Tag Archives: vulcanite

Restoring a Rare and Beautiful Rusticated Dark Malaga Raskassa Apple

by Steve Laug

For the next little while I am working on some Malaga Pipes. I have several in queue to work on so I tend to pick them by what catches my eye. The next pipe on the table is an interesting Rusticated Malaga Raskassa Apple. Jeff saw it on eBay and purchased it on 11/04/2025 from a seller in Orlando, Florida, USA. The pipe came in a box and included a pipe sock. The grain on this pipe is very stunning beneath a dark stain and some rustication around the bowl and shank. The pipe is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads RASKASSA. It is a unique one in terms of a RASKASSA as all the rest of them I have worked on have been smooth and with beautiful grain. The bowl and shank were in excellent condition. The finish was in good condition though dirty. The bowl had a very thick cake that flowed over the top of the crowned rim in a spotty lava coat. The cake in the bowl was moderate up to the top of the rim. It was hard to fully assess the condition of the inner edge. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl looked very good. The taper stem appeared to be either vulcanite or hard rubber and was lightly oxidized. There were no tooth marks on the top and the underside ahead of the button. Jeff took photos of the pipe and the box that it came in before he started his clean up work.I took it out of the box and took photos. You can see the dust in the rusticated patterns around the bowl sides and the smooth surface on the crowned rim top and part of the shank. It was a unique and beautiful apple shaped pipe.Jeff took photos of the rim and bowl to show the cake and lava spots on the crowned rim top and edges. The inner edge of the rim showed some darkening and had some cake on it. The grain on the rim top is quite stunning. It was a dirty pipe but still a beauty. The hard rubber stem was slightly oxidized and there were no tooth marks and chatter on the top and underside of the stem. The photos of the sides and heel of the bowl show some stunning and unique grain on the smooth portions of the bowl among the rustication around the pipe. The oil curing/finish makes the grain really stand out on the bowl and shank. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the left side it read Raskassa as noted above. It was clear and readable.For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand, I am also including the link to a blog that I wrote that gives some of the history of the Malaga brand and the Malaga Pipe Shop in Royal Oak, Michigan in the USA. Here is the link – https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/09/george-khoubesser-and-malaga-pipes/. That blog also includes links to a catalogue and the history of the pipemaker George Khoubesser. If you are interested to learn more then I invite you to follow the link to get a feel for the brand and the pipemaker.

I am also am including a link to some printed material on the Malaga brand that came to me from the daughter of George Koch (we purchased George’s pipes from his daughter) to help identify the particular stamping on the pipe. The link takes you to the entire collection of materials that were sent to me. I have included a screen capture of one particular page that helps identify the RAS KASSA stamping on the pipe (https://rebornpipes.com/2019/02/27/malaga-pipes-catalogue-of-pipes-and-tobaccos/).I have enclosed the section on the brand in a red box in the picture above. To summarize, it basically says that the stamping is applied to pipes with special rare grain patterns in the briar. These appear to be straight grain, birdseye, swirled grains etc. that are tight patterns. They are rare – 1 or 2 in every hundred pipes. This pipe is one of those. You can read the description in the detailed explanation below.

Jeff had cleaned up the pipe using his usual procedure. He reamed the pipe with a PipNet pipe reamer and removed the rest of it with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the bowl with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap with a tooth brush. He rinsed it under running warm water to remove the soap and grime. He cleaned out the inside of the shank and the airway with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. The shank had an inset to take in the tenon and the end of the stem so I would need to fit a stem to sit in the shank. I took photos of the pipe once I received it. I took a photo of the rim top and the stem to show their condition. Jeff was able to clean up the cake and the lava overflow that was shown in the rim and bowl photos above. The rim top was clean as was the inner and outer edges of the bowl. The stem looked better, though there was still some oxidation.I took a photo of the stamping on the left side of the shank to show that it was readable and undamaged by the cleanup work. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the parts to give a sense of what the pipe looks like. It was time to start my work on the pipe. I started with the rim top and edges of the bowl. I polished the smooth rim top and the patches on the bowl sides with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each pad. It really began to be beautiful. I rubbed the bowl and shank down with Before & After Restoration Balm to deep clean the finish on the bowl and shank. The product works to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I worked it in with my fingers to get it into the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth. The briar really began to have a rich shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. It is a beautiful bowl. I set the finished bowl aside and we back to the stem. I started the polishing of the stem with 2 x 2 inch sanding pads – dry sanding with 320-3500 grit pads and wiping it down after each pad.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I did a final hand polish of the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the stem back on the Malaga Beautifully Mixed Finish Raskassa Apple and took it to the buffer. I buffed the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish the briar and the vulcanite. Blue Diamond does a great job on the smaller scratches that remain in both. I gave the bowl and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. I am amazed at how well it turned out. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. This is a beautiful Malaga Rusticated Raskassa Apple and the hard rubber taper stem and smooth finish combine to give the pipe a great look. I honestly have no idea why it is labeled a second as there are no fills or flaws in the briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 1/8 inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.27 ounces/37 grams. This is another pipe that I will be putting on the rebornpipes online store in the American Pipe Makers and Pipemaking Companies Section shortly, if you are interested in adding it to your collection. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me on this beauty!

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

Breathing Fresh Life into a Phillip Trypis Made in Canada Mixed Finish 15 Billiard

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on is one I picked up on eBay a couple of weeks ago. It is an interesting mixed finish saddle stem Billiard. It has rusticated panels on the sides of the bowl and the shank. The finish is in good condition with the bowl stained in brown and the rusticated portions are stained black. The contrast is quite beautiful. The rim top is smooth and has some darkening and damage on the inner edge of the bowl. It looks like the damage was caused by the reaming. The bowl is clean and from mid bowl down it was raw briar. All that tells me that the pipe is lightly smoked. I saved the photos that the seller in Eastern Canada included in the sales listing. The photos I have included below are the photos included by the seller. The pipe arrived in Vancouver on the weekend and I unpacked it. I took photos of the pipe after I opened it. It is in good condition. The finish is lightly dirty and the rim top has some burn damage on the inner edge. There was grime on the rim top and bowl sides. The stem was lightly oxidized with light tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the bowl and rim top and stem surfaces. The rim top and inner edge of the bowl is very clear. The inner edge shows damage and burn damage and reaming damage. The stem surfaces show oxidation and some tooth marks on both sides ahead of the button.I took a photo of stamping on the left side of the shank. It read Made [over] in Canada [over] shape number 15. That is followed by Trypis in cursive. It is clear and readable. I took a photo of the bowl with the stem removed. The first photo I took below show the aluminum inner tube in the tenon. The second photo shows the inner tube removed. I turned to Pipephil to confirm what I remembered about Trypis. I wanted to read a bit of the history (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-t8.html). I have included a screen capture of information on the site below. I have also included information from the sidebar below the screen capture.Artisan: Phillip Trypis first worked for Brigham as production manager. He continued to supply the Canadian brand when he was established on his own with his own Trypis label. Phillip Trypis had a pipe shop in Toronto.

