bowl colour.Since it was clean and looked good I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the rusticated bowl sides and shank with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for a little while and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. It helped to give depth to the tight rustication around the bowl. The final buffing would bring the pipe alive. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I painted the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter to raise the tooth dents in the vulcanite. I filled in the dents that remained with CA glue to repair them. I sanded the stem with the 2 inch square 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped down the stem after each sanding pad. I was able blend in the repairs on both sides with the pads. The stem looked very good.I polished the vulcanite stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem.   This beautiful tightly rusticated Savinelli Made Antique Shell 1021 EX Pot with a vulcanite saddle stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been restored. The rich Antique Shell coloured finish came alive with the polishing and waxing. The dimensions of the rustication really popped. 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 multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel. I 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 Antique Shell 1021 EX Pot is a beauty and fits nicely in the hand and looks very good. 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 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: 1 inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.22 ounces/63 grams. I will be adding it to the Italian Pipe Makers Section soon. 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!

Finishing Touches for a Lovely Gourd Calabash

Leave a reply

Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

I recently came upon this calabash pipe and thought it was terrific. There is an elegance to the lines of this pipe, with its swan-like curves. Really nice looking, and in good shape. This one had obviously been seldom smoked – maybe a couple of times only. And maybe this is the pipe for you! Let’s take a closer look at it. The bowl is beautifully-shaped meerschaum. It has some minor signs of wear, but nothing serious. Similarly, the gourd is in lovely condition. No wear to speak of and the cork gasket is perfect. The gourd also has a wood shank extension in nice shape. Finally, the stem is also great. It has some notable oxidation and some small signs of wear, but nothing to worry about. The stem was first on my list. I wiped down the outside of the stem with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton pads. Then, I cleaned out the insides of the stem with pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. Once this process was done, I used SoftScrub and cotton pads to wipe down the stem before throwing it in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. The following day, I cleaned all of the de-oxidizing mess and again scrubbed with SoftScrub on some cotton pads to remove the leftover oxidation. This worked well.Before I moved on to the Micromesh pads, I built up the dents on the stem with cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure.I sanded the adhesive down with 220- and 400-grit sandpapers to meld seamlessly into the stem. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the lovely black lustre on the stem. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing. On to the bowl. Meerschaum is too fragile for a proper reamer, so I used 220-grit sandpaper on the end of a wooden dowel to clean out the bowl and it turned out very well. I sanded down the entire piece of meerschaum with my Micromesh pads. One of the frustrations of cleaning meerschaum is that once smoked, the stains never go away. However, I did what I could and it definitely improved. I also rubbed some Clapham’s Beeswax into the meerschaum. Then I let it sit for 20 minutes, buffed it with a microfiber cloth and then repeated the beeswax process. Worked like a charm!

I cleaned the exterior of the gourd with some Murphy’s Oil Soap on a few cotton rounds. I cleaned inside the gourd gently by scraping with my reaming knife and some tube brushes. I was pleased with the results. I sanded down the wooden shank extension (but not the gourd) with my Micromesh pads. I also cleaned out the inside with cotton swabs and alcohol. It wasn’t very dirty. I then coated the gourd and shank extension with Restoration Balm and let it sit for 20 minutes. After that, I buffed it with the microfibre cloth. Finally, I applied some Vaseline to the cork gasket. Even though the gasket was in perfect shape, it’s a good idea to lubricate it in this way in order to maintain its elasticity. I set it aside to absorb and moved on.Before I went off to the buffer, I gave the meer and the gourd another going over with Clapham’s beeswax rub. This really worked well. I only took the stem to the buffer, as meerschaum and gourds don’t tolerate those high speeds very well! This gourd calabash was a delight from the start and its beauty only increased through the restoration process. 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 ‘Calabash’ 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 6¼ in. (160 mm); height 4½ in. (115 mm); bowl diameter 2¾ in. (70 mm); chamber diameter 1⅛ in. (28 mm). The weight of the pipe is 3 oz. (88 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this restoration as much as I enjoyed restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Patent Era Dunhill’s “Shell Briar” 24 Petite Prince

