This is another of my recent antique fair finds. I added this Post-Patent Era (1956-69) Brigham Executive (3 Dot Vertical) 609 Apple to my bag along with the pair of Brigham Norsemen I wrote up last week. It was a good hunting trip! The Brigham Executive grade of pipe, pinned with 3 vertically aligned Dots,… Continue reading Refreshing a Post-Patent Era Brigham Executive 609 Apple
Old friends, Sat on their park bench Like bookends. - Simon & Garfunkel, Old Friends Even a casual glance through the posts here at DadsPipes will quickly identify me as the vintage Brigham pipe fan that I am. I blame it on my father, who is, of course, not here to defend himself and therefore… Continue reading Bookends! A Pair of 1970’s Brigham Norseman Pipes
Before anyone says it, no, there's really no such thing as a “typical” estate pipe cleanup; just like home renovations, you never really know what you're getting into until you open up a wall. That said, I think this particular refurbishment is fairly representative of the type of work required to take a reasonably well-treated,… Continue reading A Typical Estate Pipe Refurb – Cleaning Up a Brigham 384 Bent Brandy
I acquired this late-1970s/early 1980s vintage Brigham 189 Acorn pipe at a recent auction. It's on the larger size as far as Brigham pipes go, and I knew right away that it would feel great in the hand. The auction pictures weren't the greatest, as it seems is so often the case, but the pipe… Continue reading Spring Cleaning for a Brigham 189 Acorn
Here's another two-for-one pipe refurbishment. I've been picking up estate pipes in ones and twos recently, and adding them to the refurb box as I go. When I realized I had two vintage Brigham Shape 29 (aka Author) pipes waiting for me, I decided to work on them together. The first pipe is a 2-Dot… Continue reading Author, Author! Cleaning up a Pair of Brigham Shape 29 Pipes
This pipe came to me via a recent eBay auction all the way from Israel. I usually try to stay a bit closer to home in my buying, but the prospect of adding a new Patent Era pipe shape to my Brigham collection had my mouse hand clicking “Bid Now” on this one. The seller… Continue reading Re-Stemming a Repatriated Patent Era Brigham 273 Panel Billiard
The door opened and a man walked into the bar, pausing briefly in the doorway to allow his eyes to adapt to the dim light inside. The place was what optimists would euphemistically call a dive. The establishment was empty except for a few drunks and a large, bored-looking man behind the counter wiping glasses… Continue reading Mission Impossible: Operation Long Shot
They say that wait times at your local hospital Emergency Room are bad, but I think this case proves that some victims wait longer than others. The patient in question had obviously been lingering between life and death for some time before I encountered it on my operating table. The question was could I save… Continue reading A Bulldog with a Concussion – Emergency Surgery for a Brigham 526
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
I bought these two bulldog pipes separately, but as the restorations proceeded almost identically, I thought I'd write them up together. Both pipes are from the late 1970's or early 1980's – the unique rusticated stummels with wave-shaped smooth features are illustrated in this Brigham catalog from 1978. I'm working here on a 316 Straight… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Pair of Brigham Bulldogs
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