Shank cracks are a common part of pipe repair, but there are situations where a standard external shank band just doesn't work - a tapered shank, for instance - or when, for aesthetic reasons, the pipe's steward doesn't want to change the outward appearance of the pipe. What to do then? This is where the… Continue reading Tutorial: Making an Internal Shank Repair
Dunhill began using Bamboo for some of their pipes near the end of, or just after, the Second World War as an alternative to hard-to-source briar. Details on the first use of bamboo shanks by the English marque are a bit hazy, but the series is included at least as far back as the 1951… Continue reading Repairing a Seriously Cracked 1960 Dunhill W59 Whangee Bamboo Apple
As any student of the 1940s history will tell you, British production of just about anything not directly in support of the war effort was halted or severely curtailed while the United Kingdom devoted every resource to defeating Hitler and Nazi Germany. The Blitz obliterated a great deal of London, including, in 1941, the Alfred… Continue reading Restoring and Re-Stemming a 1944 Dunhill Patent Shell 36/1
A loose tenon is a fairly common occurrence in the pipe world. Many little things can alter the fit of the tenon over time. For example, removing the stem while the pipe is still hot can compress the tenon, wear and tear can erode the surface of the tenon or the mortise or both, or,… Continue reading Replacing a Loose 9mm Filter Tenon on a Dunhill Cumberland 4102F
One of the fun parts of running a pipe repair and restoration business is working on pipes that I would otherwise never get to see. This early Dunhill Patent Shell Briar is just such a pipe, send in to DadsPipes for restoration as part of a larger lot of older Dunhills. As this initial series… Continue reading Restoring an Early Patent Dunhill Shell Briar Army Billiard
I have often said that any pipe is restorable if the will to do so exists. This project put that statement to the test as I faced down some significant challenges on this Patent Dunhill Lovat's road to redemption. Sent to me by a Canadian college professor teaching in Massachusetts, the pipe had belonged to… Continue reading Restoration or Necromancy? Reviving a Well Loved Dunhill Patent Lovat
One of the things I enjoy most about operating a web-based business is that I never know where my next job will come from. Nearly a decade after first hanging my shingle out, about half of the repair and restoration projects that arrive on the bench are from domestic clients across Canada; the other half… Continue reading Rebuilding a Scorched & Shattered Dunhill Cumberland Dublin
As you might guess after reading a few blog posts here, I really like estate pipes. Beautiful and functional in their own right, estate pipes also have a direct connection to the past, an attribute prized by many collectors. On the bench today is a lovely estate Dunhill, which arrived at DadsPipes with a rather… Continue reading A New Stem and a Cleanup for a 1986 Dunhill 5110
Accidents can happen to anyone, and mishaps seem most likely to strike when you're least expecting them. That was certainly the case for today's pipe restoration project. This 2002 Dunhill Amber Root 3208 Bent Bulldog fell out of its steward's pocket while he made the rounds of his farm north of Kingston, Ontario. Unfortunately, it… Continue reading Salvaging a Hog-Chewed Dunhill Amber Root 3208
In modern times it would be difficult to think of anything that has benefitted the pipe smoking community more than the advent of the internet. Indeed, while there has been a pipe renaissance of sorts over the last five years or so, the number of pipe smokers and collectors remains a relatively tiny percentage of… Continue reading Cleanup and a New Hand Cut Ebonite Stem for a 1968 Dunhill LB
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