Tag: “Dr Grabow briar pipe“

A Dr Grabow Rusticated Omega Restoration

March 13th, 2025

Photographed and written by

John M. Young

Dr Grabow, a name that introduced many a young pipemen or pipewomen to the hobby of pipe smoking. The accessibility of Dr Grabow pipes, found in every drugstore and in my case, a 7-Eleven, made for easy and affordable acquisition of a first pipe. This would have been in the early 1980s. Throughout the 1970-1980s period I fondly remember many of the older neighbors sporting pipes as they went about their suburban outdoor rituals. When this Dr Grabow Omega came to me as part of an estate pipe lot I was immediately reminded of those memories. My record keeping is poor but I think this was one of 12 pipes which came to me in September of 2024. The poor Omega had been patiently waiting for some workbench time. The pipe was stamped OMEGA over DR GRABOW on the left shank and IMPORTED BRIAR on the right. Below are some photographs of the pipe prior to work done.

This was obviously a seldom smoked pipe. I doubted that more than a couple of bowls of tobacco had burned through this specimen. The rim looked nearly pristine. There was one unsightly fill on the shank which just touched the “DR” stamp. “That might be troublesome to replace”, I thought. The finish was not of the clear coat variety, which made me happy though the oxidation of the vulcanite stem would have to be dealt with. I have restored a couple of Omegas and have found that not all of them used vulcanite as stem material. I wondered if that could be used as an indicator of age. The Omega also had a brand new paper filter in the stem.

Background

Dr Grabow pipes did not all start out as Dr Grabows. Prior to that name they were Linkman’s which was preceded by ML&C (Mary Linkman & Company). I will let the following sites tell the story for those interested in pursuing the history of this venerable pipe maker.

M. Linkman & Co. – Pipedia

Dr. Grabow – Pipedia

The Pipes of Sparta: Dr. Grabow

One site that I like to use for Dr Grabow research is a timeline written by Tiki Vegas. If that is a real name, kudos to their parents. The timeline runs from 1953 to 2006. I assume that the 2006 date is when the timeline was published. The timeline is partially interactive and gives a nice graphical representation of various Dr Grabow lines and models. Below is a sample of what the timeline looks like:

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

According to Tiki Vegas,

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

In booking for Dr Grabow Omega pipes today, I found them on Amazon so it appears that they remain in production at present. The well pipe description is most likely a kind way to note that the pipe is designed copying the renowned Peterson System. To its credit, the well of the Omega is drilled to approximately ¼ inch or 6 mm. below the draft hole, which would allow for water to condense out of the smoke and accumulate in the well. The stem of the Omega even sports a rounded P-lip style button but with the draft hole proceeding straight through the stem rather than being directed up as a true P-lip should do.

The Restoration

The Omega was placed on a cleaned denim piece to protect the work surface.

I wanted to get the stem into the Before and After Deoxidizer (lovingly referred to as deox from here on) solution quickly as I wanted to finish this project in one night. The stem was lightly sanded with a 400 grit sanding sponge.

A pipe cleaner was inserted into the button to act as a hanger suspending the stem in the deox.

With the stem in deox, I turned my attention to reaming the tobacco chamber. Fortunately I didn’t need very much attention because the chamber was nearly new.

I did use the PipNet #1 blade.

It barely had anything to remove. I was surprised by the fact that the chamber on the Omega was this small. It feels like a much more substantial pipe. It does have very nice thick walls though.

I did a bit of scraping with the General triangular scraper I had ground the tip of this tool round on a grinder. The factory tip was frighteningly sharp.

The tobacco chamber was reamed and looked pretty much like it did before I started.

Sanding it with the 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel made it look like new. You could even see the chuck marks on the interior from turning the bowl at the factory.

Next came the scrubbing. This was done at the sink with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a nylon scrub brush. The soap was rinsed with warm water and the stummel dried with a cotton hand towel.

Back at the workbench, I wiped the exterior and interior with a make-up pad dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol. On the photo below you can see the pinkish hue from the little bit of stain the pad picked up while the brown is from inside the tobacco chamber.

I started picking at the fill on the left shank. It was hard and secure but I didn’t like the look of it.

Soaking it with a cotton swab dipped in acetone softened it up very quickly.

The fly tying bodkin was able to pick the chemically softened old fill out much more easily.

Now for the harder part, replacing the old fill. I used the fly tying bodkin to carefully lay a bead of brown cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) into the depression.

