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
I acquired this poker-sitter in a recent estate lot purchase. It arrived on my worktable with a few issues, and I'd find a few more surprises before the refurbishment was complete. A dense, uneven cake lined the bowl and a fairly thick layer of lava covered the rim, but not quite enough to conceal some… Continue reading Reviving a John Redman Ltd Canberra Poker Sitter
This old Brigham is the pipe I used when writing up my previous post on fixing common stem issues. To paraphrase the late Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story. - Charles I spotted this old Brigham in a mixed lot of mostly basket pipes I bought recently. As many of you know,… Continue reading Restoring a Patent Era Brigham 232 Saddle Billiard
A little while back, I wrote up a blog entry on fixing two stem fit problems that crop up regularly - a too-loose stem, and a too-tight stem. Today I'd like to spotlight another common, and completely avoidable, stem problem that I deal with regularly when restoring estate pipes, namely the issue of a stem… Continue reading Fixing Another Common Stem Fit Issue – Stem to Shank
I picked up this Dr Plumb billiard off eBay for very little money; the pics below of its original condition will tell you why. It was in rough shape to say the least. The rim had been absolutely destroyed by repeated hard dottle-knocking against stone or brick. The scarred remains were layered with lava and… Continue reading New Life for a Beaten Dr Plumb Standard 9132 Billiard
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 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
Pipe forums and other discussion groups are full of posts asking about crack repairs, especially to pipe bowls. Bowl cracks are generally the result of either accident, abuse or neglect - accidental drops or impacts can crack the wood, as can outright abuse like whacking the pipe against a hard surface to knock dottle out… Continue reading A Crack Pinning Tutorial
This pipe has been on and off my work table since last August, believe it or not. It was just one of those projects that went in fits and starts, in this case due to the stubborn refusal of an old repair to submit to my ministrations. The pipe is a nicely shape full bent stamped… Continue reading Reworking a Shank Repair on a Jeantet Neuilly Bent
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