This is a restoration project I picked away at in between other jobs over the last few months. The subject is a French-made Kaywoodie Square Shank Pot with a large bowl and a handsome sandblast finish. Unfortunately, the aluminum fitment had been scavenged from the pipe, shattering the shank in the process. The broken shank… Continue reading Shank Repairs and a New Stem for a French Kaywodie La Roche Reject
Finding a parcel in the DadsPipes mailbox is always a bit like Christmas morning - I never quite know what I'll find, but I'm usually excited by it! This Savinelli 616KS No-Nik pipe arrived with a few others some months ago but I'm only now getting around to writing them up. They belonged to the… Continue reading Reviving a Well Used Savinelli 616KS “No-Nik”
This Danish Freehand by Bjarne was sent to me, along with a few other pipes that had belonged to the owner's father, for a good cleaning and a refresh. I was immediately taken by the unique design of the stummel which features a spiral design winding up the bowl from a Vulcanite-clad foot to a… Continue reading Refreshing a Stunning Bjarne Hand Made Footed Freehand
Today I'm back digging around in the estate lot of pipes I purchased last summer. Along with the Brigham 5W1 I wrote about last time, the lot included another Brigham - an interesting 5-Dot Bent Brandy. I have pulled it out of the refurb box several times since I acquired it, trying to get a… Continue reading Restoring a Unique Brigham 5-Dot Bent Brandy
It's that time of year again! Sunday is International Pipe Smoking Day, which means it's a great time to add a freshly restored estate pipe (or two!) to your rack and rotation. On that note, Save 10% off all Estate Pipes now through Midnight, Sunday Feb 21st! Saving on estate pipes is great, but shipping… Continue reading IPSD 2021 Sale!
After slogging through a number of more complex restorations recently, I'm rather relieved that this week's Brigham 5W1 refresh is at the other end of the estate pipe spectrum. With no major dents, dings or missing parts, this 1990s-era pipe was in pretty good estate condition, though it needed some attention. Apart from a layer… Continue reading Refreshing an Interesting 1990s Brigham 5W1 Short Brandy
I'm asked fairly regularly about where and how I source the estate pipes featured in the blog. I have bought many individually or in small groups from antique shops and fairs, but every now and then I buy an estate lot. Last summer I did just that, bringing home a mixed batch of about 60… Continue reading Reclaiming a Damaged 1960s-vintage Brigham 229L Large Author
More than a few years ago now I was involved with an unfortunately short-lived local pipe club which held, among other things, a few swap meets where members could trade pipes, tobaccos etc. That is how this rather unloved-looking meerschaum pipe came to live in my box of refurbs-in-waiting. I have pulled the pipe out,… Continue reading Something from Nothing – Creating a Mini Warden from a Junk Meerschaum Stummel
This meerschaum Bent Billiard came in to the shop for a new stem, part of the same batch of pipes as the Nording freehand I wrote about last week. If you have read that post, the condition of this pipe when it arrived won't be much of a surprise. As this series of pics shows,… Continue reading A Deep Cleaning and a New Stem for a Large Meerschaum Bent Billiard
I was recently sent a box of pipes for refurbishment that really worked out my restoration muscles. All of the pipes were very dirty and smelled strongly of OTC aromatic blends, and all needed new stems as the originals had been chewed up or bitten through. They also, as it turned out, were heat damaged… Continue reading Shank Crack and Chamber Burnout Repairs to a Nording 4 Freehand
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