I then scooped up briar dust on a dental scraper and pressed it into the wet CA and brushed off the excess.

The dry briar dust was then topped with another bead of brown CA. This was allowed to cure for 10 minutes or so until hard. I then filed the new fill smooth with a small flat file and sanded it with a 400 grit sanding sponge.

I topped the fill a third time with thin CA. I applied this by putting a small drop on the bodkin and used it to transfer the CA to the fill.

This was then smoothed with the flat file and sanding sponge again.

I carefully sanded around the stampings trying to blend the sanded area to the stamped area.

This sanding was done on both sides of the shank.

The smooth surfaces were then sanded with a series of sanding sponges from 400-2000 grit. Between each sponge I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad wetted with alcohol.

The smooth areas were then micro-meshed from 4000-12000 with alcohol wiping between the pads.

The stummel then received a coating of Before and After Restoration Balm applied with a baby toothbrush and was allowed to sit for 15 minutes.

The Restoration Balm was wiped from the stummel using an inside out athletic sock to remove excess balm.

Buffing the aluminum collar was nex on the list. I taped off the shank to protect it from buffing with masking tape.

I used the white buffing compound on the dedicated white wheel which is far from white.

The stummel looked very nice. Time to retrieve the stem.

The stem was removed from deox and allowed to drip excess solution back into the jar.

I like to use a coarse shop rag to vigorously rub the remaining deox from the stem. The rough material absorbs the solution and removes more of the oxidized vulcanite.

Below you can see the oxidized vulcanite that comes off with rubbing.

Back at the workbench I used Soft Scrub cleanser on make-up pads to remove more of the oxidized vulcanite. The stem was cleaned out using cotton swabs and pipe cleaners.

After the Soft Scrub I got lazy and tried to just buff the remaining oxidation from the stem. Just like always, it didn’t work. The next three photos show a nice shiny stem with traces of oxidation.

So, back to the sanding sponges… Oh wait, I do have something new to try and tell you about. Mark Hoover, the brains behind the Before and After products, sent me a bottle of Before and After Hard Rubber Balm. I told him that I would try it so, try it I shall. The stem was sanded with sanding sponges 400-3500. Between each pad I rubbed the Hard Rubber Balm onto the stem using my fingertips. I then wiped the excess off with a paper towel. In the past I used mineral oil for this step. The Hard Rubber Balm is more viscous, thicker, than mineral oil. Being a heavier oil, I think that it would vaporize/evaporate more slowly making it preferable to mineral oil for sealing vulcanite away from the oxygen in air. I do not know if there are any antioxidants added to the formulation as there are no ingredients listed on the bottle.

After the sanding I returned the stem to the buffer. I will master using a buffer to remove oxidation if it kills me. I used the white compound and the “white” wheel for the buffing. When finished I wiped the stem with a soft cotton cloth to remove any buffing compound and oiled the stem with the Hard Rubber Balm. It looked much better without the brown haze of oxidized vulcanite.

The pipe was waxed with several coats of carnauba wax at the buffer. I did not buff the carved surfaces as I feared they would trap wax and lead to a buildup of dirt and grime.

The final step was a hand buffing with a microfiber polishing cloth.

I always enjoy working on Dr Grabow pipes. Perhaps it is the history of the brand. This pipe did not disappoint. Yes, it is a factory made pipe but the quality of the drillings and the fit of the parts is excellent. The rustication works well with this shape and the carvings fall in line with the pipe’s curves. The one large flaw in the briar was reworked and turned out as well as could be expected. The vulcanite stem polished up pretty well and contrasts the rustication quite nicely. The dimensions of the Dr Grabow Rusticated Omega are follows:

Length: 5.06 in./ 128.52 mm.

Weight: 1.27 oz./ 36.00 g.

Bowl Height: 1.17 in./ 29.72 mm. (bowl only) 1.70 in. / 43.18mm (with tube)

Chamber Depth: 0.82 in./ 20.83 mm.

Chamber Diameter: 0.85 in./ 21.59 mm.

Outside Diameter: 1.49 in./ 37.85 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.

