This rather worn-looking Brigham Sportsman is the last of the pipes I found on my birthday pipe-hunting excursion back in December. The pipe had certainly been well enjoyed by its previous owner, though I'm not sure exactly how much care it was given. This "rough and ready" approach to pipe maintenance is somewhat to be… Continue reading Reviving a Hard Smoked 4-Dot Brigham Sportsman Shape 42
Tag: Brigham
Resurrecting a Forlorn 1990’s Brigham 241
I had a bit of work done in the garage (aka my workshop) recently, including the installation of a most effective heater to prevent my pipes, tools and supplies from freezing in these cold winter months. While I was tidying up afterwards, I decided to sift through my boxes of pipes waiting to be restored.… Continue reading Resurrecting a Forlorn 1990’s Brigham 241
Restoring an Unusual 1990’s Era Chunky 5-Dot Brigham Bent Brandy 36
After working on a few pipes for friends, I decided to pull one of my own out of the refurb box! This 5-Dot Brigham bent brandy is an unusual piece for several reasons. It's the first example of a Shape 36 I have come across, which is always exciting for me, and the shape itself… Continue reading Restoring an Unusual 1990’s Era Chunky 5-Dot Brigham Bent Brandy 36
Showing Off My Pot as Canada Preps for Legal Cannabis
The title of this post is a bit misleading – ok, it’s a complete bait and switch. I’m not talking about THAT pot at all (which should, of course, stay as far away from your prized briars, meers and cobs as humanly possible). Rather, I’m writing about a Patent Era Brigham 145 Extra Large Pot… Continue reading Showing Off My Pot as Canada Preps for Legal Cannabis
Adding a Patent Era Brigham 478 Townsman to the Collection
I'm excited to post this blog entry today as it marks the addition of a new shape to my collection of vintage Brigham pipes. Besides satisfying my "gotta get 'em all" fixation, this pipe also hits all the collector's marks for age, condition and grade. This time I'm working on a Patent Era (1938-1955) Brigham… Continue reading Adding a Patent Era Brigham 478 Townsman to the Collection
Reviving a Roughly Used 1990’s Vintage Brigham Square-Shank 273
Some time ago now, I acquired a box of about a dozen estate pipes in various states of disrepair. Among these wounded soldiers was this interesting square-shanked Brigham pipe. When I brought the pipe to my worktable, I could see that, if it could speak, this Brigham would have had stories to tell. The stem… Continue reading Reviving a Roughly Used 1990’s Vintage Brigham Square-Shank 273
Re-Stemming a Brigham Footed Freehand
As many of you know, Brigham pipes are famous for their filter system composed of an aluminum tenon/filter holder and a tubular Rock Maple filter, or "distillator" as the company calls it now. I've made up replacement stems for many Brigham estate pipes, but this was my first time doing so for a Brigham Freehand.… Continue reading Re-Stemming a Brigham Footed Freehand
Rehabilitating a 1980’s Brigham 217 “Round Bulldog”
By far one of the most popular of pipe shapes is the classic diamond-shanked Bulldog, in either straight or bent versions. In the Brigham catalog, these are Shapes 16 and 26, respectively, but they are not the only pipe shapes labelled as Bulldogs by this producer. Also on the list are the Shape 25 Squat… Continue reading Rehabilitating a 1980’s Brigham 217 “Round Bulldog”
An Easy Restoration to Start the New Year: Renewing a Brigham 4-Dot Calabriar
Happy New Year, everyone! I thought I’d start the 2018 posts with a nice quick cleanup of a 1980’s-vintage Brigham 4-Dot Calabriar. Long a staple shape in the Brigham Pipes catalog, the Calabriar is a briar pipe carved in a full-bent Calabash shape. This example, sporting a bevelled rim, differs slightly from the classic Calabriar… Continue reading An Easy Restoration to Start the New Year: Renewing a Brigham 4-Dot Calabriar
Tidying Up a Brigham 442 Oval Shank Bent Acorn
Back in July 2017 I posted the refurbishment of a Brigham 341 Bent Acorn pipe. Here now is its big brother, a Shape 42 Bent Acorn, this time in a 4-Dot grade. The Shape 42 sports a full-on oval shank and a taller bowl than its Shape 41 sibling, and despite the two pipes being… Continue reading Tidying Up a Brigham 442 Oval Shank Bent Acorn
