This older Brigham pipe came to me in a mixed eBay estate lot, and at first glance I took it for a basic Billiard. Closer examination and a shape number unrelated to Brigham's Billiard pipes changed my mind. Ultimately, I've labelled this pipe a Straight Brandy Sitter as the bowl walls taper inwards from base… Continue reading Restoring a 1960’s Brigham 127 Straight Brandy
I am continually impressed by the seemingly endless array of pipe shapes out there - Billiards, Pots, Bulldogs, Apples, Rhodesians, Canadians, Blowfish, Ramses, Cavaliers and so many more! "Pure", or easily classifiable, pipe shapes are fascinating enough; then there are the many crossover or hybrid shapes that seem to encompass characteristics of several classic pipe… Continue reading Another New Shape – Freshening a 1990s Vintage Brigham 360
Brigham made a lot of pipes in their Toronto factory over nearly a century of production in Canada, so estate Brigham pipes are fairly common, especially in Ontario. Available in a wide range of quality and price points, there was a Brigham pipe to suit every style and budget and those pipers that loved them… Continue reading New Stem & Dot for a 1960’s Brigham 104 Billiard
I found this Brigham Bulldog on eBay quite some time ago and decided it was high time I cleaned it up for the collection. The pipe was in rather good estate condition when I brought it to the worktable. The main issues were a deeply oxidized stem, some rim tar and associated darkening and patches… Continue reading Quick Cleanup and Stem Patch for a 1960’s Brigham 316 Straight Saddle Bulldog
This pipe was sent to me by a DadsPipes reader for some much needed R & R - read that as "Rescue and Resuscitation" rather than "Rest and Relaxation". As was explained to me by the owner, this Brigham Bent Acorn, along with a Sportsman model he also sent me, belonged to his late father.… Continue reading Burn, Baby, Burn! Rescuing a Heavily Scorched Brigham VIP 689 Bent Acorn
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
I started collecting Brigham pipes almost accidentally - my dad smoked Brighams, so it was natural that my first briar was also a Brigham - and the collecting began in earnest several years ago when I embarked on the Brigham Shape Chart project. Since then, I have managed to catalog over 80 vintage Brigham pipe… Continue reading Adding a Brigham Shape 49 Bent Apple to the Collection
A recent eBay purchase left me wondering about the habits and motivations of a certain subset of old pipe smokers, specifically those that seem to show no care or concern for maintaining their favourite briar companions. The eBay lot was made up of five old Brigham pipes which included both high end and entry level… Continue reading Reclaiming a Trashed Brigham 720
I replenished my refurb box with about a dozen new-to-me estate pipes recently. Among the new arrivals was this Brigham 6-Dot Bent Pear. In many respects, the pipe arrived on the worktable in excellent condition - the stem was like new, without any chatter or tooth dents or even oxidation; the majority of the stummel… Continue reading Rim Rescue for a 1980’s Brigham 659 Bent Pear
