I always enjoy working on family heirloom pipes, and this Dunhill Shell Briar Pot, passed down to the current steward from his father, certainly fits the bill. As you can see from this first series of images, the pipe was in need of some TLC when it arrived on the bench. Like many much loved… Continue reading A New Stem for a 1960’s Dunhill Shell Briar Pot
A little while ago I was contacted by a pipe smoker in California inquiring about repairs to a vintage Dunhill Captain Warren style pipe. For those unfamiliar, a "Captain Warren: is essentially a calabash with a removable bowl insert that sits above a condensing chamber at the bottom of the stummel. In the case of… Continue reading Restoring a 1932 Dunhill Patent Innertube Captain Warren
In a perfect world, a repair shop has access to every part it needs and can get them from suppliers quickly and easily. Enter COVID and the accompanying supply chain issues, and parts that once took about five days to arrive now takes up to 10 days, assuming they are actually available to order. Unfortunately… Continue reading A Square Peg for a Round Hole – An Exercise in Working With What You’ve Got
Second only to tenon replacement, fitting a new stem is probably the most common pipe repair, and for good reason. With a modicum of care, a briar stummel can last for decades or even centuries, but the stem is subjected to more than just heat from burning tobacco. It must also contend with tooth dents,… Continue reading A New Stem for a Hardcastle’s Deluxe Bulldog
Ask any pipe smoker or collector and they will tell you that pipes can be a lot more than simple smoking instruments. They can become conduits through which the pipe steward is connected to a person, place or philosophy that holds deeper meaning for them. Many of us have at least one pipe, stand or… Continue reading Rescuing an Heirloom Lion Head Figural Meerschaum
The pipe on the work table today was sent to me for some TLC. Its steward was concerned about the condition of the stem and the fading finish around the upper third or so of the bowl. As you can see from this first series of images, the pipe is Stanwell Legend 126, a shape… Continue reading New Life for a Stanwell Legend 126
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
Cost is almost always a prime consideration when it comes to estate pipe repairs. As I and other pipe restorers have proven more than once, virtually every estate pipe is repairable if the will to do so exists; whether the repair is worth the cost is a very different question, and the answer is very… Continue reading Worth Repairing? Salvaging a Seriously Cracked Lorenzetti Titus
The Brigham System has been on the market since 1938 when it was patented by Roy Brigham in Toronto, Canada. The original system consisted of a long aluminum tenon/filter holder into which fit a tube of untreated Rock Maple, which absorbed moisture from the smoke stream as it passed through the stem. Pipes from this… Continue reading A New System Stem for a Patent Era Brigham 229 Author
Working with translucent or transparent pipe stems can be a real test of patience and skill. As everything is (almost painfully) visible, there is no margin for error when drilling, shaping or slotting Perspex (aka clear acrylic). To complicate matters further, cleaning clear acrylic with alcohol can lead to the formation of cracks inside the… Continue reading The Trials of Perspex – A New Stem for a French C.G.T. Elite
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