This restoration was fairly simple – just what I was looking for after tackling a run of trickier repairs. This Trypis pipe hit the worktable in fairly good estate condition. The rim was hidden under a coat of lava but looked to be in decent shape otherwise. The stem was a bit oxidized and the alligator-skin rustication was dirty and packed up with old wax, … Continue reading Quick Shank Repair for a Trypis Canted Dublin
I was contacted by the owner of this little Clifton Apple to see if I could get the pipe into smoking shape again. I asked the piper to send me the patient and when it arrived I took the following set of pics to record its initial condition. As you can see, the briar stummel looked to be in very nice shape, with just a … Continue reading Shank Repair and a Refresh for a Clifton 132 Straight Apple
I found this Peterson meerschaum pipe during a recent visit to an antiques mall about an hour’s drive from my house. I hear stories of antique shops seemingly overflowing with estate pipes, but in my neck of the woods, the pipe hunt is often more of a feast-or-famine game. Many times I don’t come across a single pipe in a shop, or the pipes that … Continue reading Surprises While Refreshing a Peterson “Aboriginal Finish” Meerschaum 80S
I have worked on a lot of Brigham pipes over the last year, and posted most of them here on the DadsPipes blog. I’m trying to maintain some sort of balance to my regular posts as to avoid becoming “the Brigham blog”, but I do love them and tend to buy them for myself whenever I come across one at an estate sale or antique … Continue reading Shank Rescue on a 1990’s Era Brigham 424 Bent Billiard
It’s been a while since I worked on a pipe like this. This Regis Billiard is a good example of the sort of estate pipe commonly found at antique fairs and flea markets. A little worn, a little gouged, with a bowl full of cake and a stem that doesn’t fit quite properly. Perhaps there’s some other damage lurking about that will pop up later. … Continue reading Salvaging a Hard Used Regis Super Grain 139 Billiard
It’s officially Winter, and as the cold takes hold here in Southern Ontario, here is a pipe story that is sure to warm the heart. It involves a long-lost pipe, a walk in the pasture and a clever fellow who recognized a unique opportunity to secure the perfect gift for a hard-to-buy-for family member. I was contacted by a DadsPipes reader with a restoration request. … Continue reading Family Heirloom Comes in From the Cold
This Stanwell is one of the five additional pipes I purchased from the family that sold me the Danish Lot estate collection last spring. Presumably, these pipes were the go-to companions for their previous owner; keeping them in a quality leather pipe bag indicates a desire to have this selection of pipes close at hand. The condition of this Stanwell Silver S when it arrived … Continue reading Sometimes Easy is Better – Restoring a Worn Ivarsson-Designed Stanwell RegD No Silver S 09