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Below are some photos of the finished Dr Grabow Rusticated Omega.
A Dr Grabow CDL Restoration

October 29th, 2024
Photographed and written by

John M. Young

I cannot explain why but I find metal pipes fascinating. I don’t find them particularly beautiful but more utilitarian, like a good tool. I remember first seeing a Dr Grabow CDL online and found them to be rather disjointed in appearance. The stems and shanks looked segmented. Still, they intrigued me. The advertisements spoke highly of their cool and dry smoking characteristics but then nearly all advertisements make similar claims. I decided that I needed to find and restore one to see this for myself. The search for a subject was not fast and easy. For many months the auction listings were far more expensive than what I was willing to pay. I remember thinking, “Who in their right mind would pay over $100 for a Dr. Grabow?” The listings seemed to be of two categories; one around $30 and the other +$100. I personally thought that both were too high, at least for a pipe to satisfy my curiosity. Eventually, I found a likely subject for under $20. The pipe was an eBay purchase and arrived from Reno, Nevada. On the bottom of the stummel was stamped DR. GRABOW IMPORTED BRIAR in a circle around CDL. Below are some photos of the Dr Grabow CDL before any work was done.

The pipe appeared to be unsmoked and there was a clean filter within the stem. How the nylon bit became so heavily dented with what looked like tooth chatter, I couldn’t figure out. There were a few marks on the stummel that looked like the finish had been worn away. I wondered if the pipe had been jostled in a drawer of a vehicle glovebox, purchased but never used. For whatever reason this pipe had gone neglected for the past 50 years and would soon be back in the game.

Background

Dr Grabow is perhaps one of America’s best known pipe brands. This renown has brought with it a following of two main camps: Those who love their Dr Grabows and those who do not. In an attempt to remain objective, I can say that I love a couple of the Dr Grabow lines; the old 1930s Linkman pipes and the more recent Westbrooks are in my “favorites” category while many of the other lines are considered “less than” pipes. By that I mean less than preferred. Whatever your impression of Dr Grabow, they have a long and significant history in our hobby. I will include a link to the history of the brand from pipedia.org for those who would like access to a more complete history here.

As for the CDL pipes, I first turned to pipephil.eu for information. According to this site the CDLs were manufactured for about a decade starting in 1975 and never made it past test marketing.

(Dr Grabow — Pipes : Logos & Markings (pipephil.eu))

Next, I found a nice restoration of a CDL by Charles Lemon of dadspipes.com. In his blog he included an image of an ad from pipephil.eu. I found this interesting but could not find the ad on the pipephil.eu site. I do not know what the “Magni” implies in the ad but it certainly must be important as it is found in three of the components of the pipe. Perhaps “magni’ficent? The prefix comes from Latin meaning, large or great, if memory serves.

(https://dadspipes.com/2020/10/09/a-quick-refresh-for-a-grabow-cdl/)

Whenever I research any pipe consisting of metal parts, I turn to smokingmetal.co.uk. This is a wonderful resource for pipes made from, you guessed it, metal. The entry is included in its entirety.

“Not totally sure where this pipe fits in. Metal stem it certainly has, but unsure if bowl is meant to be detachable 6.2 inches long and the facility to take an in line filter in the stem. The stem continues right through the bowl and enables air to be drawn through from front of bowl as well as smoke from bowl

This example thanks to John Phillips of Arkansas.

Ed James tells me that CDL is for Cooler,Dryer,Lighter. He has a display card with this on, the pipe retailed at $4.95 at that time.

“A couple of other things I remember about the CDL pipe. It was produced from 1975 to 1983 in limited qualities and test marketed in several U.S. cities but apparently never mass marketed” from Dave Whitney” (http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=391)

Another interesting link is the Dr Grabow timeline produced by Tiki Vegas. I find this useful for dating various Dr Grabow lines. According to Vegas, the CDLs were made starting in 1974 not 1975 as previously recorded.

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

Turning to a forum post, I found a quote from a user named theloniousmonkfish who stated:

“Made from 75-83 and test marketed in cities across the US, never took off.

From the former COO of Grabow, Tom Douglas

“The predecessor of the CDL was bought in 1967 in LaGuardia airport by Paul Fish. It sat on Pauls desk until his death in 1972. It was a simple bowl and a simple metal stem with attatched bit. I’ve always speculated that it was sold by Mastercraft.

Jack Martin became President of Sparta Pipes in 1972. The CDL sat on his (and Paul’s) desk for years.

In about 1974 we decided to design and try the concept. Tooling for the “shank”, and the mould for the bit were EXPENSIVE, but we tried.

Best I recall… we made 300 and sent them FREE to RJR customers who had ordered Westbrook etc. along with a survey. Knew we had pipe smokers.

Comments were.. Coolest smoke I ever had.

Dryest smoke I ever had.

Lightest pipe I ever owned.

But Invariably.. Ugliest pipe I’ve ever seen.