I turned to the section on Pipedia about Trypis Pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Trypis_Pipes). I quote below.

Quoting Stefan Seles: “Phillip Trypis has been a pipe maker in Canada for well over 40 years. Originally from Greece, his experience ranges from cutting burls in a briar mill to making literally thousands of pipes out of his home in the hamlet of Oakwood, Ontario. Brigham pipes benefited from Phillip’s skills where he worked for a number of years. There he directed the pipe production of the company when it was producing over 50,000 a year. Even though he left to start his own pipe shop, he still imported briar and turned tens of thousands of bowls for Brigham not to mention produce a large number of his own branded pipes.

Just over a year ago, Phillip had a serious fall and although he is back making pipes, he is unable to travel around to sell them as he once did. He has asked me to help him in that effort.

The pipes listed below are some of his best work made from decades old MF and R ebuchauns as well as some recently purchased Italian plateau. The prices are excellent, especially given the age and quality of the briar used. In fact, I would venture to say that these pipes have no peers, especially below the $100.00 price. You must be the judge.

Many of the styles are traditional in form although Phillip has a number of freehand styles that are both familiar and off the beaten path. The vast majority of the higher priced pipes are very large pieces to be sure.”

I have worked on quite a few of Phillip’s pipes through the years and it is always a pleasure as they are well engineered and crafted.

I decided to start my work on the pipe by cleaning up the rim top and inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I removed the damage on the inner edge and top. The rim looked significantly better.I scrubbed the surface of the briar with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I worked the soap into the rustication and on the rim top and edges with the brush. I rinsed it off with warm water and dried it off with a soft cloth. I cleaned out the mortise and airway in the shank and stem with cotton swabs, regular and bristle pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. It came out looking and smelling very clean.I sanded the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit 2 x2 inch sanding pad. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The grain can be seen through the finish. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the dust. The briar was really shining by the final pad. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips and a shoe brush to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I sanded the tobacco juice lacquer to remove it from the aluminum tube. I used 320-3500 grit sanding pads and wiped it down after each sanding pad. It looked very good at this point. I set the bowl and the inner tube aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I blended in the tooth marks and chatter in the surface and after the final pad a deep shine began to develop.I polished the stem with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. I put the inner tube back in the tenon on the stem and took a photo of the pipe and stem.It was great to finish the tenon replacement and the restoration of this Mixed Finish Trypis 15 Billiard. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the rusticated patches on the bowl multiple coats of Conservator’s Wax and the smooth portions and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with deep sandblast all around it. Added to that the polished black, vulcanite, saddle stem was beautiful. This Trypis 15 Billiard is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 47 grams/ 1.66 ounces. It is a beautiful pipe and one that I will soon be adding to the rebornpipes store in the Pipes Made by Canadian Pipemakers Section if you are interested in adding it to your colleciton. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog.

New Life for a Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 307 Huber Munchen

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the work table is Peterson’s System pipe that we purchased from our contact in Copenhagen, Denmark on 04/11/2023. It was stamped Peterson’s [over] System [over] Standard on the left side of the shank vertically below the nickel ferrule. On the right it is stamped Made in the Republic of Ireland (in three lines) [over] the shape number 307. The underside of the shank was stamped HUBER [over] Munchen. It has a smooth finish around the bowl and shank have oils, debris and grime ground into the finish. There was a thick cake in the bowl and a lava overflow on the rim top that was heavier toward the back side. The top and edges of the rim were well hidden under the tars and lava. There was a very beautiful pipe underneath the buildup of years of use. The ferrule on the shank end was oxidized and is stamped on the top and left side K & P [over] Peterson. The stem was a Peterson’s style P-Lip. It was oxidized and calcified toward the end with some tooth marks and chatter. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his cleanup work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the thick, hard cake in the bowl and lava build up on the top of the rim and the edges of the bowl. Only clean up would tell the full story. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth chatter, scratching, calcification and oxidation on the stem surface and wear on the edges of the button. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime around the sides of the bowl and shank. Even under the dirt and debris of the years it looked very good. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was faint in spots but readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. The nickel Ferrule is clearly stamped and readable. I have included the information on the shape number on this pipe that I picked up on researching the previous pipes. I have included a page from a Petersons Catalogue that I have on rebornpipes (https://rebornpipes.com/tag/peterson-hallmark-chart/). I have put a red box around the 307 shown in the catalogue page shown below. That should give a clear picture of the size and shape of the pipe. I am also including the information from Pipedia’s article on Peterson pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history of the brand (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson). I have included a bit of the pertinent history here.

1950 – 1989 The Republic Era – From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.

During the 1950’s and 60’s the Kapp & Peterson company was still in the ownership of the Kapp family. However, 1964 saw the retiral of the company Managing Director Frederick Henry (Harry) Kapp.

Pipedia also included a section of information on the System pipes including a diagram of the systems look (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Peterson#Republic_Era_Pipes). I quote a section of the article in part and include a link to another article on Pipedia on the System pipe.

The Peterson System pipes are the standard bearers of the Peterson pipe family, famous for the excellent smoking pleasure they provide. Often imitated but never equalled, the Peterson System smokes dry, cool and sweet, thanks to the scientiﬁc effectiveness of the original design. The heart of the System is the unique graduated bore in the mouthpiece. This makes the suction applied by the smoker 15 times weaker by the time it reaches the tobacco chamber. The result is that all the moisture ﬂows into the reservoir and, thus cannot reach the smoker’s mouth. The Peterson Lip further enhances the effectiveness of the graduated bore by directing the ﬂow of smoke upwards and away from the tongue. This achieves a uniquely even distribution of smoke and virtually eliminates any chance of tonguebite or bitterness. Furthermore, the shape is contoured so that the tongue rests comfortably in the depression under the opening. Each “PLip” mouthpiece is made from Vulcanite. For the Peterson System pipes to work properly, the stem/tenon has to have an extension, the tip of which will pass by the draft hole from the bowl and into the sump. Upon the smoker drawing in smoke, this extension then directs the smoke down and around the sump to dispense a lot of the moisture before the smoke enters the extension and stem. On the System Standards and other less expensive systems, this extension with be made of Vulcanite turned integrally with the stem. On the more expensive System pipes this extension will be made of metal which screws into the Vulcanite stem. This extension on the earlier pipes will be of brass and the newer pipes will be of aluminium. Most smokers not knowing this function of the metal extension, assumes that it is a condenser/stinger and will remove it as they do with the metal condensers of Kaywoodie, etc. Should you have a System pipe with this metal extension, do not remove it for it will make the System function properly and give you a dryer smoke (https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_closer_look_at_the_famous_Peterson_Standard_System_Pipe).

Finally, on the underside of the shank it is stamped Huber [over] Munchen. From a past restoration I did a lot of work on the stamping (https://rebornpipes.com/2023/10/14/petersons-kildare-special-hg-republic-of-ireland-10-canadian/). Have a look if you are interested.

To learn more about the Huber Munchen stamp I turned to page 300 of “The Peterson’s Pipe” by Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg as noted by him in the previous blog and found a great paragraph on the stamping. I quote in full.

GH Retailer’s Monogram (c. 1960s) George Huber of Munich, Germany, a Peterson distributor and retailer for decades, stamped their monogram on pipes sold in their store, G overlaid on H. Peterson shared in the 1988 commemoration of Huber’s 125^th year in business by producing a special pipe with a sterling rim cap, stamped HUBER over CELEBRATION.

The pipe I have is one that does not bear that monogram and does not appear to have ever had the sterling rim cap and was not stamped HUBER over CELEBRATION. It was however, stamped Huber [over] Munchen – the city where the shop was located. With that information I turned my attention to working on the pipe.

Jeff cleaned this filthy pipe with his usual clean up process. He reamed it with a PipNet pipe reamer and cleaned up the reaming with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed out the internals with alcohol, pipe cleaners and cotton swabs until the pipe was clean. He scrubbed the exterior of the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime and grit on the briar and the lava on the rim top. The finish looks very good with great looking grain around the bowl and shank. Jeff soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer to remove the oxidation on the vulcanite. When the pipe arrived here in Vancouver for the second stop of its restoration tour I was amazed it looked so good. I took some close up photos of the rim top and also of the stem surface. I wanted to show what an amazing job Jeff did in the cleanup of the rim top. The rim top and inner edge were in good condition. There was some darkening and slight damage to the inner edge. The rim top also had some roughening. I also took close up photos of the stem to show the condition of the vulcanite. It was quite clean and the tooth marks on the button and on the stem ahead of the button were very visible in the photos.One of the things I appreciate about Jeff’s cleanup is that he works to protect and preserve the nomenclature on the shank of the pipes that he works on. The stamping on this one was faint in spots to start with so I was worried that it would disappear altogether with the cleanup. He was able to preserve and maintain its condition in the process. It did not become worse but the photos give an accurate picture of the stamping. I have noticed that many restorers are not careful to protect the stamping in their cleaning process and often by the end of the restoration the nomenclature is almost destroyed. I would like to encourage all of us to be careful in our work to preserve this as it is a critical piece of pipe restoration! I took the stem off the shank and took a photo of the pipe. I decided to start my work on the pipe by cleaning up the rim top and inner edge of the bowl with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. I removed the damage on the inner edge and top. The rim looked significantly better.I sanded the bowl and shank with 320-3500 grit 2 x2 inch sanding pad. I wiped the bowl down after each sanding pad with a damp cloth. The grain can be seen through the finish. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad to remove the dust. The briar was really shining by the final pad. I rubbed the bowl and rim down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect it. I let the balm sit for 10 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. I really like watching the Balm do its magic and bring the briar alive. I polished the nickel ferrule with a jeweller’s cloth to polish out the oxidation and dullness of the of the metal. It began to take on a deep shine. It looks quite good. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I blended in the tooth marks and chatter in the surface and after the final pad a deep shine began to develop.I polished the stem with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I polished it with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a coat of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil. It works to protect the stem from oxidizing. I set it aside to dry. Once again at this point in the restoration process I am excited to be on the homestretch. I look forward to the final look when the Huber Munchen Peterson’s System Standard 307 is put back together, polished and waxed. I put the bowl and stem back together. I lightly polished the bowl and stem with Blue Diamond to polish out the scratches in the briar and the vulcanite. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up nicely. The depths of the grain really pop with the wax and polish. The shiny black vulcanite stem is a beautiful contrast to the browns of the bowl and thick shank and polished nickel ferrule. This Republic Era Peterson’s System Standard 307 Bent Billiard was another fun pipe to work on. The pipe feels great in the hand will be better when warmed up while smoking. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.43 ounces/69 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Irish Pipemakers Section if you would like to add it to your rack and carry on the previous pipeman’s legacy. This is an interesting estate to bring back to life.

Breathing New Life into a Dunhill Bruyere 588F/T Made in Englando 4A

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe that I am working on came from a seller in Ogden, Utah, USA on 05/04/2025. It was very dirty and rich combination of red and brown stains when it started. The smooth finish around the bowl was dirty and had hand oils ground into the finish. The bowl had a moderate cake in the bowl and a coat of lava flowing onto the inner edge and the rim top. The classic fishtail stem was very dirty, oxidized and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There was a white spot on the topside of the stem. The fit of the stem to the shank is perfect. The pipe is stamped on the left topside of the shank and read 588 F/T followed by Dunhill [over] Bruyere. On the right topside it is stamped Made in [over] England with the superscript ⁰ (date stamp) after the D of England. That is followed by 4 (size of pipe) in a circle A for Bruyere. Jeff took photos of the pipe so I could have a sense of what it looked like before he started his work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl. There was a lava build up on the top of the rim and the inner edge of the bowl. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth chatter, marks and oxidation on the stem. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime in the finish around the sides of the bowl and shank. Even under the dirt and debris of the years it looked very good. Jeff took photos of the stamping on the sides of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as you can see from the photos. It read as noted above. One of the first things I like to do is to unpack the stamping and understand each element in it. I turned to Pipephil’s helpful site (http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/shell-briar1.html). The stamping is interpreted as follows: The 588 F/T is the shape of the pipe which I assume is a oval shank Cutty. The Dunhill Bruyere is the finish. Following the Made In England⁰ gives the year that the pipe was made. The circle 4A is the stamp for a Group 4 in a Bruyere finish.

I turned to Pipedia’s shape charts on Dunhills (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill_Shape_Chart). I have included a section from the article on the 3-digit system.

THREE DIGIT CLASSIFICATION

A transitional three-digit classification, known as the ‘Interim’ system, was introduced to establish a logical methodology for pipe identification. This framework assigned a code based on primary attributes, with the first digit representing size, the second indicating the mouthpiece type, and the third corresponding to the shape. Under this new nomenclature, for instance, a shape formerly designated as ’85’ was recodified to ‘321’, signifying a group 3 ‘Apple’ model fitted with a taper mouthpiece. This interim system was relatively short-lived, however, serving as a precursor to the more comprehensive and formal four- and five-digit system implemented circa 1978.

From what I can discern this Dunhill Bruyere 588 F/T is a

Group 5 Billiard pipe with an oval shank and a smooth, red-stained finish (Bruyere) and a Fishtail (F/T) stem.

