This pipe was sent to me by a fellow member of the Canadian Cigar Forum. It had been his grandfather's, and the owner wanted to be able to use it. The problem, I was told, was that the tenon had been broken at some point in the past. The remaining stem had been cut down… Continue reading Re-Stemming Grandpa’s Sabra Israel Apple
Here's another two-for-one pipe refurbishment. I've been picking up estate pipes in ones and twos recently, and adding them to the refurb box as I go. When I realized I had two vintage Brigham Shape 29 (aka Author) pipes waiting for me, I decided to work on them together. The first pipe is a 2-Dot… Continue reading Author, Author! Cleaning up a Pair of Brigham Shape 29 Pipes
An email pinged into my inbox a few weeks ago, sent by a fellow member of the Briars & Bull Pipe Club here in Kitchener. He had, he said, an old Dunhill pipe he'd like to have cleaned up, and would I be interested in tackling the project for him? I said yes, of course, and… Continue reading The English Patient – Repair & Restoration of a 1918-1921 Dunhill Shell Briar
This pipe came to me via a recent eBay auction all the way from Israel. I usually try to stay a bit closer to home in my buying, but the prospect of adding a new Patent Era pipe shape to my Brigham collection had my mouse hand clicking “Bid Now” on this one. The seller… Continue reading Re-Stemming a Repatriated Patent Era Brigham 273 Panel Billiard
This pipe restoration was a bit of a challenge, though not for the reason you might think. The refurb work was actually very straightforward and went smoothly but for one bump in the road. The challenge here rested in deciphering the brand information and tracking down the maker. The pipe is a straight Dublin shape.… Continue reading Researching and Reviving a Peter Piper by GBD
This is the first refurbishment of a half dozen pipes my older daughter and I found at a local antique sale recently. The clover logo on the stem clearly identified the pipe as a Kaywoodie, but it was only at home under better lighting that we spotted the "Made in England" stamp on the right… Continue reading Smartening Up an English Kaywoodie Standard
They say that wait times at your local hospital Emergency Room are bad, but I think this case proves that some victims wait longer than others. The patient in question had obviously been lingering between life and death for some time before I encountered it on my operating table. The question was could I save… Continue reading A Bulldog with a Concussion – Emergency Surgery for a Brigham 526
I managed to squeeze one more restoration in before heading away for a bit of Christmas R & R with the family. The pipe was sent to me by a fellow member of the Brothers of Briar pipe forum. He had been given this old Hardcastle but needed the stem repaired before he could use it.… Continue reading Reviving a Family Era Hardcastle’s Jack O’London Blasted Billard
I've worked on quite a few bulldog pipes recently, so it was a refreshing change to reach into the refurb box and pull out this Dr Grabow Golden Duke. It's a larger pipe, measuring 6” long with a 2” tall bowl and a 7/8” bore. The bowl has the classic Dublin inverted-cone shape, flaring gently… Continue reading Stem Repair on a Grabow Golden Duke Wire-Carved Dublin
I bought these two bulldog pipes separately, but as the restorations proceeded almost identically, I thought I'd write them up together. Both pipes are from the late 1970's or early 1980's – the unique rusticated stummels with wave-shaped smooth features are illustrated in this Brigham catalog from 1978. I'm working here on a 316 Straight… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Pair of Brigham Bulldogs
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