It's not uncommon in my line of work to come across pipes that show signs of previous repairs. Even well cared for pipes need a bit of work now and then, with tenons and stems being the most commonly damaged parts. The Dunhill Shell Briar on the bench this week is a good example. Overall,… Continue reading Correcting Questionable Past Repairs on a 1957 Dunhill ES F/T Shell Briar Canadian
The Connoisseur Pipe Shop in New York City (purchased by Ed Burak in 1968 and closed in 2009) is famous in the pipe community as the home and gallery for Burak's pipe designs. For more on Burak and the shop, I direct you to this article on Pipedia.org. I've worked on a number of Burak… Continue reading Crafting a Hand Cut Resin Stem for a Burak Connoisseur Oval Shanked Pot
Most of the time when clients bring me their pipes, they want me to make them look new again, or at least get close. Other times, like with today's project, I am asked to create something very different. The pipe on the worktable today is a brand I'd never come across before. The rather large… Continue reading Let’s Make A Vintage Style Cased House Pipe!
I recently refurbished a number of pipes sent in by a gentleman from Texas. These were mainly freehand pipes in need of new stems, but the pipe on the bench today needed quite a bit more TLC than a quick Ream & Clean. The handsome mixed finish Freehand Sitter pictured below arrived without a stem… Continue reading Repairing a Cracked Shank on a Danish Pride by Ben Wade Freehand
A loose tenon is a fairly common occurrence in the pipe world. Many little things can alter the fit of the tenon over time. For example, removing the stem while the pipe is still hot can compress the tenon, wear and tear can erode the surface of the tenon or the mortise or both, or,… Continue reading Replacing a Loose 9mm Filter Tenon on a Dunhill Cumberland 4102F
This post is a bit of a change of pace, as we're not dealing with a stem replacement. In fact, the stem on this Ashton Sovereign XXX Saddle Billiard was in excellent condition when the pipe arrived at the shop. The problem, obvious to all in this initial series of images, was the shank, which… Continue reading Repairing a Broken Shank on an Ashton Sovereign
There is an old adage that tiny problems become large problems if left unattended, and the pipe on the bench this week is a prime example of this truism. This Savinelli Freehand Dublin was clearly a favourite of its steward but maintenance and repairs were put off, allowing hairline cracks down both sides of the… Continue reading Reviving a Hard Ridden Savinelli Freehand Bent Dublin
Over the years, many pipe retailers commissioned established makers to produce pipes marked with the retailer's own brand, in much the same way that grocery chains today contract existing producers to make their house brand merchandise. For pipe lovers, buying a house brand can be a more accessible ( read "less expensive") route to acquiring… Continue reading A Hand Cut Stem for a Tinderbox Unique by Charatan
Ask any pipe smoker, maker or collector and they will all tell you that the weakest part of a pipe, and thus the part most prone to damage, is the stem tenon. Most often cut as an integral part of the stem itself, the tenon holds the stem securely in place at the end of… Continue reading A New Delrin Tenon for an Interesting Tom Spanu Bamboo Freehand
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
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