Here is a breakdown of the nomenclature:

5: Indicates the size group (Group 5, indicating a large bowl size).
88: The shape number, which corresponds to a classic, traditional Billiard shape.
F/T: Stands for “Fishtail” stem, referring to the tapered vulcanite mouthpiece (as opposed to a tapered stem or a saddle stem without the fishtail, though F/T is usually a saddle bit in this contex

From there I turned to Pipedia’s section on Dunhill Bruyere Pipes to get a bit of background on the Dunhill finishes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill#Root_Briar). I quote:

Bruyere

The original finish produced (usually made using Calabrian briar), and a big part of developing and marketing the brand. It was the only finish from 1910 until 1917. A dark reddish-brown stain. Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red.

There was a link on the above site to a section specifically written regarding the Bruyere finish (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill_Bruyere). I turned there and have included the information from that short article below.

Initially, made from over century-old briar burls, classified by a “B” (denoted highest quality pipe); “DR” (denoted straight-grained) and an “A” (denoted first quality), until early 1915. After that, they became a high-end subset to the Dunhill ‘Bruyere’. The DR and B pipes, a limited production, they should be distinguished as hand-cut in London from burls as opposed to the Bruyere line which was generally finished from French turned bowls until 1917, when the Calabrian briar started to be used, but not completely. Only in 1920 Dunhill took the final step in its pipe making operation and began sourcing and cutting all of its own bowls, proudly announcing thereafter that “no French briar was employed”.

Bruyere pipes were usually made using Calabrian briar, a very dense and hardy briar that has a modest grain but does very well with the deep red stain.

“Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red. The Shell finish was the original sandblast with a near-black stain (though the degree to which it is truly black has varied over the years). Lastly, the Root finish was smooth also but with a light brown finish. Early Dunhill used different briars with different stains, resulting in more distinct and identifiable creations… Over the years, to these traditional styles were added four new finishes: Cumberland, Dress, Chestnut and Amber Root, plus some now-defunct finishes, such as County, Russet and Red Bark.”

There was also a link to a catalogue page that gave examples and dates that the various finishes were introduced (https://pipedia.org/wiki/File:Dunnypipescatalog-1.png). I turned to Pipephil’s dating guide to show how I arrived at the date of manufacture for this pipe (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1a.html). I am including the chart that is provided there for the dating a pipe. Since the pipe I am working on has a suffix0 that is raised. It to the 1960 line on the chart below. It also gave me the formula for dating the pipe – 1960.I now knew that I was working on a Bruyere that came out in 1960. The shape of the pipe was an odd Cutty/Billiard shape, 588 F/T that I cannot find a listing for that Dunhill put.

Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top shows some damage on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. Now the damage to the stem was very clear. Overall, the pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and is clean. The rim top and the inner edge are in good condition. The stem came out looking clean. There were some tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. I took photos of the stamping on the shank. It is faint in spots but still very readable as noted above. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. I started my work on the pipe by sanding the briar with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each pad to remove the sanding debris. I polished the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. By the final pads the briar really had a shine. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The briar comes alive with the balm. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the fish tail stem. I “painted” the stem with the flame of a light to lift the tooth marks from the surface. I was able to lift them significantly. I sanded what remained with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. The stem really began to look very good. I sanded the stem with sanding pads- using 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. The stem was beginning to look much better.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. It really took on a shine and I knew that once it was buffed it would look amazing. This Dunhill Bruyere 588 F/T Group 4A Oval Shank Billiard from 1960 is a beautiful looking piece of briar that has a shape that follows grain. It is a great looking pipe that came out looking even better after the cleanup. The Bruyere is an early finish that Dunhill specialized in making. The finish on the pipe cleaned up well. The red and brown stain on the bowl works well to highlight the grain. The polished black vulcanite taper stem adds to the mix. With the grime gone from the finish and the bowl it was a beauty and is eye-catching. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and buffed it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Dunhill Bruyere 588 F/T Billiard is quite nice and feels great in the hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 32 grams/1.13 ounces. It will soon be added to the British Pipe Makers Section on the rebornpipes store. If you are interested in adding it to your rack let me know

Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of the next generation.

Restoring a Mr. Brog Bulldog no. 34

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe that I am working on came from a friend in Naples, Florida, USA on 07/17/2024. It was very dirty and had a heavy varnish coat around the Pearwood bowl and shank. It was a natural finish under the varnish. It was dirty and had hand oils ground into the finish. The bowl had a thick cake in the bowl and a coat of lava flowing onto the inner edge and the rim top. The thick taper stem was very dirty, oxidized and had tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There was a white spot on the topside of the stem. The fit of the stem to the shank is perfect. The pipe is stamped on the underside of the shank and read Mr Brog [over] no. 34 Bulldog. To the left of the stamping was a large stamped cloverleaf. Jeff took photos of the pipe so I could have a sense of what it looked like before he started his work on it. Jeff took photos of the bowl and rim top to show the cake in the bowl. There was a lava build up on the top of the rim and the inner edge of the bowl. Jeff took photos of the top and underside of the stem showing the tooth chatter and marks ahead of the button edge. Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to show the condition of the finish. You can see the grime in the finish around the sides of the bowl and shank. Even under the dirt and debris of the years it looked very good. Jeff took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. The stamping was clear and readable as you can see from the photo. It read as noted above. Before I started working on the pipe I wanted to see what the original stem looked like and I wanted some background information on the Pear Wood Pipes. I decided to do a bit of digging on the history of the brand. I turned first to Pipephil’s site to get a quick overview (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-m8.html). From there I learned that the brand started in Poland in 1991 in the area known as the “St. Claude of Poland’. It was started by Zbigniew Bednarczyk along with Kazimierz Rog. Zbigniew kept the name after Kazimierz died in 2006.I turned to Pipedia for a bit more detail of the history (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%B3g).

Pracownie Fajek Bróg was founded as Mr Bróg in Przemysl, “the Saint-Claude of Poland”, in 1991. Master craftsman Kazimierz Rog, the senior partner, had been a pipemaker since 1947, starting as an apprentice and later partner of Wiktor Winiarski and Zbigniew Mazuryk, followers of legendary Ludwik Walat. Zbigniew Bednarczyk was completely new to pipemaking, but as a non-professional sculptor, painter and poet he surely had pretty enough artistic disposition.

Mr Brog started out offering 10 models of briar pipes and 10 models made of wild pear, wild cherry and other unexpected materials, available both smooth and rusticated and polished with natural waxes only. The experience of the old master and the dynamic passion of his young friend made the brand soon well-known in Poland. Little by little they enlarged their program turning towards a more artistically minded way of pipemaking. This was the bedrock for success on international markets.

Kazimierz Róg, highly honored, passed away after a lengthy illness on June, 26th 2006. The firm is continued by Zbigniew Bednarczyk and his wife Renata.

I decided to check on the Mr. Brog Website (https://mrbrog.com/collections/pear-wood-pipes) to see what I could find out. The first information that I found was the following on the wood the pipe was made of. I quote

Pear wood is a great alternative to briar wood. Pear wood is very dense and a hard wood which is great for a pipe you can have for the years to come. Also, pear wood gives off a very pleasant smell and taste while smoking.

