As many of you already know, the union representing 55,000 workers at Canada Post has announced a strike, effective today, 15 November 2024. Here is a slightly pared down version of the announcement received from Canada Post this morning: CUPW announces national strike – customers should expect service delays The Canadian Union of Postal Workers… Continue reading Canada Post Workers on Strike as of 15 Novemebr, 2024
Shank obstructions are a fact of life for many smoking pipes, so much so that a long, thin shank reamer is part of just about every pipe tool on the market. Typically not much more than a length of stiff steel wire, shank reamers are designed to push through a blockage in the pipe's airway… Continue reading Clearing a Tough Shank Obstruction & Re-Stemming an Astley’s Straight Apple
Meerschaum-lined briar pipes hit the market around the 1960s and were very popular for a time. Indeed, some are still being made today, but this tends to be limited to Turkish brands since the exporting of raw meerschaum was banned in the 1970s. Some consider a meerschaum lining little more than a gimmick, while others… Continue reading Trash to Treasure? Removing a Broken Meerschaum Bowl Liner from a Lord Rusticated Pot
After a Spring and Summer of Hand Cut stems and special projects, it's nice to be able to write about a much simpler restoration. The pipe on the bench today is a vintage Peterson System 3 in shape 357. It was sent in by a fellow Canadian pipe lover for a bit of TLC. As… Continue reading Refreshing a Peterson System 3 Shape 357 Bent Billiard
Most of the time, pipes are sent to me because they need repairs of some kind - cracks, broken stems, or simply a good cleaning and polishing. Every now and then, however, I get a "passion project" pipe - one for which the client wants work done to customize the pipe to their particular preferences.… Continue reading Fulfilling a Client’s Passion Project – a Green Cumberland P-Lip Stem for a Peterson Meerschaum
The Gourd Calabash pipe originated in South Africa, quickly becoming popular among British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers stationed there during the 1899-1902 Second Boer War. There is a larger Canadian connection here, too, as it was H.L. Blatter, his brother Ernest and sister Marguerite that founded a company to manufacture Gourd Calabash pipes… Continue reading A Major Salvage Operation for a Gourd Calabash Churchwarden
Dunhill has been one of the largest names in British pipes, and indeed pipes worldwide, for over 100 years so it's not terribly surprising that some of the craftsmen that worked for Dunhill went on to open their own pipe companies. The makers of Sasieni, Ashton and Ferndown all learned the ropes at Dunhill before… Continue reading Crafting a New Cumberland Stem for a 4-Star Ferndown Bark
The Peterson brand is world-renown for both the quality of their pipes and the longevity of the firm. Founded in 1874 by Frederick Kapp, a German immigrant to Dublin, the nascent firm would soon hire another immigrant, a Latvian named Charles Peterson, who was destined to change the company and the pipe world forever. Kapp… Continue reading Restoring a Pre-Peterson Kapp Bros Egg & Claw Meerschaum
Pipes end up in the oddest places sometimes. Many people have found pipes washed up on riverbanks or beaches, tucked into the rafters of sheds and barns, and in the case of today's estate pipe, in the attic of an old house. I was contacted by a fellow in Winnipeg, Manitoba about the possibility of… Continue reading Restoring an 1866 Bavarian Hunter Pipe Attic Find
David Jones was an American pipe maker who began making pipes in 1986. As his Pipedia entry reads, Since 1988, when I began selling, I have shipped more than 2000 pipes. These pipes are handmade from extra quality plateau briar. I purchased a lot of briar in the early years. Thus I have maintained briar… Continue reading Plugging a Whopper of a Burnout on a David Jones Hand Made Pipe
dadspipes.com 