3 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table came to us from a group of pipes that Jeff and I purchased from a fellow in Copenhagen, Denmark on 02/11/2024. It is a Dunhill’s “Shell Briar” Petite Prince that is in good condition. It is stamped on a smooth panel on the underside of the shank. On the heel of the it is stamped with the shape number 24 followed by Dunhill’s “Shell Briar” [over] Pat. Nos. 119708/17. 116989/17 followed by a superscript 8. The stamping is clear and readable as noted above. The pipe has a mix of black, cordovan and brown stains on a sandblast finish and some amazing grain that the shape follows well. The finish was dusty around the nooks and crannies of the sandblast but otherwise fairly clean. The bowl had a moderate cake, tobacco debris and there was some lava on the sandblasted rim top or edges. The vulcanite taper stem was oxidized, dirty and had tooth marks and chatter ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe to show what it looked like before he started working on it. He took photos of the bowl and rim top to show their condition and of the stem to show the condition of both sides of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show the deep sandblast grain on the pipe. It is a beauty. The stamping on the underside of the shank is shown in the photo below. It looks very good and faint but readable. It reads as noted and explained above. Jeff captured the detail in the photos below. One of the first things I like to do is to unpack the stamping and understand each element in it. I turned to Pipephil helpful site and specifically the section on Patent era pipes to help with the date (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/patent1.html). I have included a screen capture of one that is stamped much the same as the one I am working on. Please note the message under the photo in the photo below.It reads: From 1921 through 1931 (inclusive) Shells were stamped DUNHILL’S “SHELL” if there was a MADE IN ENGLAND line. When the MADE IN ENGLAND was missing they were stamped DUNHILL’S “SHELL BRIAR”: this pipe hasn’t any MADE IN ENGLAND line.

I turned to another page on the pipephil site that would help me define the two patent numbers that are on this pipe. (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/shell-guide.html?1926pat-shellbriar-1926z.jpg&18#). The two Patent Numbers: Pat. Nos. 119708/17. 116989/17. The patent numbers point to the patent for the “SHELL BRIAR” finish. I used the chart to locate the two numbers on the chart below. I have drawn a red box around those two numbers and the upward line point to the date mark for 1928 on the chart.Now it was time to verify the 1928 date for this pipe (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1c.html). The pipe has a year suffix, a different patent no. and a sandblast finish so it fits the criteria for this Dating Key. It has the possessive form Dunhill’s. I have drawn a red box around the pertinent section on the Dating Guide. There the directions point to section on 1920 + the Suffix. With that information I added 1920 + the suffix 8 (8) giving the date of the manufacture of this pipe as 1928.

Now I had the data I needed for this pipe. The stamping DUNHILL’S “SHELL BRIAR” was used between 1917-1931 inclusive. The patent numbers point to the patent for “SHELL BRIAR” that Dunhill used from 1927-1931. The date code 8 identifies the date as 1928 which fits perfectly in the time period noted. The shape is that of a Petite Prince.

Now it was my turn to work on this old timer – a 1928 Shell Briar Prince. Jeff had done an amazing cleanup of the pipe. He reamed the cake with a PipNet reamer and cleaned up that with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe stem Deoxidizer and once it had soaked rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and rubbed it down to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very good when I received it.

I took photos of the bowl and the rim top as well as both sides of the stem to show the condition of the pipe before I started my work. The rim top and edges look quite good. The stem shows some light tooth marks on both sides and the button edge looks very good.

I took a photo of the stamping on the shank. The photo of the stamping is clear, though worn in some spot but it is still readable. I also removed the stem and took a photo of the parts of the Petite Prince.The pipe looked quite amazing. I stared by rubbing the briar down with some Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar really comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I “painted” the surface of the stem on both sides with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift the tooth marks on the surface. I was able to lift them significantly. I filled in those that remained with clear CA glue and set the stem aside for the repairs to cure. Once it cured I used a small file to flatten out the repairs and start blending them into the surface. I sanded the surface of the stem to blend in the file marks and the rest of the repairs smooth with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. It worked well to smooth things out and remove remnants of oxidation. When finished the stem looked much better.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This 1928 Dunhill “Shell Briar” 24 Prince Pat. Nos. 119708/17. 116989/17 has a beautiful, unique Dunhill Sandblast finish that is know for its craggy depths. The rich brown/black finish highlights some great grain around the bowl and shank. The polished vulcanite saddle stem adds to the mix. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. It is critical to avoid buffing the stamping and to have a lighter touch on the sandblast briar. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax 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 Dunhill “Shell Briar” 24 Petite Prince is quite stunning and feels great in my hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 inch, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .60 ounces/16 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. I am going to add this 1928 Petite Prince to my own collection of Dunhill Patent Era pipes. It is a real beauty that I will certainly enjoy. Thanks for your time.

