Restorations, Uncategorized

Surprises While Refreshing a Peterson “Aboriginal Finish” Meerschaum 80S

I found this Peterson meerschaum pipe during a recent visit to an antiques mall about an hour’s drive from my house. I hear stories of antique shops seemingly overflowing with estate pipes, but in my neck of the woods, the pipe hunt is often more of a feast-or-famine game. Many times I don’t come across… Continue reading Surprises While Refreshing a Peterson “Aboriginal Finish” Meerschaum 80S

Pipe Essays, Uncategorized

The Completely Unofficial Brigham Pipes Shape Chart v0.1 Beta Release

PLEASE NOTE: The latest, most complete version (v3.0) of the Brigham Shape Chart can be found in my book, Brigham Pipes - A Century of Canadian Briar , and includes more pipe shapes and images than ever before.  ***** Here it is, folks - the first draft of the Brigham Pipes Shape Chart! Note that… Continue reading The Completely Unofficial Brigham Pipes Shape Chart v0.1 Beta Release

Restorations, Uncategorized

Reviving a Kaywoodie Flame Grain 13B Author

I pulled this old Kaywoodie out of the refurb box a little while ago and left it on the corner of my desk for a while before starting the restoration. The pipe is a lovely Author shape, slightly chubby, with an elegant half bend. It is stamped “KAYWOODIE” over “Flame Grain” over “Imported Briar” on… Continue reading Reviving a Kaywoodie Flame Grain 13B Author

Restorations, Uncategorized

Rehabilitating a Brigham Executive 604 Large Billiard with a Seized Stem

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that Brigham offered the ever-popular Straight Billiard shape in several sizes and considered them from the start as separate product offerings rather than variations on a theme. Thus there are three shape numbers for a Brigham Billiard – 02 for a small pipe , 03 for a medium pipe,… Continue reading Rehabilitating a Brigham Executive 604 Large Billiard with a Seized Stem

Pipe Essays, Uncategorized

Pipe Life Hack – Turning a $13 Walmart Organizer into a 12-Pipe Storage Cabinet

Pipe storage is a perennial issue for every pipe smoker with more than one pipe in the rotation. Simply put, those briars, cobs and meers need to go somewhere when they’re not in use. Pipe shops and specialty retailers offer a wide range of pipe stands, racks and cabinets in all shapes and sizes to… Continue reading Pipe Life Hack – Turning a $13 Walmart Organizer into a 12-Pipe Storage Cabinet

Restorations, Uncategorized

Quick Refresh of a Remarkably Well Preserved Stanwell Reg’d No. Handmade 48

The Stanwell 48 is described in Bas Steven’s list of Stanwell shapes as a “Freehand, egg-shaped bowl with rounded rim, long saddle mouthpiece, by Sixten Ivarsson.” As with many other Ivarsson designs, this pipe has a certain lightness and understated elegance to it – I rather like the almost pencil-thin shank that flows smoothly into… Continue reading Quick Refresh of a Remarkably Well Preserved Stanwell Reg’d No. Handmade 48

Restorations, Uncategorized

Freshening a Jarl 733 Egg

Here is another quick Summer pipe refurbishment, this time a Jarl 733 Egg. I’ve come across a few Jarl pipes, but there’s not a lot of information out there about the brand. According to an entry on pipedia.org, Jarl pipes were made by Niels Mogens Jørgensen in a little factory in the town of Bramdrupdam,… Continue reading Freshening a Jarl 733 Egg

Restorations, Uncategorized

Shank Rescue on a 1990’s Era Brigham 424 Bent Billiard

I have worked on a lot of Brigham pipes over the last year, and posted most of them here on the DadsPipes blog. I’m trying to maintain some sort of balance to my regular posts as to avoid becoming “the Brigham blog”, but I do love them and tend to buy them for myself whenever… Continue reading Shank Rescue on a 1990’s Era Brigham 424 Bent Billiard

Pipe Essays, Uncategorized

Two Years, Two Hundred Posts and the Power of Online Communities

Time flies when you're having fun! Two years and two hundred posts ago, I started this little pipe blog called DadsPipes as a personal project to record the clean-up of my father's modest collection of pipes. I figured if anyone read it, great! And if not, no harm done. Well, people DID read it, and… Continue reading Two Years, Two Hundred Posts and the Power of Online Communities

Restorations, Uncategorized

Quick Clean Up of a Brigham 341 Medium Bent Acorn

This Brigham Bent Acorn came to me in an estate lot purchase some time ago. I pulled it from my refurb box the other day and decided that it was time to give it a freshening up. It’s an interesting pipe in a number of ways – smaller than a lot of my Brigs, I’d… Continue reading Quick Clean Up of a Brigham 341 Medium Bent Acorn