“It may...be judged indecent in me to come forward on this occasion; but when I see a fellow-creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak, that I may say what I know of her character.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein With Devil's Night fast upon us,… Continue reading A Hallowe’en Horror Story: Bringing a Brigham Back from the Dead!
Among the pipes waiting to be refurbished from my last estate purchase was this Trypis bent billiard. Philip Trypis worked for Brigham Pipes in Toronto before going out on his own, and he built himself quite a reputation and following. This is the first Trypis pipe I've worked on, but hopefully not the last. This… Continue reading Bowl Cracks and Stem Bites on a Trypis Bent Billiard
This is one of the last pipes from my first estate lot purchase to hit my work table. It's in the top right corner of the pipe lot pic below. Even from this poor shot, you can see that the stem needs some tweaking. The pipe appeared to be in halfway decent condition when I… Continue reading Large Fills and Stem Work on a Small Well Pipe Bent
This pipe was sent to me for refurbishment from a gentleman in Kansas. He had recently acquired it and wanted it spruced up before he started using it himself. After a brief email conversation, we agreed on a plan of action and before too long a box arrived at my door with this Shamrock inside.… Continue reading Freshening a Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock 120F
This is another pipe I picked up on a recent wander through my local antique mall – a Yello-Bole Duo-Lined in a classic Lumberman shape. It was in relatively good condition on the outside, with a bit of rim tar and a few flakes of original lacquer finish missing. The stem was original and still bore… Continue reading Internal Injuries – Repairing an Over-Reamed Bowl and Opening the Airway on a Yello-Bole Duo-Lined
I reached into my box of pipes to refurbish the other day and this Medico VFQ billiard came out. It was in rough shape – the rim was worn nearly all the way around from being knocked against something to clear the dottle from the bowl. The previous piper evidently also had dubious aim with… Continue reading Reviving a Medico VFQ
I found this BBB 2 Star Billiard at a local antiques and collectibles sale. It was in rather good shape other than a very tarry rim with a few visible dents. The stampings were crisp – the BBB 2 Star logo on the left shank, with “London Made” over “385” on the right shank. The… Continue reading A Quick Refurb of a BBB 2 Star Billiard
Smoke Master is a now-extinct seconds brand of briar pipe originally made by a company called Briarcraft Pipe Company. The company did well in the early 20th century but closed its doors in the 1950's. The brand eventually ended up in the Grabow stable of brands, as outlined in this post from 2010 on PipeSmokersForum.… Continue reading Shortening a Cracked Shank on a Smokemaster Series 300
This is a story about potential and a bit of risk-taking to fulfil it. When I pulled this pipe from the refurb box, I immediately felt that it wasn't quite living up to its potential, not necessarily as a functional pipe, but rather as an “objet d'art”. Pipes, in my mind, fall into that rare category… Continue reading A New Vision for a Butz-Choquin Galion 1661 Sitter
Down near the bottom of my box of estate pipes to refurb was this Yello Bole Standard Brylon octagonal billiard. I had noticed the unique shape of the bowl when the auction lot arrived, but I figured I had better do some research before playing with this pipe too much. According to Pipedia, Brylon was… Continue reading What the Heck is Brylon?? – A Yello Bole Standard Panel Billiard
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