 

 

 

 

Fixing a Cracked Peterson Emerald

1 Reply

Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

This is the fourth and final pipe I repaired for the gentleman in Washington. All four pipes have been great to work on, but I think I like this one best. It’s a portly and handsome Peterson Emerald XL02 Bent Apple. The pipe is smooth and has a P-lip stem. It is an elegant pipe with beautiful lines – and it feels so comfortable! Can’t wait to get this one done. Let’s take a closer look at the pipe. On the left side of the shank, it reads Peterson’s [over] Emerald. On the right side of the shank, it reads Made in the [over] Republic [over] of Ireland. To the right of that is the shape number, XL02. On the stem was the normal, stylized P of the Peterson firm. Interestingly, this P was in bas relief, rather than engraved. In an effort to learn more about the Emerald line of pipes, I went to Pipedia’s Peterson page – and learned precisely nothing. Pipephil provided just as much. Even the Peterson website itself had nothing on the historical Emeralds except to discuss the current crop of heavily rusticated pipes. So, naturally, my reliable source for all things Peterson is Mark Irwin from Peterson Pipe Notes. He has a blog post on the Emeralds – specifically the rusticated ones, but he does reference the smooth ones too. Have a look at the article here.Irwin and Gary Malmberg’s book, The Peterson Pipe: The Story of Kapp & Peterson, also made mention of the Emerald line:

Emerald (1987-) Moderate-priced line in Bordeaux and black rustic finish with a shank band of green acrylic between brass rings, P-lip mouthpiece; smooth walnut version added in ’91. Fishtail mouthpiece added in ’97. Identical line and finishes named Jade from early eighties until ’87.Putting all the bits and pieces together, I think we can safely say that this pipe dates from between 1991 and 1997.On to the stem. As usual, I cleaned the insides with lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol and some pipe cleaners. Fortunately, it wasn’t too dirty inside. Then I wiped down the outside of the stem with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton rounds – that removed some exterior dirt. Then, of course, I stuck it in the deoxidizing solution overnight. The next day, I scrubbed it down with some SoftScrub on cotton rounds. I built up the tooth marks on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let them fully cure. I had tried the BIC lighter trick, but it didn’t work. I then sanded the adhesive down – first with a small file, then with 400-grit sandpaper to meld seamlessly into the stem. I then used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) to bring out the lovely black lustre on the stem. I also used Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil in between each pad scrubbing (from 3,600 on). Moving on to the stummel, I used the PipNet Reamer to remove the built-up cake and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper taped to a dowel to eliminate as much as I could. I took the chamber down to bare briar. For now, I proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. There was quite a bit of filth inside this stummel and it took a fair amount of cotton to get it clean. I already knew there were going to be some big, bad problems inside, so no sense in delaying the inevitable work. As the photos show, there were many heat fissures in the briar and the major crack on the outside of the bowl was made to look even more dramatic once I cleaned the stummel. I used a dental pick to remove extra debris lodged inside this crack. Before moving to pipe surgery, I decided to de-ghost the pipe in order to remove any lingering smells of the past. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. The bowl was nice and clean after this.Repairing the crack first involves drilling a tiny hole at the end of the crack to stop it from elongating any further. I took my micro drill bit (see how tiny!) and delicately drilled a hole through the briar. I then administered a dose of CA glue (mixed with briar dust) along the crack and let it cure. This was done on the side of the bowl, as well as on the rim, of course. This crack was simply too severe to plug with pipe mortar. Instead, I prepared some J.B. Weld epoxy and filled the cracks and gouges, ensuring that the epoxy was evenly spread throughout the bowl. Of course, I did plug the draught hole with a folded pipe cleaner (coated in Vaseline) to make sure none of the epoxy made its way up there. Once done, a good 24 hours was needed to ensure that the epoxy was properly set.Once cured, I gently sanded the inside of the bowl to provide a surface for what was to come next. I coated the entire inside of the bowl with a mixture of activated charcoal and my wife’s homemade yogourt. Once hardened, this provided a good, slightly abrasive surface for a new cake to build.After all of that, I used all nine Micromesh pads (1,500 through 12,000 grit) all over the stummel to make it lovely and smooth. I then used my restoration balm and rubbed that into the wood to have its nourishing properties work on the wood. I let it set for 20 minutes or so. Afterwards, I rubbed down the stummel with a microfibre cloth. At long last, I was off to my bench buffer to put the final touches on this pipe. I first gave it a thorough going-over with White Diamond compound. Following that, several coats of carnauba wax created a beautiful, glossy seal on the pipe and provided some closure to this involved repair.This Peterson Emerald XL02 Bent Apple is such a good-looking pipe. I’m thrilled to have completed all of my customers pipes and I trust that he will enjoy this one (and the others) for many years. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did in restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Reclaiming a GBD Prehistoric 9493

