Restorations, Uncategorized

An Easy Yet Remarkable Transformation for a Peterson System Standard 312

I found this Peterson pipe at a local antique mall a few months ago and finally had the chance to pull it from the refurb box and clean it up. As you can see from the attached pics, it had some cosmetic issues to contend with, mainly a heavily oxidized and mineral crusted stem.  Made… Continue reading An Easy Yet Remarkable Transformation for a Peterson System Standard 312

Restorations, Uncategorized

Re-Discovering Brigham’s Canuck Line of Pipes and Rehabilitating Two Prototypes – Part II

In today's post I'll be working on the first of two Brigham Canuck prototype pipes I wrote up last time. This Pot shaped pipe, probably made in the 1940's or early 1950's, was certainly showing its age when I brought it to the worktable to start cleaning it up. The body of the pipe wasn't… Continue reading Re-Discovering Brigham’s Canuck Line of Pipes and Rehabilitating Two Prototypes – Part II

Restorations, Uncategorized

An Internal Shank Repair and New Tenon for a David Jones Colossal Rusticated Author

This is the third pipe sent to me for repairs by a DadsPipes reader in Birmingham, Alabama USA. You can see by the first pics that this pipe continues the owner's run of large pipes - this David Jones rusticated pipe is a true fistful of briar! I've called this pipe an Author, as apart from… Continue reading An Internal Shank Repair and New Tenon for a David Jones Colossal Rusticated Author

Restorations, Uncategorized

Stem Repair and a Small Briar Transplant for a Claudio Cavicchi Bologna 04

This is the second pipe sent to me by the owner of the Ardor Urano S. Holmes pipe I wrote about recently. This time I'm working on repairs to a very nice Claudio Cavicchi Bologna 04 Bent Billiard. It's a larger pipe, the owner's tastes tending heavily towards over-sized Italian briars. Unfortunately for the stem… Continue reading Stem Repair and a Small Briar Transplant for a Claudio Cavicchi Bologna 04

Restorations, Uncategorized

Rim Cleanup and a New Button for an Ardor Urano S. Holmes Rhodesian

This pipe was sent to me by a DadsPipes reader for a little TLC. As the pics below show, the pipe was actually in pretty good condition other than some lava on the rim and a chunk of lower button missing from the acrylic stem. The smooth underside of the shank is stamped "DR" over… Continue reading Rim Cleanup and a New Button for an Ardor Urano S. Holmes Rhodesian

Restorations, Uncategorized

Stem Repairs and a Good Cleaning for a Handsome Earl’s Court Silver Mount Prince

Every now and again I come across a pipe about which I can find no information. This Earl's Court Prince is one such mystery. All of my searching has turned up exactly zilch, zip, zero - rather frustrating, especially as it is a well-made pipe with some years on it. This series of pcitures show… Continue reading Stem Repairs and a Good Cleaning for a Handsome Earl’s Court Silver Mount Prince

Restorations, Uncategorized

Adding a Brigham Shape 49 Bent Apple to the Collection

I started collecting Brigham pipes almost accidentally - my dad smoked Brighams, so it was natural that my first briar was also a Brigham - and the collecting began in earnest several years ago when I embarked on the Brigham Shape Chart project. Since then, I have managed to catalog over 80 vintage Brigham pipe… Continue reading Adding a Brigham Shape 49 Bent Apple to the Collection

Restorations, Uncategorized

Refreshing a Beautiful Harcourt B Freehand Tulip

I found this Harcourt (made by Preben Holm for Dunhill in the late 1970s and early 1980s) on a recent wander through a local antique mall and couldn't pass it up. This pipe has beautiful lines - a long, slender bowl shaped like a Tulip flower, plateaux rim and shank end and lovely vertical flame… Continue reading Refreshing a Beautiful Harcourt B Freehand Tulip

Restorations, Uncategorized

Reclaiming a Trashed Brigham 720

A recent eBay purchase left me wondering about the habits and motivations of a certain subset of old pipe smokers, specifically those that seem to show no care or concern for maintaining their favourite briar companions. The eBay lot was made up of five old Brigham pipes which included both high end and entry level… Continue reading Reclaiming a Trashed Brigham 720

Restorations, Uncategorized

Rehabilitating Another Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock

A few weeks ago I wrote about restoring a Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock Canadian; I acquired this Shape 120 Dublin at the same time. This Shamrock was in about the same shape as its brother had been before I worked on it - dirty, with a heavily oxidized P-lip stem and a thick crust of lava… Continue reading Rehabilitating Another Pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock