I always enjoy working on family heirloom pipes, and this Dunhill Shell Briar Pot, passed down to the current steward from his father, certainly fits the bill. As you can see from this first series of images, the pipe was in need of some TLC when it arrived on the bench. Like many much loved… Continue reading A New Stem for a 1960’s Dunhill Shell Briar Pot
In a perfect world, a repair shop has access to every part it needs and can get them from suppliers quickly and easily. Enter COVID and the accompanying supply chain issues, and parts that once took about five days to arrive now takes up to 10 days, assuming they are actually available to order. Unfortunately… Continue reading A Square Peg for a Round Hole – An Exercise in Working With What You’ve Got
Second only to tenon replacement, fitting a new stem is probably the most common pipe repair, and for good reason. With a modicum of care, a briar stummel can last for decades or even centuries, but the stem is subjected to more than just heat from burning tobacco. It must also contend with tooth dents,… Continue reading A New Stem for a Hardcastle’s Deluxe Bulldog
Working with translucent or transparent pipe stems can be a real test of patience and skill. As everything is (almost painfully) visible, there is no margin for error when drilling, shaping or slotting Perspex (aka clear acrylic). To complicate matters further, cleaning clear acrylic with alcohol can lead to the formation of cracks inside the… Continue reading The Trials of Perspex – A New Stem for a French C.G.T. Elite
This Pre-Republic K&P Dublin 207 Pot is a bit of an old friend as I first restored it for my own rack almost exactly five years ago, back in November of 2017. I enjoyed it for many of those years but, as many pipe smokers do, I found that I reached for other pipes more… Continue reading A New P-Lip Stem for a WWII-Era Peterson K&P Dublin 207
This pipe arrived at the workshop recently, sent in from a pipe smoker in the Prairies for a bit of TLC. The subject is a figural meerschaum in the shape of a Sultan's head. The obvious issue was the broken Bakelite stem, which had snapped off near the shank. Less obvious before a closer examination… Continue reading Rehabilitating a Modified Sultan Figural Meerschaum
The hunt for hidden gems keeps a good number of pipe smokers and collectors wandering through antique shops, secondhand stores and other repositories of the past. One such treasure hunting prize, a John Brumfit Billiard, was sent to me recently for restoration along with its original box and sock. The manufacturer was unfamiliar to me… Continue reading A New Stem for a WWII-Era John Brumfit Straight Grain Billiard
The range and diversity of meerschaum pipes never fails to impress me. From traditional shapes to intricately carved designs and figurals, there is a meerschaum pipe to meet any taste. The pipe on the worktable today is a traditional smooth Author with a bit of Teutonic flare in the shape of a crowned nickel wind… Continue reading A New Stem and a Good Waxing for a Capped Meerschaum Author
This pipe has been a project for a while, one that I have worked on in between other repairs over the last few months. The pipe in question, a Medico Medalist, had been knocking around the bottom of my refurb box for some time when I finally decided it was due some attention. It was… Continue reading From Junker to Jazzed – A New Vision for a Battered Medico Medalist
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… Continue reading Fitting a New Stem to a Striking Bertram 105 Pot
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