I then turned to the catalogue of pipes and shapes that were available in pear wood and looked specifically for the Bulldog No. 34. The shape and the shape number are shown in the photo on the site (https://brogshop.pl/en_US/p/Pipe-no.-34-Buldog-9-mm-Mr-Brog/290). I have included a picture from the website. As I scrolled through the photos on the site on this shape I found a photo of the various finishes on the pipe. The particular pipe I am working on is the first one at the top of the photo. It is labelled as Naturalny.Armed with that information I turned to work on the pipe itself. Jeff had done a great job cleaning up the pipe as usual. He cleaned up the inside of the bowl with a PipNet reamer and a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. The rim top shows some damage on the top and the inner edge of the bowl. The bowl walls looked very good. He scrubbed the interior of the bowl and shank with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol to remove the tars and oils. He scrubbed the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush to remove the grime from the finish. He worked on the rim top lava and darkening with the soap and tooth brush. He scrubbed the inside of the stem with alcohol and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the exterior with Soft Scrub and then soaked it in Briarville’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer. He washed it off with warm water to remove the deoxidizer. Now the damage to the stem was very clear. Overall, the pipe looked far better. I took photos of the pipe when I received it before I started working on it. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and stem to show how clean the pipe was. The bowl was clean and the darkening to the rim top and the inner edge is very visible in the photo below. The stem was clean and the tooth marks and chatter can be seen in the photos.I took a photo of the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is very clear and readable and read as noted above. I also removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the pipe to show the look of the parts.I started my work on the pipe by addressing the darkening to the rim top and sanding the bowl and shank. I used 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the darkening on the rim top and the inner edge as well as clean up the bowl. It looked much better once finished. I polished the rim top with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads and wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. It took on a rich shine. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm and worked it into the surface of the pear wood with my finger tips. I let it sit on the bowl for 10 minutes and buffed it off with a soft cotton cloth to raise a shine. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem surface with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the tooth marks and chatter. I smoothed it out but since it is acrylic it still shows the scratch marks in the surface.I sanded the scratches on the stem sides with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each pad with an Obsidian Oil cloth. But the end it was beginning to shine.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit pads – the stem began to take on a shine. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished the stem with Before & After Fine and Extra Fine Polish. I buffed the stem with a soft cloth to raise the shine. I fit the 9MM tenon with a Dr. Perl Junior 9MM filter. It slipped in with no obstruction and fit in the shank perfectly.The Mr. Brog Pear Wood Bulldog no 34 turned out really well. I put the 9MM stem back on the shank and buffed it lightly with Blue Diamond to raise the shine. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the bowl with a soft cloth to deepen the shine. This chubby Pear Wood shape that Mr. Brog calls Bulldog no 34 is quite nice. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Diameter of the Chamber: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.87 ounces/53 grams. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Pipes from Various Makers section. If you are interested in adding this pipe to your collection let me know. Thanks for reading through my thoughts and reflections as I worked on this pear wood pipe.

Fitting a new stem to a Neerup, Made in Denmark Bulldog

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe came to my table from a fellow I had repaired pipes for before. It has been awhile and he has moved further away but he remembered me and sent the pipes to me to repair. There were two of them – a Savinelli Billiard with a snapped shank and a Neerup Bulldog. The Bulldog looked very familiar to me and I did a bit of looking back and found that I had worked on it previously. I had fitted it with a new stem in the past and later replaced the tenon on it. Now it was back for a new replacement stem. It is obviously a favourite pipe. It has a black sandblast finish that is a bit dirty and a light cake in the bowl that had been recently reamed. There is an overflow of lava on the rim top. The pipe was still a beauty. The shank end of the vulcanite stem had been wrapped in tape but I am not sure the purpose of the tape. Under the tape was a polished nickel end cap on the stem for decorative purposes and perhaps Curtis would rather have it plain. The button end had been chewed and was missing a large piece of vulcanite on the underside of the button surface. The stem will need to be replaced. I took photos of the pipe before I began my work on it. I took a close up photo of the bowl and rim top to show the thickness of the cake and the condition of the stem when I received the pipe. It was a bit of a mess. The stem was in rough condition as noted above. You can see the damage on both sides of the stem – the chipped and broken underside of the button as well as the tooth damage on the topside of the stem. Looking at it you can see why we chose to restem it.The next two photos showed the stamping on the underside of the shank. It is faint and hard to read in the photos. In person it is faint but readable as noted above. I removed the stem and took a photo of the pipe to give a sense of perspective to the parts. I went back and reread my previous work on this pipe. I have been doing this long enough that I am doing repeat repairs on pipes that I had repaired before. This link is to the first restem on the pipe. Here is the link (https://rebornpipes.com/2022/12/22/new-life-and-new-look-for-a-neerup-made-in-denmark-bulldog/).

I reamed the bowl with a PipNet Pipe Reamer to remove the thin cake from the bowl – using a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife to scrape away the carbon coat. I sanded the walls smooth with a piece of dowel wrapped with some 220 grit sandpaper.I cleaned out the shank and the mortise with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to remove the tars and oils. I also cleaned out the airway in the stem I had chosen to use as well. I scrubbed the bowl with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush on the sandblast and the a brass bristle brush on the rim top. I rinsed the bowl with warm running water to rinse off the soap and the grime left behind. It looked better. I rubbed the bowl down with Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the sandblast with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to get it deep in the grooves of the sandblast. I let it sit for 15 minutes and buffed it off with a soft cloth. I went through my stems and found this slightly longer taper stem that would need very little adjustment to fit in the shank. I took pictures of the old stem with the replacement stem in the photo to show the difference.I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. The oil both preserves the rubber and also provides some needed friction for the micromesh pads. I polished it with Before & After Fine & Extra Fine Polish. I rubbed it down a final time with the oil and set it aside. This Neerup Made in Denmark Freehand Bulldog carved by Peder Jeppesen combines a great looking piece of sandblast briar with a multi-banded shank extension and a vulcanite stem to make a beautiful pipe. The removal of the thick shiny coat allows the grain to come alive with the polishing and waxing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Neerup Made in Denmark Bulldog really is a beauty and fits nicely in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ¾ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¾ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.80 ounces/51 grams. Once I finish the second pipe this one will be going back to Curtis to enjoy. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

What an Interesting Brigham Sportsman 2 Dot Freehand Sitter

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by Steve Laug

The next pipe I have chosen to work on is a nice looking rusticated Bent Dublin Sitter with a carved/plateau black vulcanite stem. We picked it up from a seller in Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada on 01/31/2023. The stamping on the underside of the shank reads Brigham in script [over] MADE IN CANADA. The fancy, turned vulcanite stem has two brass dots inserted on the left side of the saddle. The pipe is a nice looking pipe with rusticated finish with carved lines and a medium brown finish that highlights the grain under the rustication. The finish is very dirty with oils and grime ground into the finish. The rustication/plateau on the rim top is filled in with lava and grime. There is a thick cake in the bowl and on the inner edge of the rim. The turned bent vulcanite stem works very well with the bowl. 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. 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 and has some darkening on the inner edge and is heavier toward the back of the bowl. The inner edge looks like it might be damaged. This is what I look for when assessing a pipe. I look forward to viewing it in person after the clean up work. Jeff removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the distillator aluminum tenon. There was no maple filter in the tenon so the tube was filled up with tars and oils. The outside of the tube is also covered with tars as well. 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 the cracks or scratches in rusticated 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 reads Brigham [over] Made in Canada. It is stamped on a smooth panel on the underside. The stem show two brass dots on the left side of the saddle. For historical background for those unfamiliar with the brand I am including the information from Pipedia on Brigham pipes. It is a great read in terms of the history and background on the pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Pipes). Charles Lemon (Dadspipes) is currently working on a book on the history of the brand. Until that is complete this article is a good summary. I have included it below.

