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
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 A Major Salvage Operation for a Gourd Calabash Churchwarden
The Gourd Calabash pipe, in its current form with gourd body, rubber stem and meerschaum or clay bowl, has been around since the Second Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902). According to this article on smokingpipes.com, the war led to shortages of briar in Cape Town, pushing pipe makers to find an alternative material. Gourds… Continue reading Major Restorations for an Early 20th Century HBB Gourd Calabash
As we move through September and people settle into their Fall routines, I've finally been able to get to work on some of the pipe I acquired over the summer, including this interesting, though sadly unmarked, Gourd Calabash. As you can see from this set of pictures, the pipe came to me without a stem… Continue reading A New Stem and a Refresh for a Briar-Bowled Gourd Calabash
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