NebraskaPeteGeek

Photographed and written by 

John M. Young

My first reaction to this pipe was a near uncontrollable desire to name it Stumpy.  It looked like a gnarled old tree stump.  As I held it I came to appreciate the way the grooves fit my hand and saw/felt the practicality of the carvings.  This pipe was a great tactile experience.  Examining it more closely I saw how the maker had created the grooves.  It reminded me of a Tracy Mincer Doodler in that each of the four sides were likely drilled from top to bottom with two holes.  These holes were then exposed by further briar removal to create 8 grooves.  The overall shape is a highly carved four square panel that I could not classify as anything other than a freehand.  I had to know more about this pipe’s maker.  I looked at the stampings and read the following:  MADE over IN CANADA then Trypis (in a flowing script) over 4.  Below are some photographs of the pipe prior to any work done.

There was dirt and grime in the carvings which would clean out easily.  The rim had some lava deposits suggesting that the pipe had been smoked quite a bit yet the tobacco chamber was not heavily caked.  This indicated a previous owner who used but cared for this pipe.  The stem was very oxidized indicating the pipe had been stored or displayed in the light.  I could certainly understand displaying such a unique pipe.  In general this looked to be a fun restoration.  

Background

I was really looking forward to researching this pipe.  I was unfamiliar with the brand.  I asked Steve Laug about them in a message on Facebook and he said that he had worked on several.  I immediately went to his site, https://rebornpipes.com/ and searched “Trypis”.  I was rewarded with three blogs to read.  While reading, I found that one of the posts was by Charles Lemon and dealt with a shank repair on a short Trypis Dublin (https://dadspipes.com/2019/05/31/quick-shank-repair-for-a-trypis-canted-dublin/).  The stamping on all three pipes were very similar to “Stumpy”.

A quick search on pipephil.eu came up with the below screenshot.

(Tp-Tr — Pipes: Logos & Markings). Further reaffirming the stamps on my pipes.

Next I searched on pipedia.org.  Here I found a short article of the carver, Philip Trypis.

“Phillip Trypis has been a pipe maker in Canada for well over 40 years. Originally from Greece, his experience ranges from cutting burls in a briar mill to making literally thousands of pipes out of his home in the hamlet of Oakwood, Ontario. Brigham pipes benefitted from Phillip’s skills where he worked for a number of years. There he directed the pipe production of the company when it was producing over 50,000 a year. Even though he left to start his own pipe shop, he still imported briar and turned tens of thousands of bowls for Brigham not to mention produce a large number of his own branded pipes.

Many of the styles are traditional in form although Phillip has a number of freehand styles that are both familiar and off the beaten path. The vast majority of the higher priced pipes are very large pieces to be sure. Except where the pipe was of unusual shape or size, the frame sizes are 7.15″ x 3″ so you can get an idea of the scale.” (Trypis – Pipedia).  The three examples I had read about from the restorations of Laug and Lemon were of more traditional shapes.  I would classify Stumpy as one of Trypis’ “freehand styles…off the beaten path.” (Trypis – Pipedia). 

My curiosity was still not quenched.  I was intrigued by this maker and needed more information.  A general search for “Phillip Trypis pipes” on Google led me to a forum post by a member going by the name “User 3604”.  I was unable to contact them directly and hope that including his wonderful recollection below will not offend.

A recollection of the maker, Phillip Trypis:  

“When I got into pipe smoking and bought my first pipe, (at least my first as an adult that I didn’t try to hide from my parents), I got it from Phillip Trypis whose name is known to most here I expect as a former carver for Brigham pipes back in their heyday. At this time Phillip’s health was in decline, he was in the early stages of dementia and his situation and our three meetings caused me to write about my second visit. Here is is. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy remembering it.

Meeting Phillip Trypis for the First Time – Again

August 2007​

I arrived in the little hamlet of Oakwood, just,north of Lindsay, Ontario a little after 12:00 noon. The drive was relaxing and it brought back memories of my days in college there in the late 70’s. My canine buddy Casey was along for the ride. I was making the 2 plus hour trip from Fergus to Oakwood to see Phillip Trypis; in his heyday a former master carver for Brigham pipes whom, in retirement started his own line. I was there to pick up a pipe I’d bought for my friend Don about 10 months ago as a going away gift when he moved to western Canada. Unfortunately, he’d broken the stem off while knocking it on something to get the dottle out after a smoke. I was also buying a few more for Don and hopefully another for myself.

