This old meerschaum stummel came to me in a lot of bowls I purchased from a pipe friend in the Netherlands. It caught my eye immediately due to its obvious age and deep amber coloration, though it had a few issues that would need to be sorted out before it found its next pipe steward.… Continue reading Creating a Mini-Warden from a Vintage Meerschaum Dublin
I have been kept busy this summer with repairs and restorations for other pipe smokers and collectors, so when I finally had a bit of free shop time, I decided to work on one of my own. This Peterson-esque full bent stummel came to me in a lot of about a dozen loose bowls. My… Continue reading Restoring a French-Made Wellbor Army Mount Full Bent
Over the years, I have developed a generally good sense of the age of a pipe based on its size, shape and finish, among other details. This Peterson Sherlock Holmes meerschaum, however, surprised me. When it arrived on the work table, the pipe was looking far from its best. The stem was heavily oxidized with… Continue reading Restoring a Hard-Ridden 2006 Peterson Sherlock Holmes Meerschaum
Lockdowns, closures and other by-products of the COVID pandemic have revived (for some) or reintroduced (for others) the "Mend and Make Do" attitude prevalent among the British during World War II. Purchases of new things - cars, clothing, home improvement projects, etc - have been delayed or given up altogether as people tighten their proverbial… Continue reading Rehabilitating a “Repaired” Savinelli Chocolat 122
A filterless, or Non-System, Brigham pipe is a rare bird, indeed. The Toronto-based manufacturer sold non-system pipes alongside their patented Brigham System pipes featuring the Rock Maple Distillator from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s. By that time the vast majority of Brigham pipes sold were system pipes, so the non-filtered versions were quietly retired.… Continue reading Dent Removal and Some TLC for an Early 2000’s Non-System Brigham 530
Last week I wrote about a Meerschaum Canted Billiard stummel that had been lost in the back of a drawer for decades. Hidden away with that pipe was another stummel, the Orlik P9 Bent Apple that is the subject of this week's post. The stummel was in above average estate condition, with the most notable… Continue reading Reviving a Forgotten Orlik P9 Bent Apple
The pipe on the bench today was sent to me by a gentleman who has become a regular client of mine over the last year or so. We have been restoring the pipes in his extensive collection batch by batch and just when he thought he was finished, a few loose stummels were discovered at… Continue reading Meerschaum Rescue & Re-Stem
As some of you may be aware, I have recently started doing repairs and restorations for a Toronto-based pipe seller. Some of these jobs are more involved but many are straightforward projects like this Ashton Pebble Grain, which really just needed a bit of sprucing up. As you can see in this series of shots,… Continue reading A Quick Cleanup on a Lovely Ashton XXX 27 Pebble Grain Canadian
If you are a lover of oversized or extra large pipes, then this post is for you! This Comoy's Extraordinaire 800 Straight Billiard was sent to me recently along with a few other pipes for restoration. There was a short laundry list of tasks to get this pipe ready for a new steward - a… Continue reading Restoring a 1930’s Pre-Cadogan Comoy’s Extraordinaire 800 Smooth Pot
Not all estate pipes need major refurbishment work to bring them back to life, but, like everything else, benefit from regular cleaning and, every so often, a bit more involved TLC. The pipe on the worktable this time is a handsome Dunhill Chestnut in a classic Straight Billiard shape. It presented in reasonably good estate… Continue reading Refreshing a 1982 Dunhill Chestnut 51033 Billiard
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