This French-made Jeantet leather-clad Scoop came to me in an estate lot I bought last summer. At first glance the pipe appeared to be in good shape, requiring only a light cleaning to make it ready for a new pipe steward. First glances, however, are sometimes not as accurate as we would like. This series… Continue reading A Shank Band and a New Look for a Jeantet Leather-Clad Scoop
It's been a while since I worked on a pipe from my own box of refurbs-in-waiting, so today when I found myself temporarily in between other jobs, I dug through my pile of estate pipes and pulled out this 1990s vintage Brigham 303 Billiard. As you can see from this first series of pictures, the… Continue reading Reviving a 1990s Brigham 303 Billiard
Temporarily in between repair jobs the other day as I waited for a parts order to come in, I rummaged around in my refurb box and came out with a rather battered and neglected Bent Billiard stummel. An old "Pipes by Lee" briar, the original stem had departed long ago; I had, however, recently jumped… Continue reading Tangerine Dream – A “New” Pipe From an Old Stummel
Leather-clad pipes were popular between the end of the Second World War and the late 1970s/early 1980s. First marketed in the 1940s by Longchamp in France as a way to utilize less-than-perfect briar bowls, customers, especially Allied soldiers stationed in France, quickly embraced leather-clad pipes, prompting other firms to hop on the trend. The pipe… Continue reading Quick Cleanup of an Oval Bowl Leather Wrapped Pocket Pipe
I recently acquired two Italian made pipes marked simply "JR" and "Italy" which I have found were made as house brand pipes for JR Cigars in the USA. The first one, a nice Author shape, is already listed on the Pipe Inventory page as it really didn't need restoration. The second of the pair needed… Continue reading A Quick Refresh of a JR Italy Bent Dublin
Here is the second of two John Calich pipes I picked up over the summer. While the first one, written about HERE, was a smaller, fully rusticated pipe, this Bent Billiard is more typical of John's work in that it features a combination of smooth and rustic finishes. This series of pics shows the pipe… Continue reading Tip & Tail Touch-Ups for a Calich XX Large Bent Billiard
This Bent Billiard is the first of two pipes by Canadian pipe carver John Calich that I acquired as part of an estate collection earlier this summer. Calich was a master pipe carver who operated in the Greater Toronto area for 40 years, hand carving each pipe from start to finish. Pipes sold through dealers… Continue reading Reviving a John Calich XX Bent Billiard
I've been doing a number of simpler estate pipe cleanups lately, so I guess that means it's time for a more in-depth project. Today I'm dealing with the last of three Aldo Velani pipes recently acquired as part of an estate lot, this one an Executive series 292 Bent Apple. Aldo Velani pipes are what… Continue reading Rim Rebuild and Shank Repairs for an Aldo Velani Executive 292 Bent Apple
Today's estate pipe restoration is a bit more esoteric than some of my recent posts. I'm working on a rather petite figural meerschaum pipe carved into the likeness of a lady's head. I would tentatively date this pipe to the latter half of the 19th Century, though there are no markings on the pipe or… Continue reading Replacing a Bone Screw Tenon on a Petite Lady’s Head Figural Meerschaum
I acquired three Aldo Velani pipes as part of a recent estate purchase; the first needed very little work and is already available on the Pipe Inventory page. The third pipe needs some more substantial help to get back into fighting shape and will be the subject of another blog post. Today, I'm dealing with… Continue reading A Quick Cleanup for an Aldo Velani Corona 02 Rhodesian
