Tag Archives: stem work

Restoring a Carved Bamboo Lovat stamped UNX UNT Quality Pipe

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on my work table is an interesting Bamboo style Lovat. It is a single piece rather than one joined with a shank extension. The stamping on the heel of the bowl reads UNX UNT over Quality Pipe. The pipe has some unique and interesting grain around the bowl and shank that makes we wonder what the wood is. Is it possible that it is Bamboo? The bottom of the bowl and a portion of the two knuckle bamboo style shank are rusticated with a great pattern and are stained with a dark brown stain. The stem is fit in the shank end snugly and there is no gap. The airway in the shank is the same diameter from the shank end to its entry into the bowl. The draught on the pipe is open and unhindered. The design is definitely made to create a very cool smoke. The bowl had a moderate cake and there was lava and darkening on the rim top and inner edge toward the back of the bowl.  The airway and mortise are full of tars and oils both in the shank and stem. It was dirty. The stem is oxidized, calcified and has some deep tooth marks on the top and underside of the stem ahead of the button. I am including photos of the pipe to show what it looked like when I brought it to the work table. I took photos of the rim top and stem. You can see the cake in the bowl and the darkening on the rim top and on the back inner edge of the bowl. The stem had some tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. It was oxidized and there was some calcification on the surface. I took a photo of the stamping on the heel of the bowl. It is clear and readable as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the part to give a sense of the flow of the pipe. It is truly a unique pipe and the grain shows well in the photo.The bowl is quite small so I scraped it out with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife to remove the cake. I sanded the bowl walls with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around my finger. I took the cake back to smooth bowl walls. I cleaned out the mortise and the airway in the shank and the stem with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was quite dirty but once cleaned smelled better.I worked on the darkening on the back inner edge of the rim top and on the top itself. I was able to sand it out with 220 grit sandpaper and give it a slight inward bevel. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl and shank with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed it off with warm running water to remove the grime and debris in the finish of the rustication and on the smooth portions. I worked over the sanded rim top at the same time. I polished the smooth portions of the bowl with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. The bowl began to take on a rich glow. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the bowl and shank. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the wood. I worked it into the surface with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The bowl really began to have a deep shine and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe. I took photos of the grain on the rim top and around the bowl and shank to get a clear picture of the wood that was used. The small straight birdseye style pattern on the rim top reminds me of the pattern in Bamboo. The flow of the grain around the bowl sides and the shank sides looks also a lot like Bamboo. The shank end also shows the same birdseye pattern as the rim top. I set the bowl aside at this point and turned my attention to the stem. I cleaned up the deep tooth marks and filled them in with black CA glue. I used a small file to flatten the repairs to the stem. I sanded repairs on the button surface and on both sides of the stem ahead of the button with 220 grit sandpaper. I also sanded the rest of the stem to remove the oxidation that was present. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. I have found that Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish works well to remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the wood and the remaining surface oxidation in the stem. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It turned out to be a nice pipe. The interesting tight grain around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The vulcanite saddle stem polished very well and looks good with the bowl. The UNX UNT Quality Pipe Bamboo Lovat feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is .74 ounces/21 grams. It is a very unique pipe and no information can be found on the stamping. Once again can any of you help me out with some identification advice on this one? It would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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

Refurbishing an Inherited c.1908 BBB Own Make Lovat

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Blog by Paresh Deshpande

I absolutely love my classic BBB pipes that I have inherited and one such pipe is now on my worktable. This classic Lovat has some beautiful cross grains on the front, back and shank surface with beautiful bird’s eye grains on the sides that can be made out under the grime and dust covering the stummel surface. It is stamped on the left side of the shank as “BBB” in a rhombus with “OWN” and “MAKE” on either side of the rhombus. The Sterling silver ferrule at the shank end is stamped as “AF & Co.” in a rectangle followed by three cartouche bearing hallmarks. Starting from the left, the first cartouche bears the stamp of an “Anchor” for the Birmingham Assay Office followed by the “Lion Passant” certifying the silver quality and the last cartouche bears the Date letter “i” which is quite worn out and the outline of the letter can be made out only under close scrutiny under a magnifying glass. The vulcanite saddle stem is devoid of any stem logo. The stampings are clear and easily discernible except the date code letter. BBB – Pipedia has detailed information on the origins of the brand, it’s transition to the Cadogan group making this article a good read for those interested. I would like to highlight that, quote “At the beginning, BBB produces two qualities. One, BBB Own Make, became finally BBB Best Make, other pipes being simply estampillées BBB. There are reasons to believe that Own Make in fact were produced in London (Reject pipes cuts year R stamped one them.), whereas the simple BBB were imported, and this, to the paddle of the 20th century. However, if all that is not very clear, it is probable that the lines low-of-range were an import of Saint-Claude” un-quote.

Now coming on to the most interesting and satisfying part of the research on this piece of briar and that is establishing the probable date of manufacture of this pipe. I prefer to follow English silver marks: the guide to hallmarks of London sterling silver (silvercollection.it)  while establishing the dates on the basis of the date letter in the hallmarks. The Anchor points to the Birmingham Assaying Office. Thereafter, I followed the link to the dating guide of the Birmingham Assay Office to date this pipe. I have included a hallmark chart for dating the pipe and have put a red mark around the letter for 1908. It is the same style of “i” and the cartouche that holds the letter stamp.Thus it is with certainty I say that this BBB was made in 1908, give or take a year as the ferrules were assayed in bulk and used as required. The stamp of Own Make designates this as the finest quality pipe that was made in London for the local market in limited quantities.

