An estate pipe can be a lovely and thoughtful gift for new and experienced pipe smokers alike, but sometimes estate pieces need a bit of TLC before they can be added to a pipe lover's rack and rotation. Such is the case with this Peterson's Kapruf, which, as you can see in this initial series… Continue reading Revitalizing a Well Used Peterson’s Kapruf 56 Chubby Bent Billiard
Smoking pipes have traditionally been made from only a handful of materials - clay and meerschaum originally, then briar and an assortment of fruit woods like cherry and pear. Most recently, Bog Oak, also called Morta, has entered the fray. So what exactly is Bog Oak? Bog Oak/Morta is semi-petrified oak that has lain under… Continue reading Pinning Multiple Cracks in an Otherwise Lovely Rattray’s Bog Oak (Morta) Pipe
This is the second heirloom pipe send to me for work, along with the Medico Square Pot about which I wrote last time. This time I'm working on an LL Bean Bent Billiard fitted with an interesting Smokemaster filter system first produced by Briarcraft in the USA in the early 210th Century, and again later… Continue reading Tenon and Stem Repair for an Interesting LL Bean Bent Billiard
This smaller Comoy's Sandblast Army Billiard arrived at the workshop recently as part of a larger lot of estate pipes sent in by an Ontario pipe shop for repairs and restoration. As this first series of pics shows, the stummel was in quite good condition, needing only a good cleaning and buffing to prepare it… Continue reading Stem Repair on a Pre-Cadogan Comoy’s Sandblast 24 Army Billiard
Over the years, I have developed a generally good sense of the age of a pipe based on its size, shape and finish, among other details. This Peterson Sherlock Holmes meerschaum, however, surprised me. When it arrived on the work table, the pipe was looking far from its best. The stem was heavily oxidized with… Continue reading Restoring a Hard-Ridden 2006 Peterson Sherlock Holmes Meerschaum
Leonard Payne was a British pipe maker who immigrated to Canada and set up shop in British Columbia. His pipes can be found on the Canadian estate market, though I'm not sure how many pipes were produced over the years. The entry on Pipedia.org is brief and to the point: Mike Glukler of Briar Blues, states,… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Leonard Payne Select Bent Billiard
Today I'm back digging around in the estate lot of pipes I purchased last summer. Along with the Brigham 5W1 I wrote about last time, the lot included another Brigham - an interesting 5-Dot Bent Brandy. I have pulled it out of the refurb box several times since I acquired it, trying to get a… Continue reading Restoring a Unique Brigham 5-Dot Bent Brandy
I'm asked fairly regularly about where and how I source the estate pipes featured in the blog. I have bought many individually or in small groups from antique shops and fairs, but every now and then I buy an estate lot. Last summer I did just that, bringing home a mixed batch of about 60… Continue reading Reclaiming a Damaged 1960s-vintage Brigham 229L Large Author
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
dadspipes.com 