exploring the art of tobacco pipe restoration
Most often when I am sent a pipe to work on there are physical issues to deal with – a damaged stem, cracked shank, heat fissures, etc. This Bertram pipe is one of the exceptions to this rule. This time I was asked to make changes to the pipe to better suit the preferences of…
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Brigham made a lot of pipes in their Toronto factory over nearly a century of production in Canada, so estate Brigham pipes are fairly common, especially in Ontario. Available in a wide range of quality and price points, there was a Brigham pipe to suit every style and budget and those pipers that loved them…
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This attractive freehand pipe was sent to me by a client near Kingston, Ontario with the request to clean it up and, if possible, install a 9mm filter system. When it arrived at DadsPipes Central, I brought it to the worktable and made a full inspection. A good-sized freehand, the pipe was in obviously used…
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As many of you know, Brigham pipes are famous for their filter system composed of an aluminum tenon/filter holder and a tubular Rock Maple filter, or “distillator” as the company calls it now. I’ve made up replacement stems for many Brigham estate pipes, but this was my first time doing so for a Brigham Freehand.…
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I pulled this little Squashed Tomato stummel from my box and decided it would be the focus of my next restoration. Though it measures a more or less standard 1.5 inches wide, the bowl is only 1.25 inches tall, with a proportionally small 5/8” chamber bore. The stummel came to me without a stem and…
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This Savinelli Silver 604 KS Oom Paul is another pipe I acquired at my pipe club’s Swap Meet last November. It has languished in my refurb box since then, but I finally got it to the worktable. After so many months, I had to give the pipe a good inspection to refresh my memory. This Savinelli…
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This is a fun little pipe that has been hanging around my worktable for some time. It’s a Svendborg Hand Made Chin-Hanger, likely dating to the latter half of the company’s production in the 1980’s. Pipephil.eu gives this brief summary of the firm: Brand founded in 1970s by Henrik Jørgensen, Poul Ilsted and Tao Nielsen. They bought an old…
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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…
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