Initial Visual Inspection
This 115 year old pipe flaunts it’s age with great dignity and élan. There is a decent layer of cake in the chamber that is even throughout. The rim top surface is covered in a layer of lava overflow. Underneath this crud and grime, the inner rim edge damage is apparent. The outer rim edge has a number of dents and dings. The stummel surface, though covered in dirt, dust and grime, has developed a nice patina. The stem has a chunk of vulcanite missing from the button and rounded orifice. The following pictures will give the readers a general idea as to the condition of the pipe as it sits on my worktable. Detailed Visual Inspection
As brought out earlier, the chamber has an even layer of hard and brittle cake. It appears that the cake was being regularly reamed to maintain the correct bare minimum thickness. The condition of the chamber walls will be ascertained after the cake has been taken down to bare briar. The rim top surface is uneven and covered in a layer of overflowing oils and tars. Also the condition of the rim inner edge is indicative of it being subjected to an amateurish use of a sharp knife to remove charred surface from the edge. The end result is an uneven and an out of round chamber. The outer rim edge too has a number of dents and dings, most likely caused due to striking against a hard surface to remove the dottle. I intend to address the issue of uneven rim top surface by topping the rim surface. It will also help to address the damage to the inner and outer rim edges to an extent and what damage remains; will be masked by creating a bevel.The stummel is covered in a layer of dirt and grime from years of uncared for storage. The sides and front of the bowl appears considerably darker due to accumulation of grime over the hand oils from over a period of 115 years. However, beautiful cross grains on the front, back and shank surface with beautiful bird’s eye grains on the sides can be made out under the grime and dust covering the stummel surface. There are no scratches/dings or dents over the stummel surface. The briar has developed a beautiful dark patina over the years and it will be my endeavor to maintain it through the restoration process. The mortise is clogged with old oils, tars and ash; however, the shank face is sans any crack or deformation. This also confirms that the band is not a repair band but is original to the pipe. There is no reason to sand the stummel surface to address any dents / dings as there are none. I shall dry sand the bowl with micromesh pads to bring out the grains and impart a shine to the surface while preserving the patina. The period correct vulcanite saddle stem with a round orifice has a quality feel to it. It is oxidized and is missing a chunk of vulcanite from the bite zone including the button and the round slot. The area around the damaged portion has deep tooth indentations. The step tenon is covered in accumulation of old oils, tars and grime. I will rebuild the damaged portion of the stem using activated charcoal and CA superglue and thereafter match the repaired portion with the stem profile and the rest of the stem surface. After the cleaning and polishing regimen, the repairs should blend in well with the stem surface. The Process
I began the repair and refurbishing process with cleaning of the stem internals. 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.With the stem internals now clean, I moved to external cleaning of the stem surface by dunking the stem into “Before and After Deoxidizer” solution developed by Mark Hoover. The solution helps to draw out heavy oxidation to the surface making it’s further removal a breeze, while the minor oxidation is eliminated to a very great extent. I usually dunk stems of few pipes that are in-line for restoration and this BARLING’S MAKE is marked in yellow arrow. I generally allow the stems to soak in this solution overnight for the solution to do its work.While the stem was soaking in the De-oxidizer solution, I reamed the chamber with size 2 head 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 airway using a dental pick and hard / soft bristled pipe cleaners dipped in isopropyl alcohol. I shall continue with further cleaning of the shank internals once I clean the external stummel surface.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. With my fabricated knife and dental tools, I spent the next hour scrapping out the entire loosened gunk from the mortise. 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, thankfully, not as severe as I had anticipated. 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.By the time I was done with internal and external cleaning of the stummel, the stem had been in the deoxidizer solution for nearly 24 hours. I cleaned the stem and the stem airway under running warm water and scrubbed the raised oxidation from the surface using a Scotch Brite pad and the airway with a thin shank brush. I further removed the oxidation by scrubbing the stem with 0000 grade steel wool. Once the stem was dried with paper towels, I applied a little olive oil to rehydrate the stem.I wiped the stem surface, particularly the damaged button end, with a cotton pad and alcohol to remove any traces of dirt and grime. To begin the stem repairs, I first wound a scotch tape around the tapered portion of a pipe cleaner and inserted it into the stem airway. I prepared a mix of CA superglue and activated charcoal and generously applied it over and extending beyond the broken surface and set it aside for curing over night. The tape will help prevent the mix from clogging the stem airway.While the stem fills were curing, I addressed the damage to the rim top surface by topping the rim to reduce the charred surface and bringing the bowl back to round. I always use a square piece of 220 grit sand paper and firmly hold it with my hand on my work table. I work the rim top on the sand paper in circular motion, frequently checking the progress as I want to keep the briar loss to a bare minimum necessary. The inner rim edge damage has not been addressed entirely with a few dings and uneven surface visible on the sides (encircled in red) and charred surface to the front of the bowl (encircled in green). Also a few minor dents and chipped surfaces are visible along the outer rim edge. These issues were addressed next. In order to mask the still visible damage to the inner rim edge, I created an inner edge bevel by pinching a folded piece of 180 grit sand paper between my thumb and forefinger and moving along the inner edge with a constant pressure, to minimize the charring on the inner edge of the rim. Similarly, I created a slight bevel on the outer edge of the rim to address the minor dents and chipped areas.Next, I subjected the stummel to a complete cycle of micromesh polish, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I wiped the stummel with a moist cloth after every grit pad to remove the sanding dust left behind by the pads. This also helps in monitoring the progress being made and ensures early corrective action. I am happy with the progress being made until now. I massaged a small quantity of “Before and After Restoration Balm” into the briar surface with my finger tips and worked it deep into the surface and let it rest for a few minutes. The balm almost immediately works it’s magic and the briar now has a nice vibrant appearance with the beautiful bird’s eyes and cross grain patterns on full display. It was at this stage that I polished the sterling silver with a jeweller’s cloth to a nice shine. By the time I was through with the stummel polishing, the stem fills had completely cured.  I moved ahead with the process of filing and shaping the button end with a flat head needle file. With a round needle file, I reshaped the round orifice at the slot end. For a better blending, I further sanded the entire stem with a folded piece of 320 grit sandpaper. I continued to dry sand the entire stem with a folded piece of 400 followed by 600 and 800 grit sandpaper and further progressed to wet sanding with 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 bring a deep shine to the vulcanite stem, I went through the complete set of micromesh pads, wet sanding with 1500 to 12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem with moist cloth after working each pad and rubbed it down with Extra Virgin Olive oil to rejuvenate the vulcanite.To complete the restoration, I mounted 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. Next, I mounted 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 is ready to join my collection. I only wish it could share with me it’s story of the past years while I enjoy smoking my favorite Virginia blend in it or maybe an English blend or maybe just keep admiring it!! The finished pipe is as shown below:- A note of thanks to all the readers who have joined me in this journey that has been such a pleasure! You and your loved ones are always in our prayers…

Working on a Mystery Stacked Shank Lovat – MYSTERY SOLVED – A GERRARD THREE-WAY PIPE

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on my work table is a real mystery to me. The stamping is unreadable, except for a B on the heel of the bowl. The pipe has some amazing grain around the bowl and shank and is well laid out to follow the grain. It has a double shank or stacked shank. The top portion or shank is where the stem fits in the mortise on the end. The airway in that portion of the shank drops to the second part of the shank at the bowl shank union. The second part of the shank has two chambers. The bottom one goes from an under-bored bowl bottom to the opening on the shank end. There is a plug at that point. The air drops moisture in that part of the shank and cools. It is circulated into the second chamber (also with a plug at the end) and then up into the top part of the shank. The smoke is drawn into the twisted and turned airway from the bowl bottom and then drawn along the bottom chamber to the end then up into the second chamber and finally into the airway in the top part of the shank and into the mouthpiece. The design is definitely made to create a very cool smoke. Because my words may not capture the look of this pipe very well I am including the next four photos to unpack the words that I have written above. The pipe was in decent condition. The bowl had been recently reamed and there was tobacco debris in the bowl bottom. The rim top had some burn damage and darkening on the back inner edge. The shank (top and lower with two chambers) was dirty and need a thorough cleaning. There were scratches on the shank and bowl sides and the finish was dirty. There was some staining on the shank end ahead of the vulcanite band on the shank. The two vulcanite pins in the lower shank were also oxidized. The stem had some tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. It was oxidized and there was some calcification on the surface. The logo on the top of the stem was a diamond and the inside of the diamond was damaged. It appeared to have held a squiggly line – perhaps emulating the airflow through the pipe. I took closeup photos of the bowl and stem for you to see a bit of what I see here.I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the part to give a sense of the flow of the pipe. It is truly a unique pipe and the grain shows well in the photo.I dribbled alcohol around the pie/plugs in the lower portion of the shank. It took some time and I wiggled the pins until they came free. I took photos of the pins and of the shank. I cleaned them up and then pushed them into the shank end and took photos of the pipe at this point. I cleaned out the mortise and the three airways in the shank and the one in the stem with pipe cleaners and cotton swabs. It was quite dirty but once cleaned smelled better. I apologize for the photo of the stem cleaning as it is blurry but you can still see the grime on the pipe cleaners in the photo.I worked on the stains along the inner edge of the shank ahead of the vulcanite band. I was able to sand it out with 220 grit sandpaper and started polishing it with 600 git wet dry sandpaper. I also sanded out the deep gouges along the grooves between the upper and the lower parts of the shank. They cleaned up very well. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. The bowl began to take on a rich glow. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe. I set the bowl aside at this point and turned my attention to the stem. The Diamond logo is strange and looks damaged but it appears to have a squiggle from one corner to the next. The surface is chipped. I sanded out the tooth marks and chatter on both sides of the stem ahead of the button. I also sanded the rest of the stem to remove the oxidation that was present. I started polishing the stem with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. I filled in the pits in the diamond log with clear CA Glue and sanded that repair smooth at the same time. I did not want to further damage the log so I proceeded cautiously. The stem is looking better.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process.I have found that Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish works well to remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It turned out to be a nice pipe. The mix of grain around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The vulcanite saddle stem works well with the pipe. The Mysterious No Name Stacked Shank System Lovat feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions 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 1.34 ounces/38 grams. It is a very unique system style pipe that I cannot find any stamping on and no information. Is it possible that any of you can help me out with some identification advice on this one? It would be much appreciated. Thank you.

As always, I encourage your questions and comments as you read the blog. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipe men and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us. ADDENDUM MYSTERY SOLVED: I posted this blog on FaceBook in the Tobacco Pipe Restorers Group. I received and answer from James Connelly with a photo. He has the pipe in the photo below. It includes the original box. I have included that photo below. It shows the pipe in its box along with a diagram on the airflow from the bottom of the bowl to the mouth piece. It is indeed the shape that I expected from my clean up work on the pipe.He also included a link to a write up on Pipedia on the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Gerrard). It is a short read but very interesting. I have also included  two photos from the article.

Gerrards Three-Way Pipes were custom made by a gentleman in Hagerstown, MD named E.E. Lushbaugh. He called it the “Gerrard Three-way pipe”.

 

Restoring a French Made Loewe & Co. 015 Dublin with a Saddle stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is one that a fellow sent me from England (I have since found out that he is in Scotland not England). He had written to me earlier this week about an old pipe that he had that needed some work. Here is his first email.