Roy Brigham, after serving an apprenticeship under an Austrian pipesmith, started his own pipe repair shop in Toronto, in 1906. By 1918 the business had grown to include five other craftsmen and had developed a reputation across Canada for the high quality of workmanship. After repairing many different brands of pipes over the years, Roy noted certain recurring complaints by pipe smokers, the most common referred to as “tongue bite”. Tongue bite is a burning sensation on the smoker’s tongue, previously thought to be due to the heat of the smoke (i.e. a “hot smoking pipe”).

He soon began manufacturing his own pipes, which were lightweight, yet featured a more rugged construction, strengthening the weak points observed in other pipes. The problem of tongue bite intrigued him, and he decided to make overcoming it a future goal.

About 1938, Roy’s son Herb joined him to assist in the business. The business barely survived the great depression because pipes were considered to be a luxury, not a necessity, and selling pipes was difficult indeed. In approximately 1937 [1], after some experimentation, Roy and Herb discovered that tongue bite was in fact a form of mild chemical burn to the tongue, caused by tars and acids in the smoke. They found that by filtering the smoke, it was possible to retain the flavour of the tobacco and yet remove these impurities and thereby stop the tongue bite.

Just as Thomas Edison had searched far and wide for the perfect material from which to make the first electric light bulb filaments, Roy & Herb began experimenting with many materials, both common and exotic, in the quest for the perfect pipe filter. Results varied wildly. Most of the materials didn’t work at all and some actually imparted their own flavour into the smoke. They eventually found just two materials that were satisfactory in pipes: bamboo and rock maple. As bamboo was obviously not as readily available, rock maple then became the logical choice.

They were able to manufacture a replaceable hollow wooden tube made from rock maple dowelling, which when inserted into a specially made pipe, caused absolutely no restriction to the draw of the pipe, yet extracted many of the impurities which had caused tongue bite. The result was indeed a truly better smoking pipe…

I remembered that Charles had done a blog on a pair of Brigham Sportsman pipes for his Dadspipes Blog. I looked that up to get a bit of background on this series of pipes so I could understand it better (https://dadspipes.com/2017/05/04/a-bevy-of-brighams-part-iii-a-pair-of-unsmoked-3-dot-sportsman-pipes/). I quote a section of the blog below:

For those unfamiliar with this series, the Sportsman pipes were roughly shaped, semi-finished and sold each year at the Toronto Sportsman’s Show as rugged, rough-and-ready pipes suitable for bringing along to the cottage, hunt camp, fishing lodge or campground. The briar blocks were factory drilled, had the top half or so of the bowl machine-turned, and were fitted with a stem containing the Brigham filter system. The bottom half of the bowl and the shank were left roughly carved. Many of the Sportsman pipes were graded at a 3 Dot level, though I believe they were available in 3, 4 and 5 Dot grades.

Interestingly, the pipe I have in hand is another 2 Dot grade but very well done. It is stamped Made in Canada under the Brigham logo.

Charles Lemon has also written a great article on the stampings and marking on the Brigham pipes that fit into a time line that he has drafted. It is well worth a read and is fascinating. (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Pipes_%E2%80%93_A_Closer_Look_at_Dots,_Dates_and_Markings). I quote from the pertinent section on the time frame for this pipe. The patent on the Brigham filter system expired in 1955, ushering in the Post-Patent Era (1956 – roughly 1969). The “CAN PAT” stamp was replaced by a “Made in Canada” stamp in block letters. The 1960s saw the introduction of new product lines, including the Norsemen and Valhalla series of rusticated and smooth (respectively) freehand-style pipes created to capitalize on the growing demand for Danish pipe shapes.

This solidly places the pipe I am working on in the period of Brigham production that Charles calls the Post-Patent Era (1956-1969). It is a great looking pipe with the Sportsman style of finish.

The Original Brigham Dot System 1938 – 1980

Brigham pipes are reknown in the pipe world for their famous “Brigham Dots”, a system of brass pins inset in the stem to denote the grade of each pipe. The original 8-grade pinning system, used for 42 years between 1938 and 1978 (spanning the Patent, Post-Patent and Canadian Eras) looked like this:I knew that I was dealing with a pipe made between 1956-1969 from the Post-Patent Era. It sports 2 dot making it Brigham Select pipe but the fact that it is a Sportsman Series pipe I am not sure that the dot information applies. There is not a shape number on the pipe. Now to do a bit of spiffing with the pipe itself.

Now it was my turn to work on the pipe. Jeff had done an amazing cleanup of the pipe. He reamed the light cake with a PipNet reamer and cleaned up that with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He soaked the stem in Briarville’s Pipe stem Deoxidizer and once it had soaked rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and rubbed it down to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very good when I received it. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and the rim top looks very good. There is a little darkening on the back topside of the rim but otherwise it is excellent. The stem came out looking quite good. It only needed to be polished. I took a photo of the underside and the right side of the shank to show the stamping. The photos clearly show the stamping and is actually more readable in person. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. I also took photos of the tenon end to show the 9MM filter tenon. It is a nice looking pipe.I worked over the rustication and plateau on the rim top with a brass bristle wire brush. I was able to knock off any remaining debris.The pipe had cleaned up so well that I turned to polish the briar with micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads and wiped the bowl down after each pad with a damp cloth. By the final pads the briar really had a shine. I rubbed the bowl down with some Before & After Restoration Balm. I worked it into the briar with my fingertips and into the rugged rim top with a shoe brush. The product works to clean, renew and protect briar. I let it do its work for 15 minutes then buffed it off with a soft cloth. The pipe is really quite a beauty.I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded out the light tooth marks and chatter on both sides with 32903599 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads and wiped it down between pads with an Obsidian Oil cloth. The shine really came alive.I fit the clean and polished stem with the Brigham Rock Maple Distillator and took photos to show what it looked like. This is in essence a hollow Maple wood tube that serves to filter out the moisture and deliver a clean and flavourful smoke.I polished out the surface of the stem ahead of the button on both sides using micromesh sanding pads. I dry sanded the stem with the 1500-12000 grit pads, then wiped it down with a cloth impregnated with Obsidian Oil. I finished polishing it with Before & After stem polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. I am excited to finish this 1956-1969 Post-Patent Era Brigham Sportsman 2 Dot Freehand Sitter. I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine and hand buffed it with microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with the rustic finish. Added to that the polished black vulcanite stem with the shining brass pins was beautiful. This mixed grain on the rustic Brigham Sportsman 2 Dot Freehand is nice looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 6 ½ inches, Height: 2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 2 inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.22 ounces/63 grams. It is a beautiful pipe and one that will be on the rebornpipes store in the Canadian Pipe Makers Section soon. If you are interested in adding it to your collection let me know. Thanks for walking through the cleanup with me as I worked over this pipe. Thanks to each of you who are reading this blog. Remember we are not pipe owners; we are pipemen and women who hold our pipes in trust until they pass on into the trust of those who follow us.

