I picked up this Dr Plumb billiard off eBay for very little money; the pics below of its original condition will tell you why. It was in rough shape to say the least. The rim had been absolutely destroyed by repeated hard dottle-knocking against stone or brick. The scarred remains were layered with lava and… Continue reading New Life for a Beaten Dr Plumb Standard 9132 Billiard
This is another pipe sent to me by a fellow member of the Canadian Cigar Forum. As with the Sabra Apple, the pipe belonged to his grandfather and was in need of a bit of work before the owner could use it. I took this series of pics when the pipe arrived. Overall it appeared… Continue reading Patching a Pinhole Burnout on a Chateau Bruyere Sitter
I spotted this Kaywoodie pipe on a recent eBay auction and had to get it in my hands. I quite like the shape – to my eye, a rather Danish-inspired 1/4 bent Dublin – and the oval panel bowl stands out from the crowd. I had previously worked on another English-made Kaywoodie and was keen… Continue reading London Calling: Cleaning Up a Kaywoodie La Roche
I had a pair of Brigham pipes sent to me for some work, a 2-Dot Sportsman model bulldog and a 318 billiard. The owner had found the pipes in a local antique shop. The price was right but the pipes had a few issues to contend with, most notably stem fit. The pipe stems were… Continue reading Fixing Two Common Stem Fit Issues
McClelland’s Personal Reserve Blackwoods Flake comes from the same company that produces the sought-after Christmas Cheer blend. I had heard good things about the McClelland tobaccos, so I took advantage of an opportunity to pick up a tin of Blackwwods from my local B&M. Immediately on popping the top off the fresh tin, I was […]… Continue reading McClelland’s Blackwoods Flake Review
I picked up this old billiard pipe at a local antique market. The stampings were so far gone as to be unreadable, but the pipe seemed to be in decent shape otherwise. The stem was overclocked, and there were a few fills that would need replacing. The pipe was dirty overall, with a cake buildup… Continue reading A New Look for an Unknown Billiard
The family got together this past Easter weekend, and soon after arriving, my oldest brother presented me with this peculiar object and a request for me to clean it up for him. Our father had a penchant for oddball pipes which he satisfied periodically with things like this torpedo-shaped take on the Zeppelin pipe, a… Continue reading Quick Cleanup of a Mastercraft Cigar Pipe Sparkless
Before anyone says it, no, there's really no such thing as a “typical” estate pipe cleanup; just like home renovations, you never really know what you're getting into until you open up a wall. That said, I think this particular refurbishment is fairly representative of the type of work required to take a reasonably well-treated,… Continue reading A Typical Estate Pipe Refurb – Cleaning Up a Brigham 384 Bent Brandy
A great example of Steve Laug's eye for pipes, and a reminder that even aesthetically-challenged pipes deserve a second chance. Steve takes an ugly duckling and transforms it into a swan.
This pipe was sent to me by a fellow member of the Canadian Cigar Forum. It had been his grandfather's, and the owner wanted to be able to use it. The problem, I was told, was that the tenon had been broken at some point in the past. The remaining stem had been cut down… Continue reading Re-Stemming Grandpa’s Sabra Israel Apple
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