Most of the time when clients bring me their pipes, they want me to make them look new again, or at least get close. Other times, like with today’s project, I am asked to create something very different.
The pipe on the worktable today is a brand I’d never come across before. The rather large Bent Billiard is stamped “G-Men” over ” Imported Briar” on the left shank and “10” on the right shank. The only other mark on the pipe is a white Dot on the top of the stem. How the maker of this pipe got away with the rather Dunhill-esque Dot is anyone’s guess, but other examples found online all carried the white Dot in the same location.
As this pic shows, the stem sat slightly cockeyed on the shank face. I’d have to look into that.
But now on to the project! Along with the pipe, the client brought the hard case shown below. His request was to either (a) craft a longer stem for the pipe that would fill the case, or (b) re-bend the original stem to fit inside the case.
There was a clear preference on the client’s part for option (a), but my 7″x14″ mini-lathe is simply too small to fit that much rod stock with room for drill bits and tailstock. I am, however, a bit of a pack rat when it comes to pipe parts, and after a serious rummage through the shop, I came up with a stray Comoy’s branded House Pipe stem that had languished in the bottom of a parts bin for years. After a bit of discussion, the client gave me the green light to proceed.
The old House Pipe stem was too long for the case, and larger than the diameter of the shank, so some work would need to be done to properly size the stem to the pipe.
I attempted to more or less shove the large stem into the case in order to guess at the proper length required, but the contours of the case and stem were very different.
In order to get an accurate length measurement, I warmed the Comoy’s stem over the heat gun until it became pliable and gently adjusted the bend until the stem fit the shape of the hard case.
Adding the stummel to the case let me guesstimate the correct stem length. Conveniently, it looked like I would be able to cut the stem off behind the 3-piece C logo. I did not want to misrepresent the pipe, the stock white Dot on the original stem notwithstanding.
With the plan for the stem taking shape nicely, I turned my attention to cleaning up the stummel. The internals were already quite clean, but I scrubbed out the shank and airway with a few cotton swabs and pipe cleaners dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol just to be sure. It doesn’t pay to fit a new stem to a dirty shank mortise.
I also scrubbed a thin layer of carbon “lava” off the dished rim. There were a few dents and dings underneath the crust, but nothing to really worry about. The goal here was to refresh the pipe without making it “new”, so a few handling marks were justified.
I completed the initial cleanup of the stummel by scrubbing the exterior of the pipe with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a toothbrush. The soap does a great job of gently lifting away years of dirt, dust, grease and old wax.
I rinsed the stummel under fresh running water, then towelled it dry. I was a little surprised to find that the factory gloss finish on the briar was quite worn and patchy.
Luckily, the topcoat turned out to be a natural varnish that dissolved fairly easily with acetone (or in this case, nail polish remover, which smells nicer than pure acetone). I scrubbed the finish away with the help of the nail polish remover and a few cotton pads.
Much better! The finish is much more even and the grain is more prominent without the varnish topcoat. It will look great with a few coats of Carnauba wax buffed on when the work is complete.
For a bit of inspiration, I popped the cleaned stummel and the now cut-off stem into the case for a test fit. So far, so good!
This pic shows the rough cut face of the shortened stem. I’d need to face the stem on the topping board to smooth things out.
The new (old) stem would also clearly need a tenon, so I cut a section of 1/2″ Delrin rod and mounted it in the lathe. I drilled an airway through the rod, then sized one end to fit the shank mortise. This pic shows the test fit with the new tenon still mounted in the lathe.
The stem end of the tenon did not need to be quite as large as the shank end, so I turned it down to just under 7mm in diameter using my hand drill and tenon-turning tool.
As you can see in this close shot, the turning tool didn’t leave a smooth finish on the Delrin, but that’s ok. Delrin is a rather slippery material, so roughing up the gluing surface helps the epoxy bond the tenon into the stem.
As promised, I faced the rough cut end of the new stem square and flat, then enlarged the existing airway to create a 7mm mortise for the new tenon.