Hello. I have an old pipe I would like restored. Its not something I feel I could do myself. I was wondering if you provide a restoration service, and if so how I would go about sending you the pipe to work on. –  Leo

I replied to him as follows:

Hello Leo, I do restoration but I am located on the west coast of Canada. Send photos of the pipe so I can have a look and we will go from there. Thanks. – Steve

He did not waste anytime and sent me an email with the first three pictures below. It is an interesting looking long, oval shank, sandblast Dublin with a vulcanite saddle stem. After viewing the photos and emailing back and forth with Leo about the pipe I asked him to mail it to me so I could work on it. It is an interesting sandblast, long oval shank Dublin. The bowl had a thick cake inside and a lot of lava overflow on the rim top. The finish is quite dirty with a lot of grime in the sandblast valleys. It was worn on the left side of the bowl and dark finish was light there. The photo of the underside of the shank shows scratches and marks on the surface that had all but eliminated the stamping. There is a shape number at the stem/shank junction that reads 015. Below that it is stamped Made in France. The stem is dirty with oxidation, calcification and deep scratches and marks on both sides. There are tooth marks ahead of the button on both sides that are quite deep.  There is a brass square on the top of the saddle that has an L in it. There are no other identifying marks on the pipe. It will be fun identifying it and the brass L square will tell me a lot. It is a uniquely shaped pipe that I really like the looks of and I think that once it is cleaned up it will be a real beauty.

The pipe arrived this week while I was travelling. I took photos of the pipe once I brought it to the work table. I always include the pre-clean up photos to confirm what I saw in the photos that were sent to me. In this case the condition matched what I saw in the photos. The pipe was a real mess and would take some work to clean up and restore. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem. The rim top shows the thick lava coat on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. It is heavier on the back side than the front. You can also the lava fill on the rim top almost completely hiding the rustication. You can see the oxidation around the stem sides, the scratches on the surface and the deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It reads as noted above. The hash marks and scratching on the smooth surface have obliterated the stamping and it is unreadable. The shape number 015 and the Made in France stamping is still readable at the shank/stem junction. The pipe is quite nice with the stem removed. You can see the flow of the design and the look of the parts.Before I started my cleanup work on the pipe I decide to do a bit of digging on the brass square L logo on the stem. I scrolled through all of the pipe brands that started with an”L” on Pipephil until I came across the listing for Loewe pipes (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l5.html). The third pipe down in the screen capture below has the same logo on the stem as the one I am working on. Now I knew that the pipe was a Loewe and that it was a French Made one at that. I have included the screen capture of the section below.I then turned to the article on Loewe pipes on Pipedia for more information and to see if I could find anything on the French made Loewe pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Loewe_%26_Co.). There was a passing note in the article in the fourth paragraph that I have marked in red. It states that French Loewes appeared in the early 1980s and are a sign that the pipes were made in more than one location before the Cadogan Era.

Loewe is one of the haunting old names of British pipe-making, characteristic of an almost vanished “upper middle class” of the trade, which also incorporated makes such as BBB, Orlik, Comoy’s and GBD. Along with these brands, Loewe has long dwindled into pseudo-existence, becoming little more than a logo occasionally used by the Cadogan factory in Southend-on-Sea. But owners of older Loewes treasure them as superb, featherweight smokers, excellently crafted and with grain characteristics superior to those of many contemporary Dunhills.

The Frenchman Emil Loewe founded the company, both shop and workshop, in 1856 at the Haymarket 62, London. He is said to have been the first to make briar pipes in England. Richard Hacker maintains that theatre people from the West End were among the shop’s heyday aficionados. Loewe’s spigots are especially well regarded by lovers of elegance today – they were originally introduced for practical reasons, to facilitate the production of replacement stems for customers abroad.

The firm and its facilities were later taken over by Civic, well before becoming a fully integrated part of the Cadogan group sometime in the final quarter of the twentieth century. As with other brands belonging to this group, it is not easy to pinpoint a date marking the end of Loewe’s independence and singularity. This is partly due to Cadogan’s own development from a cooperative to a monolithic entity.

In 1979, a German paperback said that the Loewe brand had been discontinued two years previously, but that the pipes themselves were due to reappear as high-end GBDs. Interestingly, the year of publication coincided with the year in which the Loewe trademark became Cadogan’s, who by this time already owned GBD. From today’s point of view, the author appears to have been working on confused, but partly true information. If there were ever really plans to fully amalgamate the two lines, they were dropped. Also, a two-year break at this time seems impossible, since we have hallmark evidence of Loewes made in 1978 and 1979. However, there are firm indications that Loewe shapes were later marketed as Comoy’s (another Cadogan brand). There may also have been a phase of dissolution regarding location. The reported appearance of French Loewes in the early 1980s is a sign that Loewes were being produced in more than one place at some stage before the Cadogan-era proper.

From what I can gather, Cadogan’s various brands continued to be made in separate facilities throughout the1970s. It was the purchase of Orlik in 1980 that enabled the Cadogan group to consolidate all manufacturing in that company’s new factory in Southend-on-Sea. Whether or not this transferral was a gradual process and when it affected Loewe is unclear. We hear that, as a company, Loewe was not formally wound up by Cadogan (the successor to Civic) until the late 1980s. Of course, today’s ‘Loewes’ are definitely made in Southend – though, according to Cadogan, the trademark is no longer used very much.

Now I knew for certain that I was working on a French made Loewe & Company pipe and that it was made in the early 1980s. Now it was time to work on the pipe.

I started my work on this pipe by reaming the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer to clean out the cake in the bowl. I cleaned up the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I finished by sanding the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel to smooth out the interior of the bowl. I cleaned out the internals of the bowl, shank and the airway in the stem. I started the clean up by scraping the shank with a pen knife to remove the tars that lined the shank. I cleaned out the mortise and airways with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners until they were clean. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked on the bowl and rim top as well as the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The exterior of the bowl and shank cleaned up really well. I rinsed it with warm water to remove the soap and the grime from the briar. I dried it off with a cotton towel. I took photos of the bowl at this point in the process. The rim top still showed a lot of build up filling in the blast valleys. I would need to used other tools to clean that up. I used a dental pick to scrape out the lava deep in the sand blast. It took some detailed picked to remove it. I followed up on that with a brass bristle wire brush to further clean up the surface of the rim top. I worked over the bevelled inner edge with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage on the inner edge. It certainly looks much better at this point. I used a walnut and a black stain pen to touch up the worn spots on the bowl side and the rim top sanded areas. It looked much better at this point.I sanded out the scratches in the flat bottom of the shank. They were several and they were quite deep. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the majority of them out. When finished the pipe looked better.I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. It was in rough condition with the gummy tape on the end fitting into the shank and deep tooth marks. I painted the surface of the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter to try and lift them. I lifted them but they were still distinctly present. I filled in the marks with Black CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once cured I flattened the repair with a file and then followed that up with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It looked much better. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It turned out to be a nice pipe. The sandblast finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The oval vulcanite saddle stem works well with the pipe. The Loewe & Co. French Made 015 Oval Shank Dublin feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.59 ounces/44 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be going back to Leo who sent it to me for restoration. I am sure he will enjoy it and it will give many more years of service to him.

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

Restoring and Hand Carved All Wood Rusticated Bent Egg

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a bit of an oddity. When Jeff picked it up it was heavy and cool and we thought it might be stone. When I was in Idaho visiting my dad for his 95th I spent some time with Jeff and had some time to examine the pipe. It was heavy and definitely seemed odd. In many ways it was not like stone but the weight and the coloration of the pipe made us question it. I removed the stem and there was grain in the shank end that confirmed it was wood. I am not sure what kind of wood it was but it was wood. It was hand made and there were no stamps or marks on the shank identifying who made it. The rusticated finish was dirty and there was grime ground into the sides and the rim top of the pipe. The right side of the bowl had a whitened spot on it that followed the flow of the egg shape on that side. It was not paint. There was a thick cake in the bowl and the airway in the shank and stem were dirty. The stem was also wood – probably ebony or other dark, hard wood. There were tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button. It obviously had been someone’s favourite pipe and was well used. Here are some photos of the pipe before I started to work on it. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem. The photos give a clear photo of the condition of the pipe. The bowl is moderately caked and the rim top actually looks quite good. There is some debris in the rustication and some darkening to the top and edges. The stem is in good condition other than the tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button.I removed the stem from the bowl and took photos of the well designed look it has. The proportions are very well done and the pipe is quite beautiful.I started my work on this pipe by reaming the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer to clean out the cake in the bowl. I cleaned up the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I removed all of the cake and checked the walls. They were solid and there was no checking or damage on the walls. I wiped the bowl down with acetone to remove the spotty finish on the wood. It removed the shininess of the finish and some of the stain and the pipe looked better. It also showed some grain patterns in the wood similar to the stem wood. I cleaned out the internals of the bowl, shank and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners until they were clean. It smelled significantly better once finished.I wiped down the bowl and stem with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to enliven the bowl and the stem. I rubbed it on and let it soak into the wood. I buffed it with a paper towel. When Jeff looked over the shank he noted a crack in the shank. I took a photo of the side of the and the shank end to show the crack. It is hard to see in the photos. It did not go too deep in the shank end and extended about ½ inch along the top left side.I waited until I returned to Vancouver and then banded the shank with a thin brass band. I heated the ring with a lighter flame and pressed it onto the shank end against my hard desk top. I tapped the flat surface of the shank end with a small tap hammer to make sure the fit was flat against the shank. I took photos of the shank with the band in place. It looks very good with the new bling. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar or other woods. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect it. I worked it into the wood with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The pipe really began to have a deep shine in the rustication and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is an unusual looking and pretty handmade pipe. I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I sanded the tooth chatter and marks on the surface of the stem with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It looked much better.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pad. Obsidian Oil does two things when sanding with micromesh – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second to give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. I use Before & After Fine and Extra Fine Stem Polish as it seems to remove the fine scratches in the wooden stem. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the wood of the bowl and the stem. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The light rusticated finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The wooden carved, fancy, saddle stem works well with the pipe. The No Name Handcarved Hardwood (Ebony??) Egg with a carved wooden stem feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: 5/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 3.07 ounces/87 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be putting on the rebornpipes store in the American Pipe Makers Section. It is available if you want to add it to your collection. It was a great smoker and it will give many more years of service.

