I recently worked my way through the cleanup and restoration of a newly acquired pipe collection sent to me from a fellow Ontario, Canada pipe lover. The collection of Danish pipes represented a few different brands, but was heavily weighted in favour of Pipe Dan pieces. Not having worked on a Pipe Dan pipe for… Continue reading Retouching Fills on a Dan Pipe Shape Reformed 18
Over the years, I have worked on many older pipes passed down from one generation to the next. For their stewards, these pipes are tangible links to the past, evoking memories of significant people, places and events in their lives. The pipe on the bench today is just such a pipe, this time in the… Continue reading Treading the Line Between Restoration & Preservation of a Family Heirloom Pipe
I always enjoy working on family heirloom pipes, and this Dunhill Shell Briar Pot, passed down to the current steward from his father, certainly fits the bill. As you can see from this first series of images, the pipe was in need of some TLC when it arrived on the bench. Like many much loved… Continue reading A New Stem for a 1960’s Dunhill Shell Briar Pot
A little while ago I was contacted by a pipe smoker in California inquiring about repairs to a vintage Dunhill Captain Warren style pipe. For those unfamiliar, a "Captain Warren: is essentially a calabash with a removable bowl insert that sits above a condensing chamber at the bottom of the stummel. In the case of… Continue reading Restoring a 1932 Dunhill Patent Innertube Captain Warren
A fellow pipe lover here in Ontario sent me a couple of old friends for a bit of TLC. One of those pipes is this 1980's vintage Brigham 384 Squire. This round-bottomed bent brandy shape was introduced to the Brigham lineup in the 1970s and quickly became a fan favourite. This particular example was certainly… Continue reading Reviving and Re-Stemming a Vintage Brigham 384 Squire
I came across this Chacom 296 Canadian pipe at a local antique market, and though it was in rough shape, it had a few things going for it in my mind. First was the unique leather pipe case it came in that featured a snap closure just like Grandma’s change purse. The case is unmarked,… Continue reading Restoring a Cracked Chacom 296 Canadian
When I first pulled this pipe from my refurb box, I thought I was looking at another Danish design. It was only after taking a closer look that I realized it was, in fact, an Italian pipe, a Savinelli Nonpareil 9904, which Savinelli describes as a Bent Dublin. The pipe is stamped “Savinelli” over “Nonpareil”… Continue reading Cleanup of a Savinelli Nonpareil Smooth 9904 Bent Dublin
The aroma of a pipe is one of those olfactory experiences that can thrill the senses and trigger a flood of memories and emotions - chats with Grampa on the front porch, the texture of the bench seat in an aluminum fishing boat, the scent of a campfire or the warm hazy aftermath of Christmas… Continue reading Deghosting a Stinky Champagne by Savinelli 606KS
This pipe was another one sent to me by a DadsPipes reader for a bit of “spit and polish”, this one coming to me from El Paso, Texas via a VERY circuitous route – when the parcel arrived, it was marked “MISSENT TO JAMAICA”. That explains the late arrival! The pipe is a Republic-era Peterson,… Continue reading Refreshing a Republic-Era Peterson Kapet X105
Just about the worst thing that can happen to a pipe smoker is damage to a favourite pipe. We wince at the smallest handling marks, dread rim dents and try our darnedest to keep our Vulcanite stems from oxidizing. So I can understand a panic reaction when something really dreadful happens to a favourite pipe.… Continue reading Splicing a Broken Shank on a 1960’s Era Brigham 384 Bent Brandy
dadspipes.com 