A week ago, I published this post about my first “spare parts pipe” build, after which I was challenged by Steve Laug of RebornPipes to up the ante and create a pipe using three or more parts from other pipes. Not one to walk away from a thrown gauntlet, I accepted the challenge and started… Continue reading Challenge Accepted – The Frankenpipe Mark I
Remembrance Day is a special day of reflection for me. My family has a long history of military service - I was a Canadian Forces reservist during my university days in Kingston, Ontario. Both my parents served in the RCAF in the 1950's. My grandfather was a Royal Canadian Corps of Signals despatch rider in… Continue reading A Whiff of Smoke and a Heartfelt Thanks to All Who Serve
I scored this not-so-old estate BBB Luton billiard on eBay last week. It was listed as having been reamed and cleaned on the exterior, and looked pretty good in the listing pics. I took a gamble on an unfamiliar seller, and lo and behold, I won it. In due course, the pipe arrived and I… Continue reading Quick Cleanup of a BBB Luton Billiard
My estate pipe collecting must have hit critical mass this past month. Most of what I get in an average estate lot are complete pipes; of these, about 90% or more are able to be restored to close to factory condition. The other 5-10%, however, are too far gone and I end up salvaging what… Continue reading My First Spare Parts Pipe and a Rustication Experiment
An elegantly simple solution to a potentially thorny problem. Steve makes this look easy!
Several recent posts on RebornPipes and PipesRevival about CustomBilt pipes reminded me that I had a very similar pipe in my refurb box waiting for my attention. I found the pipe, but when I looked at the stampings, I discovered that it was not a CustomBilt at all; rather, it was stamped “Yello-Bole” over '“hand made”'… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Yello-Bole Hand Made, With a Bit of Learning Curve Thrown In
I pulled this Medico Double-Dri pipe out of my refurb box the other day. It had been rattling around in there for a while, and I decided it was time to do something about it. There are several well-known brands of pipes designed with removable and interchangeable bowls – the Falcon and Kirsten pipes jump… Continue reading Medico’s Answer to the Falcon – The Double-Dri
Hi everyone. Here's a quick mid-week post to share a DIY solution to every piper's perennial pipe storage shortage. I made this 28-pipe storage/display rack in just a few hours. I was lucky enough to find a 24" x 32" piece of 5/8" plywood in my garage, and a rummage through the fabric bin turned… Continue reading A Quick DIY Pipe Display
After a few more challenging refurbs, it was nice to change things up with a relatively straightforward one. This Mackenzie Extra bent pipe came out of my refurb box quite dirty – tarry rim, dings and dents, oxidized stem, etc – but even through the dirt one could plainly see that the grain on this… Continue reading Quick Clean-Up of a Mackenzie Extra 1452
Here is a super technique shared by Dave Gossett on RebornPipes for removing the stain from briar pipes. I’ll be trying this on my next estate refurb for sure. Thanks Dave!
Blog by Dave Gossett
I’ve been working on a stain removal recipe/technique with some junker pipes and came up with this. It works pretty well. It will also strip the color out of any fills in the pipe and they will stand out afterwards. This is great for a fill free briar, but not recommended if it does, unless you plan on digging out the old fills and replacing them with briar dust. I always advise trying new repair and restoration tips on a test pipe before trying it on a keeper.
Step 1. Use Murphy’s wood soap to remove the wax. Take care not to get the Murphy’s soap inside the pipe!
Step 2. Wipe down with alcohol.
Step 3. Mix a heavy batch of Oxy Clean powder with hot water. 3 tablespoons give or take. Use just enough hot water to dilute the powder and then add a…
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