NebraskaPeteGeek

An Emperor De Luxe Saddle Bit Bulldog Restoration

January 13th, 2024

Written and photographed by

John M. Young

A couple of blogs ago I wrote about an Emperor Supreme Golfer (I thought it to be a lovat at first). This pipe will probably be called something other than a bulldog but that is what I am going with right now. I do hope that you will not feel cheated that I am going to use much of the history from the previous Emperor Supreme Golfer, the pipe formerly known as lovat. (I do love a good Prince reference).

I recently became inthralled with Pipe Lovers Magazine from 1946 and 47. I imagine the multitudes of service men and women returning home to a simpler and safer life than what they had experienced during the war. I am immediately reminded of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Hobbits. They too enjoyed a simpler and safer life. Judging from the Magazine, the number of pipe smokers during that era also was at record levels. And just like the Hobbits of Middle Earth all those pipe smokers would need pipes, tobacco and a magazine telling them of the 5 Ws – “Who, what, where, when and why” of pipe smoking. Okay, the Hobbits didn’t have a magazine but they were fond of their pipes and their “pipe weed”.

Searching through eBay for estate lots which contained one or more of the makers proved to be fun as well. One listing that I came across was this one:

The description by the seller read as:

“This vintage Emperor Wally Frank smoking pipe lot includes a box of Empire pipes made in Brooklyn, NY. Crafted from high-quality BRIAR, this lot is perfect for collectors of estate tobacco items. The pipe features a unique body shape and is made by a renowned brand. The country/region of manufacture is the United States. This lot is a must-have for any serious collector of tobacciana and will make a great addition to any collection. All four pipes look in nice shape all are nice wood. Interesting box with instruction pamphlet ! Do not know a year I know nothing about these. My father had them. So please ask questions and look at all pictures took a lot not sure how many are Wally frank. All say imported BRIAR thank you.”

When the lot arrived I sent the seller a message saying that the pipes arrived and that everything looked good. I also usually ask the seller if they would be interested in seeing photos of the pipes after they’ve been restored. I received a message from this seller that read as follows:

“”Thank you very much they were my dads! yes would love to see them!!”

I did send them some photos of the finished Emperor Supreme Golfer and a link to the restoration of that pipe. I had previously asked if they would be willing to share any other information about their father and his pipes. The reply arrived and was short and to the point:

“Hi My dads name was ED he probably bought those new as he lived in Brooklyn NY he passed about 10 years ago very glad you won them thanks larry” (personal message).

The third pipe of that lot, is what traditionally is called a bulldog. The finish was mostly smooth with carved grooves in the way that Custombilt or Marxmam rusticated some of their pipes. There was a stamp on the left side – EMPEROR over Imported Briar. The stem also had stamps on two sides. Left – CRAFT FINISHED and right – DE LUXE. I started researching Emperor with the usual starting sources pipehil.eu for logos and pipedia.org for information.

First I went to pipedia.org for information about the Emperor. According to the site;

“Empire Briar Pipe Company Inc. of New York produced Emperor pipes. Known as “The Pipe that knows no Peer” as their 1945 advertising promotes. That ad reads “The pipe that knows no Peer. For every Emperor pipe is a notable work of art, a masterpiece created in the custom tradition.” They are a subsidiary of the Continental Briar Pipe Co. Inc. 80 York Street, Brooklyn, New York.

They had Three grades: Standard, De Luxe and Supreme.”

(Emperor – Pipedia)

Pipedia also had an example of an Emperor store display and advertisements from the late 1940s courtesy of Doug Valitchka. Thank you, Mr. Valitchka.

I could not find a pipe with the same shape as this bulldog shown in any of the company photos and continue to refer to it as a bulldog.

(Emperor – Pipedia)

This pipe was missing the keystone cleaner which was a bit disappointing. I am including a photo of the Keystone cleaner from the Golfer:

The next stop was pipehil.eu we can see the logos stamped on representative pipes in their collection of images:

(Em-Eq — Pipes : Logos & Markings (pipephil.eu))

The DE LUXE bulldog on the desk beside me shares EMPEROR over IMPORTED BRIAR as with the photos of both pipes from pipehil.eu.

The final bit of research was done perusing the 1946 and 1947 Pipe Lovers magazines. There I found a couple of references to Emperor. Item one is for an essay contest as the first prize.

(Pipe Lovers Magazine February 1947 p. 60)

And the second is a “What’s new” article also 1947, from the July issue.

(Pipe Lovers Magazine July 1947 pp. 219-220)

Ah hah, finally a reference to the name of this pipe – “saddle bit bulldog”. I just changed the title of this restoration blog entry. I dub thee Emperor De luxe Saddle Bit Bulldog.

There we have it, a late 1940s Emperor with a bit of personal information from the son of the previous and only owner. And here is how it looked upon arrival.

This Emperor is in very good condition and is showing that the majority of this restoration looks to be confined to the stem. Lovely, just lovely, compared to the restoration of the previous pipe, also known as the Marxman from hell. I plan on reaming the tobacco chamber, cleaning out the airway, sanding and micro-meshing the stummel and stem, a light topping of the rim, filling any noticeable pits on the smooth surfaces of the stummel and finishing with a few coats of carnauba wax. This looks like it will be a relaxing restore.

The first step was the reaming. Typing that sentence was about as difficult as the reaming. I used the Pipenet with blade 2, the Smokingpipes knife and the General triangular scraper. I also sanded in with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a dowel rod.

Next up, cleaning out the shank airway. The boring here was a bit different. A single pipe cleaner went through with too little contact while a cotton swab was too big to fit past the mortise. I folded pipe cleaners in half and gave them a hard pinch. Just right. The folded pipe cleaners were of the bristle variety and were dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol. The first four removed most of the yuck with the final two removing the last of it.

Have I mentioned how nice it is not to use 81 cotton swabs to clean a shank? Yeah, I’m talking about you, Marxman Dublin.

Next up was the ever popular Murphy’s Oil Soap bath. It is Friday night so, baths are in order. I used the Murphy’s undiluted with a medium bristle toothbrush. As clean as this pipe looked the Murphy’s still did what it does and removed the accumulated dirt and grime of 75 years. The soap was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton dish towel.

While I’m over here I may as well give the rim a light topping. I used a light touch on a piece of 220 sandpaper laid flat on the counter top. Then repeated it on a piece of 400 sandpaper. Returning to the workbench, I needed to blend the the newly sanded rim to the existing stain.

I used a maple furniture touch-up stain marker. I thought the maple looked a bit too red and light so, I used the mahogany marker as well, then used a

make-up pad dipped in isopropyl to lightly wipe/blend the stains to the stummel. The stummel was then wiped with a make-up removal pad dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol. It removed a little bit of color from the briar. Not enough to notice a difference.

I also poured 3 ml of the alcohol into the tobacco chamber and let it flow into the shank. The alcohol was poured back into it’s medicine cup and I was very happy to see that it remained clear and un-browned. Yeah Marxman Dublin, you better hide like a dog who knows they’ve been up to no good.

Once the alcohol had evaporated, I did notice a few spots where there was still some shine remaining. This was probably just wax that wasn’t removed with the scrub and the isopropyl. I wetted another make-up pad with 95% ethyl alcohol. Those smaller 2 carbon ethyl molecules might be less forgiving than their 3 carbon isopropyl comrades. The ethyl did a better job and

completely removed any trace of shine. Hmm, I wonder how methyl with only one carbon would work? Although as much as I use, it would probably soak through my skin causing blindness and death, both of which are permanent. Yeah, I could wear gloves but we both know I’d forget. That little bit of red you see on the photo above is from the fresh stain from the topping touch-up. I knew I thought it looked too red.

The stem needed to be rid of that tooth chatter that it had picked up. Since it wasn’t very bad I figured a quick painting with a disposable lighter might get rid of some of it. That helped but the sanding sponges were still required. I didn’t need a real aggressive grit and started with the 1000

sanding sponge. It was slow or maybe I was just going slowly relishing the easy relaxing change of pace from the dreaded Marxman Dublin. I made a slow deliberate look out of the corner of my eyes while frowning to where the Marxman was sitting. Like you would, to intimidate a bad dog. It had no effect on the pipe but it made me feel good. The 1000 sanding sponge was followed by the 1500-3500 sanding sponges. Between each sponge I would rub in a drop of Obsidian Oil with my finger and wipe it away with a paper towel. I didn’t bother taping the stamps on the stem since there was no oxidation to speak of so I just didn’t sand them until I got to the 3500. Then they got a light sanding avoiding the stamp as much as possible.

In looking the stummel over I noticed something for the first time. There

was a fill and it was a big ugly one. How had I missed that? I guess I was just so enamored by the lack of difficulty, I was blind to it. I used the sharp tip of a round needle file to cut some grooves into it, trying to match the lines from the carving. That helped but, ugh, it was now knocked from the pedestal I had placed it on. I thought maybe with some sanding the fill would become less noticeable. I started sanding the stummel with the 1500 sanding sponge. I jumped to the 2500 then the 3500. “Why?” you ask. This is a very soft briar reminiscent of the soft algerian briar that the good Marxman and Pipe by Lees used at this same time. It is so soft that you can easily get carried away with sanding and end up marring the briar. I have found that a very light touch is all that is required. Between each sanding sponge I would use an alcohol moisted make-up pad to wipe the stummel.

On to the micro-meshing. I started this with the 4000 micro-mesh pad, micro-meshing the stem and stummel together. I worked up through the series and wiped the stummel with an alcohol moisted make-up pad between micro-mesh pads. The stem was again rubbed with Obsidian Oil and wiped with a paper towel. When finished, I cleaned out the beads around the bowl with the sharp tip of a round needle file.

I left this photo more un-cropped to show where I had been wiping the sanding sponges and the micro-mesh pads on the denim surface. It really does help to keep the pads cleaned of removed material. After the micro-meshing the stummel was given a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm. This was allowed to do wherever magic it does for about 10 minutes before I wiped it off with the inside of an athletic sock. The pipe was then given several coats of carnauba wax at the buffer.

Overall, I am very happy with this bulldog. It was exactly the pipe I needed to work on after the Marxman Dublin. Sideways glance and furrowed brows. I am saddened by the lack of the keystone cleaner and that horrific frontal fill but still it is a beauty. I am sure that it will make someone very happy by delivering their smoke with grace and style. I do hope that you have found something here helpful in restorations of your own or that you were at least entertained. If you like this sort of thing please click the like and subscribe. I thank you for taking the time to read the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Here are some photos of the finished Emperor De Luxe Saddle Bit Bulldog.

Yeah, I am probably putting off showing the front…

Heh, from this angle you barely notice the fill.
A Marxman Dublin Gold Band Restoration

January 11th, 2024
Written and photographed by

John M. Young

I know what you are thinking, “Good Lord, man. Another Marxman? Why don’t you expand your repertoire?” Hah, I say, and stop questioning my motives in French. Just because the French are almost solely responsible for bringing briar to our beloved past-time, that’s no reason to start throwing French terms around. Besides, it is probably becoming known that I really like Marxman pipes.

My recent fascination with the post-World War Two (WWII, to properly use an acronym). Led me to further appreciation of the Marketing genius of Robert Marx, the founder of Marxman Pipes Inc. Allow me to illustrate:

(Pipe Lovers Magazine 1946 all numbers : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive)

Those are the back covers of Pipe Lovers Magazine for each month of 1946. That represents a substantial investment in building and maintaining one’s brand name.

Here is a quick review of Marxman pipes from pipedia.org:

“Marxman (Marxman Pipe Company) was created by Robert (Bob) L. Marx in 1934, when he was 29, and after he had worked for the William Demuth Company. His pipes were not outstanding because of the quality of their wood (probably Algerian), but Bob started making unique sculpted pieces, which brought the brand fame in the World of Hollywood cinema. Actors like Zachery Scott, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, Joel McRae, and Ronald Reagan were some of the faces that appeared on the bowls.

Bob knew how to innovate and took full advantage of marketing and press advertising in order to sell the brand–one of his slogans being “Relax with a Marxman”.

