Shank cracks are a common part of pipe repair, but there are situations where a standard external shank band just doesn't work - a tapered shank, for instance - or when, for aesthetic reasons, the pipe's steward doesn't want to change the outward appearance of the pipe. What to do then? This is where the… Continue reading Tutorial: Making an Internal Shank Repair
Shank obstructions are a fact of life for many smoking pipes, so much so that a long, thin shank reamer is part of just about every pipe tool on the market. Typically not much more than a length of stiff steel wire, shank reamers are designed to push through a blockage in the pipe's airway… Continue reading Clearing a Tough Shank Obstruction & Re-Stemming an Astley’s Straight Apple
The Gourd Calabash pipe originated in South Africa, quickly becoming popular among British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers stationed there during the 1899-1902 Second Boer War. There is a larger Canadian connection here, too, as it was H.L. Blatter, his brother Ernest and sister Marguerite that founded a company to manufacture Gourd Calabash pipes… Continue reading A Major Salvage Operation for a Gourd Calabash Churchwarden
Today's pipe restoration project is a fairly straightforward undertaking - a nice break from the more involved repairs I have been dealing with lately. The patient on the bench today is a handsome Savinelli Punto Oro 616KS Bent Billiard. This description from Smokingpipes.com sums up the shape: One of the most full-bodied examples of Savinelli's… Continue reading Putting the Gold Back Into a Savinelli Punto Oro 616KS
One of the joys of meerschaum is that it is fairly easy to carve and thus meerschaum pipes come in just about every shape imaginable, from basic Billiards to fantastical dragons, castles and more. The carver of today's estate pipe project took this block of meerschaum in a very different direction - folk art. The… Continue reading Reviving a Rather Unsettling Folk Art Carved Meerschaum
It's been a while since I had a really challenging repair on the worktable. Straightforward restorations are great, don't get me wrong, but after the twelfth basic ream & clean job, a more intricate repair can be refreshing and a chance to exercise some muscles not often engaged during less complicated projects. This pair of… Continue reading Rebuilding Shattered Shank Extensions on Two Castello Sea Rock Pipes
Last week I wrote about a Meerschaum Canted Billiard stummel that had been lost in the back of a drawer for decades. Hidden away with that pipe was another stummel, the Orlik P9 Bent Apple that is the subject of this week's post. The stummel was in above average estate condition, with the most notable… Continue reading Reviving a Forgotten Orlik P9 Bent Apple
This post is a bit different from most on this site in that the pipe on the table today was sent for preservation more than restoration. It is stamped simply "Master Bent" on the left shank and "Imported Briar" on the right. I have been unable to find any reference to a maker online,; if… Continue reading Preserving a Family Heirloom Master Bent
More than a few years ago now I was involved with an unfortunately short-lived local pipe club which held, among other things, a few swap meets where members could trade pipes, tobaccos etc. That is how this rather unloved-looking meerschaum pipe came to live in my box of refurbs-in-waiting. I have pulled the pipe out,… Continue reading Something from Nothing – Creating a Mini Warden from a Junk Meerschaum Stummel
This meerschaum Bent Billiard came in to the shop for a new stem, part of the same batch of pipes as the Nording freehand I wrote about last week. If you have read that post, the condition of this pipe when it arrived won't be much of a surprise. As this series of pics shows,… Continue reading A Deep Cleaning and a New Stem for a Large Meerschaum Bent Billiard
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