Buying an estate pipe is a lot like buying a box of Cracker Jacks – you never know what surprises you'll find until you open it up! Sometimes you win, finding a rare or special pipe under all the grime; sometimes, though, Fate decrees otherwise and drops a seriously damaged pipe in your lap. That… Continue reading Draft Hole Burnout Repair on an Italian-Made Squat Rhodesian
I acquired this Dutch-made bent bulldog from Steve Laug of RebornPipes in a recent trade. It was in pretty good shape to start, which is a nice change from some of the estate pipes in my refurb box. It is stamped “Big-Ben” over “Grand Seigneur” on the left face of the diamond shank, and “15479S”… Continue reading A New Coat for a Big-Ben Bent Bulldog
This squashed bulldog was a very unprepossessing pipe when I pulled it from my refurb box. Dirty, dusty, and coloured a uniform dull grey/brown. I couldn't tell if the lumpy irregular look to the stummel was due to exuberant sandblasting or wretched neglect, the stem was oxidized and had a fair bit of tooth chatter,… Continue reading Freshening a Regis Super Grain Squashed Bulldog
My father died in an accident back in 1975 when my brothers and I were just kids. He was a pipe smoker, with a modest collection started with a humble One-Dot Brigham billiard back in the late 1950's. He must have liked it well enough, because by the early 1970's the bulk of his pipes… Continue reading A Real DadsPipe – Cleaning Up My Father’s Brigham 203 Billiard
A week ago, I published this post about my first “spare parts pipe” build, after which I was challenged by Steve Laug of RebornPipes to up the ante and create a pipe using three or more parts from other pipes. Not one to walk away from a thrown gauntlet, I accepted the challenge and started… Continue reading Challenge Accepted – The Frankenpipe Mark I
I scored this not-so-old estate BBB Luton billiard on eBay last week. It was listed as having been reamed and cleaned on the exterior, and looked pretty good in the listing pics. I took a gamble on an unfamiliar seller, and lo and behold, I won it. In due course, the pipe arrived and I… Continue reading Quick Cleanup of a BBB Luton Billiard
Several recent posts on RebornPipes and PipesRevival about CustomBilt pipes reminded me that I had a very similar pipe in my refurb box waiting for my attention. I found the pipe, but when I looked at the stampings, I discovered that it was not a CustomBilt at all; rather, it was stamped “Yello-Bole” over '“hand made”'… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Yello-Bole Hand Made, With a Bit of Learning Curve Thrown In
I pulled this Medico Double-Dri pipe out of my refurb box the other day. It had been rattling around in there for a while, and I decided it was time to do something about it. There are several well-known brands of pipes designed with removable and interchangeable bowls – the Falcon and Kirsten pipes jump… Continue reading Medico’s Answer to the Falcon – The Double-Dri
Hi everyone. Here's a quick mid-week post to share a DIY solution to every piper's perennial pipe storage shortage. I made this 28-pipe storage/display rack in just a few hours. I was lucky enough to find a 24" x 32" piece of 5/8" plywood in my garage, and a rummage through the fabric bin turned… Continue reading A Quick DIY Pipe Display
After a few more challenging refurbs, it was nice to change things up with a relatively straightforward one. This Mackenzie Extra bent pipe came out of my refurb box quite dirty – tarry rim, dings and dents, oxidized stem, etc – but even through the dirt one could plainly see that the grain on this… Continue reading Quick Clean-Up of a Mackenzie Extra 1452
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