(Marxman – Pipedia)

In a recent forum post on Pipesmagazine.com, contributor jguss posted the following from the February 2, 1935 issue of the United States Tobacco Journal:

A remarkable article showing the business acumen as well as a photo of the man himself. Thank you, jguss.

This is one of my favorite quotes about Rober Marx:

“Ted also said: Several years before UST bought Mastercraft, M/C had aquired Marxman Pipes. A wonderful kind man, Bob Marx was still working as a salesman in NYC, and I was fortunate to make a few sales calls with him. You all remember Charles Atlas? Bob Marx was about 76 and had just been awarded the (I think) Atlas Award for being the finest speciman of manhood over 70 years old in NYC, or maybe the state.

M/C had some inventory of Marxman stuff, but not a lot. I know very little about Marxman. Did they make, import, or both?” (Mastercraft – Pipedia)

The “Ted”, who is being quoted above, was the nickname of Tom Douglas. Here is an announcement of Mr. Douglas’ passing from Pipesmagazine forum November 26, 2018:

“Tom Douglas passed away at 71 years of age, this past Saturday, in Florida. It seems he had an infection in his stomach, but I don’t know much more than that, regarding what actually contributed to his death. He did have a history of heart and other health complications. I just spoke very briefly with his wife Joyce; you can imagine how she’s doing.

The impact Tom had on the pipe community is huge…beginning with an immense library of pipe knowledge through the pages of the Dr. Grabow Collectors Forum….his 25 years of service at the Grabow / Sparta pipe factory (where he retired in 1991)….his executive leadership over Mastercraft distribution for many years…”

(Broken Pipe: Tom Douglas, aka “TED” :: General Discussion :: Pipe Smokers Forums of PipesMagazine.com)

So, at 76 years old Robert Marx was still involved in the business that he must have loved. This would have been around 1980.

Onto the pipe at hand. This Marxman Dublin was in the same estate lot as the Winthrop (previous blog) and the Manhattan (future blog). The Manhattan (c. 1922) is awaiting parts needed for completion. The final pipe of the 4 is a promotional pipe stamped with “Tropical Paints” over “Cleveland”. That one will be a fun research project, I am sure.

The Marxman Dublin had seen a great deal of use, some of it well beyond use and into the abuse category. Here are photos of the poor darling upon arrival.

Yeah, she needed a lot of attention. This one may require me to find a new historical drama series to have on in the background while I work. Okay, probably not a whole series but, a solid 5 episodes.

The only thing that is in surprisingly good shape is the stem. The previous owner may not have ever heard of a pipe cleaner but he wasn’t a biter. Okay, that was kind of sexist – they were not a biter.

I started by disassembling the pipe. You probably noticed that the stem was not fully inserted in the photos. I removed it when it first arrived. It was very tight and I didn’t want to force it back into place for the photos. I also removed the gold band, which surprisingly did not conceal a cracked shank. Like Forrest Gump said, “that’s good! One less thing.”

I then began to ream the tobacco chamber. The cake was very hard and did not want to relinquish its hold on the briar. Hmm, I’ve had Marxman pipes

with Algerian briar before that literally slough off their cake with little effort. It took all the reaming tools to get this task finished. The Scottie reaming tool, the Pipnet, the Smokingpipes Low Country knife, the General triangular scraper and of course the 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel. The inspection of the interior of the tobacco chamber revealed that not only was the previous owner cleaning averse but also a puffing machine. The chamber showed signs of heat damage and charring on three sides. The repair of the damaged bowl took some thought while working on other issues.

After the Tobacco chamber I started in on the shank airway. This cleaning nearly made me rethink my life choices and hobbies. I could give you the short version and say something like “81 cotton swabs and a highball glass full of alcohol later, the shank was clean.” I know you would rather hear the long painful real experience. First off, let me say that this was perhaps the most filthy shank I have ever cleaned out. Now it could be that I had wiped worse shanks from my memory but I don’t think so. This shank was a bear to clean out. I will let the photos speak for themselves. The process was as follows:
1. Pour 3 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol into the bowl.
2. Plug the mortise with a finger and tilt stummel to wet the airway with alcohol
3. Use a .22 caliber brass bore brush to scrub the interior of the shank.
4. Use 3-4 cotton swabs to scrub the airway absorbing the dissolved tars and remaining alcohol from the shank.
5. Repeat until clean.
After a few (AKA bunch) of repetitions. I tried rolling a 5cmx5cm piece of paper towel around a round needle file. This was dipped in alcohol and used to scrub the airway. When it came out I’d unroll it and reverse it and reroll the paper towel to scrub with a clean side. Thus the paper towel pieces in the photos. I eventually got tired of my continual failures and decided to pack the tobacco chamber and shank with cotton and let the interior soak in alcohol/cotton overnight.

The next morning the cotton was stained with the tars that had dissolved from the stummel and got absorbed into the cotton as the alcohol evaporated. I removed the cotton and started the above scrubbing procedure (steps 1-5) repeatedly.

Above was the first cotton swab used after the overnight alcohol/cotton treatment. Yep, it is still nasty and tar filled.

A bunch of swabs later I was finally getting lighter colored swabs out of the shank. Long story-short = 81 cotton swabs were defiled with this one shank. I was victorious.

The stem was next on the hit list. After just finishing the shank from hell, and looking at the button, this is going to be fun. I used the dental pick in an

attempt at opening up the airway at the button. That tar and smoking residue was nearly as hard as the stem. Eventually, I was able to get a pipe cleaner all the way through the stem. I thought this would be a good candidate for the churchwarden-pipe-cleaner-in -the-vise routine. That is where you clamp one end of a bristle pipe cleaner into a vise, thread the pipe cleaner through the airway, using a pipette soak the pipe cleaner with alcohol and move the stem up and down the length of the pipe cleaner.

Usually a dirty stem will use two churchwarden pipe cleaners. This one took 6 plus the 6 to get the stem to accept a pipe cleaner and it was still dirty. I was getting frustrated. I returned to the

workbench and dipped a bristle pipe cleaner in acetone. It came back even more soiled that the pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol. I repeated this 3 more times. Every one came out as filthy as the one before it. I took the stem to the sink and ran hot water through the stem, thinking that maybe that would loosen the yuck better. I then used a bore brush with dawn dish soap. After the Dawn, I repeated with Castile soap all with hot water. I then tried a pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol. Surprise, still coming out brown. I continued with running the hot water through the stem then scrubbing with an alcohol dipped pipe cleaner for another 6 days. Ok, that may be an exaggeration. It might have been 15 minutes. Eventually the pipe cleaner did emerge without any yuck.

Cleaning done, time to move on to the sanding. I used the 400 sanding sponge followed by the 1000 sanding sponge. This allowed me to get a better look at the areas that needed to be filled. I saw a couple of spots. I placed a small drop of clear thin cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) on the spot and immediately sanded with the briar dust filled sanding sponge over the top of the CA. This enables the briar dust from the sponge and sanding to stick to the CA and fill the pit. This technique is good for small shallow pits and is not suitable for larger deeper fills.

Next was to top the rim. I used a piece of 220 sandpaper laid flat on a countertop as the topping surface. The stummel is rotated in a circular motion while trying to keep even pressure. Every three rotations I spin the stummel 90 degrees in an attempt to evenly remove material from the rim. Once the desired amount of material is removed I sand the rim with a piece of 400 sandpaper laid flat on the countertop.

This rim was beaten up pretty badly. Rather than removing an eighth of an inch of stummel I topped the rim to remove most of the damage then beveled the inside and outside of the rim. I used a wooden ball wrapped in 220 sand paper for the inside bevel and a 220 sandpaper lined funnel for the outside bevel.

With the fills filled and the rim topped, I was able to get a good look at the grain of this briar. It was rather unimpressive. Now, I know that Algerian briar is not known for outstanding grain, great smoking – yes, great grain, not so much. This pipe was what I would call, “less than”. I thought maybe a bit of contrast stain would bring the little grain present to a better light.

I prepped the dyeing/staining area. Side note: I know that I am using a dye

not a stain. I just can’t get used to the term dyeing when working with wood. Staining wood is ground into my being from Wood Shop in middle school. The required gear is a paper towel covered surface, Fiebing’s Black Leather Dye, a folded pipe cleaner, a disposable lighter and the official duct tape wrapped fishing bobber. Yeah, I know, most people use a wine bottle cork, those are in short supply due to my tea-totaling life.

I purposely spilled dye on the paper towels to stress the importance of this step. Yeah, that ‘s what happened, purposely. It is a good idea to wear nitrile gloves when working with leather dye – good thing I forget that. After the dye had dried I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad wetted with alcohol. I then sanded the stummel with the 400 sanding sponge to remove the outer layer of black stained briar. I’d like to say the results were phenomenal. I’d be a liar. The results were more like, nominal. Oh well maybe, it will look good after the restoration balm?

Taping the gold band and stamps then working through the sanding sponges were the next steps. The sanding sponges 1000-3500 were used on the stummel and stem. The stummel was wiped

with an alcohol wetted make-up pad between sponges while the stem received a light coat of Obsidian oil from my fingers and was wiped with a paper towel. Looking down at the workbench I saw that gold band wrapped in blue tape. Why the heck did I do that? I never had it on while I was sanding.

It was getting to the time when I had to decide what to do about the damage to the inside of the bowl. Options:
1. Redrill the tobacco chamber.
2. Use a pipe mud made from cigar ash and water to fill the cracks.
3. Use JB Weld epoxy to fill the cracks
Hmm, number one sounded a bit extreme and would require me to buy some significant equipment. While not averse to the idea of buying some large tools I am economically unwilling. Number two sounded reasonable. This pipe will never be sold due to the extensive repairs and will remain with me or be gifted to a friend who understands what they are receiving. I am out of cigar ash and really don’t enjoy smoking cigars. That left option three. I have JB Weld and I’d used it several times with great success. It definitely won’t fall out like the pipe mud might.

Yeah, that is almost as scary at looking at MRI images of my brain with my neurologist. First I worked a 20 gauge brass bore brush around to get rid of any loose charred material.

Then I mixed the epoxy as stated by product instructions with a little bit of carbon powder. I remembered to wear nitrile gloves and place a pipe cleaner in the airway. I bet you didn’t think I’d remember either of those. Using the epoxy on a nitrile covered finger, I smeared it evenly over the inside of the bowl. I planned on sanding the interior leaving the epoxy only in the depressions once it had cured in 24 hours. JB Weld can be wiped from any surface where I didn’t want it with a make-up pad dipped in acetone. I did this around the inside edge of the rim.

This restoration had already taken a full day more than I had anticipated. Not wanting to waste any more time waiting for the epoxy to cure, I taped over the tobacco chamber to keep dust and debris off of the curing epoxy. Micro-meshing came next, here I used the 4000-12000 micromesh pads in sequence with the same wiping between pads as I did with the sanding sponges.

Getting nearly finished. Well, after waiting for the 24 hours of epoxy curing, that is. I still needed to reattach the gold band. The stamp on the band says “14K RGP.” This would indicate a 14 karat rolled gold plate. I used the fly tying bodkin to lay a bead of brown CA around the outer edge of the shank. I then carefully slid the band into place. I set it aside to dry. During the drying I took the stem to the buffer. The stem had been micro-meshed when I was doing the stummel but, I needed something to do while the CA set with the band. I buffed the stem with a red buffing compound and wiped it clean with a cotton cloth.

After a few minutes I returned to the stummel and reattached the stem. It was slightly loose. It probably would have tightened up by smoking a bowl of tobacco but the epoxy was not cured and not sanded. I decided to give it a quicker tightening with a bit of Bee’s wax. I placed 3 kernels of wax on a spoon and warmed it over a burner on the stove. Once melted I rolled the tenon in the melted wax. This was allowed to cool then I pushed the tenon ½ into the mortise. That pushed the extra wax back toward the stem. I used an Exacto knife to cut away the extra wax and pushed it ¾ into the mortise. Again I cut away the excess wax. Then slid the stem all the way into the mortise. Perfect tightness.

