A few weeks ago I wrote about restoring a Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock Canadian; I acquired this Shape 120 Dublin at the same time. This Shamrock was in about the same shape as its brother had been before I worked on it – dirty, with a heavily oxidized P-lip stem and a thick crust of lava covering the entire rim. The stem, showing a fair amount … Continue reading Rehabilitating Another Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock
This rather worn-looking Brigham Sportsman is the last of the pipes I found on my birthday pipe-hunting excursion back in December. The pipe had certainly been well enjoyed by its previous owner, though I’m not sure exactly how much care it was given. This “rough and ready” approach to pipe maintenance is somewhat to be expected when talking about a Sportsman pipe, as Brigham marketed … Continue reading Reviving a Hard Smoked 4-Dot Brigham Sportsman Shape 42
Today’s pipe is an interesting dive into the history books. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did! I’ve had this John’s Silver Mount pipe in my refurb box for some time but rediscovered it just before Christmas when I was sorting through things in the shop. The stamps are rather worn, so I didn’t really know what I had until I … Continue reading A New Stem and A New Life for a 1930’s John’s Silver Mount 433 Dublin by Comoy
A lucky eBay bid brought a pair of Shamrock pipes to me a few months ago. This is the first of the pair, a Pre-Republic 263 Canadian with a P-Lip stem. Shamrock is a seconds brand of Peterson which, to my mind, presents excellent value for dollar if you are willing to overlook one or two more obvious fills in the briar. This pipe had … Continue reading Cleaning Up a Pre-Republic (?) Peterson Shamrock 263 P-Lip Canadian
I’ve got an interesting piece of pipe history to share this week. I acquired this Wally Frank longpipe in trade for some restoration work almost a year ago but it got sidelined and was forgotten in my refurb box until now. Wally Frank Ltd was established in 1931 as a chain of tobacconists and pipe sellers. The stores and mail-order catalog business were well received, … Continue reading Freshening a Wally Frank Ltd Bruyere Extra French Longpipe
Happy Family Day to all of you Ontario pipers out there! Today I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to on the holiday weekend. As Monty Python would say, Today, instead of an estate pipe, I’m refurbishing an estate pipe rack! I found this little gem at a local thrift store for the grandiose sum of $4.99CAD, so of course it had to come … Continue reading A Change of Pace Today – Refinishing a Mid-Century Dun-Rite Walnut Pipe Rack
The history of Elliott Nachwalter’s career as a pipemaker and designer is in many ways the history of the American hand-made pipemaking tradition. In 1976 he formed The Briar Workshop with Jorg Jemelka in Vermont. Jemelka was fascinated with automated production, and the company acquired some turn of the century pipe-making equipment from Erlich’s of Boston, which Jemelka modified to be able to produce true … Continue reading Tidying Up an Elliot Nachwalter Briar Workshop Florida Freehand Horn
