This is another pipe sent to me by a fellow member of the Canadian Cigar Forum. As with the Sabra Apple, the pipe belonged to his grandfather and was in need of a bit of work before the owner could use it. I took this series of pics when the pipe arrived. Overall it appeared… Continue reading Patching a Pinhole Burnout on a Chateau Bruyere Sitter
I had a pair of Brigham pipes sent to me for some work, a 2-Dot Sportsman model bulldog and a 318 billiard. The owner had found the pipes in a local antique shop. The price was right but the pipes had a few issues to contend with, most notably stem fit. The pipe stems were… Continue reading Fixing Two Common Stem Fit Issues
I picked up this old billiard pipe at a local antique market. The stampings were so far gone as to be unreadable, but the pipe seemed to be in decent shape otherwise. The stem was overclocked, and there were a few fills that would need replacing. The pipe was dirty overall, with a cake buildup… Continue reading A New Look for an Unknown Billiard
Before anyone says it, no, there's really no such thing as a “typical” estate pipe cleanup; just like home renovations, you never really know what you're getting into until you open up a wall. That said, I think this particular refurbishment is fairly representative of the type of work required to take a reasonably well-treated,… Continue reading A Typical Estate Pipe Refurb – Cleaning Up a Brigham 384 Bent Brandy
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
I spotted this Alpha pipe on eBay and managed to submit the winning bid at a price reflective of the pipe's condition. It's always nice when that works out. I think most other bidders were put off by the euphemistically described “hairline” crack running about 3/8” up the shank from the mortise, but as I… Continue reading Banding a Cracked Shank on a Truly Filthy Alpha Enterprise Chubby Bulldog
This post by Troy at Baccy Pipes is a great reminder that small adjustments can make big improvements in the smoking qualities of a pipe. Troy did a great job with this pipe; I'm amazed at what he did with a Sharpie!
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 King's Ransom pipe is another from my recent haul of estate pipes at a local antique market. It is stamped “King's Ransom” over “London Made” on the top of the shank, and “604” on the bottom. Unfamiliar with this marque, and finding nothing online, I emailed Steve Laug of RebornPipes, who linked me to… Continue reading Refreshing a Comoy’s King’s Ransom Bent Dublin
dadspipes.com 