I then took the pipe to the buffer for a couple of coats of carnauba wax. Yeah, I know, I didn’t do the Before and After Restoration Balm. In all honesty, I was getting a bit tired of working on this Marxman Dublin. The stummel took to the wax very nicely and it looked pretty good. I will let the epoxy cure for the required time before I try sanding the interior of the tobacco chamber. I may need to apply a second coat of epoxy to fill some of the deeper grooves. I’ll know more tomorrow. For now, I am calling this Marxman finished. Three days and still not finished is a long time for me to work on a single pipe. Even my love of Marxman pipes has a limit.

Overall I am glad to be done… Um, I mean I am happy with the way this pipe turned out. For a pipe that was; as filthy as this one was, has rather unattractive grain and has charring in the bowl it turned out well. I will give it a chance and smoke it in a couple of days. It may be one of those magical pipes that smokes so well it will replace a favorite. “May” is not just the month after April, it is also a very big qualifier here. This pipe obviously was someone’s favorite pipe for a long time. That may be an indication of it’s potential. I do hope that you found something here useful for restorations of your own or at least were entertained. If you like this kind of thing, please click like and subscribe. Thank you very much for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished (nearly) Marxman Dublin with a gold band.
A Emperor Supreme Rusticated Medium Golfer Restoration

January 9th, 2024

Written and photographed by

John M. Young.

A while back I discovered the cache of Pipe Lovers Magazines from 1946, 1947 and 1948. The articles were fun to read and the print advertisements provide an amazing source of information for research. It was during one of these reading sessions that I decided that I wanted to restore some of the pipes from the advertisements from the pages of Pipe Lovers Magazine of the post war 1940s.

Searching through eBay for estate lots which contained one or more of the makers proved to be fun as well. One listing that I came across was this one:

The description by the seller read as:

“This vintage Emperor Wally Frank smoking pipe lot includes a box of Empire pipes made in Brooklyn, NY. Crafted from high-quality BRIAR, this lot is perfect for collectors of estate tobacco items. The pipe features a unique body shape and is made by a renowned brand. The country/region of manufacture is the United States. This lot is a must-have for any serious collector of tobacciana and will make a great addition to any collection. All four pipes look in nice shape all are nice wood. Interesting box with instruction pamphlet ! Do not know a year I know nothing about these. My father had them. So please ask questions and look at all pictures took a lot not sure how many are Wally frank. All say imported BRIAR thank you.”

When the lot arrived I sent the seller a message saying that the pipes arrived and that everything looked good. I also usually ask the seller if they would be interested in seeing photos of the pipes after they’ve been restored. I received a message from this seller that read as follows:

“”Thank you very much they were my dads! yes would love to see them!!”

I am looking forward to sending them photos of the finished pipes. I then sent another message asking if they would be willing to share any other information about their father and his pipes. As of yet, I have not received any additional information. I realize that this is asking someone to share personal information and that not all people are comfortable doing that with a total stranger but, I was hopeful.

The first pipe that I decided to work with was a small lovat. The finish was rusticated in the same way that Custombilt or Marxmam rusticated some of their pipes. There were stampings on both sides and the bottom. Left side – EMPEROR over CUSTOM FASHIONED, right side – Supreme and bottom – CUSTOM FINISHED. I started researching Emperor with the usual starting sources pipehil.eu for logos and pipedia.org for information.

First I went to pipedia.org for information about the Emperor. According to the site;

“Empire Briar Pipe Company Inc. of New York produced Emperor pipes. Known as “The Pipe that knows no Peer” as their 1945 advertising promotes. That ad reads “The pipe that knows no Peer. For every Emperor pipe is a notable work of art, a masterpiece created in the custom tradition.” They are a subsidiary of the Continental Briar Pipe Co. Inc. 80 York Street, Brooklyn, New York.

They had Three grades: Standard, De Luxe and Supreme.”

(Emperor – Pipedia)

Pipedia also had an example of an Emperor store display and advertisements from the late 1940s courtesy Doug Valitchka. Thank you, Mr. Valitchka.

THis next image set me straight as to the name of this shape. I had been calling it a lovat. In looking at the names Emperor gave this shape I will henceforth (and in the title) call it a Medium Golfer. THough it is not quite an exact match for the shape of this pipe it is the closest match I can find for an Emperor so, That is what I’m calling it. If you have additional information please feel free to include it in the comments.

And for the last advertisement an image of the stinger or, rather the “Keystone Cleaner” For some reason I envisioned Charlie Chaplin and the Keystone Cops with brooms when I read this.

(Emperor – Pipedia)

The next stop was pipehil.eu we can see the logos stamped on representative pipes in their collection of images:

(Em-Eq — Pipes : Logos & Markings (pipephil.eu))

The Medium Golfer on the desk beside me shares the Supreme stamp and the EMPEROR over IMPORTED BRIAR but does not have any stamps on the stem. This is probably due to the short saddle stem shape not being conducive to stamping.

The final bit of research was done perusing the 1946 and 1947 Pipe Lovers magazines. There I found a couple of references to Emperor. Item one is for an essay contest as the first prize.

(Pipe Lovers Magazine February 1947 p. 60)

And the second is a “What’s new” article also from 1947, from the July issue. This closely describes the carving style of this Golfer.

(Pipe Lovers Magazine July 1947 pp. 219-220)

Based on the above, I would say that this Emperor Supreme Medium Golfer was made by the Empire Briar Pipe Company Inc. and was carved at 80 York Street, Brooklyn, New York sometime around 1947. This pipe represents one of their highest grades, the Supreme.

Now, let’s see what it looked like upon arrival. Okay, as a disclaimer, this is kind of a set-up. There was another Emperor pipe in the box upon arrival. The other pipe was an Emperor but it was not a Supreme it was a De Luxe (their spelling not mine). Everything else is as-found upon arrival. THe pipe was in remarkably good condition.

This really looked more like a clean-up rather than a restoration. I planned to ream the tobacco chamber, clean out the airway, sand the light scratches on the stummel and stem, micro-mesh the pipe, give it a Restoration Balm coating and buff with carnauba wax.

I started with the reaming. The pipe is small and none of my reaming tools would fit the tobacco chamber. The diameter measures .67 inches or 43/64 in. Who the heck has ever heard of that drill bit? It is in between ⅝ and 11/16 inches although it could be a 17

mm. I used the Smokingpipes Low Country knife and the General triangular scraper to remove the minimal cake. This was interesting, the cake seemed to just slough off the chamber interior. It was obviously an old cake but it came off very easily. I have experienced this before with Algerian briar in Marxman pipes. They just seem to shed the cake with little effort. After the scraping, I sanded the interior of the chamber with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel.

Next I addressed the shank airway. Cotton swabs dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol were used for the initial scrub attempt. Once the tars in the airway started to soften the swabs became darkly stained. I then poured about 3 ml of alcohol into the tobacco chamber allowing some of it to flow into the shank. Holding the stummel at an angle to avoid pouring the alcohol on my jeans I used a nylon shank brush to scrub with the alcohol. I scrubbed and twisted the nylon brush. The brush was removed and wiped by pulling the bristles through a paper towel. I then used a couple of cotton swabs to scrub and absorb the remaining alcohol. THis was repeated until the swab emerged clean.

After the shank was cleaned I turned my attention to the stem. The stinger was definitely unique. It showed evidence of quality machine work and surprise – it is threaded into the

stem. I soaked the stinger in alcohol while I ran alcohol dipped bristle pipe cleaners through the stem. The stinger (Oh wait, Keystone Cleaner) was scrubbed using a piece of 0000 steel wool dipped in alcohol. Once cleaned the stem was reassembled.

The stummel was then taken to the sink for a cleansing with Murphy’s Oil Soap. There didn’t appear to be much dirt or grime on the stummel but the thing is still 76 years old and a bath is rarely a bad idea. I used Murphy’s undiluted and scrubbed with a medium bristle toothbrush. The Murphy’s was rinsed with water and the stummel dried with a cotton dish towel. Upon returning to the workbench I wiped the stummel off with a make-up removal pad dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol. The pad discolored slightly during this rubbing. It looked like it may have been dissolving some of the dye from the briar.

I then rubbed the stummel with a make-up pad dipped in acetone to see what that solvent would do. It appeared to remove a bit more color though neither of the pads affected the overall finish of the pipe.

I then taped the stampings with painters tape for their protection. I began sanding with the 1000 grit sanding sponge. I used the sponge with a light touch and did not try to sand

any of the carved grooves on the stummel. I sanded the stem at this time with the same sponge. I moved up through the sponges from 1000 to 2000 then 3000. I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad wetted with alcohol between sponges and the stem got a drop of Obsidian oil rubbed in with my fingers and wiped with a paper towel. After the 3000 sanding sponge I removed the painters tape and micro-meshed the stummel and stem with pads 4000-12000. I again wiped between pads the same way that I did between the sponges.

After the 12000 micro-mesh pad was used on the stem I did a final polishing with Before and After Fine and Extra Fine polishing compounds. They were applied with my finger then hand rubbed with a soft cotton rag.

The Emperor was really starting to look fantastic. I applied a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm to the stummel and let it set for about 30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes I wiped off the Restoration Balm using the inside of an athletic sock. Wow, I thought that it looked good before.

All that remained was for me to apply a few coats of carnauba wax the pipe and take some photos.

When I opened the package with the four pipes in this lot the phrase “pleased as Punch” came to my mind. “What the heck does that mean?” asks anyone who is not old. “As pleased as Punch means to feel a great sense of delight.” Feel free to click the link for the citation. The other Emperor in the lot will be in a near future blog. I believe the briar to be Algerian similar to the briar used by Pipe by Lee and Markman. It is very soft and has a quality that I cannot define well but know when I see it. The pipe is relatively small measuring in at 5.5 inches long (140 mm), 1.4 inches tall (40 mm) and 1.13 inches wide (29 mm) with a weight of 1.1 ounces (31.3 g). The briar’s grain is difficult to discern with the carvings but I could not find any fills. It is just a little darling of a pipe. I hope that you have found something here that you can use in restorations of your own or that you were entertained. If you like this sort of thing please click the like and subscribe. Thank you very much for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Here are some photos of the finished Emperor Supreme Medium Golfer.

Yeah, I had to try that one out myself. It was so worth doing. Thanks again, John.
A Winthrop Billiard Restoration

January 7th, 2024

Written and photographed by

John M. Young

This is not the pipe I set down to restore. I actually started a different pipe and got to a point where I did not have the materials I needed to finish it. That one will be a great story to blog about. Stay tuned. I wanted something to fill the afternoon and this Winthrop jumped out at me. I had never heard of Winthrop.

I searched the usual information outlets; pipehil.eu for logo leads and pipedia.org for maker information. Two strikes. I wasn’t “out” but I was running out of swings. I then turned to Steve Laug’s rebornpipes.com blog. He has been writing up restorations for darn near a dozen years. I will frequently search his site to see if he has restored a pipe and use his blog as a starting point for research. Steve had nothing on Winthrope. I’m going to call that a “ball”, not a strike. I wasn’t ready to return to the bench, yet. I searched the internet and found this lead: “RARE OLD VINTAGE ANTIQUE WHITCOMB’S WINTHROP BRAND CIGAR BOX – LABEL – TOBACCO.”

(Rare Old Vintage Antique Whitcomb’s Winthrop Brand Cigar Box – label – tobacco | #1844991015 (worthpoint.com))

Ball 2. I searched a bit for Whitcomb’s Cigars and found this:

(Antique Smoke the Winthrop Cigar Cutter Joseph Whitcomb & Co Springfield Mass 1800s Tobacciana Collectible Vintagesouthwest DMT – Etsy)

I’m calling that another “ball”. That put me at 2 strikes and 3 balls.

