“”Dr Grabow Billiard” pipe”

Written and photographed by

John M. Young

Proof positive that I have turned away from restoring pipes from the 1940s. Okay restoration may be too strong of a word for this entry. I can’t be certain that this pipe ever saw a flame. It is a lovely example of the craftsmanship that Dr Grabow is capable of. This beauty was part of an estate lot from Norman Park, Georgia, USA via an eBay auction. The pipe was not stamped with The name Dr Grabo yet it wears the Dr Grabow logo on the stem. The only stamp is COLLECTOR over 2002. Below are some photos of the Collector 2002 as it looked upon arrival.

I’m not sure if that is the original filter. It came that way though.

I always find it funny to find an unsmoked or seldom smoked pipe that has tooth dents or chatter.

Background

Dr Grabow has a long and well documented history, in general. This line, unfortunately, is not part of that “general”. In an earlier blog of mine, I briefly detailed this history. I will include that summary here:

“In one of my very first blogs I wrote about the restoration of an MLC pipe. “The stamp that I could not make out on my pipe was the MLC. This stands for Mary Linkman & Company. This is the same company formed by Louis B. Linkman, the originator of Dr. Grabow pipes. In 1898 Linkman and August Fisher started a small business making pipes. The business grew and, “in 1907 M. Linkman & Company was incorporated with Louis B. Linkman as president, August Fisher, vice-president…” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/M._Linkman_%26_Co.). If you would like to see a very early blog about the MLC Hell Maria here is that link.

So, two youngsters started up a pipe making company at the turn of the last century. It doesn’t end there, friends. I wrote the following in a blog about another Linkman’s pipe: “ “BACK IN 1898, two ambitious young men reached the momentous decision to go into business for themselves. They were Louis B. Linkman and August Fisher. From the time they were in knee pants they had worked for a pipe jobber in the mid-west.” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/M._Linkman_%26_Co.). These two young entrepreneurs were joined by a third, “Anton Burger, who had also been employed by a pipe jobber in the mid-west, approached them and was taken in as a partner. M. Linkman & Company proceeded as a partnership; the business developed rapidly through the untiring efforts of these men in producing quality pipes and rendering good service to their customers.” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/M._Linkman_%26_Co.). The company eventually

came to be known as Dr Grabow.”

According to Tobaccopipes.com “The birth of the Dr Grabow smoking pipe is simple enough. It started off when Dr Grabow himself and his acquaintance Dr Linkman regularly visited the local pharmacist at Brown’s Drug Store in Lincoln Park Chicago. Dr Linkman was on the lookout for a doctor’s name to Christian an innovative line of pipes in order to mellow out the smoking apparel’s smoggy image. He asked Dr Grabow to allow him to use his name to which he agreed and the name has stuck since then. Linkman continued to manufacture his Dr Grabow pipes until 1953.

The earliest of these exclusive pipes were stamped both with Linkman’s and Dr Grabow. They included a propeller emblem that was white in color at the top of the mouthpiece. Linkman’s pipes are also stamped with their own four digit code. This code indicates their model and shape. For example, the PRE – 1944 model names included the “Special”, “Supreme” and “Deluxe” versions of Dr Grabow’s pipes.

In 1944 the white propeller emblem was replaced with a white spade, a move that heralded the introduction of Linkman’s new Dr Grabow pipes. All of the newer entries included most of the earlier favorites as well as “TRU-GRAIN” and “SELECT”. Later models of Dr Grabow pipes were described as Imported Briar.” (https://www.tobaccopipes.com/dr-grabow-history/)” (https://docs.google.com/document/d/13LnPnQ3QRxtydNpCFros7VpuQPRYYrVBMTagngNDV0Y/edit)

The other references of a “Collector 2002” come from pipesmoker.com/forums

(https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/show-off-your-dr-grabow-pipes-here.23838/page-24 by author tuold), and Worthpoint listings:

(https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dr-grabow-collector-2002-sandblasted-1870580531)

that I could find comes from a timeline created by a Tiki Vegas:

(https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/dr-grabow).

I have frequently said things like, “I ain’t too bright but…” or “I may have been born at night but, it wasn’t last night” regarding my own intelligence. With that in mind, I can pretty assuredly surmise that this pipe is from Dr Grabow’s Sparta, North Carolina factory and was made in 2002.

The Restoration

Okay, not a real restoration, more like a refreshment. Although that makes me think it needs a cocktail umbrella or something sticking out of the bowl though.

I did ream out the bowl as it was rough with what I assume was a lumpy bowl coating.

Below you can see a couple of the lumps I was referring to. The tobacco chamber was sanded smooth with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel.

I cleaned the airway of the shank with cotton swabs and folded bristle pipe cleaners dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.

The stummel was scrubbed with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a nylon scrub brush to remove 22 years of dust. The soap was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton hand towel.

Before polishing the brass band I first taped the stem with painters tape. This was to keep the metal polish from the plastic of the stem. I always enjoyed polishing the brass on my JROTC uniform back in high school. Though this Cape Cod Metal Polish smells far better than the Brasso of 40 years ago. The brass band polished up very nicely.

The stem was cleaned out using cotton swabs & bristle pipe cleaners with 95% ethyl alcohol.

I’m not sure how an unsmoked pipe can get teeth marks but they do. I used a small flat file to smooth the area behind the button on both top and bottom. The filed surface was then sanded with a 400 grit sanding sponge.

The stem was sanded with a series of sanding sponges from 600-3500 grit. I was a bit nervous about achieving a factory like finish on this plastic stem but continued and hoped for the best.

The stem was micro-meshed with 4000-12000 pads. Between each pad I applied a small drop of Obsidian Oil. The stem was looking great, no need for my earlier worries.

I removed the painters tape and used Before and After Fine polish hand buffed with a soft cotton cloth. I buffed both the brass band and the plastic of the stem.

Before and After Extra Fine Polish followed the Fine Polish.

The pipe was then taken to the buffer for several coats of carnauba wax from the buffer. The rustications on this pipe were not very deep so I figured that buffing carnauba would be OK and it appeared like I was correct. The final step prior to photographing the finished pipe was a hand buffing with a microfiber polishing cloth.

I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of Dr Grabow pipes. I mean, I love the Westbrooks and the old Linkmans that I have. I find that the Dr Grabow filters are a bit too constricting for my taste. The factory finishes that come with many Dr Grabow pipes are high gloss clear coats which is something that I do not prefer and many of the carved or rusticated versions look cartoon-like. However, this Collector 2002 is a beautiful pipe. I still do not like the draw with a filter inserted but without the filter it is wide open and very nice. The finish is a nice light sandblast which shows off the briar grain beautifully. The stain is a bit dark for me but it works well with the brass band. The stem is polished exceptionally well and has a gorgeous high gloss. Overall this is a darn good looking and feeling pipe which Dr Grabow should be proud of. The dimensions of this Dr Grabow Collector 2002 Billiard are:

Length: 5.92 in./ 150.39 mm.
Weight: 1.43 oz./ 40.80 g.
Bowl Height: 1.76 in./ 44.70 mm.
Chamber Depth: 1.39 in./ 35.31 mm.
Chamber Diameter: 0.75 in./ 19.05 mm.
Outside Diameter: 1.35 in./ 34.29 mm.

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