I recently attended a large, semiannual antiques and vintage items sale about an hour away from home. It was one of those outdoor, rain or shine, events and so of course it rained the entire time I was there. Despite a golf umbrella, raincoat and waterproof hiking boots, I was wet to the skin within… Continue reading The Thrill of the Hunt and a Bakelite Learning Curve with a 1920’s Grundel Special Canadian
When I first pulled this pipe from my refurb box, I thought I was looking at another Danish design. It was only after taking a closer look that I realized it was, in fact, an Italian pipe, a Savinelli Nonpareil 9904, which Savinelli describes as a Bent Dublin. The pipe is stamped “Savinelli” over “Nonpareil”… Continue reading Cleanup of a Savinelli Nonpareil Smooth 9904 Bent Dublin
This beautiful Søren freehand pipe is similar in shape to the Karl Erik pipe in a previous post. Both pipes are freehand sitters with plateau tops on rim and shank, and both have fancy turned stems, but of the two, this Søren takes the prize for perfect briar. Unlike the Karl Erik, which had a… Continue reading Cleaning Up a Stunning Søren Freehand Sitter
I recently returned from a family vacation to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. It was great to see family and friends again and do a bit of “touristing” with the kids before the back-to-school maelstrom hit. My father-in-law helped me track down this pipe at an antique shop not too far from the Confederation Bridge, which… Continue reading Restoring a Vacation Find – A Cased Bruyere Garantie Long-Shanked Billiard
My apologies on the wait for this post. I had hoped to get it done before our family vacation but there you have it. This one is for all you Danish Freehand pipe fans. The Danes invented Freehand pipes and have proven to be darned good at it. This example is a Karl Erik pipe,… Continue reading Refreshing a Karl Erik Grade 2 Freehand Sitter
The aroma of a pipe is one of those olfactory experiences that can thrill the senses and trigger a flood of memories and emotions - chats with Grampa on the front porch, the texture of the bench seat in an aluminum fishing boat, the scent of a campfire or the warm hazy aftermath of Christmas… Continue reading Deghosting a Stinky Champagne by Savinelli 606KS
Just about the worst thing that can happen to a pipe smoker is damage to a favourite pipe. We wince at the smallest handling marks, dread rim dents and try our darnedest to keep our Vulcanite stems from oxidizing. So I can understand a panic reaction when something really dreadful happens to a favourite pipe.… Continue reading Splicing a Broken Shank on a 1960’s Era Brigham 384 Bent Brandy
I actually pulled this pipe out of the box of waiting estate pipes quite some time ago, getting part way through the restoration and then leaving it on my desk for several weeks before finally coming back to it. Some pipes just seem to need time on the worktable while I putter with other projects… Continue reading Restoring a Well-Loved Stanwell Bamboo Peewit
Many pipe producers release an annual Pipe of the Year – a limited-run pipe in a distinct shape and finish representing the very best a pipemaker can produce each year. Coming from a highly regarded and skilled producer like Stanwell, these Pipes of the Year are top-notch pipes and highly collectible, so I was very… Continue reading Restoring a Very Special Six-Day Set of Stanwell Pipes of the Year
Sharp-eyed readers will have picked out this Gourd Calabash pipe in the picture of my recent estate lot purchase. Hollywood has ensured that the Calabash will be forever linked to the great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and indeed many Holmes fans buy a Calabash pipe just to display next to their Arthur Conan Doyle book… Continue reading Freshening an Andreas Bauer Gourd Calabash
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