For my last swing I posted the following on pipesmokermagazine.com forum: “I am sure that there are folks out there who can enlighten me about Winthrop. I got this as part of an estate lot. Relatively thick walls, screw in tenon (similar to a Kaywoodie without the 3 or 4 holes), saddle stem. Photos of pre-restoration.

No mention of it in pipehi.eu nor pipedia.org. Heck, Steve Laug hasn’t even restored one.”,

Once again Briar Lee came to my rescue. Briar Lee, by the way, is a fine gentleman on the forums who is an absolute wealth of knowledge and a fellow Marxman pipe lover. Here is his response to my post:

“That font just screams Wally Frank catalog, 1940s. It was a style he used. [photo]

It is actually a Briarlee type stinger, it’s removable, and has a full aluminum disc mortise. [photo] There are three Winthrops listed on eBay tonight. [photo x3]

They look high quality factory pipes of the forties, likely a Wally Frank contract.

Lee could certainly have made those, but so could other New York City pipe makers.

That likely was a $2-3 pipe, with lots grain figure, in a catalog where a very good pipe was $1 to $1.50.” (https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/can-anyone-tell-me-about-this-brand-winthrop.102598/#post-36957469)

Maybe not the exact manufacturer but, that is far better than my imaginative conjectures. And, sticking with my baseball themed analogy, the umpire says, “Ball 4. Batter, take your base”.

Here is the pipe that caught my attention as it appeared emerging from the “do me next” box.

The Winthrop didn’t look too bad for a 1940s pipe. Yeah, she had some scars from rough relationships but, don’t we all? I figured a good reaming, cleaning finish removal, maybe a dye-job, some sanding and she’d look like a brand new pipe. Well, newish, anyway.

I started to prepare to ream the tobacco chamber. I removed the stem and saw a very interesting stinger. Now, I am not a stinger fan, generally. This just looked to be a quality piece of work. Fairly heavy aluminum, well machined, good fit with the mortice. What’s this, it comes apart? Cool. Given, I had to use a pocket knife to get it to come apart the first time and the photo shows the cleaned-up version, I was initially impressed. I dropped the removable stinger into a medicine cup with some 99% isopropyl alcohol to soak. I then started running

alcohol dipped bristle pipe cleaners through the stem. That was an ADHD moment, there, I was supposed to be reaming the tobacco chamber.

Okay, back to reaming the tobacco chamber. I used the Scottie stainless steel reaming tool as the Pipnet tool has a broken #1 blade. The Smokingpipes Low Country knife and the General triangular scraper were used to further rid the chamber of carbonized material. The chamber was then sanded with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel. THe chamber looked google with no evidence of heat damage.

I started cleaning the airway in the shank with cotton swabs dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol. They came back looking dark. I then poured about 3 ml of the alcohol into the bowl and let it drain into the airway. I then used a nylon brush to scrub the shank interior while holding the stummel at an angle so the alcohol could dissolve the tars and remain in the stummel rather than staining another

pair of jeans by dripping it on my lap. After the scrub I used cotton swabs to scrub the airway. These absorb the loosened tar and remaining alcohol.

The photo is after the first 3 ml of alcoholI repeated the process with 3 ml of fresh isopropyl. This was done 3-4 times before the cotton swabs came back clean.

I then applied an even coat of saliva onto the rim and scraped the rim with a sharp pocket knife. I held the bladed perpendicular to the rim and lightly scraped away the lava.

With the interior and rim cleaned, I took the stummel to the sink for the Murphy’s Oil Soap scrub. The Murphy’s was used undiluted and scrubbed with a medium stiff bristle toothbrush. The stummel was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton dish towel. I returned the stummel to the workbench and wiped the bowl off with a make-up pad wetted with 95% ethyl alcohol. The ethyl alcohol removes an existing finish better than the 99% isopropyl alcohol. The pad came back with a good bit of color indicating that it was dissolving the old finish.

I continued with a fresh pad and continued until I was no longer seeing any color on the make-up pad. I then tried a make-up pad wetted with acetone – a little more color came off.

With the finish removed I could see a couple of spots that I needed to fill with cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust. Gave the stummel a light sanding with a 400 sanding sponge. This revealed a small pit on the end of the shank. I dug out the old fill with a fly tying bodkin. There were also several cuts in the bottom of the stummel that needed to be filled.

For the pit on the shank I pressed briar dust into the pit and placed a small drop of Thin CA onto the dust. Ist absorbed and set up almost instantly. I smoothed the fill with a 400 sanding sponge. The gashes on the bottom of the stummel were a little more difficult. I did not want to damage nor did I want to get any CA into the stamping. I placed a small drop of Thin CA into the gash and started sanding it immediately. The hope was that some sanding dust would get into the gash, mix with the CA and form a fill in place. I had to repeat this process a few times.

With the fills addressed I covered the stamps with painters tape and sanded the stummel with the 600 and 1000 sanding sponges. I thought that I might be able to use a dark brown dye then sand the stummel leaving a nice contrast stain and accentuating the briar’s grain.

I prepped the dyeing area and gathered the needed items. Fiebing’s Dark Brown Leather Dye, a folded pipe cleaner, disposable lighter and the duct tape wrapped styrofoam fishing bobber.

I used the folded pipe cleaner as an applicator for the dye. The fishing bobber was inserted into the bowl to stop dye from entering and give me a handle to hold the stummel. Most people use a wine bottle cork for the bowl plug/handle. I applied two coats of dye and flamed the wetted stummel with the lighter.

After allowing the stummel to dry for a few minutes I used a paper towel to wipe the excess stain from the stummel.

I returned to the workbench and spayed a make-up pad with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Holding the stummel in paper towels, I wiped the stummel to remove additional dye.

After the stummel had been wiped and dried, I began sanding with a 400 sanding sponge. I wanted to remove the outer layer of dyed briar leaving behind the areas that absorbed more dye. It didn’t work as planned, I probably should have used a black dye. Oh well, it’s still a lovely color of brown and is more like the original. I continued sanding using the sanding sponges 600-3500. Between each sponge I would wipe the stummel off with an alcohol dampened make-up pad. The dyed and sanded stummel looked like this when I was done with the sanding sponges:

The stummel still needed to be micro-meshed. I figured I would do the stem and the stummel at the same time. This meant that I needed to work to the stem.

The stem had quite a bit of teeth chatter or, maybe a previous owner liked to

smoke while waking during sandstorms. Either way it needed a good sanding and micro-meshing. The stem did not have any browning indicative of oxidized vulcanite yet when sanded the color was a yellow-brown like oxidized vulcanite – weird. I sanded using the sanding sponges from 600-3500. Between each sponge I applied a layer of mineral oil with my fingers and wiped it off with a paper towel. These new sanding sponges are excellent at getting into the corner where the button meets the stem. I almost forgot to tell you that I covered the stem logo with a piece of painters tape to protect the logo.

With both the stem and stummel now ready for micro-meshing I reapplied new painters tape of the stamps and logo. I started with the 2400 micro-mesh pad and moved through the whole series through the 12000. Between each pad I wiped the stummel is a make-up pad wetted with 99% isopropyl alcohol and the stem with mineral oil on my fingers wiped with a paper towel. The stummel

received a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm and was allowed to sit for about 30 minutes. For the final polishing of the stem I used Before and After Fine then Extra Fine Polish.

The polish was applied with my finger and vigorously rubbed with a cotton rag for each polish.

.

The last thing this old pipe needed was the final few coats of carnauba wax applied with the buffer. After the waxing I gave the stem another drop of obsidian Oil, hand buffed the stummel with a nanofiber polishing cloth and took some photos.

This old Winthrop Saddle Stem Billiard may have an unknown providence but it certainly did clean up nicely. The briar is thick, well drilled and though the grain isn’t great it certainly doesn’t hurt my eyes. The aluminum work of the mortise and tenon is well done and precisely machined. The stem material, whatever it is, proved to be hard to finish, never really taking on the ebony glow of high quality vulcanite or ebonite. Overall this is a very well made factory produced pipe. It will undoubtedly provide years of enjoyment for its next partner. I hope that you have found some of the techniques used here helpful in restorations of your own or were at least entertained. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover. Almost forgot again, if you like this kind of stuff please hit the like and subscribe buttons.

Below are some photos of the finished Winthrop Saddle Stem Billiard.
Tools of the Trade – Restoration Tools and Materials

January 5th, 2024
Written by

John M. Young

Recently a reader, Sascha from Germany, messaged me in a Facebook group and mentioned that he liked my detailed descriptions of the processes used in restorations but he had never heard of some of the products I use. I thought, “Oh, yeah. Not everyone lives in southeast Nebraska.” That completely explains why the nearest town has a population of 480 people. If everyone lived here it would probably be more like 8 billion. Also, WordPress has a function where viewers’ countries are shown. My ramblings have been viewed by amazing people in 34 different countries. I find this astounding and I am glad that I don’t have to pay the postage for my blogs to reach each of you.

Well, back to Sascha’s concern. He was unfamiliar with Murphy’s Oil Soap. I quickly did a search for German equivalents of the Murphy’s and found that: Murphy’s Oil Soap = Schmierseife in German and suggested that he try Denkmit Schmierseife gold as a product. The logistics of me doing this for every product I use for 34 countries immediately made my head explode. Fortunately, there isn’t much inside my head so the clean-up of an exploded head was minimal.

I did figure that I would list the main products I use and a link to a supplier, typically Amazon. Now I realize that Amazon may not ship to all points on Earth so I typed in the most remote human habitation of Earth – Tristan Da Cunha. And then searched to see if Amazon delivers there. They do:

“Important Notice – Updated Information for Amazon Global International Shopping to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha
- Amazon has recently expanded Amazon International Shopping, its selection of items from the main US Amazon store that can be shipped to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha and other countries.
- It’s a lot like a filtered version of the main Amazon website which simply excludes the items that can’t be shipped to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha.
- If you’re looking to get an Amazon item shipped to you in Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha, we strongly recommend you start by visiting Amazon International Shopping. (https://flycrates.com/amazon-shipping-to-saint-helena-ascension-and-tristan-da-cunha)
Who would have thought that, eh? Well, now we know.

Below is the list of products used in darn near every restoration:

54 Pack Sanding Blocks, 9 Grits from 320 to 3500, Soft Touch Sanding Pads,2″ x 2″ Sanding Sponge

Starbond 2 oz. Black Medium-Thick CA Glue (Premium Cyanoacrylate Super Glue)

Starbond 2 oz. Super Fast Thin CA Glue (Premium Cyanoacrylate Super Glue)

Starbond “Pinocchio” Pump CA Accelerator – Instantly Dries Super Glue (8 ounce)

2 inch by 2 inch Double Sided Micro-Mesh Soft Touch Sanding Pads

Isopropyl Alcohol 99% (IPA) – USP-NF Concentrated Rubbing Alcohol

Roundfire Premium Ethanol Fireplace Fuel

This one may raise some eyebrows, don’t let the “fuel” fool you. It is just 95% denatured ethyl alcohol.

ForPro Pure & Natural Stitched Cotton Rounds for Face (400-Count), 100% Pure Cotton Makeup Remover Pads

Before and After Restoration Balm and Deoxidizer.

Pipnet Pipe Reamer 5 Piece 168g

Low Country Reamer

Dental Tools, Professional Teeth Cleaning Oral Care Hygiene Kit, Stainless Steel Dental Pick Tooth Scraper

Kleenex Professional Facial Tissue for Business These are used to wipe away the tears when I think of all the pipes I cannot afford to buy.

YAKAMOZ 10Pcs Mini Diamond Metal Files Set Micro Round Needle File Triangular Square Flat Riffler File Kit Wood Stone Glass Jewelry Fine File Tools for Jewelers Crafts Hobbies

Fiebing’s Leather Dye – Alcohol Based Permanent Leather Dye – 4 oz This is just the black dye. There are many colors to choose from.

Murphy’s Oil Soap, Coconut, 16 Oz You do not have to use the coconut, it’s just half the money of the regular.

