One of the fun parts about pipe restoration is not knowing exactly what will show up in the shop. Will the next pipe be a Dunhill ODA, a huge artisan grade "War Club" or something more delicate, like the diminutive Frank Amberloid Bulldog that is the subject of today's post? Here is the pipe as… Continue reading Back From the Brink: A New Lease of Life for a Vintage Frank Amberloid Cased Bulldog
Working on estate pipes can present a unique series of challenges at the best of times, but when presented with a very old pipe the restorer needs as many tools in the repair arsenal as possible. I really had to consider all the options when this vintage meerschaum Devil Anse (ish) pipe arrived at the… Continue reading Saving a Vintage Meerschaum Devil Anse
I recently worked my way through the cleanup and restoration of a newly acquired pipe collection sent to me from a fellow Ontario, Canada pipe lover. The collection of Danish pipes represented a few different brands, but was heavily weighted in favour of Pipe Dan pieces. Not having worked on a Pipe Dan pipe for… Continue reading Retouching Fills on a Dan Pipe Shape Reformed 18
Over the years, I have worked on many older pipes passed down from one generation to the next. For their stewards, these pipes are tangible links to the past, evoking memories of significant people, places and events in their lives. The pipe on the bench today is just such a pipe, this time in the… Continue reading Treading the Line Between Restoration & Preservation of a Family Heirloom Pipe
I had a bit of down time in the shop over the Christmas holidays so I decided to have a bit of fun working up a stray stummel and a few other parts into a FrankenPipe. I first came across this term on Steve Laug's seminal pipe restoration site RebornPipes, used to indicate a functional… Continue reading New Year, New FrankenPipe
The choice of a first pipe is an important decision. As a new pipe smoker, finding the perfect first pipe is often a balancing act between cost and quality, not to mention finding a pipe shape that speaks to you, is comfortable to hold and clench, and that is neither too large nor too small.… Continue reading Refurbishing a Steward’s First Pipe
As you might guess after reading a few blog posts here, I really like estate pipes. Beautiful and functional in their own right, estate pipes also have a direct connection to the past, an attribute prized by many collectors. On the bench today is a lovely estate Dunhill, which arrived at DadsPipes with a rather… Continue reading A New Stem and a Cleanup for a 1986 Dunhill 5110
Wishing you all the best this Holiday season and a safe, happy and healthy New Year. And to make 2023 just a little bit easier, use code SAVE20 to get 20% off your next Ream & Clean maintenance service. Offer valid until 31 Jan 2023.
The art of estate pipe restoration is constantly evolving as creative restorers come up with inventive techniques and test new products, but sometime the pipe has other plans. The patient on the worktable today is a good example of the pipe leading the restoration. The pipe in question is a Don Carlos "two note" grade… Continue reading When Repair Doesn’t Work, Make a New Stem
Estate pipes have become increasingly popular over the last five or six years, and with that rise in popularity among pipe smokers and collectors has also come an increased interest in estate pipe restoration. Sometimes DIY restorations go very well indeed, but other times even experienced restorers can have things go wrong. When that happens,… Continue reading Repairing the Repairs on an Early 19th Century KB Bent Bulldog
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