Restoring a Kaywoodie Flame Grain Imported Briar 16 President

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by Steve Laug

I received an email from a fellow a bit ago about two of his pipes that he wanted me to restore. I have included his email below.

Hey Steve,

It’s been a little while but I’d like to send in the Kaywoodie President for restoration. I also have a Marxman apple that I would like an assessment on–it’s a bit more of a challenge than a standard restoration. Can you let me know if you have an opening and if so, what address to send them to? Thanks! – Devin

I asked him to send me some photos of the pipes before he shipped them to me. I gave my address and he shipped them to me. Here are the photos of the Marxman pipe that he sent.He included some close-up photos of the bowl and shank to show the condition they were in. The photos show the condition the bowl and rim top. There is no cake in the bowl but the rim top and inner edge show damage from burning and possibly overzealous reaming. The stem has a lot of tooth marks and dents in the top and underside ahead of the button. He also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the condition of the aluminum stinger apparatus. The pipes arrived here last evening. I took the Kaywoodie President to the table to look it over. It was very clean inside and out. The rim top had burn damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The finish was dirty on the bowl and shank. The pipe was stamped on the left side of the shank read Flame Grain [over] Kaywoodie. On the right side it is stamped Imported Briar [over] the shape number 61. The stamping was clear and quite readable. The stem was oxidized and had tooth damage on the top and underside ahead of the button and on the button edge itself. The vulcanite stem was fat on the bottom side and has the Kaywoodie black clover logo in a white circle on the topside of the stem. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the bowl has been reamed and the burn damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. It needed some work. The stem was oxidized and has some deep tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button and on the edges. I took photos of sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable. I also took a photo of the logo on the stem top. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. The stinger apparatus is shown in the photo as well. It is a nicely grained unique.I turned to Pipephil’s site to look at the data that was available on Kaywoodie President pipes and see if there were any pipes like the bowl I had (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-kaywoodie.html The shape called “President” is a Kaywoodie’s distinctive production. It has never been copied. Until late 1930’s pipes were stamped with a 4 digit code (this pipe: 7793).

The first 2 numbers (77) designate the style or finish.
The last 2 are the shape numbers (93).
The numerical code may be reinforced by a letter for variants.

Thus the small “President” pipes are stamped 93S while the larger bear a 93L (see also this Super Grain pipe).

Later Kaywoodie will cancel the 2 first style/finish numbers keeping the 2 last shape numbers and the letter for variants (i.e. Allbriar or Connoisseur).

I further worked on the name and shape number of this Kaywoodie. It was stamped on the right side of the shank with the shape number 61. I turned to Pipedia to a specific article on the various shape numbers (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaywoodie_Shape_Numbers). I found the following line below. It identifies the shape 61 as follows.

61 EZ set Vest pocket President (streamliner shape) oval bowl 1935-1937, 1952-1960

From that information I knew that the pipe originally had been released in 1935-37 and then released again between 1952-60. The pipe in hand was the later release as the earlier version had a different shape number and often had the patent number. This one had a two digit number and no patent.

I turned to Pipedia to the article on Kaywoodie pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaywoodie) to see if I could find information on the shape and President line. There was a sales flyer on Kaywoodie pipes for Father’s Day. I have included a copy of the flyer below in a section called Streamliners.The article also included a shape chart that was helpful. The last shape in the chart was a Kaywoodie 61 E-Z-Set Vest Pocket President which is the same shape as the one that I am working on.From the above information I knew that I was working on a Kaywoodie President shape 61. It is a great looking unique pipe. It was now time to start working on the pipe.

I cleaned out the shank and the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners – bristle and smooth and cotton swabs and alcohol. It was an incredibly dirty shank and airway in the stem. It smelled significantly better once finished.I decided to address the damage on the rim edge and top. I wanted to do so with minimal effect on the shape of the edge and rim. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage on the inner edge of the bowl and to remove the burn damage. It looked much better. I carefully, gently sanded the surface of the bowl and the shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratches in the surface of the briar. The bowl and shank began to look very good. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the briar and wiping down the bowl after each sanding pad. It really began to take on a rich shine and the grain stood out beautifully. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm and worked it into the briar and the repaired areas. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar and give it a rich lustre. The briar came alive and the grain really pops. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I forgot to take photos but I “painted” the vulcanite stem surface with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to lift the majority of them with the heat. I filled in the deeper marks on the surface of the button and the edge of the button with a rubberized CA glue. I flattened the repairs on the stem and recut the edge of the button with a small file. I flattened the repairs with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It is starting to look very good. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. The shape and look of the stem looked better and better. The remaining oxidation was gone.I polished the stem by dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil Cloth. The stem looked very good. I put the Kaywoodie Flame Grain Imported Briar 61 President back together and buffed it on the buffing wheel with Blue Diamond. It raised a shine on the briar and the stem and gave some depth to the grain. I gave both the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe turned out to be a unique beauty in its own way. I really like the grain and the shape of this Kaywoodie Flame Grain 61 President. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outer diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/39 grams. It is a uniquely beautiful pipe. It will join the Marxman Apple on its journey back to Devin early in the week ahead. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.