Soft Scrub Multi-Purpose Cleanser with Oxi

BUCKTOOL 6-Inch 1/3HP Low-Speed Bench Grinder, High Precision Wobble-free Wheel Grinder, TLG-150S

I picked up a grinder like the above a while back. I removed the protective guards and replaced the spindles with a convert-your-grinder-to-a-buffer-kit similar to this: PURUI 11PC Metal Polishing Buffing Kit Use on 6″ Bench Grinder

For things like cotton balls, cotton swabs, acetone and toothbrushes, I get them at the dollar store. You can also get the sponge backed emery boards, for filing fingernails, at the dollar store. I pick those up when I am buying birthday cards. Yeah, I’m cheap. Why pay $4.99 for a card when I can get one for $1? I can save the money for more Kleenex tissues for the tears generated by looking at pipes I can’t afford on eBay.

That is a list of stuff that took years to accumulate. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it all at once or you may incur the wrath of a spousal unit. Or, you may decide that this restoration nonsense isn’t for you. The good news of changing your mind is that most of that stuff has uses besides pipe restoration. Well, maybe not the Pipnet reamer but, a lot of it does. You can always use the alcohol to burn everything thus getting rid of the evidence of your weird life choices.

I hope you have found this helpful in your quest of strange life choices. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.
A Kings Cross Saddle Stem Billiard Restoration

January 4th, 2024
Written and photographed by John M. Young

I know what you are going to say, “Good Lord man, another Kings Cross?” Well this is actually only the fifth one of a six pipe estate lot. All six of them, Kings Cross. I will probably spare you from the last pipe restoration as it is another saddle stem billiard with the same shape number as this pipe. Anyway, I thank you in advance for reading this. Maybe, I will be try something new, be especially insightful and humorous this time. That too is probably not going to happen. I’m just full of good new year cheer, eh?

Well, here we are again. The history of a Kings Cross pipe. The best part of this blog for me is that I am writing it while smoking the Pipe by Lee from the last restoration. Let me rephrase that, from the previous restoration. I bet you were thinking, “finally this guy’s last restoration. I figured he would be canceled after the second one.” Hah, still going strong with at least 5 more pipes in the restore box and another 4 due on Friday. Okay, I’ve been putting it off long enough. The history of Kings Cross pipe. Really, again?

These were pipes made by the Chapuis-Comoy company in both their English and French factories. The “FRANCE” stamped on the stem of this pipe indicates the Chapuis factory in France was the home of this pipe. Kings Cross pipes stamped “MADE IN ENGLAND” would be those made in the Comoy’s London factory. Pipe lovers of the world are indebted to the Comoy family for their contributions of bringing briar to the pipe making world. If you are interested in the Chapuis-Comoy family history, and it is amazing, take a look at these or these links:
As for this pipe and the “6” pipe shape. That coincides with the Comoy shape chart which both factories share.

(https://pipedia.org/wiki/Comoy%27s_Shape_Number_Chart)

The below photos show how the Chapuis Saddle Stem Billiard appeared upon arrival.

The pipe showed signs of regular use, well developed cake in the tobacco chamber, some calcium deposits and numerous tooth chatter marks on the stem. Overall, the pipe appeared in good condition and only needed fills in two spots. This looked like a straight forward restoration.

I began with reaming the tobacco chamber using the PipNet reaming tool with the number 2 blade, Smokingpipes Low Country reaming knife, General triangular scraper and the 220 sandpaper wrapped wood dowel. The cake was hard and required some knife work prior to the PipNet tool.

Next I removed the stem and began cleaning the airway within the shank with a dental scraper, nylon shank brush, cotton swabs and a good deal of 99% isopropyl alcohol.

The initial alcohol dipped cotton swabs came back dark with tar. The initial scrapings were also hard and dry. To soften the residues in the shank I poured approximately 3 ml of alcohol into the bowl and slightly rotated it to allow the alcohol to flow into the shank. While holding the bowl slightly lower than the shank I could keep the alcohol in the bowl and shank. I scraped the airway with the dental scraper, swished the alcohol into the shank then scrubbed with the shank brush. I would clean the brush by pinching it in a paper towel. After scrubbing with the brush I scrubbed the shank with the cotton swabs to absorb the loosened/dissolved tar and removing the 3 ml of blackened alcohol. I repeated these steps numerous times.

Eventually the shank was cleaned and a folded pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol came back without discoloration.

The stem was then cleaned with alcohol dipped bristle pipe cleaners, Again several pipe cleaners were used before the pipe cleaners went through the stem without discoloration. The stinger was soaked in alcohol to soften the residues on it. After softening the aluminum stinger was cleaned using a pocket knife blade in the grove and 0000 steel wool dampened with alcohol.

Wit the internals cleaned I took the stummel to the sink to scrub the externals with Murphy’s Oil Soap. The Murphy’s was used undiluted and scrubbed with a medium stiff bristle toothbrush. Once scrubbed the stummel was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton dish towel. I returned the stummel to the work bench and wiped the surface with a cotton make-up removal pad wetted with 99% isopropyl alcohol. The make-up pad came back with very slight discoloration.

The lack of color to the pad indicated that either there was little finish remaining on the stummel of that the alcohol did not dissolve the finish. I repeated the make-up pad wipe with acetone to see if that solvent would remove any additional finish. It too came back without much discoloration.

I placed protective painters tape strips over the stampings on the stummel and the stem. I wanted to sand/micro-mesh the stem and stummel together to avoid rounding the edges of the mortise/tenon contact. I sanded the pipe with sanding sponges with 600 grit followed by the 1000 grit sponge. The stummel and stem were wiped with an alcohol dampened make-up pad between and after the pads.

At this point I decided to try to give the stummel a contrast stain to liven-up the pipe a bit. The tape on the stummel was removed. I then prepped the area for dyeing. I use an upside down plastic tub as the work surface, paper towel base, black Fiebing’s Leather Dye, a folded pipe cleaner applicator and a disposable lighter. And, the official duct tape wrapped styrofoam fishing bobber for the tobacco chamber plug/ handle.

I applied one complete coat and flamed it with the lighter. I then allowed the dye to dry for about 5 minutes.

After it was dry I returned the pipe to the workbench and wiped off the excess dye with a couple of make-up pads wetted with 99% isopropyl alcohol. One really nice thing about a black stained pipe is how well they show off any flaws in the wood. I decided to fill the two spots now since I would be sanding for the next half hour anyway. This was done using cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust. I pressed some dust into the pit and dabbed a small drop of CA onto the briar dust. I used the 600 grit sanding sponge to smooth the fills and to remove the upper layer of dyed briar. Care was taken to avoid the stampings. Some sanding of these areas was necessary but done with a very light touch. The below photos show the stummel dyed and sanded with the 600 sponge.

With the dyeing and initial sanding complete it was time to sand and micro-mesh the stummel and stem. I was really wanting to see how this dye job would look. I used the sanding sponges 1000-3500 with an alcohol dampened make-up pad wipe between sponges. The stem was sanded at the same time with the same sponges. I did use a lighter touch on the stem than on the stummel. The stem was wiped off with a dry paper towel between sponges and a thin layer of mineral oil was applied to the stem with my finger tips then wiped again with a paper towel.

Once finished with the final micro-mesh pad I wiped the stummel with the alcohol pad then applied a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm to the entire pipe. I let this sit overnight as it was bedtime.

Morning came, as I find they always do. I wiped away the slightly more rigid Restoration Balm with the inside of an athletic sock and found a quite lovely finish. All this one needed now are a few coats of carnauba wax from a buffer. The below three photos are of the pipe after the balm was wiped off.

I took the pipe to the buffer for this carnauba wax application. I took my time making sure to apply wax to each side from different directions. I then used a polishing cloth to hand buff the pipe. I returned to the buffer for one more application of carnauba. Maybe, it was just to polish my own ego rather than the pipe. I was pretty pleased with how the stain looked. The contrast stain looked beautiful and the wax was giving it a glow. I looked at the finished pipe and thought “I don’t really care that I don’t know your exact providence. You are lovely.”

Overall I think this Kings Cross Saddle Stem Billiard turned out very nicely. I am glad that I did the contrast stain/dye. I think that it really made the grain show up beautifully. I often feel torn during a restoration that I should try to keep things as original as possible. In this case I am pretty sure that the original workmen would have approved. I was able to retain the stampings and showcase the natural grain in a way that accentuates the natural beauty of the briar. The polished black of the stem goes even better with the black from the contrast stain. I hope that there was something here that you can use in your own restorations or that you were entertained. Thank you very much for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the required if you like this sort of thing please click the like and subscribe buttons.

Below are some photos of the finished Kings Cross Saddle Stem Billiard.
A Pipe by Lee Large Bull Moose Restoration

January 2nd, 2024
Written and photographed by John M. Young

Pipe by Lee is an interesting brand of pipe made in the 1940 and 1950s. According to the the go-to-information source, Pipedia.org,

“This brand was distributed by Stewart-Allen Co., Inc., NY. Grading (ascending): 1 to 5 stars. Early pipes have seven pointed stars, middle run have five points and later pipes are stamped with coloured gold stars. Lee seconds are: Briarlee, Gold Coast.” (Lee – Pipedia)

Examples of the stars from my own collection:

The first two photos are of brass stars inlaid into the stem. The third photo shows imprinted stars which were then painted. Notice the rubber of the stems on all three look rather porous.

The stampings one the shank of this pipe match the stampings from the pipehil.eu website.

(http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l3.html#lee)

The shape of this pipe looks very much like the Large Bull Moose from page 7 of the 1947 Pipe by Lee catalog. If you would like to see the entire 10 page catalog here is that link – Pipes by Lee Catalog – Pipedia.

(File:PipesByLeeCatalog-p7.jpg – Pipedia)

For those interested in the history of Pipe by Lee I recommend the following blog article by Steve Laug “A Pipe by Lee Limited Edition 2 Star Rhodesian worth restoring”

The pipe before me today is a first run Pipe by Lee Lage Bull Moose from around 1947 Below are photos of this pipe upon it’s arrival:

This pipe was in relatively good condition upon arrival. There was minimal cake build-up in the tobacco chamber. The briar had some dents and dings with one spot on the heel that looked like it had been dropped onto concrete. The stem had the look of a porous old rubber of vulcanite. The end of the shank appeared to have a clear epoxy where either the threaded aluminum mortise was originally installed or a later repair was made. Overall this looked like just a clean-up and refinish restoration.

I started with the tobacco chamber reaming. The PipNet reaming tool made quick work of the hard cake. The Smokingpipes Low Country reaming knife and the General triangular scraper were used to scrape the remaining cake from the chamber. This was followed by a sanding of the chamber with 220 sandpaper on a wood dowel.

After the reaming I started cleaning the interior of the shank. The chamber had very little cake so, I was hopeful that the airway would be equally as easy – WRONG. The shank proved to be very tar encrusted. The first couple of cotton swabs dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol came back very dark and began to soften the tarred airway. I then would repeat the following:
1. Pour about 3 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol into the bowl. Allow the alcohol to slosh in the shank.
2. Use a dental scraper to scrape the walls of the airway, wiping off tar onto a make-up pad.
3. Use a nylon shank brush to scrub the newly scraped walls of the airway with the 3 ml of alcohol.
4. Remove alcohol using cotton swaps to further scrub the airway.
5. Repeat.
I did not keep track of the number of times I repeated this process but it was many. Eventually the airway was clean and the cotton swabs emerged non-tarified (pretty sure that needs to be a word).

Next was the scrubbing of the stummel with Murphy’s Oil Soap. This was done over a sink with a medium stiff bristle toothbrush. The scrub worked nicely to remove the accumulated dirt and grime from the briar. The stummel was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton dish towel. I then returned to the workbench and wiped the stummel with a make-up pad soaked in 99% isopropyl alcohol. I also poured a couple of ml of the alcohol into the bowl allowing it to slosh around the bowl and airway to pull some of the water from that briar. I prefer to use 95% ethanol for this step as I think it pulls the water from the briar more effectively than does the isopropyl but, I was nearly out of ethyl. The make-up pad showed some sign of removing something from the briar perhaps a little bit of stain or just the last of some old dirty wax. At this point I set the stummel aside to dry. Below are photos of the scrubbed stummel.