I pulled up in front of the Trypis’s home and saw Phillip and his wife sitting in their screened in front porch. A sign on the front lawn advertised “Auction Sale Saturday”. I was somewhat relieved to see them. I had spoken to Phillip this morning on the phone, (about 3 hours ago now) and he had said to come between 12:00 and 2:00 pm but knowing his short term memory had all but disappeared since he fell and struck his head the previous winter, I  wondered if he’d forget and go out. I walked up the steps and realizing that he would probably not remember my face from 11 months ago, I reintroduced myself.

“Hi Mr Trypis, I’m Marlowe Sharp.” The intro was returned with a blank stare. Did he not hear me?  “HI MR TRYPIS, I’M MARLOWE SHARP” I said a fair bit louder. Blank look again. I SPOKE WITH YOU THIS MORNING AND TOLD YOU I WAS GOING TO COME AND PICK UP DON’s  PIPE?” I saw in his eyes recognition of that name but he still wasn’t putting it all together. Mercifully Mrs Trypis stepped in. “Oh hello.” she said, “You’re Don’s friend.” Then turning to her husband,  “Phillip, this is Don Janzen’s friend…Don from Alberta.”  I saw the light go on!

“How are you Mr Trypis?” I said much more confidently.

“ I’m peesed off!”  he replied glumly in his thick Greek accent. Not a good start.

“Why are you pissed off?”

“This move…I don’t want to move. It’s too much.”

I suddenly felt sad for him. He was being forced, almost to leave a place he loved – a place where he could go to the basement and peeter around his shop and do what ever he liked. The stairs were too much now and Mrs. Trypis had recently been diagnosed with macular degeneration and had her driver’s license taken away. It was time to move into town where she could get around and where Phillip didn’t have to manage stairs. He was losing his independence a brain cell at a time along with all his “stuff” that kept him in a familiar world – sold off to strangers willing to pay the highest bid.

“Can we go into your shop Mr Trypis? I want to buy some pipes.”

At that his face brightened. Familiar territory! Yes let’s go there! At the same time, Mrs Trypis who had disappeared arrived back with Don’s pipe. It had been repaired, (apparently) and was in the box with Don’s original letter wrapped up in a bubble wrap envelope, all ready to go in the mail as he had promised last Sunday…and every other Sunday since October last year.  I ran and put it in my van immediately. I didn’t want to take the chance of getting wrapped up in the new pipes and arrive home having left it on the Trypis kitchen table.

We went down to the shop and I pulled the pamphlet of Trypis Pipes from my pocket and told Phillip which ones Don wanted. First the 1/4  bent billiard. I put one aside. Then the 1/4 bent apple. I spent a while over that one because there were a couple of beauties. While I sorted through and put aside some favorites, I asked Phillip what the difference was between a $70.00 pipe and $150.00 pipe. With that question, all the remaining fogginess fell away. He was in his element now, firing on all cylinders as he explained to me about the grain of the wood and spoke about briar, design and workmanship. He pulled out a gorgeous $150.00 bent apple. The grain was lovely and on the stem he had added a piece of yellow lucite. He shoved it in my hand and said, “Here this one is good. Your friend will like this. ”I started to quickly add up the amounts in my head…this could get dangerous. I think Don had said he wanted $300.00 worth of pipes. I was at that price now and hadn’t yet got the Scandinavian pear that I had been eyeing for myself. I was also starting to have difficulty wondering if I might keep that bent apple for me…it was nice!

The next box broke my resolve to only get one pipe for myself. Out of the bottom of a box of $150.00 pipes I pulled a beautifully carved Bent Sitter. It had a tobacco leaf carved into each side. “Uhh…do you have two of these?” I said hopefully. “I don’t think so.” said Phillip.” I think one only was made. Maybe another but it could be anywhere in here.”, he said as he swept his hand toward 30 boxes containing about a thousand pipes. In my head I apologized to Don; maybe I won’t tell him about this one. One day years down the road he’ll oogle it on my mantle. “Oh ya, I picked that up from Trypis some time ago.” I’ll say casually.

