I’ve wanted to add a Brigham Club pipe to my collection for some time, so when I spotted this 4 Dot version on eBay recently, I knew I’d be bidding, despite the pipe’s obvious shortcomings. The auction listing clearly showed one major problem – the lower portion of the stem’s bite/button area was missing a… Continue reading Rebuilding a Stem for a 1960’s Brigham 419 Club
This is pipe #5 from the group of Blatter pipes sent to me from a piper in Iqaluit, Nunavut. This compact Rhodesian stood out to me immediately, the Rhody being one of my favourite pipe shapes. The rustication on this particular pipe is also quite striking – deep, craggy and very tactile. The pipe arrived… Continue reading Tooth Dents and Rim Lava on a Blatter Rustic Bent Rhodesian
The Brigham Shape 18 Pear is quickly becoming one of my favourites; my very first pipe purchase back in university was a 2 Dot Pear, and it’s still in my rack and regular rotation. I’ve since added a 118, the restoration of which I’ve written about here, and now this 4-Dot version. The pipe arrived… Continue reading A Bevy of Brighams IV – Repairing Heat Fissures in a 1980’s Brigham 418 Pear
I'm pushing this post out a little early this week. I head out tomorrow on a long-anticipated fishing trip with my brothers, but I wanted to make sure I left something for you to read while I'm (hopefully) reeling in some walleye! This is the next pipe I worked on from the box of Blatter… Continue reading Sprucing Up a Blatter Bent Pot
Here is the next pipe from the box of Blatter pipes sent to me from a piper in Iqaluit, Nunavut for refurbishment. This one is a nicely shaped rusticated Bent Egg, stamped “Quebec 1989” over “Blatter” on the smooth underside of the shank. The stem is original and carries the Blatter Red Dot. The pipe… Continue reading Refreshing a Blatter 1989 Rustic Bent Egg
Needing a break from all the Brigham and Blatter pipes I've worked on lately, I dug down through my box of estate pipes and came up with this Stanwell Buffalo. It is a Shape # 140, which Bas Steven's list of Stanwell shapes identifies as a "Small freehand, slightly bent, full mouthpiece by Jess Chonowitsch".… Continue reading Repairing a Cracked Horn Shank Extension on a Stanwell Buffalo
These two Brigham Sportsman pipes are the 4th and 5th of the seven Brigham pipes I purchased as a lot back before Christmas. For those unfamiliar with this series, the Sportsman pipes were roughly shaped, semi-finished and sold each year at the Toronto Sportsman’s Show as rugged, rough-and-ready pipes suitable for bringing along to the… Continue reading A Bevy of Brighams Part III – A Pair of Unsmoked 3 Dot Sportsman Pipes
This is the second of six Blatter pipes sent to me for refurbishment. Of the lot, this Canadian is the owner’s admitted favourite, and I can see why. The long, elegant shape is rather appealing, and the amber acrylic stem on this pipe is quite eye-catching. The pipe hit the worktable in very nice estate… Continue reading Repairing Old Fills in a Blatter Canadian
I was recently sent a box of six pipes for refurbishment from a gentleman in Iqaluit, Nunavut. All six pipes were made by Blatter & Blatter, Inc of Montreal, known at one point in the firm’s 100 year history as Blatter Bros. Established in Montreal in 1907, Blatter & Blatter has remained, by choice, a… Continue reading Freshening a Blatter One Dot Zulu
I picked up this Hardcastle’s Royal Windsor pipe in a small lot of estates sometime last year and it has been waiting patiently in my refurb box since then; in fact, I’d forgotten it was even there! When I rediscovered it, I brought it to the worktable for a good look. I’ve called this shape… Continue reading Reviving a Hardcastle’s Royal Windsor 36 Liverpool