I turned my attention to the stem. The stem had the appearance of a rough porous rubber. I have seen this before with pipe from this era. I think it may be from the use of recycled rubber from war time rubber shortages. I used Soft Scrub with Oxy-clean on a make-up pad to scrub the stem. I repeated with a clean pad when the pad became discolored with oxidized rubber.

At this point I also wanted to address the tooth chatter near the button. I tried to paint the area with a disposable light in an attempt to raise the dents. This slightly helped but the areas still required some file work.

Once the oxidized surface had been scrubbed and the chatter filed, I returned to the workbench and liberally coated the stem with mineral oil. This old rubber seems to absorb oil.

With the stem sucking up oil I returned to the stummel. I gave the stummel a quick sanding with a 600 grit sanding sponge and wiped it with a make-up pad dampened with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I then examined the stummel for areas that needed to be filled. There appeared to be four areas which had been damaged and no old fills from the factory. This speaks rather well as to the quality of briar selected by Pipe by Lee carvers for this 3 star pipe. The damaged spots were all filled with cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust. In the deep dent by the rim the dent wall filled with briar dust pressed into the dent and This Clear CA was added to the dust. The other 3 areas I placed a small drop of Thin CA to the briar and sanded over the top of it with the 600 sponge. The dust was provided by the sanding sponge. After smoothing the fill I then looked to see if additional applications of CA and dust were required to fill the spot. Below are photos of the four fills.

The above photo shows what I think was evidence of a drop onto concrete.

With the fills taken care of it was time to give the pipe a sanding/micro-meshing. I cut two pieces of painters tape and placed them over the stamps for protection. I began the sanding with a 600 grit sanding sponge with a wiping the stummel with an alcohol dampened make-up pad afterward and wiping the stem with a dry paper towel and applying a drop of mineral oil with my fingers and wiping it again with a paper towel.. I repeated this with the 1500-3500 sanding sponges.

(above cropped photo from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMPWHXJC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)

After the sanding sponges I moved to the micro-mesh pads starting with the 4000. I used the pads in the same way that I used the sponges, wiping the stummel and stem after each pad. I proceeded to use the pads from 4000-12000. Below are photos of the stummel after the sanding.

The stem was looking much better but I was still unsatisfied with the button. The years of use and clenching had flattened the button on both top and bottom. To address this damage I use scotch tape to mask the newly smoothed area above the button.

I then apply a drop of two of black CA. I immediately invert the stem so the drop hangs down but remains on the button with surface tension. I can then rotate the stem allowing the drop to hang lower on the portion of the button which requires more material. I then spritz the black CA with cyanoacrylate drying accelerant. This quickly sets and cures the CA. I does leave a more coarse surface than allowing it to cure slowly. While the CA is curing I quickly use a sharp knife to cut the edge of the button while the CA is still soft. You only have a few seconds to do this so the knife has to be readied before the spritz.

A few second after the cut the accelerant evaporates completely and the CA is cured. It’s a good idea to wipe the knife blade quickly to remove any CA that is on the blade. Acetone will dissolve CA especially prior to the complete curing. The tape is then removed. This leaves a nice straight edge with minimal filing and/or sanding required.

At this point I apply a new piece of scotch tape to the stem immediately above the button to protect it from filing and sanding. I then used a flat needle file to shape the button.

Once filed to shape the button was then sanded with the sponges and micro-meshed to the highly polished surface that I wanted.

At this point I figured that I would try something new. Well, new for me anyway. Briar Lee (his handle on the forums at PipesMagazine.com) said to me in a personal message, “PS Lees love grapeseed oil.” I decided to try this advice. The first phot below is the before photo. The second is a well grapeseed oil saturated pipe and the third photo is about an hour after the soaking. As you can see the briar proved quite absorbent to the oil. I added a second coating of oil and waited another hour. It too was absorbed with more in some areas than others. After the second hour, I wiped the pipe off with a clean dry cotton rag (piece of t-shirt).

Below are additional photos of the oiled and wiped off pipe. Notice that the briar does not look as if it has been micro-meshed to a high polish.

After a few minutes some of the surface became more oily so I wiped it again. The surface of the pipe did not look as if it had been micro-meshed at all. It seemed almost porous. I thought back to restorations of other Lee and Marxman pipes with a very similar briar. I recalled that they too seemed to have a softness of briar that was more porous. Perhaps that is why they smoke so well.

I took the pipe to the buffer to apply the carnauba wax. I applied several coats of wax. The pipe looked good but not what I would call great. I decided to let it sit and wait until morning to see if I was seeing things, too tired or a combination of the two. Old eyes late at night do make things appear differently.

In the morning I looked at the pipe again. It seemed as though it had been waxed but then hand buffed with a rough rag. I returned to the buffer and gave the pipe another couple of coats of carnauba wax. This time the finish looked much better. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth and took it upstairs for some photos. Under the lights it again appeared slightly dull. I decided to take it outside and see how it looked with natural light. That is apparently what it really needed. The sunlight really made the briar glow.

This pipe was purchased for my personal use. I really do love the way the old Lees and Marxman pipes smoke. And the thought of them being 80+ years old and still doing what they were intended to do warms my heart and hand. I am hopeful that in another 80 years someone, preferably a grandchild, will be able to continue appreciating this pipe. I do hope that you have found something here helpful to your own restorations or were entertained. If you enjoy this sort of thing please click the like and/or subscribe. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished Pipe by Lee Large Bull Moose.
A Henry Leonard & Thomas Inc. Royalton Crown Billiard Restoration

December 29th, 2023

Written and photographed by John M. Young

I love to read old pipe advertisements from the 1940s and 1950s. Where else can you find gems like “bitter juices” and “trap unwanted moisture and slugs” in an ad for pipes?

(RoyaltonCrown13.jpg (599×420) (pipedia.org))

Or, this one from 1946 Pipe Lovers Magazine ad: “YOU ARE EVERLASTINGLY SAFE from unsavory juices and bitter slugs when your pipe is a Royalton” (Pipe Lovers Magazine 1946 all numbers : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive, p.113). Apparently “slugs” were of a major concern to Royalton pipe smokers as well as gardeners in the 1940s. The advertisements illustrate the spending of the major suppliers of the 1940s pipe marketing world. Full page ads are seen by Marxman, Kaywoodie and HTL. Sterncrest, Weber and Kirsten frequent the magazines as well with frequent ½ and 1/4 page ads.

Henry Leoneard and Thomas Ltd. was the forebears of the great pipe dynasty Sparta Industries and would later become part of MasterCraft.

“Henry Leonard & Thomas, Inc. (HLT) was founded in Ozone Park, Queens, New York by Henry J. Lavietes and two partners on May 31, 1938. The company patented a stem design for pipes and cigarette holders designed by Henry on March 9, 1943. Henry was the son of David Lavietes, who moved to Sparta, North Carolina in the early 1940s to purchase laurel and rhododendron burl to ship back to his son and HLT. Lavietes decided to stay in Sparta and founded the D&P Pipe Works with his other son Paul, originally as a 15 person operation. David Lavietes was the inventor of the Ajustomatic feature incorporated into Dr. Grabow pipes even today.

In 1944, the trademark for the Royalton filter well was granted to HLT. Soon after, however, Henry Lavietes closed the New York operation with little warning and moved the entire production to Sparta, North Carolina. At this time in addition to the Royalton line, HLT was making many other lines of pipes.

In 1953, HLT acquired all assets and equipment of the Dr. Grabow company of Chicago, Illinois, and began production of Grabow and Hollycourt pipes. At the same time, they acquired the Continental Briar Company, owner of the Royal Duke, Duke of Dundee, and Honeydew pipe brands still evident in the common use of the word “Duke” to name Grabow pipes.

On October 21, 1969, United States Tobacco company, owners of the Mastercraft brand, announced that it had acquired HLT. It still ran as a separate company until 1985, however, when Sparta Pipes, Mastercraft and HLT were merged into Sparta Industries, Inc.

While, even after this time, the HLT brand was sold to Lane, and later, in 2006 to International Pipes & Assessories, the current owners, IPAL continues to make and sell the Royalton pipe with the original HLT logo as part of the Grabow line.” (Henry Leonard & Thomas Inc. – Pipedia)

Unfortunately I could find little else on the Royalton line of pipes. The HTL Royalton billiard breaks from the advertisement diagrams by having a cork mortise to seat the aluminum tenon. The use of cork indicates an older manufacture date. I searched the patent number stamped on the stem of the

Royalton “pat. Re. 21209” to no avail. The only thing I could find was a 1943 patent for a “SMOKER’S APPLIANCE”, which was actually for a cigarette holder and a pipe stem. Two separate items on the same patent form. The pipe stem is a complex piece of engineering with 3 beads within the stem, “The beads are somewhat smaller in diameter than the well, and may freely assume random positions, thus causing the smoke to take an indirect and tortuous or sinuous path around and through the beads. This helps cool the smoke and helps precipitate moisture, bits of tobacco, and nicotine.”. (https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/2313648).

I will just call this HT&L Royalton billiard produced prior to the factory move to Sparta, NC in 1944. I say this because for the first years after the move pipe production was mainly done with Mountain Laurel, not briar. After the war, pipe makers wanted to assure buyers that their pipes were actually made with briar and they stamped pipes to indicate this. This pipe is a rather large piece of briar, for the 1940s, and is not stamped with any “imported briar”, “genuine briar”, or any briar guarantee stamps.

I picked up this pipe in March of 2023. It must have been in response to my ongoing fascination with the old advertisements as I don’t remember being terribly familiar with the Royalton line. As you can see from the amount paid, I spared no expense for my new quest. The poor old pipe languished in a small cardboard box until a couple of days ago. I think I must have done a little bit of work on it as the tobacco chamber airway and stem were very clean. Perhaps, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work that the stem would require or, at the number of fills or, I forgot what I was doing and threw it in a box. Whatever the reason, she is out now and ready to entertain.

Here is what she looked like upon her reemergence:

The one word that comes to mind is “Yikes”. Okay, recovered from that. What needs to be done? Reaming the tobacco chamber, cleaning of the airway, topping the bowl, stripping the finish, filling the pits/dents/dings, restain the stummel, rebuild the button, sand/micro-mesh the whole thing and finish with carnauba wax. That sounds like it. As good as that plan sounded, I was pretty sure that the deployment of the plan would go less smoothly than the writing of the plan.

The tobacco chamber had been mostly reamed though not sanded. I used the PipNet reaming tool pretty much just to let it think it was a necessary part of the restoration. It wasn’t needed. The General triangular scraper on

the other hand was quite useful as was the 320 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel. There was not much cake to remove and the chamber looked good except for a strange indented ring that ran around 1/3 of the tobacco chamber.

The next thing to address was the numerous fills. They ranged in size from pinpricks to a 5 mm chip. They were filled with a small drop of cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) then a pinch of briar dust pressed into the CA. Once cured the CA/briar dust was filed and sanded smooth. The one exception to this fill technique was the large chip on the rim. For this one I pressed the briar dust into the hole then applied thin CA to the dust. The thin CA soaked into the dust and cured almost immediately. After smoothing a depression was observed it was again given a small drop of the CA and a second pinch of briar dust.

The fill in the middle of the stamp was troublesome. I wanted to retain as much of the stamp as possible. I concluded that part of the stamp would

have to be sacrificed. I used a piece of scotch tape and applied it to the stamp that I wanted to preserve. The lower part of the stamp was very light and couldn’t be read. I then filled the hole with briar dust pressing it into place with a dental scraper. I then used a fly tying bodkin dipped into the thin CA to hold a drop of the CA. I placed this drop onto the briar dust. It soaked it and cured immediately. I repeated the drop of CA to any areas that did not receive a good wetting of CA. With the tape still in place I carefully smoothed the CA briar dust fill with a flat needle file then 320 sandpaper and finally 400 sandpaper. I then removed the tape.

