It's been a while since I worked on a pipe from my own box of refurbs-in-waiting, so today when I found myself temporarily in between other jobs, I dug through my pile of estate pipes and pulled out this 1990s vintage Brigham 303 Billiard. As you can see from this first series of pictures, the… Continue reading Reviving a 1990s Brigham 303 Billiard
Those of you familiar with the Brigham Shape Chart will already be aware that Brigham made many of the classic pipe shapes in a number of different sizes. Prior to the shift to European production, Brigham Billiards came in four regular sizes (Shapes 01, 02, 03 and 04) with several variants, including Tall, Chimney and… Continue reading Freshening up the Smallest of the Vintage Brigham Billiards – a 1980s 201
About a year ago, I wrote about the rediscovery of Brigham's early line of non-Patent pipes and the subsequent restoration of two examples. I recently acquired a third Non-Patent Brigham pipe to add to the collection, this time in what Brigham called a Club shape, otherwise known as a Lovat. Here is how the pipe… Continue reading Reviving an Early Brigham Non-Patent Club
I'm switching things up this week. Instead of a pipe restoration, I thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at some content from the Brigham pipes book. In this blog, we're going to take a closer look at Brigham Patent Era pipes, those made between 1938 and 1955. 1938 was a big year for Brigham… Continue reading A Sneak Peek at the Brigham Book – Patent Era Pipes
Amid all the work I've been doing on other people's pipes lately, I try to squeeze in one of my own where I can. This Brigham 206 has been waiting patiently for a little love for quite a while, so I decided that it was time to give it some attention. The series of pictures… Continue reading Cleanup and Stem Work for a 1990’s Brigham 206 Medium Straight Dublin
The Coronavirus pandemic is keeping most of us in self-isolation, and I am no exception. While I am missing my usual wanders through antique shops, I have a fairly full box of estate pipes to work on while holed up. This Brigham 354 is one such pipe, acquired as part of a larger eBay lot.… Continue reading A Quick Refresh for a Stunning 1980's Vintage Brigham 354
Here's an interesting Brigham pipe for those with a penchant for something out of the ordinary. I spotted this 5-Dot on eBay and though I admit that the shape isn't really my thing, I was nonetheless captivated. I entered a bid and won the auction. In due time, the pipe arrived at the house and… Continue reading Stem Repairs for a Unique Late 1980s Brigham 5-Dot
The Norseman series of "Scandinavian-inspired" freehand shapes was introduced to the Brigham lineup in the 1960s during the Danish Freehand craze and continued production until roughly 1980. The rusticated Norseman pipes were available in six shapes, stamped as 9W2 through 9W7. The first two shapes, 9W2 and 9W3, were the same Egg shape in two… Continue reading Reviving a Brigham Norseman Egg
Happy New Year, everyone! This post is deliberately going live after the holidays to avoid spoiling the Christmas surprise for one lucky piper. I was contacted by a lady who was on the hunt for a few vintage Brigham estate pipes to present to her partner as a Christmas gift. Fortuitously, I had a few… Continue reading Reviving a 1990’s Brigham 123 Bent Billiard in time for the Holidays
Like many other pipe makers, Brigham started its lineup with the most popular pipe shapes. Shapes 01 through 04 in the Brigham Shape Chart are Billiards, from small to large, and the next three shapes, 05, 06 & 07 are Dublins. This pipe on the worktable today is the smallest Dublin offered in the classic… Continue reading Refreshing a Petite Brigham 605 Dublin