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

Doing a Clean up and Restoration of a Stanwell Revival 105 Bent Apple

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is one that a fellow just dropped by. He had written to me earlier this week about a Stanwell that he had that needed some work. Here is his first email.

Your name was passed to me by the folks at City Cigar. I was lamenting to them how my decade old Stanwell was not doing well, and they suggested I check in with you. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. — Mike

I replied to him as follows:

Thank you. Can you send me a photo of the pipe on your phone?

He did not waste anytime and sent me an email with the first three pictures below and also a description of what he knew was wrong with the pipe. He wrote as follows:

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! In the photos you can see that there are stem problems, but also a little crack in the bowl. If I could save this piece, I would so grateful. I just love the shape, as well as the elegant mouthpiece. I haven’t really seen anything else like it. — Thanks, Mike

The pipe appeared to be very dirty in the photos that were included. He also circled the crack that was on the top of the shank at the bowl shank joint. The rim top was dirty and worn with some knock out marks on the top edge. The finish was grimy and tired looking. The inner edge of the bowl showed some damage and darkening around the bowl. The stem was wrapped with scotch tape around the end that fit in the shank. I speaking with Mike he stated that it was loose in the shank extension so he had wrapped it to give the stem more of a fit in shank. It was worn out and sticky but it had done the job keeping the stem from falling out of the bowl. After viewing the photos and talking with Mike about the pipe I asked him to drop it by the house so I could work on it. I took photos of the pipe once it was dropped off before I worked on it. My evaluation of the pipe confirmed all of the things that I noted above in my communication with Mike about his pipe. There was one other issue that became visible when it was here. The shank extension was loose in the shank. The glue that had held it in place had broken loose and it turned freely in the shank. It is a uniquely shaped pipe that I really like the looks of and I think that once it is cleaned up it will be a real beauty. I took photos of the bowl and rim top as well as the stem. The rim top shows the thick lava coat on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. It is heavier on the back side than the front. You can also see the tape around the stem diameter to attempt to tighten the fit in the shank extension. You can see the oxidation around the stem sides and the deep tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It reads as noted above. It is clear and readable. The pipe is quite nice with the stem removed. You can see the flow of the design and the look of the parts.I turned to Pipedia and the section on the Stanwell Shape Numbers and Designers to see what I could find (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Stanwell_Shape_Numbers_and_Designers). I found the following information that I quote below:

  1. ‘Elegance’; Bent apple with an acrylic mount and a long tapered stem. A reinterpretation of Sixten Ivarsson’s shape 08(b), by Sixten Ivarsson (1980s, see catalogue).

From that I can see that the pipe (105 shape) was a bent apple and was originally designed as a reinterpretation of the Sixten Ivarrson Shape 08b. I have included two pages from the 1980s catalogue below. The first show the 08 and the second page shows the 105. It is called an Elegance on that page rather than a Revival but it is a beauty. I started my work on this pipe by reaming the bowl. I started with a PipNet reamer to clean out the cake in the bowl. I cleaned up the remnants of the cake with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I finished by sanding the walls of the bowl with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel to smooth out the interior of the bowl. I cleaned out the internals of the bowl, shank extension and the airway in the stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners until they were clean. I unwrapped the tape from the stem in order to clean and restore it. I scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked on the bowl and rim top as well as the inner and outer edges of the bowl. It cleaned up really well. I rinsed it with warm water to remove the soap and the grime from the briar. I dried it off with a cotton towel. I took photos of the bowl at this point in the process. With the pipe cleaned up it was time to re-glue the shank extension to the end of the shank. I used some Weld Bond white all-purpose glue to reattach the extension to the shank end. I spread the glue around the tenon on the extension and pushed it in place. I adjusted the fit around the shank until it all aligned. I set it aside to cure. At this point in the process it was time to deal with the crack in the shank at the shank/bowl union. I used a small pinpoint to mark the ends of the crack on both sides of the shank. I drilled a hole in the small mark on each side of the crack end using a microdrill bit.I filled in the crack and the two drill holes in the shank sides with clear CA glue. I spread it into the crack and the holes with a dental spatula. Once it had cured I sanded the repairs smooth with 220 grit sandpaper and followed it up with micromesh as seen in the next photos.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris. The bowl began to take on a rich glow. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe.  I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. It was in rough condition with the gummy tape on the end fitting into the shank and deep tooth marks. I painted the surface of the stem with the flame of a Bic lighter to try and lift them. I lifted them but they were still distinctly present. I filled in the marks with Black CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once cured I flattened the repair with a file and then followed that up with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It looked much better. I built up the end of the stem with clear acrylic fingernail polish. I spread it around the stem with a dental spatula and set it aside to cure. Once it hardened I polished it with micromesh.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection.The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The smooth finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The oval vulcanite taper stem works well with the pipe. The Stanwell Revival 105 Bent Apple feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.31 ounces/38 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be giving back to Mike who dropped it off for restoration. I am sure he will enjoy it and it will give many more years of service to him.

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

New Life for a BBB 100 Years – Made in England 560 Bent Bulldog

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a nice looking smooth Bent Bulldog with a vulcanite saddle stem. We picked it up on 11/10/2022 from a seller in Copenhagen, Denmark. The stamping on the left side of the shank is readable. It read BBB in a diamond [over] 100 Years. On the right side the stamping reads Made  In England [over] the shape number 560. The black vulcanite saddle stem stamped with a faint BBB in a diamond logo the left side. The pipe has a medium reddish brown stained finish that shows the grain on the bowl sides and shank. It is light weight and comfortable pipe to hold. Jeff sent me the following photos of the pipe to show the condition it was in before he worked on it. This is what I saw when I looked over the pipe.

  1. The smooth finish had grime ground into briar and hand oils around the sides. The stain is dull and the grain patterns though visible under the grime are obscured around the bowl sides and shank.
  2. The rim top was very dirty with a heavy lava coat on it. It is heavier on the back side. The inner edge of the bowl and top show potential damage, though it is hard to see the extent through the thick build up of cake that has overflown the rim top.
  3. There was a thick cake in the bowl. The bowl itself was very dark and dirty. Once the bowl was cleaned up we could confirm the condition of the bowl walls.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem was filthy, oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides and on the button surface.
  5. There is a BBB in a diamond logo on the left side of the stem. It is white and I am uncertain if it is a stamp or if it is a decal of some sort. The common BBB brass inset is not present on this pipe.

To summarize what I saw – this BBB 100 Year Bent Bulldog is a well-made pipe. The bowl and stem are very dirty which says to me that the pipe was once again someone’s favourite pipe. The look and feel of the pipe in the hand is great. It should clean up very well. Here are photos of the pipe taken before Jeff started the clean up.  Jeff took close up photos so that I could have a clearer picture of the condition of the bowl, rim edges and top. The rim top photos confirm my assessment above. The cake in the bowl is thick – covering the walls of the bowl. The rim top has thick lava coat overflowing and covering the inner edge. It is heavier toward the back of the bowl. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge in this condition. There appeared to be some damage on the top and inner edge toward the back but I would not know for sure until it was reamed. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. I look forward to viewing it in person after the clean up work.The vulcanite taper stem is dirty, oxidized and calcified. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button and on the button surface itself. Once again instead of telling you what I see in the next photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel I want to hear from you. Tell me what you see? What does the finish look like to you? Are there any visible problems or issues that stand out to you? Are there cracks or scratches in smooth finish of the bowl? Are there visible flaws or fissures in the briar? What does the finish look like? Is there a pattern to it? Any visible issues on the heel of the bowl? These questions should help you to see what I am looking for when I see these photos. He took photos of the stamping on the left and right side of the shank. It is stamped as noted above. The vulcanite stem shows a BBB diamond logo stamp on the top left side of the diamond shank. What stands out for you in the photos of the stamping? What do you look for in the stamping? It is dirty but what do you see underneath the grime on the surface of the briar? Before I started my work on the pipe I turned to a blog I posted on the history of the BBB brand (https://rebornpipes.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2204&action=edit). It is a translated piece on the history that I have found quite helpful. It gives a good survey or overview of the brand from its inception to the end as an independent brand.

