Toronto's Brigham Pipes Limited was a company in flux in the 1970s. After enjoying decades of growth and increased sales, the pipe industry suffered a global drop in demand, and by the middle of the 1970s, Brigham had truncated its main line of production pipes from seven quality levels to only five. Apart from the… Continue reading A New System Stem for a 1970s Vintage Brigham 424 Bent Billiard
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
BP JUM pipes are a bit of a mystery. On one hand, they bear a striking resemblance to Custombilt pipes, and some speculate they were made by Tracey Mincer. On the other hand, there is, to my mind, a reasonable theory that the maker is actually Biltmore pipes, and that "BP JUM" may be a… Continue reading A Hand Cut Green Cumberland Ebonite Stem for a BP JUM
The Gourd Calabash pipe originated in South Africa, quickly becoming popular among British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers stationed there during the 1899-1902 Second Boer War. There is a larger Canadian connection here, too, as it was H.L. Blatter, his brother Ernest and sister Marguerite that founded a company to manufacture Gourd Calabash pipes… Continue reading Chamber Repairs and a General Freshening of a Vintage Gourd Calabash pipe
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
Welcome to Part II of the repair and restoration of an 1850 Long Pipe! Last time, we covered the work completed on the pipe's long Cherrywood shank and unique Ebonite mouthpiece with a flexible leather-wrapped shaft. We also hand cut a new Ebonite bit to replace the original that had been broken short at some… Continue reading Restoration of an 1850 Meerschaum & Silver Long Pipe Part II
After a decade in the business, some pipe repairs and restorations have become routine, but every now and then a project arrives at the shop that is anything but ordinary. I love these projects as they often require outside-the-box solutions for unique challenges, involving methods and materials usually not found in more standard restoration work.… Continue reading Restoration of an 1850 Meerschaum & Silver Long Pipe Part I
Meerschaum, a soft whitish mineral, has been used to make smoking pipes since the early 1700s. It is easy to carve, will not burn, and, with time and use, turns from white to a rich, dark red/brown. On the down side, meerschaum is fragile - easily chipped, cracked or otherwise damaged - and due to… Continue reading Vintage Meerschaum Shank Rebuild and Re-Stem
Today's estate pipe repair project features a Kriswill Bernadotte pipe, hand made in Denmark by the factory founded by Karl Robert Kris in 1947. The Kriswill factory became a chief rival of another Danish brand, Stanwell, especially in the export market, but was hit hard in the 1970s by the worldwide drop in demand for… Continue reading Replacing a Triangular Stem on a Kriswill Bernadotte
Today's pipe was sent in by a fellow Canadian pipe lover for a bit of TLC, including an overall cleanup and a new stem to replace the original that had seen better days. As you can see in this initial series of images, the pipe is a Soren Hand Made Danish Freehand with some lovely… Continue reading Recreating an Original Detail while Re-Stemming a Soren Freehand
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