Cost is almost always a prime consideration when it comes to estate pipe repairs. As I and other pipe restorers have proven more than once, virtually every estate pipe is repairable if the will to do so exists; whether the repair is worth the cost is a very different question, and the answer is very… Continue reading Worth Repairing? Salvaging a Seriously Cracked Lorenzetti Titus
This is the second heirloom pipe send to me for work, along with the Medico Square Pot about which I wrote last time. This time I'm working on an LL Bean Bent Billiard fitted with an interesting Smokemaster filter system first produced by Briarcraft in the USA in the early 210th Century, and again later… Continue reading Tenon and Stem Repair for an Interesting LL Bean Bent Billiard
Although some pipe retailers out there carry estate pipes, many of us find our vintage briars at antique shops, garage sales or similar places. Sometime, however, a new pipe smoker will inherit a cherished pipe from a family member. Such is the case with this Chacom Auteuil Bent Billiard, which belonged to the current owner's… Continue reading Saving a Burned Out Heirloom Chacom Auteuil 115 Oval Shank Bent Billiard
I found this Peterson pipe at a local antique mall a few months ago and finally had the chance to pull it from the refurb box and clean it up. As you can see from the attached pics, it had some cosmetic issues to contend with, mainly a heavily oxidized and mineral crusted stem. Made… Continue reading An Easy Yet Remarkable Transformation for a Peterson System Standard 312
Welcome to Part III of this series about a "lost" line of unfiltered Brigham pipes. This time, I'm working on the second of two Brigham "Canuck" prototype pipes circa 1940s or 1950s. As I wrote about in Part I, the Canuck line was produced until the 1960s. Production pipes were fitted with a non-filtered Vulcanite… Continue reading Re-Discovering Brigham’s Canuck Line of Pipes and Rehabilitating Two Prototypes – Part III
In today's post I'll be working on the first of two Brigham Canuck prototype pipes I wrote up last time. This Pot shaped pipe, probably made in the 1940's or early 1950's, was certainly showing its age when I brought it to the worktable to start cleaning it up. The body of the pipe wasn't… Continue reading Re-Discovering Brigham’s Canuck Line of Pipes and Rehabilitating Two Prototypes – Part II
This pipe was sent to me by a friend in Calgary, Alberta for a bit of attention. The owner pointed out that the chamber floor was over-reamed, leaving the draft hole above the bottom of the bowl. I was also asked to look at the stem and give my opinion on what was going on… Continue reading Reviving a Chunky Carved Roxborough Genuine Briar Billiard
Just before Christmas I received a very generous gift from my pipe friend in Iqaluit who has been sending me his Blatter pipes for refurbishment. Along with a tin of pipe tobacco and an assortment of cigars, the box contained two Blatter pipes – one whole but in poor shape, and one stummel missing its… Continue reading Restemming a Blatter Bros Make Selected Freehand
A DadsPipes reader contacted me a little while ago to ask about a Brigham pipe he’d picked up at a local antique shop. Initially he had planned to clean up the pipe himself, but after running into possible burnout problems, he decided to send the pipe my way for an opinion. I was sent these… Continue reading Scorched Briar and Unique Stamping Reveal a Part of Brigham Pipe History
When it comes to the regular care and feeding of one’s pipes, it seems that pipe smokers can be divided into one of two camps – those who treat their pipes well and those that do not. In the first camp you will find people who clean their briar, meer or cob before it blocks… Continue reading Rescuing a Cracked & Beaten 1960 Dunhill Shell Briar 142 Dublin
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