I had the opportunity to add this Patent Era (1938-1955) Brigham 302 billiard to my collection recently. The online auction listing by an Ontario antique dealer described the pipe as in “great used condition”. The pics, though darker and more shadowy than I would have deemed acceptable in one of my sales, looked ok, so… Continue reading Reviving a Tired Patent Era Brigham 302
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
My affection for vintage Brigham pipes is evident to anyone browsing this blog. Many of my restored Brighams have been showcased on the site, and I own more Brigham pipes than any other brand (currently 15 of the 55 or so pipes in my man-cave), ranging from run-of-the-mill 1-Dot Standards through to top-of-the-line Presidential Freehands.… Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me – Restoring a Brigham 565
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
My father died in an accident back in 1975 when my brothers and I were just kids. He was a pipe smoker, with a modest collection started with a humble One-Dot Brigham billiard back in the late 1950's. He must have liked it well enough, because by the early 1970's the bulk of his pipes… Continue reading A Real DadsPipe – Cleaning Up My Father’s Brigham 203 Billiard
“It may...be judged indecent in me to come forward on this occasion; but when I see a fellow-creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak, that I may say what I know of her character.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein With Devil's Night fast upon us,… Continue reading A Hallowe’en Horror Story: Bringing a Brigham Back from the Dead!
Pipe makers and restorers use various types of bowl coatings for a variety of reasons. Some coatings are factory-applied to new pipes in the belief that they help protect the briar wood of the bowl from burnouts and assist in the formation of cake - that even layer of hard ashy stuff that insulates the… Continue reading A Simple & Effective Bowl Coating
I've found most of my estate Brigham pipes on eBay so far. This one caught my eye for two reasons - it was a model/shape that I hadn't seen before and it was a bit of a mystery! The listing pics were not of the best quality, so it was nearly impossible to make out… Continue reading King of the Brighams – Identifying a Presidential Series A Grade Freehand!
Here is another of my Estate Brigham refurbs. This one is a Brigham 4-Dot full bent. There is no shape number stamped in this one, but judging from the Brigham shape charts and size, it's likely a 424 (ie a 400-series/4-dot pipe in the 24 shape). Below is the Classic Shapes chart from the Brigham… Continue reading Refurbishing a Brigham Pat # 4-Dot Bent Estate Pipe
Here is my latest pipe refurb project – a 1970's vintage, Made in Canada, Brigham 3-Dot Acorn I found at a local antiques mall. I paid the princely sum of $14CAD for this poor old pipe. I have a soft spot for Brigham pipes - they were my Dad's pipe of choice – so I… Continue reading Salvaging a Sorely Mistreated Brigham 3-Dot Acorn