Renewing and Repairing a Cracked Shank on a GBD New Standard 357CC Prince

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by Steve Laug

About a week ago or so I was chatting with Chris about a pipe I had shipped him, a lovely GBD International Prince and he was enjoying it he loves GBD Princes and had a New Standard with a cracked shank that he had picked up from a seller on eBay. He wasn’t clear if it was cracked when he picked it up or if it had happened since. He had tried to repair it and it had not worked. It extended about ¼ inch midshank on the right side. It had some remnants of glue on the shank in the sandblast. I told him to send it up and I would have a look at it for him. It arrived last evening. Here is what I saw when I opened the package. It is a great looking sandblast Prince that is stamped on the underside on a smooth panel on the shank and read GBD in an oval [over] New Standard in script. That is followed by London England and then a little below the London stamp with the Shape number 357CC. The crack was on the left side of the shank and there was some darkening on the inwardly beveled rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The stem was lightly oxidized and had some light tooth marks near the button edge. I took photos of the pipe before I started working on it. I took photos of the rim top and bowl as well as the stem showing the condition of both sides and the tooth marks against the button. The bowl was quite clean other than darkening on the inner edge and the top of the bowl. It also showed what looked like a line on the surface for a rubber bite guard.I took a photo of the underside of the shank. It shows the stamping on the shank and though it is faint in spots it is readable. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo the looks of this GBD Prince.I took a photo of the crack on the right side of the shank. You can see the glue residue in the sandblast finish.Now it was time to address the crack. I decided to clean up the repair with a brass bristle wire brush. I knocked off the glue and damaged areas on the shank side with the wire brush. The crack is clear and visible in the photo below.The first step in the repair is to clean out the shank and the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners – both bristle and smooth as well as qtips and alcohol. I always want to clean up the oils and tars in the shank before regluing and banding it.I used a tooth pick and all purpose white glue to fill in the crack on the shank side and to put a bead around the shank end. I pressed the brass band onto the shank end and wiped off the excess blue.I took photos of the newly banded shank and repair on the right side. It looked very good at this point. I stained the repaired shank end with a Mahogany stain pen to blend it into the rest of the bowl and shank. It looked very good to my eye and the match of the colour was perfect.I polished the brass band and the smooth inward bevelled rim top with 320-3500 grit sanding pads. The brass took on a rich shine and the rim top looked much better. I took a photo of the pipe at this point. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm and worked it into the sandblast briar and the repaired areas. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar and give it a rich lustre. The briar came alive and the blast really pops. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I sanded the stem surface with 320 grit sandpaper to remove the oxidation on the stem and the tooth marks on the surface ahead of the button on both sides.I sanded the stem surface with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad to remove the debris. It really began to take on a shine.I polished the vulcanite with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped it down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This interestingly stamped GBD New Standard 357CC London England Prince with a vulcanite taper stem is a great looking pipe now that it has been repaired with a thin brass band. The rich browns and blacks of the contrasting stains on the sandblast came alive with the polishing and waxing. I put the stem back on the bowl and carefully buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel using a light touch on the briar. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing the entire pipe with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished GBD New Standard 357 CC Prince is a beauty and fits nicely in the hand and looks very good. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ¼ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 33 grams/1.16 ounces. I will be sending it back to Chris early this week. Thanks for reading this blog and my reflections on the pipe while I worked on it. There are many more to come!

Repairing and Restoring a Marxman Selected Briar Algerian Briar France Apple

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by Steve Laug

I received an email from a fellow a bit ago about two of his pipes that he wanted me to restore. I have included his email below.

Hey Steve,

I asked him to send me some photos of the pipes before he shipped them to me. I gave my address and he shipped them to me. Here are the photos of the Marxman pipe that he sent.He included some close up photos of the bowl and shank to show the condition they were in. The shank had a lot of flaws in the briar on the heel and the shank. The flaws on the heel appeared to have lost the fills somewhere along the process. There were also some twisted flaws on the underside of the shank and the sides as well. The flaws and cracks ran through all the stamping on both sides. Some of them were deep as they leaked smoke when the pipe was smoked. The shank end had a lot of flaws following the grain on the shank from the shank end toward the bowl. It really was a flawed piece of briar that has opened up over time. The stem was in excellent condition. The bowl and shank had been reamed and cleaned by Devin before he sent it to me. He included photos of the stem. The pipes arrived here last evening. I took the Marxman to the table to look it over. It was very clean inside and out. The pipe was stamped on the left side of the shank read Marxman with the arrow through the letters (Marxman logo). On the right side it is stamped Algerian Briar [over] France. The shank is riddled with flaws running along the grain horizontally from the shank end forward through the stamping. There were also spots on the shank that spidered from the flaws in the shank and in spots left holes. Devin said that smoke came through some of the holes in the shank. It a mess in terms of the amount repairs that need to be done. The vulcanite stem has a Marxman arrow logo on the left side of the shank. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and the rim top looks very good. You can also see all the flaws in the briar on the top of the shank and around the shank end. The stem came out looking quite good. It only needed to be polished. I took photos of sides of the shank to show the stamping. The photos clearly show the stamping and is actually more readable in person. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. It is a nicely shaped apple.I turned to Pipephil’s site to look at the data that was available on Marxman pipes and see if there were any pipes like the bowl I had (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-m2.html). There was nothing in the photos there but the stamping and data available was helpful. I have included a screen capture and the sidebar information below the screen capture.Brand created in 1934 and merged with Mastercraft in 1953.

The article also included a shape chart that was helpful. It looked to me that the pipe was a Regular Apple (third pipe down in the first column below). It is the top pipe in the second column in the photo below.From the above information I knew that I was working on a Marxman Regular Apple and that it was made before the merger with Mastercraft in 1953.

With that I was ready to begin working on the pipe. I decided to address the flaws in the briar. I pressed briar dust into the cracks and flaws with a dental spatula. Once the dust was in place I used a tooth pick to press clear CA glue into the flawed areas on the shank and the spots on the heel and bottom sides. To bind the shank end repairs and to keep the cracks and separations in the briar firm I went through my thin brass bands and fit one on the shank end. I heated it and pressed it on the end of the shank. It was a good tight fit and would serve its purpose well. You could see the repairs on the shank and bowl in the photos. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the repairs. I was able to carefully work my way around the stamping on the shank. It looked much better. I also smooth out some of the nicks in the inwardly bevelled rim top. The repairs began to blend in very well. I sanded the repairs a little more, then stained them with an Oak and Maple stain pen to blend them into the colour of the surrounding briar on the bowl and the shank. I sanded the surface of the bowl and the shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to further blend in the repairs and to remove the scratches in the surface of the briar. The bowl and shank began to look very good. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the briar and wiping down the bowl after each sanding pad. It really began to take on a rich shine and the grain stood out beautifully. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm and worked it into the briar and the repaired areas. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar and give it a rich lustre. The briar came alive and the grain really pops. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I touched up the Marxman logo on the left side of the stem with Rub’n Buff Antique Gold. I pressed it into the logo with a tooth pick and then buffed it off with a soft cloth.I went over the work that Devin had done with micromesh sanding pads. I used 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil Cloth. The stem looked very good. I put the Marxman Select Briar Algerian France Apple back together and buffed it on the buffing wheel with Blue Diamond. It raised a shine on the briar and the stem and gave some depth to the grain. I gave both the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe turned out to be a unique beauty in its own way. I really like the grain and the shape of this Marxman Select BriarApple. The thin brass band and the taper stem go well with the rich briar. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outer diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/39 grams. It is a uniquely beautiful pipe. Once I finish Devin’s second pipe both will head back to him to enjoy!