As I've mentioned before, a broken tenon is by far the most common pipe repair, and for good reason. The stem tenon is the smallest structural part of a pipe and is subjected to a disproportionate amount of stressors as the pipe smoker removes and reinserts the stem in the shank. An overly-enthusiastic twist with… Continue reading Splinting a Broken Stem for a Castello Sea Rock
Pipe manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to make their products more appealing to a wider audience - new shapes, new finishes, new colours, etc. The Chacom Atlas Calabash on the worktable today demonstrates one such innovation, the dip-dye finish. First seen in the 1990s, the finish process seen here consists of a solid base… Continue reading Touching Up Peeling Finish on a Chacom Atlas 863 Calabash
The hunt for hidden gems keeps a good number of pipe smokers and collectors wandering through antique shops, secondhand stores and other repositories of the past. One such treasure hunting prize, a John Brumfit Billiard, was sent to me recently for restoration along with its original box and sock. The manufacturer was unfamiliar to me… Continue reading A New Stem for a WWII-Era John Brumfit Straight Grain Billiard
Unlike the vast majority of estate pipes that pass across my worktable, whether found at antique shops, estate sales or, like this pipe, sent in by their current stewards, there was actually nothing wrong with this Savinelli Veritas 316KS when it arrived in my mailbox. Instead, it had been sent to me for a bit… Continue reading Refreshing a Savinelli Veritas 316KS
This post is a bit different from most on this site in that the pipe on the table today was sent for preservation more than restoration. It is stamped simply "Master Bent" on the left shank and "Imported Briar" on the right. I have been unable to find any reference to a maker online,; if… Continue reading Preserving a Family Heirloom Master Bent
Leonard Payne was a British pipe maker who immigrated to Canada and set up shop in British Columbia. His pipes can be found on the Canadian estate market, though I'm not sure how many pipes were produced over the years. The entry on Pipedia.org is brief and to the point: Mike Glukler of Briar Blues, states,… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Leonard Payne Select Bent Billiard
This is a restoration project I picked away at in between other jobs over the last few months. The subject is a French-made Kaywoodie Square Shank Pot with a large bowl and a handsome sandblast finish. Unfortunately, the aluminum fitment had been scavenged from the pipe, shattering the shank in the process. The broken shank… Continue reading Shank Repairs and a New Stem for a French Kaywodie La Roche Reject
Finding a parcel in the DadsPipes mailbox is always a bit like Christmas morning - I never quite know what I'll find, but I'm usually excited by it! This Savinelli 616KS No-Nik pipe arrived with a few others some months ago but I'm only now getting around to writing them up. They belonged to the… Continue reading Reviving a Well Used Savinelli 616KS “No-Nik”
This Danish Freehand by Bjarne was sent to me, along with a few other pipes that had belonged to the owner's father, for a good cleaning and a refresh. I was immediately taken by the unique design of the stummel which features a spiral design winding up the bowl from a Vulcanite-clad foot to a… Continue reading Refreshing a Stunning Bjarne Hand Made Footed Freehand
Today I'm back digging around in the estate lot of pipes I purchased last summer. Along with the Brigham 5W1 I wrote about last time, the lot included another Brigham - an interesting 5-Dot Bent Brandy. I have pulled it out of the refurb box several times since I acquired it, trying to get a… Continue reading Restoring a Unique Brigham 5-Dot Bent Brandy
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