Leave a reply

Blog by Kenneth Lieblich

Here’s another terrific pipe from my gentleman customer in Washington. This is a GBD Prehistoric 9493 pot with a Perspex stem – well, it’s officially listed as a pot, but some (like Greg Pease) call it a long-shank pot, and I thought it was a lovat when I first saw it. I’m arbitrarily calling it a “lovat pot” – so there! I love GBDs and I was delighted to work on this one. However, there was one significant issue: a very thin, but very long, crack on the underside of the bowl. As the English say, I would have to use all of my “nous” to repair it without making it look like a dog’s breakfast. Let’s look at the pipe’s markings. On the underside, going from left to right, we see GBD in an oval (albeit very worn); next to that is the word Prehistoric; next to that are the words London England; and, finally, next to that is the shape number 9493. I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess on the specific age of this pipe, other than to say that the brass oval on the stem suggests that it (fortunately) predates the merger Comoy’s. This pipe is likely from the 1960s or 1970s.A page from a 1961 GBD catalogue shows our shape (if not the model). It reads, “#9493 – Large Pot, Long Shank, Flat Saddle Mouthpiece”. That matches our pipe’s description.Let’s start with the Perspex stem. As an aside, Perspex simply means a type of clear, cast acrylic. GBD has used it since the 1930s, apparently. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts on acrylic stems, they are tricky to get completely clean because the tobacco stains the material quite thoroughly. This one wasn’t too bad and I worked hard on this one – using dental tools, pipe cleaners, and alcohol. Having had some success with other acrylic stems, I also used SoftScrub on some pipe cleaners for further scrubbing. I was pleased with the results.There were a few tooth marks, etc. on the stem, and I addressed those by filling them with some clear cyanoacrylate adhesive. Once that had cured, I sanded the stem down – first with some sandpaper, then with my Micromesh pads and pipe stem oil. I was really pleased with the way it came out in the end. Lovely shine! On to the stummel, and the usual cleaning procedures were in order for this pipe. The bowl was quite wide and I used both the KleenReem and the PipNet to remove the built-up cake, and followed that with 220-grit sandpaper to remove as much as I could. I wanted to take the bowl down to bare briar. Unfortunately, there were many heat fissures on the inside of the bowl. I would address those later. I then proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners, and isopropyl alcohol. There was quite a bit of filth inside this stummel – it took many pipe cleaners et cetera to clean it out. As usual, I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some soap and tube brushes. In fact, at that point, I took the opportunity to also use a toothbrush and gently clean the sandblast. Much improved. I decided to de-ghost the pipe in order to remove any lingering smells of the past. I thrust cotton balls into the bowl and the shank and saturated them with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I let the stummel sit overnight. This caused any remaining oils, tars and smells to leach out into the cotton. The bowl was nice and clean after this.Now on to the tricky business of repairing that long crack on the underside of the bowl. The technique I use for repairing these is one I learned from Steve long ago. It involves drilling a tiny hole at the very end of the crack to stop it from progressing any further in years to come. Now, it’s often challenging at the best of times to find the end of a crack on a smooth bowl, but it’s nigh on impossible on a sandblasted one! Nonetheless, I took my time and ever so carefully searched and found the ends of the crack. I took my micro drill bit and delicately drilled a hole through the briar right at both ends of the crack. I then carefully laid a thin bead of CA glue along the crack and let it cure. This bead of glue was placed with a needle-nosed nozzle, so that excess glue wouldn’t be an issue around the crack. I obviously didn’t want to sand the sandblast, so being extra careful with the glue was important. The next step was to sand the rim down. I started with some sandpaper on a wooden sphere and then used my nine Micromesh pads. On the rest of the stummel, I only used the last couple of pads, as I didn’t want to lose any of the beautiful blast. Where it was required, I touched up a couple of spots on the wood with my furniture pens. Of course, I used my restoration balm and rubbed that into the wood to have its nourishing properties work on the wood. I left it set for 20 minutes or so. While I was waiting, I took some of my pipe mortar and lined the briar walls with it. It was necessary for repairing the fissures inside the bowl. It’ll make a world of difference to the long-term viability of this great pipe. Afterwards, I rubbed down the stummel with a microfibre cloth.Then it was off for a trip to the buffer. A dose of White Diamond and several coats of Conservator’s Wax were just what this pipe needed. The handsome sandblast just popped and looked great.This GBD Prehistoric 9493 lovat pot is much improved. I’m delighted and I’m sure my customer in Washington will be too. I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe as much I as I did in restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.