exploring the art of tobacco pipe restoration
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,…
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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”…
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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…
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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,…
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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.…
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Having served in the Canadian Forces Reserve during my university days, I’m a big fan of all things Army, including military mount pipes, so when this Nino Rossi Sterling 167 hit my worktable, I was quite excited to see what lay under the layers of tar and tarnish. This pipe was obviously a favourite of…
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OK, it’s not THAT kind of brass band, but this Stanwell Brass Band 25 Freehand is almost as much fun. This is the second pipe I’ve cleaned up from what I’ve taken to calling The Stanwell Lot, a collection of mostly-Danish pipes from an estate outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. This Brass Band arrived on…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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