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
Pipes of the Year are a relatively new development in the marketing of smoking pipes. In the early 1980s there were just a few manufacturers putting out limited runs of special edition pipes annually. Today, based primarily on demand from collectors, I'd wager that the majority of established pipe brands participate in at least one… Continue reading Restoring and Re-Stemming an Ascorti Business 2004 Pipe of the Year
Pipe smokers can usually be sorted into one of two camps when it comes to pipe maintenance. On one side are the pipe stewards who go out of their way not to damage their pipes in any way. These folks may clean the pipe after each and every smoke, never ream carbon cake with a… Continue reading Stem Repair and a General Freshening of a Carlo Scotti Castello Old Sea Rock Chimney
If imitation is the biggest form or flattery, then Peterson should feel very flattered by the Rudolf's Patent pipe on the bench today. Purchased by an avid early Peterson pipe collector, the pipe was sent to me for some much needed rehabilitation. Here are a few pics of the pipe as it looked on arrival… Continue reading Recreating a Unique Twin Bore P-Lip Style Stem for a Rudolf’s Patent Prima
Dunhill has been one of the largest names in British pipes, and indeed pipes worldwide, for over 100 years so it's not terribly surprising that some of the craftsmen that worked for Dunhill went on to open their own pipe companies. The makers of Sasieni, Ashton and Ferndown all learned the ropes at Dunhill before… Continue reading Crafting a New Cumberland Stem for a 4-Star Ferndown Bark
The Peterson brand is world-renown for both the quality of their pipes and the longevity of the firm. Founded in 1874 by Frederick Kapp, a German immigrant to Dublin, the nascent firm would soon hire another immigrant, a Latvian named Charles Peterson, who was destined to change the company and the pipe world forever. Kapp… Continue reading Restoring a Pre-Peterson Kapp Bros Egg & Claw Meerschaum
As touted on the Peterson website, "XXL or Oversized shapes can be found represented in our catalogue as far back as 1896. Our House Pipe range pays homage to that tradition through a number of extra-large designs imbued with our iconic House Style — such as muscular proportions, capacious fire holes, and generous accents of… Continue reading Crafting an Ebonite Fishtail Stem for a Peterson House Pipe
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