Finally we got to the Scandinavian pear box. I selected one and looked it over but Phillip took it from me. Actually, he had done this with all the pipes I selected. He would pull the mouth piece out and reseat it several times before giving it back. I was wondering if he did this to make sure it would come out easily so Don wouldn’t break another one. Phillip didn’t give this one back though. He looked at it, thought a bit and said, “I need a pencil.”

“Why?”

“I show you. Come!”

The next 10 minutes was spent looking for a pencil. What was he doing? We went back into his workshop to continue the search. As we entered the small back room I looked around at one of the messiest shops I had ever seen. Tools were everywhere, not to mention hundreds of partially finished pipe bowls of every shape and size. Everything was covered in wood shaving and dust. I picked up an unfinished bowl and immediately recognized the design as Brigham’s 100 anniversary pipe, a large Bent Square Panel with a maple leaf design carved on either side. They came out about 2 years ago. I looked at Phillip. He smiled and said, “My design. I don’t know if it sold well”.”

For the next 10 minutes we again looked for the elusive pencil finally finding a package of new, un-sharpened carpenter’s pencils hanging on the wall. Next Phillip removed the buffing wheel from his lathe and replaced it with a sanding wheel. I was stumped. Was he going to personalize this pipe some how? Transform it to a one of a kind pipe just for me? Another 10 minutes went by as we traced an octopus of extension cords though the shop to figure out why the lathe had no power. Finally everything was in order, the power was on and the lathe screamed to life.

“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO MR TRYPIS?” I yelled over the noisy machine. This pipe was a really nice piece and I was wondering whether the old master carver still had the skills in him to do what ever he was about to do. He looked at me and smiled again, “You watch”. He was loving this!

Phillip seated himself on his stool, took apart the pipe and looked at it. Then he looked at his lathe and seemed to think about something. I was getting excited. I was about to witness the master at work. He picked up his brand new carpenter’s pencil, steadied himself and….. sharpened it. He turned off the lathe, rubbed some graphite on the tenon of the stem, tried it a couple of times in the shank of the pipe and handed me the pipe saying, “There, it doesn’t stick any more.”   That was it!! 30 minutes to sharpen a pencil. I couldn’t help but laugh. Old Phillip thought I was just as proud of his effort as he was…and I was.

After struggling back up the stairs and giving me a whopping 50% discount on the pipes I sat at his table looking at over $500.00 worth of pipes that he had just sold to me for $255.00. He was exhausted. The fall he had a year ago had taken it’s toll and although he was looking and talking better than when I saw him 11 months ago. He had little strength and I think with the pending move from his home, little spirit.

We talked about my family and work as a police officer and then I took a few photos of Phillip holding my sitter. I shook his hand and wished him luck, which I regretted saying because I don’t believe in luck.

“I’ll need it.” he said. “Thank you, It was very nice seeing you too.”

I left with a tinge of sadness but was hopeful that I could visit Phillip once he gets to his new digs, buy another pipe or three, and meet Mr Trypis again…for the first time.

January 2018

P.S: I later realized that Don’s pipe had not been repaired well and that Phillip had been beyond doing any quality work for a number of years. He hadn’t been making pipes for probably 5 years and all the ones I had seen or bought were from before that time.

I did see Phillip once again around 2011 after he had moved in to his son’s home in Scarborough near Toronto. I took a friend there and between us we purchased about 7 or 8 pipes, again all at a highly discounted price. He didn’t remember who I was that time either.

I spoke with Phillip’s son in 2015 I think, and by that time Phillip was in a long term care facility with full blown dementia. I think that all his remaining pipes have been bought up by a couple of vendors. I still see them around occasionally. Get one if you can. They are lovely pipes.”

https://www.brothersofbriar.com/threads/phillip-trypis-a-recollection.38337/

That recollection satisfied my quest for information about mr. Trypis.  I think the photo added the last piece.  I am grateful that User 3604 shared this remembrance with all of us.

