I had the opportunity to add this Patent Era (1938-1955) Brigham 302 billiard to my collection recently. The online auction listing by an Ontario antique dealer described the pipe as in “great used condition”. The pics, though darker and more shadowy than I would have deemed acceptable in one of my sales, looked ok, so… Continue reading Reviving a Tired Patent Era Brigham 302
It's 2016! May it be a great year for all of you and yours. I thought I'd start the year off right with a restoration that gives many new years to a classic Canadian-made pipe. This restoration was easily one of the most ambitious and challenging pipe refurbishments I have undertaken to date. A fellow… Continue reading Happy New Year and Happy New Life for a Brigham 613
My affection for vintage Brigham pipes is evident to anyone browsing this blog. Many of my restored Brighams have been showcased on the site, and I own more Brigham pipes than any other brand (currently 15 of the 55 or so pipes in my man-cave), ranging from run-of-the-mill 1-Dot Standards through to top-of-the-line Presidential Freehands.… Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me – Restoring a Brigham 565
Here we go with another bulldog! I don't really know how I managed to acquire yet another example of this classic pipe shape, but there you have it. This one is a BBB 2-Star straight bulldog that arrived in pretty good shape. The rim was tarred and had a few small dings around the edge,… Continue reading Cleaning Up a BBB 2-Star Bulldog
Buying an estate pipe is a lot like buying a box of Cracker Jacks – you never know what surprises you'll find until you open it up! Sometimes you win, finding a rare or special pipe under all the grime; sometimes, though, Fate decrees otherwise and drops a seriously damaged pipe in your lap. That… Continue reading Draft Hole Burnout Repair on an Italian-Made Squat Rhodesian
I acquired this Dutch-made bent bulldog from Steve Laug of RebornPipes in a recent trade. It was in pretty good shape to start, which is a nice change from some of the estate pipes in my refurb box. It is stamped “Big-Ben” over “Grand Seigneur” on the left face of the diamond shank, and “15479S”… Continue reading A New Coat for a Big-Ben Bent Bulldog
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
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
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
Some pipe shapes jump out at you from across the room, grabbing your attention in the equal but opposite way other shapes make you wonder what the carver could possibly have been thinking. I was immediately drawn to this pipe when I spotted it on a recent estate pipe hunting expedition. The chubby bulldog reminded… Continue reading Restoring an Underwhelming Habitant Deluxe Chubby Bulldog
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