exploring the art of tobacco pipe restoration
A pipeman from Canada’s Far North sent me a few pipes from Iqaluit, Nunavut to clean up for him. One of those pipes was, he said, was his favourite old Blatter Bros briar. After years of restorations and repairs, I’ve seen quite a few favourite pipes and enjoy what they can tell me about the…
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When I first published an article back in December of 2016 entitled “Brigham Pipes – A Closer Look at Dots, Dates and Markings” , I had no idea that it would become one of my most widely read posts. It has been viewed over 1300 times on DadsPipes and was reprinted in full on the great…
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I am continually impressed by the seemingly endless array of pipe shapes out there – Billiards, Pots, Bulldogs, Apples, Rhodesians, Canadians, Blowfish, Ramses, Cavaliers and so many more! “Pure”, or easily classifiable, pipe shapes are fascinating enough; then there are the many crossover or hybrid shapes that seem to encompass characteristics of several classic pipe…
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Over the past few months I’ve received several emails from readers asking about the specific products I use for my repairs and restorations, so I thought I’d write up a quick post on the subject. Most of the questions deal with adhesives, so I’ll start there. Happily, all of these products can be found at…
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This week’s post sees another pipe shape added to my collection of Brigham pipes and deals with a fairly common estate pipe problem, a seized stem. I found this pipe in a lot of estates on eBay, and was keen to start working on it as soon as it arrived. It’s a handsome straight Apple…
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A while back I wrote about a Comoy’s-made John’s Pipe Shop briar to which I fit a new stem. Dating from between 1910 and 1940, I was quite taken with the quality of that pipe, so I was keen to work on another. When I pulled this John’s sibling from the refurb box, I knew…
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I acquired this Bent Prince from the same vendor that sold me the Brigham Saddle Bulldog I wrote up back in July. They share the same honey-gold stain that really shows off the grain in this old briar. As this series of pics illustrates, the pipe was in overall good shape when I brought it…
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I found this Danish Sovereign pipe, a Stanwell seconds brand, during one of my periodic wanders through the local antique shops. As you can see from this series of pictures, the pipe was rather tired looking, with a crust of lava on the crowned rim, a dirty and faded finish, and a fair bit of…
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Sourcing the correct materials to restore vintage pipes is a constant task, and one made more complicated as the years go by. The youngest of the Canadian-made Brigham pipes are now nearly 20 years old, production having shifted to France and Italy in 2001. At about the same time the original aluminum tenon/filter holders were…
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It’s been almost a year since my last update to the Brigham Shape Chart, and I’m thrilled to announce that Version 2.0 is now live! This new version incorporates a dozen or so new pipe shapes and a LOT more images, so have a look! Want your own copy for reference? Click the Download link…
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