OK, it's not THAT kind of brass band, but this Stanwell Brass Band 25 Freehand is almost as much fun. This is the second pipe I've cleaned up from what I've taken to calling The Stanwell Lot, a collection of mostly-Danish pipes from an estate outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. This Brass Band arrived on… Continue reading Where’s the Cornet Section? – Restoring a Stanwell Brass Band #25
I thought I'd start working through my recent estate lot purchase with a relatively easy refurbishment. This Danish Sovereign 179 Bent Apple is a Stanwell sub-brand, designed for export and sold exclusively in Canada and the USA. My best guess is that this pipe was made sometime in the 1980's. Judging by the layer of… Continue reading Digging the Danes – Cleaning up a Danish Sovereign 179 Bent Apple
I acquired this poker-sitter in a recent estate lot purchase. It arrived on my worktable with a few issues, and I'd find a few more surprises before the refurbishment was complete. A dense, uneven cake lined the bowl and a fairly thick layer of lava covered the rim, but not quite enough to conceal some… Continue reading Reviving a John Redman Ltd Canberra Poker Sitter
This old Brigham is the pipe I used when writing up my previous post on fixing common stem issues. To paraphrase the late Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story. - Charles I spotted this old Brigham in a mixed lot of mostly basket pipes I bought recently. As many of you know,… Continue reading Restoring a Patent Era Brigham 232 Saddle Billiard
A little while back, I wrote up a blog entry on fixing two stem fit problems that crop up regularly - a too-loose stem, and a too-tight stem. Today I'd like to spotlight another common, and completely avoidable, stem problem that I deal with regularly when restoring estate pipes, namely the issue of a stem… Continue reading Fixing Another Common Stem Fit Issue – Stem to Shank
I picked up this Dr Plumb billiard off eBay for very little money; the pics below of its original condition will tell you why. It was in rough shape to say the least. The rim had been absolutely destroyed by repeated hard dottle-knocking against stone or brick. The scarred remains were layered with lava and… Continue reading New Life for a Beaten Dr Plumb Standard 9132 Billiard
This is another pipe sent to me by a fellow member of the Canadian Cigar Forum. As with the Sabra Apple, the pipe belonged to his grandfather and was in need of a bit of work before the owner could use it. I took this series of pics when the pipe arrived. Overall it appeared… Continue reading Patching a Pinhole Burnout on a Chateau Bruyere Sitter
I spotted this Kaywoodie pipe on a recent eBay auction and had to get it in my hands. I quite like the shape – to my eye, a rather Danish-inspired 1/4 bent Dublin – and the oval panel bowl stands out from the crowd. I had previously worked on another English-made Kaywoodie and was keen… Continue reading London Calling: Cleaning Up a Kaywoodie La Roche
I had a pair of Brigham pipes sent to me for some work, a 2-Dot Sportsman model bulldog and a 318 billiard. The owner had found the pipes in a local antique shop. The price was right but the pipes had a few issues to contend with, most notably stem fit. The pipe stems were… Continue reading Fixing Two Common Stem Fit Issues
I picked up this old billiard pipe at a local antique market. The stampings were so far gone as to be unreadable, but the pipe seemed to be in decent shape otherwise. The stem was overclocked, and there were a few fills that would need replacing. The pipe was dirty overall, with a cake buildup… Continue reading A New Look for an Unknown Billiard
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