Once the fills were completed I topped the stummel using 220 sandpaper on a flat counter. I rotated the stummel in hand as I sanded with a circular motion. I continued until the majority of the rim dings had disappeared. I repeated the topping with 400 sandpaper to further smooth the new rim.

There remained some dings around the rim. I decided to remove them by adding a slight bevel to the outer rim. I used a piece of 220 sandpaper glued to the inside of a funnel. The stummel was rotated inside the funnel to bevel the edge of the rim. The inside rim edge was also slightly beveled using a wood sphere wrapped in 220 sandpaper then smoothed with 400 sandpaper.

With the rim reworked I sanded the stummel using a set of new sanding pads. Steve Laug recently mentioned these sanding sponges in a recent blog on rebornpipes.com and for $10 (6 sponges of each grit), I couldn’t pass them up. The sponges felt a bit more aggressive or coarse grit than the wet dry sandpaper so I started with the 1000 sponge and used it with a light touch. After sanding I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad moistened with 99% isopropyl alcohol.

(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMPWHXJC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)

I wanted this pipe to have a contrast stain more like it did originally. I didn’t think that the stummel retained enough of the original dark base stain after sanding the fills so I went with a black Fiebing’s Leather Dye as a base. I probably could have used Fiebing’s Dark Brown for this with equal results. I gathered the staining gear: An upside-down plastic tub was used as a base to protect the counter from spills, paper towel surface, the Fiebing’s, a pipe cleaner applicator, a disposable lighter and the official duct tape wrapped fishing bobber – most people use a wine cork.

I gave the stummel a complete coat of the Fiebing’s Black Leather Dye and flamed the dye to set the color.

Once dyed I set the stummel to dry for about an hour while I turned my attention to the pipe stem.

With it’s scary appearance, the stem had apparently daunted my restoration efforts since this pipe arrived. I began smoothing out the area near the button with a file. The plastic filed easily and I graduated to a finer flat needle file to remove the deeper smooth the filed area.

Once the dents had been smoothed I began sanding with 220 then 320 sandpapers.

This went much better than I had feared it would. I then tried the new sponges. This plastic was not affected by the 99% isopropyl alcohol so, I used the alcohol on a make-up pad to wipe the stem between sponges.

The button did need to be rebuilt. I failed to photograph the process used. I know, I am prone to forget to do this when rebuilding stems. I will include some photos illustrating the steps with a different pipe, a Marxman Super Briar bent bulldog. (That restoration can be seen here https://wordpress.com/post/scimansays1787.wordpress.com/949). Apologies.

To rebuild the button I used a technique that I have not seen other restorers use. I first smoothed the area below the button with 400 sandpaper.

Scotch tape applied to the stem immediately below the button.

Black CA applied to the button to build-up the area.

The CA was spritzed with accelerant and “cut” at the back of the button with an Exacto knife while the CA was still soft. You only have a few seconds between the spritzing and the curing of the CA. The “cut” needs to be made during these critical seconds when the CA is still soft.

Scotch tape removed along with the CA that was “cut”.

The new button is shaped with needle files and sandpaper.

The above process was the same as I used for this stem except I used clear CA rather than the black CA. To repair the damage to the opening of the button

I cut a piece of flat plastic lid to the shape of the interior of the button. This was then inserted into the airway. Clear gel CA was then worked into the gap around the insert. The CA was spritzed with CA curing accelerant. The insert was removed and additional accelerant was spritzed into the airway to harden any CA within the airway entrance. This was repeated for the top and bottom. Once the button airway had been reformed I used a thin strip of 400 sand paper folded in half, for stiffness, to smooth the airway inside the button.

After the stem work was finished I returned to the black dyed stummel, kind of regretting my decision to use the black dye. I wiped the excess dye off with a couple of make-up pads soaked in 99% isopropyl alcohol. Once evaporated I used the 600 sanding sponge to remove the black stain from the stummel. This was followed by an alcohol wipe and then sanded with the 1000 sanding sponge and again wiped with alcohol. Below are photos of the contrast staining.

I was pleased with how the black dye penetrated into the softer, more open grain of the stummel. I wanted a warmer look to the lighter briar. I decided to use a diluted Feibin’g Light Brown Leather Dye to give the highlights a more yellow, warmer contrast. I used 3 ml of 95% ethyl alcohol in a medicine cup. I dipped a bent clean pipe cleaner into the dye and stirred it into 3 ml of ethyl. I used this to apply a coat of light brown to the stummel. After flaming off the dye I wiped it down with an alcohol soaked make-up pad.

The results were what I was after. Maybe not as “orange” as the original but this was looking pretty close.

I worked the stummel sith the micro-mesh pads 4000-12000 with an alcohol wipe between each pad. After the final wipe I applied a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm to the stummel and set it aside to let the balm work it’s magic.

Returning to the stem I micro-meshed the plastic with the 3200-12000 micro-mesh pads with an alcohol wipe between pads. Once finished with the micro-meshing of the stem I wiped away the excess Restoration Balm from the stummel and reintroduced the two parts. The cork mortise was not very tight. This can be seen in the second photo below.

I did not have a wine bottle cork to use as a replacement to the existing cork. I thought about ways to expand the existing cork and thought that steam might do the trick. I put the kettle on the stove and heated the water.

The steam venting from the spout seemed like the perfect delivery method so I held the stummel allowing the steam to enter the shank. Holding it this way was a bit uncomfortable but after a couple of minutes I dried the stummel and tried the stem for fit. It worked beautifully. I applied a bit of petroleum jelly to the cork and allowed the pipe to dry for about 30 minutes.

The pipe still looked flat, for lack of a better word. Even after the restoration balm. I decided to give it a coat of Danish Oil in hopes of livening-up the grain. Below are photos of the stummel after the coat of Danish Oil had dried.

I returned the stummel to the workbench and reworked the surface with the 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads, with a slightly water dampened make-up pad. This brought out a much nicer shine to the stummel. All that was left to this restoration was to apply a few coats of Carnauba wax with the buffer.

Overall I am quite pleased with how this restoration turned out. The contrast stain shows off the briar’s grain. The rep plastic of the stem revitalized well and the rebuilt button is comfortable. The large number of fills blend away as well as can be expected and don’t draw too much attention away from the wood’s beauty. I was sad to see some of the stamping worn away but glad that I was able to preserve as much of it as possible. Fills and stamps do not go well together. This old pipe is now returned to proper condition for many more years of faithful service. I hope that some of the techniques used in this restoration are useful in your own work. If not, then I hope you were at least entertained. If you like this sort of thing please hit the Like and Subscribe buttons, below. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished Henry Leonard & Thomas Royalton Crown Billiard.
A Dr. Grabow Grand Duke Medium Bulldog Restoration.

December 27th, 2023

Written and photographed by John M. Young

When I first started this blog back on October 30, 2023 one of the first pipes I discussed was a Dr. Grabow Westbrook Dublin. In that blog I wrote: “We all know of Dr. Grabow pipes and likely have our own opinions of them. Anyway you look at it Dr. Grabow pipes are an American icon. I do not feel the need to examine the history of the brand and am including links regarding history for those who are interested.” I think that sums up how I feel today as well as it did then.

History:

Dr. Grabow Pipes: https://www.tobaccopipes.com/dr-grabow-history/#:~:text=The%20famous%20smoking%20pipe%20brand,US%20patent%20number%201.896%2C800.

Dr. Grabow on Pipedia:

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow

Dr. Grabow timeline, Pipedia:

https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow_Pipe_History_Timeline

Current Dr. Grabow:

https://www.drgrabow.net/

The Dr. Grabow being restored here is a Grand Duke Medium Bulldog. This pipe was part of an estate lot and was not my “target” of the lot. It was just along for the ride. I have nothing against this pipe other than a dislike for heavy clear coat finishes. Here is what this Grand Duke looked like upon arrival:

As you can see from the photos this pipe was pretty much new perhaps, only smoked a couple of times. Judging by the tobacco chamber and the filter I am inclined to say maybe only smoked once. So, what are the steps for this restoration? I am thinking that I will: Ream the bowl, strip the finish, perhaps restain/dye the stummel, polish the stem, clean the minimal residues from the airway and finish with several coats of carnauba wax.

Heavy clear coat is frequently used to hide the blemishes of a flawed briar block. I remember the Waldorf restoration where the clear coat covered and supplied a “glue” to hold literally cubic centimeters of fill in place. I have also seen beautiful pieces of briar hidden from the world with indiscriminate applications of stain and heavy finish. This is not meant to be an indictment against factory made pipes. The turning out of thousands of pipes by using the briar that the company has purchased rather than the selecting the absolute best pieces to work with is how these companies produce mass market pipes and sell them for prices that nearly anyone can afford. This means that these pipes are more of a gamble – will you get lucky and have a “magic” piece of briar or a flawed piece that will serve its purpose?

I first cleaned out the tobacco chamber, reaming is hardly the term I would choose. There was

minimal residue accumulated in the chamber. I used a Smokingpipes Low Country reaming knife and a General triangular scraper for the scraping. I finished with a 320 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel. There was no damage to the interior of the chamber.

Next I wanted to determine which solvent would dissolve this type of finish. The easiest finish to remove is shellac. That is easily removed with 95% ethyl alcohol. Next on the “easy” scale is a varnish that is soluble in acetone. After that we move into the “poly” or as I call them “Space Age Polymers”. That is a tongue in cheek reference to the commercials advertising all kinds of crazy products during the 1960s and early 70s. I have a Kaywoodie with a finish

that I lovingly refer to as diamond coating as I cannot find anything that can affect it, short of sanding. I started the finish removal with 95% ethyl alcohol on a make-up removal pad. It had no effect on the Grand Duke finish. Next I tried acetone on a make-up pad. It did little at first but I could feel the surface becoming tacky as I rubbed. Okay, I think we have the solvent. The rubbing was far too slow a process so, I decided to submerge the stummel into an acetone bath. I keep glass canning jars of solvents for this purpose. The EtOH is an abbreviation for ethyl alcohol. I dropped the stummel into the acetone and topped it off with some fresh solvent to completely cover the stummel. I figured that I would see the results in an hour.

During the acetone bath I turned my attention to the stem. The stem was in excellent shape with only some scratches from light handling of jostling around in a drawer or shipping box. I started polishing with a 2400 micro-

mesh pad. The material was not vulcanite. It too is impervious to the ethyl alcohol but acetone quickly dissolved the plastic stem. Not to self, keep acetone away from the stem. I worked the stem with the 2400, 3200, 3600 and 4000 micro-mesh. Between each pad I would wipe the stem off with an alcohol dampened make-up pad.

After about an hour I used a forceps to remove the stummel from the acetone bath. The finish was very soft and tacky. The problem with acetone soluble finishes is

that they will re-harden with the evaporation of the acetone. That is exactly what this one was doing. I took a couple of paper towels and folded them in half to absorb the spent acetone. I then used a steel brush dipped into the acetone and lightly scrubbed the stummel. The brushing with wet acetone worked very well at removing the finish.

Once removed I sanded the stummel with 400 sandpaper and wiped the stummel down with a make-up pad moistened with alcohol. With no finish obstructing the

view, I could now see there were some serious fills that had been made to this pipe. Along the right side of the stummel there must have been a gouge that ran from about shank high to right above the bead. The rustication attempted to conceal the gouge but there had been some filling as well. I used a fly tying bodkin to remove some of the old fill material that was loose or softened. I then applied brown cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) to the areas where there were small pits that I wanted filled. I quickly used the 1500 micro-mesh pad to smooth these areas. The dust from the micro-meshing was incorporated into the CA and filled the small pits. I allowed the stummel to dry overnight to rid it of the acetone that had soaked into the briar. Acetone is very volatile and would be completely gone by morning. Below are photos of the pipe stripped of finish.

In the morning. I reworked the rustication with a Dremel tool and a round carving bit. This would smooth the filled areas and better blend them to mask the flaws.