This pic shows all the materials used to glue the tenon into the stem face. After roughing up the tenon end, I applied a thin smear of petroleum jelly to the shank face. This prevents any stray epoxy from bonding the stem and shank together permanently. Don’t ask how I figured that one out…..
For the glue, I used a bit of JB Kwik two-part epoxy coloured black with a drop or two of epoxy dye.
After mixing the epoxy thoroughly, I applied the glue to both the exterior of the Delrin tenon and the interior walls of the mortise drilled into the stem face, then carefully slipped the stem over the tenon and seated it flat against the end of the shank.
It took a bit of fiddling to find the right balance point on such a large pipe, but I managed to get it clamped upright in a small padded vise. This lets gravity help keep the stem aligned properly while the epoxy cures.
I left the pipe in the vise overnight to give the glue ample time to cure completely, then again test fit the “new” House Pipe in its case.
I ran into a slight roadblock, however, when I attempted to ream the airway to remove the excess epoxy. Perhaps I was a bit generous with the glue, but I found I couldn’t get the drill bit to clear the obstructing epoxy without risking damage to the airway.
The solution here was to once again take the stem to the heat gun, warm it until pliable, and then straighten the stem. A quick run under cold water set the Vulcanite in this new shape, after which I had no issue reaming the airway. Creative problem solving is very handy during projects like this!
I wasn’t too worried about bending the stem again anyway, as there was lots of work to do to fit the large stem to the shank properly. As these pics show, the stem was significantly larger in diameter than the shank.
To speed up the removal of the excess material, I took the pipe to the belt sander and buzzed the stem down to just slightly oversized.
Then it was out with the power tools and in with the hand tools. I used a few different files to remove the remaining excess Vulcanite and refine the shape of the stem. I wanted a nice, smooth flow of the shape from bowl to button, without bulges or dimples. Note the wrap of clear hockey tape around the shank. This helps protect the briar from errant file strokes, which can easily create more work for the restorer.
When I was happy with the shape of the stem, I put away the files and moved to sandpaper, sanding the stem with 220 and 320-grit papers to smooth out the rough file marks.
A final hand sanding with 800 and 2000-grit wet sandpapers removed the remaining sanding scratches and prepared the stem for buffing.
I couldn’t capture an image of the issue, but a close examination of the stem/shank joint revealed a thin sliver of light showing through. Given the similar issue with the original stem, I concluded that the shank face had somehow become worn over time. Rather than dicker around trying to re-face the shank, I installed a thin brass shank band/cap. It adds a touch of bling to the project while removing the slight variations in the stem face from the equation.
With that issue sorted out, it was finally time to re-bend the stem to fit the case. I took the pipe back to the heat gun (the two were quite familiar by this time) and repeated the warming process, introducing the required bend when the Vulcanite became pliable.
After cooling the stem to set the shape, I test fit the pipe in the case. I must be at least passably competent at this as the stem fit the case on the first try. (Note to self – buy lotto ticket!)
Even better, the case closed smoothly and latched securely. (Make that TWO lotto tickets!)
To finish off this unique project, I took stem and stummel to the buffers for a run on both the Red Tripoli and White Diamond wheels, buffing out the tiny sanding scratches. A few light coats of Carnauba wax brought up the shine and added a nice layer of UV protection for this “new” House Pipe.
The end result is really something to behold in person. I hope my pictures do this pipe justice. This pipe has gone from unremarkable oversized Bent Billiard to a rather majestic Cased House Pipe in a fairly short span of time. The stripped and refinished stummel looks great, and the large stem looks like it has always been part of the pipe. The original stem will also be returned to the pipe’s steward with the pipe so he will have the option of converting it between a standard, if large, Bent Billiard and a House Pipe.
I really enjoyed working on this one of a kind project. I’m always pleased when I can reuse vintage pipe parts and fulfill a client’s dream while I’m at it. The finished pipe looks great, if not perfect, and should serve its steward well and faithfully for many years to come.
Thanks for joining me for this estate pipe project. Until next time, Happy Piping! Here’s the finished pipe.
dadspipes.com 