I also remembered that a few years ago Briar Books Press reprinted a small booklet entitled 100 Years in the Service of Smokers. The subtitle on the bottom of the cover read Adolph Frankau of London Celebrate their Centenary. At the top is the classic BBB in a Diamond logo with a banner below it with the dates 1847 on the left of the Diamond and 1947 on the right of the Diamond. I took it out and gave it a read to get a sense of the 100 years of history. I did a screen capture of the cover and have included it below.
Quoting from page 5 of the book in a section entitled: Through Five Reigns to the Present Day

And so throughout the five reigns the house of Aldoph Frankau ministered faithfully and famously to the needs of smokers in every land and clime right up until the outbreak of World War II. Through the vicissitudes  of this period, and absence of staff on war service, the Company was ably steered by Mr. Fryd a Director and the Company’s Secretary, Mr. Howles, now also a director.

On the last page of the booklet there is a poster for the BBB 1847-1947 Centenary Pipe. The pipe in the poster has a similar stamping to the one I am working on and the logo on the side of the stem is the same white decal style logo – BBB in a Diamond.

Armed with that information it appears that the pipe I am working on is one that could have been issued in 1947 as a Centenary Pipe or perhaps it is a later copy of that period pipe. My guess is the former. It has the look of an older BBB rather than a Cadogan era pipe. Now it was time to work on it.

I am sure many of you will shake your head and ask maybe even out loud, “Why is he including this again?” However, please remember that the point of these blogs is not to wow you with the work or make you shake your heads but I want you to know the details of the work we do so you can do your own. Back in 2020 Jeff wrote a blog about his cleaning process. I am including a link to that now so you can see what I mean about his process. Do not skip it! Give it a read (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/01/20/got-a-filthy-estate-pipe-that-you-need-to-clean/). Here is the introduction to that blog and it is very true even to this day.

Several have asked about Jeff’s cleaning regimen as I generally summarize it in the blogs that I post rather than give a detailed procedure. I have had the question asked enough that I asked Jeff to put together this blog so that you can get a clear picture of the process he uses. Like everything else in our hobby, people have different methods they swear by. Some may question the method and that is fine. But it works very well for us and has for many years. Some of his steps may surprise you but I know that when I get the pipes from him for my part of the restoration they are impeccably clean and sanitized. I have come to appreciate the thoroughness of the process he has developed because I really like working on clean pipe!

For the benefit of some of you who may be unfamiliar with some of the products he uses I have included photos of three of the items that Jeff mentions in his list. This will make it easier for recognition. These three are definitely North American Products so you will need to find suitable replacements or order these directly on Amazon. The makeup pads are fairly universal as we were able to pick some up in India when we were with Paresh and his family.

In the blog itself he breaks his process down into two parts – cleaning the stem and cleaning the bowl. Each one has a large number of steps that he methodically does every time. I know because I have watched him do the work and I have seen the pipes after his work on them. He followed this process step by step and when the pipe got to me it was spotlessly clean and ready for my work. The inside of the stem, shank and bowl were clean and to me that is an amazing gift as it means that my work on this end is with a clean pipe! I cannot tell you how much difference that makes for my work.

  1. The finish is clean and the oils and grime in the finish shows the beautiful grain around the sides. The medium brown stain highlights the grain.
  2. The rim top was clean and amazingly there was no edge damage. There was only some darkening around the inner edge of the bowl.
  3. The cake in the bowl has been removed and the bowl is very clean. The walls of the bowl are smooth and appear to be undamaged and show no checking or burn damage.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem looks better and there is only light tooth chatter on both sides visible.
  5. The white painted/decal BBB logo on the top left side of the diamond stem is gone leaving only a faint ghost of the original decal that is readable in bright light.

Hopefully the steps above show you both what I look for when I go over the pipe when I bring it to the work table and also what I see when I look at the pipe in my hands. They also clearly spell out a restoration plan in short form. My work is clear and addressing it will be the next steps. I took photos of the whole pipe to give you a picture of what I see when I have it on the table. This is important to me in that it also shows that there was no damage done during the clean up work or the transit of the pipe from Idaho to here in Vancouver. I carefully went over the bowl and rim top to get a sense of what is happening there. In this case once the rim top and edges were cleaned the inner edge had some darkening all the way around. I also went over the stem carefully. The fit of the stem is snug and the transitions are smooth. There was light tooth chatter on the surface of the stem on both sides. The vulcanite stem surface was clean and looked better. I took photos of the rim top and stem sides to show as best as I can what I see when I look at them. As is my habit check to make sure that the clean up work did not damage the stamping on the shank sides in any way. They are in excellent condition and are very clear and readable. I love just looking at the lay of the pipe and the proportion of the hand made pipes. I took the pipe apart to get a sense of what was in the mind of the pipe maker when he crafted the pipe. The photo shows its beauty in flow and shape. You can see the faint ghost of the BBB Diamond logo on the left side of the saddle stem. I started working on this pipe by turning to the bowl. I chose to deal with the damage on the inner edge and top of the rim. I used a piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the darkening on the inner edge and the damage on the top. I gave the rim a slight bevel to minimize the damage. It took a little work but I was able to remove the damage. It looks much better after I worked it over.I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I choose to dry sand the briar rather than wet sand it. Again it is a matter of personal preference. I prefer to use the pads dry and find they work very well on the briar. I sand with each pad (9 in total) and group them by threes for ease of reference. I wipe the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris and check the briar. I love seeing the developing shine on the briar as I move through the pads which is why I include so many photos of this step. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and into the twin rings with a shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe.   I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. It was in great condition and the majority of the tooth marks and chatter were shallow enough that most would disappear by polishing with micromesh and buffing. There was one deep mark against the button edge on the top of the stem. I filled it in with clear CA glue and set it aside to cure. Once cured I flattened the repair with 220 grit sandpaper and started the polishing with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. It looked much better.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it gives the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. After finishing with the micromesh pads I rub the stem down with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection.  The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The smooth finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The oval vulcanite taper stem works well with the pipe. The BBB 100 Year Bent Bulldog 560 feels great in my hand. It is a well balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.34 ounces/38 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be adding to the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It should be a great smoking pipe.

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

Restoring a Sandblast Charatan’s Make London, England tall Dublin 75X

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a nice looking smooth Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem. We picked it up on 04/09/2022 from a seller in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The stamping on the underside of the shank is faint but still readable. It read L in a circle followed by Charatan’s Make [over] London England. That is followed by the stamping of the shape number 75X. The black vulcanite saddle stem stamped with a CP on the left side. The pipe has a medium reddish brown finish that shows the grain patterns through the sandblast on the bowl sides and shank. It is light weight and comfortable pipe to hold. Jeff sent me the following photos of the pipe to show the condition it was in before he worked on it. This is what I saw when I looked over the pipe.

  1. The sandblast finish had thick grime ground into briar around the sides. The stain is dull and the grain patterns though visible under the grime are obscured around the bowl sides and shank. There are oil stains from the previous smokers hands around the sides of the bowl.
  2. The rim top was very dirty with a heavy lava coat on it. It is heavier on the back side. The inner edge of the bowl and top show damage though it is hard to see the extent through the thick build up of cake that has overflown the bowl top.
  3. There was a thick cake in the bowl. The bowl itself was very dark and dirty. Once the bowl was cleaned up we could confirm the condition of the bowl walls.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem was filthy, oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides and on the button surface.
  5. There is a Charatan CP logo stamped on the left side of the stem. It is faint but readable.