There was also a little bit of old filler in the bead cuts. This made them appear like they were “clogged”. I tried to open them more with a piece of folded sandpaper. Unhappy with the result I used a cutoff disk with the Dremel tool to open them. I sanded with the previously mentioned folded sandpaper and applied the black Fiebing’s Leather Dye to the bead cuts as well.

in the briar. I used Fieding’s Black Leather Dye applied with a detail paint brush to darken the recarved areas. When the dye had dried I dabbed the

newly dyed areas with an alcohol dipped make-up pad to blend the new dye with the older. After the dye had dried I again micro-meshed the stummel with the 1500 micro-mesh pad to remove any black dye from the high spots.

With the re-carvings done, I reattached the stem and masked the stamps on both sides of the stummel with painters tape. I micro-meshed the entire pipe from the 1800-3600 micromesh pads. Between pads I wiped the pipe with an alcohol

moistened make-up pad. When finished with the 3600 micro-mesh pad, I removed the masking tape and wiped the pipe with the alcohol. I finished the micro-meshing with the 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads, wiping between

each as before. The pipe was looking far better than when it arrived. I was debating whether to stain/dye the briar with a light brown leather dye. I decided to apply a coat of Before and After Restoration Balm to the pipe and see how the briar looked without a stain.

After a few minutes I used the inside of an athletic sock to remove the remaining Restoration Balm. The briar looked good, almost like a contrast stain had been used. I thought the light brown Fiebing’s unnecessary. A took the pipe to the buffer and applied several coats of carnauba wax. I normally do not use carnauba on a rusticated pipe but this one has enough smooth areas that it seemed worthwhile to do. The pipe was then hand buffed with a microfiber cloth to further enhance the shine of the smooth surfaces.

I admit that I really like the look of this Dr. Grabow Grand Duke Rhodesian. The remaining dark stain gives the natural briar the look of a light contrast stain which stands out against the dark depressions of the rustication. The highly polished stem just makes the whole pipe look even nicer. I think the restoration was a “grand” success in changing a cheap looking drugstore pipe into a pipe that will make people look twice. I love when a couple of hours work changes the subject from the old cast off or ordinary to something unique and pretty. I hope that you found something here that you can use in your own restorations or had an entertaining read. If you like this sort of thing please click the Like and Subscribe buttons. May you have a wonderful and prosperous New Year. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished Dr. Grabow Grand Duke Rhodesian.
A Kings Cross Bulldog Restoration

December 26th, 2023

Written and photographed by John M. Young

The return of the Kings Cross collection. Back at the end of November, I had won an auction for a lot of 6 Kings Cross pipes. I have restored the 3 Square, Kruger and a Billiard from that lot. The next victim, umm, I mean subject, was this bulldog. It had very classic lines with a slightly forward cant to the bowl, very fine beading and a saddle stem. A very attractive traditional bulldog design. When it arrived here in south east Nebraska from Rutherfordton, North Carolina, it looked to be in good condition.

The bulldog would need the normal restoration attention including: Finish removal, tobacco chamber reaming/sanding/inspection, rim topping, airway cleaning, stem revitalizing with teeth chatter removal, refilling of fills, filling of pits, stummel sanding/micro-meshing, re-staining, and carnauba wax to finish. Plus any new issues which typically arise with closer inspection. In other words, this is an easy one.

A little bit about the history of the Kings Cross line. These pipes were manufactured by the Chapuis-Comoys company.

“Kings Cross is a brand made by both Chapuis-Comoy in France using Algerian Briar. Kings Cross is also a brand name used by Savinelli, which is more commonly seen in the U.S. market. Those pipes are made using Italian Briar” (Kings Cross – Pipedia)

Chapuis is the French factory while Comoy’s’ is the English factory. The pipe has the stamp showing it is ALGERIAN BRIAR and 238 shape. This fits with the above quote from pipedia.org concerning Algerian briar. The shape number Coincides with the Comoy shape chart

(Comoy’s Shape Number Chart – Pipedia) with the “str” referring to a straight pipe, “M” medium size and “(S)” for a saddle stem.

Briar, Erica arborea, grows throughout the Mediterranean. It survives on the rocky slopes where most plants would succumb to the dry windy conditions of the Mediterranean climate’s dry season. During the wet season, fall and winter, is the growing season. “Evergreen roots descend deep into the soil to retrieve water to sustain life in an area that varies in precipitation (Tett 2003). Little land is able to be used for agriculture. Only three percent of Algeria is deemed fit for agricultural use” (https://meteor.geol.iastate.edu/~kuballc/portfolio/406%20Version%202.pdf)

The history of Algerian briar is one of Imperialism, wild species harvesting, and war. There is an amazing article about Algerian briar found in the scanned copy of November 1948 Pipe Lovers magazine.

“As is well known, the ideal pipe wood is one which is fine-grained, tough, slow burning and sweet tasting Pipes made of briar root have been the preference of the majority of smokers for over a hundred years.

Of the many kinds of briar root, that grown in Algeria is considered today as being the finest for pipe making and pipe smoking. Although opinions among pipe experts differ, the best is still said to come from this French colony in Africa.

The primary reason isn’t because the country is named Algeria, or because the French own the land. It is simply because the terrain and climatic conditions are such that the wood grown in this section of the earth is most suitable for the creation of briar which comes closest to meeting the pipe smoker s exacting demands. (https://pipedia.org/images/7/7f/PL_NOV_48smaller-file.pdf, p. 327).

In the article the history of French imperialism coincides with the production of the briar for pipemaking, “The use of briar in pipe making began just prior to 1830, the year that the French first occupied Algeria”*. The timing of this article is interesting. The Second World War had ended in 1945. This article would have seen the drought of Mediterranean briar brought on by the War years ending. It would also include the curing time required for the first post war briar. So, this article heralds the reemergence of Mediterranean briar availability for European and American pipe makers. This boon of supply would come abruptly to an end for Algeria, as that country’s war of independence from France was just around the corner. 1954-1962 brought a brutal war with France to Algeria, followed by more years of internal civil conflict. All of these political instabilities further reduced the availability of this “worlds greatest briar” from the pipe makers of the world. *(https://pipedia.org/images/7/7f/PL_NOV_48smaller-file.pdf, pp. 327-328 & 346).

A manufacture date for this pipe remains elusive. I would hypothesize that it was made with Algerian briar harvested between the late 1940s to early 1950s and was produced in France after 1971. “In 1971, the London factory (see Comoy’s) became independent, and Yves Grenard, second cousin to Pierre, took over Saint-Claude” (Chapuis-Comoy – Pipedia). I added the bold blue to 1971.

On to the restoration. I began with the tobacco chamber. This bulldog had a well developed cake with some minimal lava deposits on the rim. The chamber was reamed with a PipNet reaming tool and it’s size 2 blade. It was further scraped with the Smokingpipes Low Country reaming knife and sanded with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel. The inside of the tobacco chamber showed no signs of heat damage.

The rim was moistened with saliva and lightly scraped with the edge of a pocket knife. After these scrapings the stummel was taken to the sink for a scrub with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a medium bristle toothbrush.

For the shank cleaning I first turned on Roku and Netflix and brought up season four of The Last Kingdom. Though not a necessary part of the restoration, Saxons and Vikings, like a good black cavendish, make most things better. I began cleaning the interior of the shank with cotton swabs dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol. The airway was dirty at what I would call an appropriate level. Several swabs and bristle pipe cleaners later, and a few more Saxons and Danes, the stummel was cleaned. Next, I lightly topped the rim with 400 sandpaper. Below you can see the sanded tobacco chamber and the topped rim.

Now for the part that I figured would be more difficult – removing the finish. This pipe had a healthy clear coat. I first tried 95% ethyl alcohol on a make-up removal pad to dissolve the finish. It was mostly ineffective. Next I tried acetone on a make-up pad – success. The acetone removed the clear coat. I blame Uhtred of Bebbanburg for me not photo documenting the removal of the finish with numerous make-up pads and more dips into acetone. Yes, I could have just dropped the stummel into the jar of acetone and let it soak for a couple of hours but, what would I have done while watching Uhtred? It took the better part of one episode and part of another to remove the finish.

With the finish removed I lightly sanded the stummel, avoiding the stampings, to look for areas that would need to be filled. There was a large existing fill along the bottom of the shank. I was mostly solid and I did not see any reason to try removing it completely. It had a small spot where some of the fill had gotten chipped out so I used cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust to fill that. I repeated this for the two other areas that I thought warranted filling.

Before sanding the entire stummel with the 400 sandpaper and micro-mesh pads I wanted to get the stem ready for sanding and micro-meshing as well. I wanted them attached when I sanded them to avoid rounding their adjacent contact edges.

I also wanted to retain the stampings, FRANCE and K within a circle, on the stem. This meant that I was only going to use Soft Scrub with Oxy-clean on a make-up pad. The scrubbing of the stem also required the death of a few Saxons and Danes, I mean the scrubbing of the stem occurred during the slaying of a few Saxons and Danes. No Danes or Saxons were harmed during the restoration of this Kings Cross Bulldog. I would scrub with the make-up pad until it was heavily discolored with oxidized vulcanite, reapply additional Soft Scrub and continue. Eventually the pads ceased to be discolored, brown. The area around the button needed to be sanded to remove the teeth chatter. I used 400 sandpaper wrapped around and an emery board to provide a stiffness. There were two spots that required black CA fills. A drop of black CA was placed on the depression and then it was spritzed with CA drying accelerant. Photos below before.

After the CA had set-up I filed the CA smooth with a flat needle file and smoothed it with 400 sandpaper. Photos below after.

With the stem’s oxidation removed and both the stem and stummel fills smoothed with 400 sandpaper I masked the stampings on the stem and stummel.

The entire pipe was then lightly sanded with the 400 sandpaper. Once finished I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad moistened with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I worked a drop of Obsidian Oil onto the stem and wiped away the excess with a paper towel. I then worked my way through the micro-mesh pads 1500-3600 with wiping of the stem and stummel as above.

After the 3600 pad I thought that I needed to give the stummel a little bit of dye. Along the keel at the front of the pipe there was an area that was strangely lighter and the fill at the front of the bowl, both could use some additional color.

I assembled the staining gear: Fiebing’s Light Brown Leather Dye, a medicine cup with 3 ml of 95% ethyl alcohol, a clean pipe cleaner, and a lighter (left photo). I dipped the pipe cleaner into the dye and transferred it to the 3 ml of alcohol. This was stirred to dilute the dye (right photo)

I didn’t want to darken the whole pipe, just to darken the light spots and blend it with the existing stain. I applied the diluted dye to the stummel. It took a couple of complete applications before the dye was pooling on the surface of the stummel. I then flamed the stummel with the lighter. I then went over the lighter area again.

After the dye I allowed the stummel to dry for about an hour. After the dry time I moistened a make-up pad in 95% ethyl alcohol and wiped the stummel. The pad was stained with dye it was removing from the briar. I repeated this two additional times. The stummel now looked uniform in color and shade.

I continued on with the micro-mesh pads 4000-12000 and repeated the wiping of the stem and stummel as described above between each pad. With the final wipe done I slathered the entire pipe with a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm.

After 30 minutes of letting the balm do the magic that it does I wiped the remaining balm from the pipe using the inside of an athletic sock. Yes, it was a clean one. The final stretch. The pipe looked very nice. The wood grain stands out from the glossy black stem. The stamps remained visible. All that remained was to apply several coats of carnauba wax with the buffer. After this was done I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber polishing cloth and took it upstairs to photograph.

I hope that you readers are not getting tired of Kings Cross pipes. There are still 2 to be restored. Actually they are both the same shape so I will probably not do blogs on both of them. Although I could just say “See previous blog” for the second blog. This one was fun and not just because of Uhtred. I do love the bulldog shape and this one has some very nice grain. It also allowed me practice at stamp avoidance which is a necessary skill to hone and use. I do hope that you found some of the techniques used were helpful or at least entertaining. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover. I also hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very happy New Year.

Below are some photos of the finished Kings Cross Bulldog.