The Restoration

I began by giving Stumpy a clean denim piece to sit upon during this restoration.

I knew that this stem would require some extra time in the Before and After Extra Strength Deoxidizer so, I started with it.  The stem was cleaned out with a couple of bristle pipe cleaners dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.  Earlier I had remarked that the previous owner appeared to have cared for this pipe.  This was again made evident with the relatively clean airway of the stem.

The reaming tools were gathered.

The PipNet made quick work of the reaming only requiring light scraping with the other tools.  The interior of the tobacco chamber was sanded with the wood dowel wrapped in 320 sandpaper.  This sanding was taken to bare briar and revealed no damage to the interior of the bowl. 

The lava on the rim was moistened with saliva and scraped with a sharp pocket knife.

The airway of the shank was moistened with alcohol wetted cotton swabs and scraped with a dental scraper then scrubbed with several cotton swabs dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol. 

The stummel was taken to the sink where it was scrubbed with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a nylon scrub brush.  The soap was rinsed with warm water and the stummel dried with a cotton hand towel.

The minimal tooth chatter was sanded with 320 and 400 grit sanding sponges.

The stem received a pipe cleaner inserted into the tenon to act as a hanger for its bath in Before and After Extra Strength Deoxidizer or, as I like to call it, deox.

The deox bath lasted overnight and  the next day the stem was removed from the deox and allowed to drip excess solution back into the jar.

I rubbed the remaining excess solution from the stem with a coarse shop rag.

This rag absorbs the deox and abrades the softened oxidized rubber leaving wonderful patterns on the rag, creating a lovely Rorschach lick pattern on the rag.

Back at the workbench I wrapped the shank with painters tape and used Soft Scrub cleanser on make-up pads to further scrub the oxidized vulcanite from the stem.  This stem was severely oxidized. 

Next the stem was sanded with a series of sanding sponges from 320-3500 grit.  Between each sponge I rubbed the stem with mineral oil and wiped it with a paper towel.

There was still lingering oxidation on/in the vulcanite.  I had to use the bright lights of the photo station so show it below.

Bah.

I took the stem to the buffer and used the rogue compound on a flannel wheel.  Several applications of rogue to the wheel and wheel to the stem later, I could barely make out any oxidized vulcanite.  I continued on to the micro-mesh pads.  Here I used pads 4000-12000.  Between each pad I applied Obsidian Oil rubbed on and wiped off with a paper towel.

I polished the stem with both Before and After Fine and Extra Fine Polish.  Each polish was hand buffed using a soft cotton cloth.

The stummel was given a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm applied with a baby toothbrush.  I failed to photograph this step and the final waxing of the stummel.  The Restoration Balm was allowed to work its magic for 20 minutes before being wiped from the stummel.  The stummel was then waxed with Renaissance Micro-crystalline Wax, again applied with a baby toothbrush. 

The wax was buffed with a clean flannel wheel on the buffer.  The stem received several coats of carnauba wax also applied with the buffer.  This final step was hand buffing with a microfiber polishing cloth.

Trypis Freehand is a delightfully carved original one-of-a-kind work.  As mentioned earlier the pipe feels amazing in hand.  The carvings add character with the smooth rim and side contrasting beautifully.  The stem polished up fairly well.  In normal room light it looks great, under very bright light residual oxidation can be seen in places.  I think that the thickness and the extreme texturing of the briar will make a very cool smoking pipe for the next steward of this wonderful beauty.  The dimensions of the Trypis Freehand are:     

• Length:  5.83 in./ 148.08 mm.
• Weight:  1.94 oz./ 54.99 g.
• Bowl Height:  1.98 in./  50.29 mm.
• Chamber Depth:  1.59  in./ 40.39 mm.
• Chamber Diameter:  0.74 in./ 18.80 mm.
• Outside Diameter:  1.58 in./ 40.13 mm.

I do hope that you have found something here useful to your own pipe care, maintenance or restorations.  If you like this sort of thing, please click the like and subscribe buttons.  Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the completed Trypis Freehand.