To summarize what I saw – this Charatan’s Make Sandblast 75X is a well-made pipe. The bowl and stem are very dirty which says to me that the pipe was once again someone’s favourite pipe. The look and feel of the pipe in the hand is great. It should clean up very well. Here are photos of the pipe taken before Jeff started the clean up.  Jeff took close up photos so that I could have a clearer picture of the condition of the bowl, rim edges and top. The rim top photos confirm my assessment above. The cake in the bowl is thick – covering the walls of the bowl. The rim top has thick lava coat overflowing and covering the inner edge. It is heavier toward the back of the bowl. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge in this condition. There appears to be some damage on the top and inner edge on the front and the back but I would not know for sure until it was reamed. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. I look forward to viewing it in person after the clean up work.The vulcanite saddle stem is dirty, oxidized and calcified. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. Instead of telling you what I see in the next photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel I want to hear from you. Tell me what you see? What does the finish look like to you? Are there any visible problems or issues that stand out to you? Are there cracks or scratches in nooks and crannies of the sandblast finish of the bowl? Are there visible flaws or fissures in the briar? What does the finish look like? Is there a pattern to it? Any visible issues on the heel of the bowl? These questions should help you to see what I am looking for when I see these photos. He took photos of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is stamped as noted above. The vulcanite stem shows a CP stamp on the left side. What stands out for you in the photos of the stamping? What do you look for in the stamping? It is dirty but what do you see underneath the grime on the surface of the briar? I turned to Pipephil’s site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-charatan.html) to look up information on the pipe but there was nothing specific.

I also turned to Pipedia (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans) to help with dating it. I quote the section of the article that applies to this pipe below.

Identification of a third era pipe (First Lane era, 1961-1965)

Pipes of this period are quite common.

1) The mouthpiece is frequently double comfort, rarely saddle without the double comfort, never tapered. If the stem is not a double comfort but a saddle one, it is characterized by the letter X on the right of the shape code (e.g. 2502X), naturally in this case the letters DC are not displayed.

2) In the CP logo, the C enters the P

3) Presence of £ on the shank (note that from 1955 all the pipe imported in the USA by Lane has it, however that stamping is not synonymous of the Lane era)

4)Presence of the letter DC just after the shape number (e.g. 2502 DC) or of the letter X only if the stem is not a double comfort one

5) Presence in some models of the stamp “MADE BY HAND” on the shank (introduced for the first time in 1958)

6) Presence of the writing “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” on 2 lines

7) The CP logo is thicker then in previous eras

From the clues listed above regarding the stamping on the shank underside, I am fairly confident it is a First Lane Era pipe made between 1961-1965. Knowing that it is time to work on it.

Jeff did a major clean up job on this one and the pipe I received when it arrived in Vancouver looked far better than the one pictured above. Here is what I saw when I brought the pipe to the table.

  1. The sandblast finish is clean and the oils and grime are gone from the bowl. The finish shows the beautiful contrast in the stains in the sandblast finish around the bowl and shank.
  2. The rim top was clean of the thick lava. The top and the inner edge of the bowl showed burn damage on the front and back top and edges of the bowl.
  3. There cake in the bowl has been removed and the bowl is very clean. The walls of the bowl are smooth and appear to be undamaged and show no checking or burn damage.
  4. The vulcanite saddle stem looks better though there is still some oxidation and light tooth marks and chatter on both sides.
  5. The Charatan CP logo stamped on the left side of the stem looks very clean and readable.

Hopefully the steps above show you both what I look for when I go over the pipe when I bring it to the work table and also what I see when I look at the pipe in my hands. They also clearly spell out a restoration plan in short form. My work is clear and addressing it will be the next steps. I took photos of the whole pipe to give you a picture of what I see when I have it on the table. This is important to me in that it also shows that there was no damage done during the clean up work or the transit of the pipe from Idaho to here in Vancouver. I carefully went over the bowl and rim top to get a sense of what is happening there. In this case once the rim top and edges were cleaned the rim top looked better. The inner edge was in good condition and looked good with the rusticated plateau style rim top. I also went over the stem carefully. The fit of the replacement to the shank is snug and the transitions are smooth. There were some tooth marks and chatter on the surface of the stem and the button on the underside. The acrylic stem surface was clean and looked better. I took photos of the rim top and stem sides to show as best as I can what I see when I look at them. I always check to make sure that the clean up work did not damage the stamping on the shank sides in any way. It is in faint as it was earlier but it is readable. I love just looking at the lay of the pipe and the proportion of the hand made pipes. I took the pipe apart to get a sense of what was in the mind of the pipe maker when he crafted the pipe. The photo shows its beauty in flow and shape.I decided to start my work on the pipe by addressing the damage to the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The burn damage is quite wildly spread. The rim top had a light bevel so I would need to give it a deeper bevel to remove the damage and blend it in better. The top itself had some darkening but it was sandblast so I had to try to minimize it as best as possible.I used a Maple stain pen to touch up the inner edge of the bowl and the rim top and blend it into the surrounding briar. It looked much better once it was restained. The burn damage is less prevalent and visible. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips and a horsehair shoe brush. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the sandblast showed depth. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a great looking pipe.   I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. I decided to deal with the residual oxidation first. I wiped the stem down with Soft Scrub cleanser to remove the remaining oxidation on the stem surface. It looked much better. I touched up the faint CP stamping on the left side of the stem with White Acrylic Fingernail Polish. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. After finishing with the micromesh pads I rub the stem down with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the acrylic. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the vulcanite. I don’t buff a sandblast bowl with Blue Diamond as it can easily clog the valley and crannies in the blast. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The smooth finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The vulcanite saddle DC stem works well with the pipe. The sandblast Charatan’s Make London England 75X feels great in my hand. It is a well-balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/40 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be adding to the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It should be a great smoking pipe.

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

Restoring a Sumptuous Davidoff

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by Kenneth Lieblich

Next on the chopping block is a bent Dublin sitter from the Swiss luxury brand, Davidoff. I acquired it from an older gentleman in Vancouver. He said he got this (and the other pipes I got from him) “fifty years ago” – his words. That would put it in the early to mid-seventies, which fits with the style of the pipe and with Davidoff’s history in pipes.To be honest, I was more familiar with Davidoff in the context of high-end cigars than I was with their pipes per se, so I did some digging. First, I went to Pipedia. They paraphrase (and don’t quote exactly) from José Manuel Lopes book:

Davidoff started in 1911 as a family run tobacconist located in Geneva. Henri Davidoff, a Russian emigrant, was the founder. The shop was located in Geneva. His son, Zino Davidoff (1906-1994), concentrated on the tobacco business, starting in 1924, and revolutionized the conservation of quality cheroots throughout Europe. Davidoff became world famous, and the company was acquired in 1970 by the Oettinger group, and expanded into numerous accessories for men. For Zino, the pursuit of pleasure was a constant, two of his maxims being: “Take pleasure from everything in life, without excess” and “the pipe is a valuable companion, the essence of tranquility and must be smoked with respect”. Davidoff’s first pipes date from 1974 [emphasis mine] and were commissioned by various companies, notably Butz-Choquin and the Cuty-Fort Group. The brand offers 14 classic shapes, in three finishes and with acrylic stems.According to Pipedia, Davidoff has this to say on their website about their own (current) pipes:

Creation of the Davidoff Pipe entails a meticulous, detailed process performed by only the most skilled Italian pipemakers. This dedication is why the Davidoff Pipe upholds a standard of quality and design found in no other pipe in the world. Made of the finest and carefully selected briar, each Davidoff Pipe features a flawless, hand-finished bowl and perfectly fitted, hand-cut acrylic stem. The Davidoff Pipe is available in three beautiful designs and finishes — sandblasted black, red brilliant and natural light brown.I also had a look at Pipephil, who confirmed that Davidoff pipes were carved by pipemakers of the Cuty-Fort group (Chacom, Jeantet, Vuillard, Jean Lacroix, Ropp, etc.).Davidoff is big enough and famous enough to be known outside the world of pipes. It has more than one website of its own, given that the company has been split up into different ranges. It also has a Wikipedia page, which I recommend reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidoff. I quote just a bit here:

Davidoff is a Swiss premium brand of cigars, cigarettes and smoker’s accessories. The Davidoff cigarette brand has been owned by Imperial Brands after purchasing it in 2006. The non-cigarette portion of the Davidoff tobacco brand is owned by Oettinger Davidoff AG, which is based in Basel, Switzerland. Oettinger Davidoff AG manufactures a broad portfolio of cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobaccos and smoker’s accessories under the brands Davidoff, Camacho and Zino Platinum.

And this little nugget:

In 1972, the first Davidoff pipe tobaccos were released.

Taking all this information into account, the gentleman from whom I acquired this pipe must have purchased it right at the start of Davidoff’s production of pipes. This makes it an interesting piece of pipe history. Furthermore, it was possibly made by Butz-Choquin. I say only “possibly”, as I have some reservations about the BC connection.

Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the pipe – and it’s a real beauty. The left side of the shank has the word “Davidoff”. On the underside of the shank reads the number “32”, and the stem has the stylized “D” of the Davidoff company. Overall, the state of the pipe was good. It had clearly been sitting around for years and showed signs of wear and tear, but nothing major. The stem had some tooth dents and some kind of scraping, as if someone had tried to clean it in the past and done more harm than good. The button was dented too. This pipe must have been a great smoker and well-loved. It had some bangs and dents, but most of the damage was on the rim, including a notable gouge. The stem was first up. I wiped the outside down with Murphy’s Oil Soap on some cotton pads. I also took a BIC lighter and ‘painted’ the stem with its flame to lift the few bite marks and dents. Then I cleaned out the inside with pipe cleaners and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. After that, I wiped down the stem with SoftScrub cleaner to remove surface oxidation. Once this process was done, the stem went for an overnight soak in the Pipe Stem Oxidation Remover. This allows me to clean the oxidation off in a couple of ways: by applying a mild cleaner to the surface and sanding the stem. The next day, I used SoftScrub again with some cotton rounds and more oxidation came off. After this, I built up the dents on the stem with black cyanoacrylate adhesive and let the repairs fully cure. I used some nail polish to restore the logo on the stem. I painted the area carefully and let it set before proceeding. I then sanded the adhesive down – first with a small file – then 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.Moving on to the stummel, I started by reaming out the bowl. 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, as I wanted to ensure there were no hidden flaws in the wall. Fortunately, there were none. Due to the damage on the inside edge of the rim, I took some 220-grit sandpaper and tried to smooth some of that out too.Down in the shank, I noticed it was especially grungy, so I took a dental tool and dislodged some chunks of debris. After dealing with that mess, I proceeded to clean out the insides of the shank with Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and lemon-infused isopropyl alcohol. It was pretty darn dirty and it took a fair amount of cotton to get it clean. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes. I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with Murphy’s for the lava on the rim of the pipe.I decided to de-ghost the pipe 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.I used cotton rounds and some Murphy’s Oil Soap to scrub the outside of the stummel and a toothbrush with Murphy’s for the lava on the rim of the pipe. I followed that up by cleaning the insides with some dish soap and tube brushes.Now with the stummel nice and clean, I could do a closer inspection of the pipe’s problems. In this image, you can see a couple of stains or burns on the front side of the stummel. Those would need to be dealt with. On the back, some scratches needed addressing. Again, back to the rim, there was some light burning and a notable gouge that I’d have to fill in. Having completed that, I was able to address the small nicks on the bowl. I dug out my iron and a damp cloth to try to raise the nicks. The hot and moist steam can often cause the wood to swell slightly and return to shape. To my joy, this worked wonderfully. The repair was not perfect, but the remaining scratches would be improved by sanding.A few tiny fills were addressed with cyanoacrylate. For the gouge on the inside edge of the rim, I made a mixture of briar dust and CA glue and applied it. This also came out well. I took a solid wooden sphere, wrapped a piece of 220-grit sandpaper around it, and sanded the inner side of the chamber. This achieved two things: first, it removed some of the burn marks on the inner edge of the rim; and second (and more importantly), the motion of the sphere gradually returned the edge to a perfect circle. I took quite a bit of time to ensure that the crown of the rim was maintained in its shape, and also beautified. Finally, I used all nine micromesh pads to smooth and polish it up. After that, a light application of Before & After Restoration Balm brought out the best in the stummel’s grain. This is a very elegant pipe. A dose of White Diamond and a few coats of carnauba wax were applied with my bench polisher and – wow – we have a real looker! This Davidoff looks magnificent again and is ready to be enjoyed again by the next owner! I am pleased to announce that this pipe is for sale! If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, please have a look in the “Various Makers” 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 5 in. (1247 mm); height 2⅛ in. (54 mm); bowl diameter 1½ in. (38 mm); chamber diameter ¾ in. (20 mm). The weight of the pipe is 1⅜ oz. (41 g). I hope you enjoyed reading the story of this pipe’s restoration as much as I did restoring it. If you are interested in more of my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or send me an email. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.

Restoring a Charatan’s Make London, England Special 0104 Canadian

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Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is a nice looking smooth Canadian with a vulcanite taper stem. We picked it up on 09/18/2020 from a seller in Los Angeles, California, USA. The stamping on the topside of the shank read Charatan’s Make [over] London England [over] Special. That is followed by the stamping of the shape number 0104. The black vulcanite taper stem stamped with a CP on the topside. The pipe has a medium brown finish that shows the grain on the bowl sides and shank. It is light weight and comfortable pipe to hold. Jeff sent me the following photos of the pipe to show the condition it was in before he worked on it. This is what I saw when I looked over the pipe.

  1. The finish had thick grime ground into briar around the sides. The stain is dull and the grain patterns though visible under the grime are obscured around the bowl sides and shank. There are oil stains from the previous smokers hands around the sides of the bowl.
  2. The rim top was very dirty with a heavy lava coat on it. It is heavier on the back side. The inner edge of the bowl is hard to see under the thick build up of cake that has overflown the bowl top.
  3. There was a thick cake in the bowl. The bowl itself was very dark and dirty. Once the bowl was cleaned up we could confirm the condition of the bowl walls.
  4. The vulcanite stem was filthy, oxidized, calcified and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides and on the button surface.
  5. There is a Charatan CP logo stamped on the topside of the stem. It is faint but readable.

To summarize what I saw – this Charatan’s Make Special 0104 Canadian is a well made pipe. The bowl and stem are very dirty which says to me that the pipe was once again someone’s favourite pipe. The look and feel of the pipe in the hand is great. It should clean up very well. Here are photos of the pipe taken before Jeff started the clean up.  Jeff took close up photos so that I could have a clearer picture of the condition of the bowl, rim edges and top. The rim top photos confirm my assessment above. The cake in the bowl is thick – covering the walls of the bowl. The rim top has thick lava coat overflowing and covering the inner edge. It is heavier toward the back of the bowl. It is hard to know the condition of the inner edge in this condition. There appeared to be some damage on the top and inner edge toward the back but I would not know for sure until it was reamed. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. I look forward to viewing it in person after the clean up work. The vulcanite taper stem is dirty, oxidized and calcified. There are light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button and on the button surface itself. Instead of telling you what I see in the next photos of the sides of the bowl and the heel I want to hear from you. Tell me what you see? What does the finish look like to you? Are there any visible problems or issues that stand out to you? Are there cracks or scratches in smooth finish of the bowl? Are there visible flaws or fissures in the briar? What does the finish look like? Is there a pattern to it? Any visible issues on the heel of the bowl? These questions should help you to see what I am looking for when I see these photos. He took photos of the stamping on the topside of the shank. It is stamped as noted above. The vulcanite stem shows a CP stamp on the topside. What stands out for you in the photos of the stamping? What do you look for in the stamping? It is dirty but what do you see underneath the grime on the surface of the briar?I turned to Pipephil to get a quick overview on the brand to refresh me in a quick overview of the history of the Charatan’s Make Brand (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-charatan.html). I did a screen capture of the section on the Charatan’s Make London England Special. I have included it below.I quote a pertinent summary of the information I found there.

Short history of the brand. Brand founded in 1863 by Frederik Charatan. When his father retired in 1910, Reuben Charatan took over the family business. All the pipes were handmade until 1973. The brand name has been overtaken by Dunhill in 1978 and sold in 1988 to James B. Russell Inc. (NJ, USA). During the period 1988-2002 Charatans were crafted by Butz Choquin in St Claude (France). Dunhill re-purchased Charatan brand name in 2002 and Colin Fromm (Invicta Briars, Castleford) follows up on freehand production.

I turned to Pipedia to the specific section on Dating Charatans to fill in more of the gaps (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans). I was hoping to be able to solidify the time period that the pipe was made. In reading through the material I am pretty confident that the pipe is a Second Era Pipe. I have included the section from the article that helped me arrive at this conclusion.

Identification of a second era pipe (Rueben’s era, 1910-1960)

Pipes belonging to this period are rare, however is it possible to come across one. They can be distinguished from a pipe of the first era mainly because their larger size.

Their characteristics are similar to the ones of the previous era.

1) Pipes can be larger, up to the dimension of a Dunhill group 5

2) The mouthpiece is tapered or saddle.

3) No double comfort

4) the CP logo is engraved so that the C enters the P

5) Absence of £ on the pipe shank (note that from 1955 all the pipe imported in the USA by Lane has it, however that stamping is not synonymous of the Lane era).

6) Absence of the letter X on the shape code engraved on the shank (for ex. 2502 and not 2502X)

7) Absence of letters DC after the shape number (for ex. 2502 and not 2505DC)

8) Absence of the engraving “MADE BY HAND” on the shank (introduced for the first time in 1958)

9) Presence of the writing “CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” on 2 lines

10) The CP logo is finer than in following eras

In this period the Underboar series was introduced too. It was a line of pipes made from 1920 to 1930 (approx.) with its own catalogue, its own brand and logo, and a peculiar ‘metal stinger’ device in the shank in order to, according to the company, produce a cooler and drier smoke.

