exploring the art of tobacco pipe restoration
Happy New Year, everyone! This post is deliberately going live after the holidays to avoid spoiling the Christmas surprise for one lucky piper. I was contacted by a lady who was on the hunt for a few vintage Brigham estate pipes to present to her partner as a Christmas gift. Fortuitously, I had a few…
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Like many other pipe makers, Brigham started its lineup with the most popular pipe shapes. Shapes 01 through 04 in the Brigham Shape Chart are Billiards, from small to large, and the next three shapes, 05, 06 & 07 are Dublins. This pipe on the worktable today is the smallest Dublin offered in the classic…
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This older Brigham pipe came to me in a mixed eBay estate lot, and at first glance I took it for a basic Billiard. Closer examination and a shape number unrelated to Brigham’s Billiard pipes changed my mind. Ultimately, I’ve labelled this pipe a Straight Brandy Sitter as the bowl walls taper inwards from base…
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Twice a year there is a large antiques and collectibles show in my area. I love digging through the stalls at events like this, and though I’ve noticed a decided turn away from actual antiques towards “upcycled” or “gentrified old stuff” at this particular show, I still managed to come away with a few interesting…
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A pipeman from Canada’s Far North sent me a few pipes from Iqaluit, Nunavut to clean up for him. One of those pipes was, he said, was his favourite old Blatter Bros briar. After years of restorations and repairs, I’ve seen quite a few favourite pipes and enjoy what they can tell me about the…
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I am continually impressed by the seemingly endless array of pipe shapes out there – Billiards, Pots, Bulldogs, Apples, Rhodesians, Canadians, Blowfish, Ramses, Cavaliers and so many more! “Pure”, or easily classifiable, pipe shapes are fascinating enough; then there are the many crossover or hybrid shapes that seem to encompass characteristics of several classic pipe…
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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…
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Sourcing the correct materials to restore vintage pipes is a constant task, and one made more complicated as the years go by. The youngest of the Canadian-made Brigham pipes are now nearly 20 years old, production having shifted to France and Italy in 2001. At about the same time the original aluminum tenon/filter holders were…
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Although some pipe retailers out there carry estate pipes, many of us find our vintage briars at antique shops, garage sales or similar places. Sometime, however, a new pipe smoker will inherit a cherished pipe from a family member. Such is the case with this Chacom Auteuil Bent Billiard, which belonged to the current owner’s…
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Today’s restoration is really more of a very good cleaning. This Brigham 321 (which Brigham called a Woodstock shape but other may label a Zulu) was well cared for by its previous owner as evidenced by the lack of dents, dings and scratches in the briar and vulcanite. The pipe had certainly been previously enjoyed…
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