A fellow pipe lover here in Ontario sent me a couple of old friends for a bit of TLC. One of those pipes is this 1980's vintage Brigham 384 Squire. This round-bottomed bent brandy shape was introduced to the Brigham lineup in the 1970s and quickly became a fan favourite. This particular example was certainly… Continue reading Reviving and Re-Stemming a Vintage Brigham 384 Squire
This pipe arrived at the workshop recently, sent in from a pipe smoker in the Prairies for a bit of TLC. The subject is a figural meerschaum in the shape of a Sultan's head. The obvious issue was the broken Bakelite stem, which had snapped off near the shank. Less obvious before a closer examination… Continue reading Rehabilitating a Modified Sultan Figural Meerschaum
It's been a while since I had a really challenging repair on the worktable. Straightforward restorations are great, don't get me wrong, but after the twelfth basic ream & clean job, a more intricate repair can be refreshing and a chance to exercise some muscles not often engaged during less complicated projects. This pair of… Continue reading Rebuilding Shattered Shank Extensions on Two Castello Sea Rock Pipes
I received an email from a regular DadsPipes reader a few weeks ago asking for help. A favourite pipe had been dropped and the tenon snapped off at the shank. Ouch! As anyone who has been a pipe smoker long enough will tell you, this sort of accidental damage is fairly common but always heartbreaking… Continue reading A New Tenon for a Lovely Kaywoodie Unique
Over the past few months I've received several emails from readers asking about the specific products I use for my repairs and restorations, so I thought I'd write up a quick post on the subject. Most of the questions deal with adhesives, so I'll start there. Happily, all of these products can be found at… Continue reading Which Products and Why – Adhesives & Abrasives for Pipe Restoration
The bisected Dunhill 6475 Poker Sitter on my worktable today was sent to me by a fellow Ontario pipe collector to have the broken tenon replaced in order to make the pipe ready for sale. Judging by the pictures the owner sent me, the break looked clean and the rest of the pipe appeared to… Continue reading Tenon and Shank Repair on a 1972 Dunhill Shell 6475 F/T Poker Sitter
Needing a break from all the Brigham and Blatter pipes I've worked on lately, I dug down through my box of estate pipes and came up with this Stanwell Buffalo. It is a Shape # 140, which Bas Steven's list of Stanwell shapes identifies as a "Small freehand, slightly bent, full mouthpiece by Jess Chonowitsch".… Continue reading Repairing a Cracked Horn Shank Extension on a Stanwell Buffalo
Back in November of last year, I wrote about a meerschaum billiard with a loose bone tenon joint. The threads in the meerschaum shank had worn and the tenon could no longer get a firm grip on the stummel. My solution at the time was to build up the threads on the tenon with CA… Continue reading The Repair I Should Have Done – Revisiting an Old Meerschaum Billiard
Anyone who has glanced at this site knows I am a long-standing fan of Brigham pipes, especially those made in Toronto, Canada before production moved to Italy and France after 2001. Knowing my pipe predilections, then, it will not be surprising to anyone that when I had the opportunity to acquire a small collection of… Continue reading A Bevy of Brighams Part I
I could not pass up the opportunity to add this Brigham Statesman to my collection. Despite its flaws, including a battered rim and a large bite-through in the lower bit, the pipe was in decent vintage shape and was certainly restorable. Besides, I didn’t have the “bent stacked billiard” Statesman shape in the collection, so… Continue reading Restoring a Patent Era Brigham Executive Statesman