An excellent article, Dating of Charatans has been translated for Pipedia by Mathias Acciai. This study by Fabio Ferrara of Monterubbiano – Italy is based on more than 2000 old Charatan pipes he studied from the “Basciano stock” purchased by Mario Lubinski – Fermo. This fantastic addition to the Charatan knowledge base is now in English here on Pipedia.

The first step on dating a Charatan is to carefully look to some details:

  1. a) Shape of the mouthpiece
  2. b) marking on the mouthpiece
  3. c) engraving on the shank
  4. d) shape and position of shank engraving/writing

This is because you can make the following conclusions:

a) From 1863 to 1960 the mouthpieces have a normal shape, saddle or tapered. From 1961 they use the ‘Double Comfort’ style still used today. By the way there are some saddle bits (without the double comfort) used in pipes that date after 1960 but these models are always characterized by a X (in the place of the DC) engraved after the shape number on the shank. This means that if a pipe has a tapered mouthpiece instead of a double comfort one, it is definitely a pre-Lane pipe before 1960. While if a pipe has a normal saddle bit stem, it could belong to every era. Nevertheless the pipe is pre 1961 if the shape code does not include an X, and is a pipe from after 1960 if the X is engraved. Finally any pipe with the double comfort stem is definitely after 1960.

b) The CP logo on the stem is stamped in a different shape according the era it was used. Some differences are less obvious than others, however the glaring differences are detectable in 4 phases. The CP till the 1960 is very fine, the C penetrates the P.
From 1961 to 1977 the CP logo is more pronounced and the C penetrates the P.

From 1980 (approx.) the C does not penetrate the P any more, even though the two letters are joined. The CP of Dunhill era has a different shape than the one of the French Russell era.

c) Pipes that belong to eras till the 1960 have the engraving ‘CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND’ in two lines, the shape code is composed by numbers only. The X and the DC appear only on pipes after 1960.

The engraving ‘MADE BY HAND (in caps) -IN-City of London’ in three lines identifies pipes made between 1965 and 1966. The engraving in script font ‘Made by Hand -In-City of London’ on three lines identifies pipes made between 1966 and 1979. The circled £ (Lane) characterizes pipes produced from 1955 to 1980 (approx.)

d) engravings are different in both size and shape, depending on eras.

The pipe on my table is one made by Charatan before 1955 when the Lane “L” stamp was put on the pipe. The stamping on the pipe also identifies it as pre-1960 as does the number stamp of the shape. The CP stamp is fine with the C penetrating the P on the stem stamp which also identifies it to this era. So all things considered, I believe the pipe is made at least before 1955. It is an old timer.

I am sure many of you will shake your head and ask maybe even out loud, “Why is he including this again?” However, please remember that the point of these blogs is not to wow your with the work or make you shake your heads but I want you to know the details of the work we do so you can do your own. Back in 2020 Jeff wrote a blog about his cleaning process. I am including a link to that now so you can see what I mean about his process. Do not skip it! Give it a read (https://rebornpipes.com/2020/01/20/got-a-filthy-estate-pipe-that-you-need-to-clean/). Here is the introduction to that blog and it is very true even to this day.

Several have asked about Jeff’s cleaning regimen as I generally summarize it in the blogs that I post rather than give a detailed procedure. I have had the question asked enough that I asked Jeff to put together this blog so that you can get a clear picture of the process he uses. Like everything else in our hobby, people have different methods they swear by. Some may question the method and that is fine. But it works very well for us and has for many years. Some of his steps may surprise you but I know that when I get the pipes from him for my part of the restoration they are impeccably clean and sanitized. I have come to appreciate the thoroughness of the process he has developed because I really like working on clean pipe!

For the benefit of some of you who may be unfamiliar with some of the products he uses I have included photos of three of the items that Jeff mentions in his list. This will make it easier for recognition. These three are definitely North American Products so you will need to find suitable replacements or order these directly on Amazon. The makeup pads are fairly universal as we were able to pick some up in India when we were with Paresh and his family.

In the blog itself he breaks his process down into two parts – cleaning the stem and cleaning the bowl. Each one has a large number of steps that he methodically does every time. I know because I have watched him do the work and I have seen the pipes after his work on them. He followed this process step by step and when the pipe got to me it was spotlessly clean and ready for my work. The inside of the stem, shank and bowl were clean and to me that is an amazing gift as it means that my work on this end is with a clean pipe! I cannot tell you how much difference that makes for my work.

  1. The finish is clean and the oils and grime in the finish shows the beautiful grain around the sides. The medium brown stain highlights the grain.
  2. The rim top was clean but there were still damage on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. It is clean and with a little work will look very good.
  3. There cake in the bowl has been removed and the bowl is very clean. The walls of the bowl are smooth and appear to be undamaged and show no checking or burn damage.
  4. The vulcanite stem looks better though the tooth marks and chatter on both sides are visible as they are on the button surface.
  5. The Charatan CP logo stamped on the topside of the stem looks very clean but is faint and readable.

Hopefully the steps above show you both what I look for when I go over the pipe when I bring it to the work table and also what I see when I look at the pipe in my hands. They also clearly spell out a restoration plan in short form. My work is clear and addressing it will be the next steps. I took photos of the whole pipe to give you a picture of what I see when I have it on the table. This is important to me in that it also shows that there was no damage done during the clean up work or the transit of the pipe from Idaho to here in Vancouver. I carefully went over the bowl and rim top to get a sense of what is happening there. In this case once the rim top and edges were cleaned the damage on the rim top very evident. The inner edge had damage on the right, front and back side as well as on the top. I also went over the stem carefully. The fit of the stem is snug and the transitions are smooth. There were some tooth marks and chatter on the surface of the stem and the button on the underside. The vulcanite stem surface was clean and looked better. I took photos of the rim top and stem sides to show as best as I can what I see when I look at them. I always check to make sure that the clean up work did not damage the stamping on the shank sides in any way. It is in excellent condition and is very clear and readable. I love just looking at the lay of the pipe and the proportion of the hand made pipes. I took the pipe apart to get a sense of what was in the mind of the pipe maker when he crafted the pipe. The photo shows its beauty in flow and shape.I started working on this pipe by turning to the bowl. I chose to deal with the damage on the inner edge and top of the rim. I used a piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the darkening on the inner edge and the damage on the top. I gave the rim a slight bevel to minimize the damage. It took a little work but I was able to remove the damage. It looks much better after I worked it over. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I choose to dry sand the briar rather than wet sand it. Again it is a matter of personal preference. I prefer to use the pads dry and find they work very well on the briar. I sand with each pad (9 in total) and group them by threes for ease of reference. I wipe the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth to remove the sanding debris and check the briar. I love seeing the developing shine on the briar as I move through the pads which is why I include so many photos of this step. I rubbed down the bowl and shank with Before & After Restoration Balm. It is a paste/balm that is rubbed into the surface of the briar. The product works to deep clean the finish, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it into the briar with my finger tips. I let it sit for 10 minutes then wiped it off with a soft cloth then buffed it with a cotton cloth. The briar really began to have a deep shine in the briar and the grain shines through. The photos I took of the bowl at this point mark the progress in the restoration. It is a gorgeous pipe.  I set the bowl aside and turned to the stem. It was in great condition and the tooth marks and chatter were shallow enough that they would disappear in the polishing with micromesh and buffing. I started by touching up the faint CP stamping on the top and underside of the stem with White Acrylic Fingernail Polish. I put it on the stamp and an scraped off the excess with a pen knife and a worn 1500 micromesh sanding pad. It looked very good once finished. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and water to wet sand the stem. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil on a cotton rag after each sanding pads. I know that many say Obsidian Oil does nothing for acrylic stems, but I find it does two things – first it gives some protection to the stem from buildup and second it give the sanding pads bite in the polishing process. After finishing with the micromesh pads I rub the stem down with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine stem polish as it seems to really remove the fine scratches in the vulcanite. I rub the Fine Polish on the stem and wipe it off with a paper towel and then repeat the process with the Extra Fine polish. I finish the polishing of the stem down with a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set the stem aside to let the oil absorb. This process gives the stem a shine and also a bit of protection. The final steps in my process involve using the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the light scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I have found that I can get a deeper shine if I follow up the wax buff with a buff with a clean buffing pad. It works to raise the shine and then I hand buff with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is always fun for me to see what the polished bowl looks like with the polished stem. It really is a nice pipe. The smooth finish around the bowl sides and shank looks great. The oval vulcanite taper stem works well with the pipe. The Charatan’s Make London England Special Canadian feels great in my hand. It is a well balanced pipe. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.13 ounces/32 grams. It is a beautiful pipe that I will soon be adding to the rebornpipes store in the British Pipemakers Section. If you would like to add it to your collection let me know. It should be a great smoking pipe.

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