Guess we should have called it CULD.

I’m really curious about what those who have never tried a CDL will think about it. It is a wonderful smoke…. not to be seen outside with…… Td”“

(https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/need-info-on-dr-grabow-cdl.93500/) This is interesting as it is purportedly a quote from the former COO of Dr Grabow, Tom Douglas.

In summary, it appears that the CDLs were produced by Dr Grabow as a test to see if the product would be accepted by pipe smokers. The pipes were manufactured in 1974 or 1975-1983. For whatever reason the line never caught on with pipe smokers and was discontinued.

The Restoration

The Dr Grabow CDL received a clean denim piece for the restoration. Well, actually it would be more of a refreshening than a restoration.

The first step was to clean the accumulated years worth of dirt and dust from the patient. This was done with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a nylon scrub brush. The soap was rinsed with warm water and the stummel dried with a cotton face towel.

The pipe was already looking better. I was not sure why there were areas within the rusticated surface which looked like scratches in the finish.

Alos confusing was the high number of what looked like tooth chatter.

The interior of the stem was cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol. This came back clean reaffirming my impression that the pipe had never been smoked.

To address the damage to the stem, I filed the dented surface with a small fine file. The nylon bit proved to be difficult to file not because it was too hard but more due to its plasticity. The shank was wrapped in painters tape for its protection. I then worked the stem with a series of sanding sponges from 320-3500 grit. Occasionally I would rub the stem with mineral oil and wipe it with a paper towel. This helped me see where I needed additional sanding. The stem was then taken to the buffer where I buffed it with a Red Tripoli wheel followed by a White Diamond wheel. The finish of the stem was far better but also far from perfect. This was, though, as good as I was going to get it.

The worn spots on the stummel were stained using a walnut Furniture Touch-up Marker. Below are a few before and after photos..

I used Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish to help preserve the rusticated briar. This was applied with a baby toothbrush.

The instructions said that the product “Dries hard instantly”. I found that their definition of instantly differed from mine.

After the wax was applied I let it sit for 5 minutes then hand buffed it with an inside out athletic sock.

The pipe was returned to the buffer where I applied a couple coats of carnauba wax to the stem, shank and base of the stummel. The pipe was then hand buffed with a microfiber polishing cloth.

I am actually smoking this pipe as I type this conclusion, I am quite pleased at how much better the pipe looks after the restoration. The worn surfaces are refreshed and the stem much better and nearly chatter free. The pipe does smoke very nicely. I give credit to the Dr Grabow designers full credit for that. The walls of the stummel are 0.35 inches (8.89 mm) wide. This, the “Magni-vent” and the “Magni-chamber” do combine to make a nice cool smoking experience. I am smoking it without a filter and will compare that to filtered smoke in the future. The dimensions of the Dr Grabow CDL are:
- Length: 6.19 in./ 157.23 mm.
- Weight: 0.99 oz./ 28.04 g.
- Bowl Height: 1.46 in./ 37.08 mm.
- Chamber Depth: 1.24 in./ 30.73 mm.
- Chamber Diameter: 0.78 in./ 19.81 mm.
- Outside Diameter: 1.48 in./ 37.59 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.

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Below are some photos of the finished Dr Grabow CDL.
A Dr Grabow Collector 2002 Billiard Restoration

September 12th, 2024
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.

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Below are some photos of the finished Dr Grabow Collector 2002 Billiard.
A Linkman’s Dr Grabow De Luxe 9733 Restoration

June 18th, 2024
Photographed and written by

John M. Young

A few years ago when I started the hobby of pipe restoration I picked up a Linkman’s Dr Grabow 9733A with an estate pipe auction. It was in decent shape, if memory serves. For whatever reason I loved the shape and the feel of that pipe in my hand. It was a bit heavy for a clincher and it did have a stinger. Those are two qualities that I now pretty much avoid. Below is a recent photo of that old Linkman.

Well, the other day while looking through eBay auctions I came across a sister, as Sascha Mertens (A German friend and pipe restorer of great skill and graciousness) calls them. There up for auction was a Linkman’s Dr Grabow 9733. I can’t say if she was the older or younger sister but, I was as smitten with her as I was her sister. Fortunately for me, there do not seem to be many folks interested in collecting these curvaceous darlings. I did have to wait out the auction and with a winning bid south of $25 I had successfully started the adoption process. A few days later the pipe arrived from Wernersville, Pennsylvania to the wilds of southeast Nebraska. Upon opening the package I was graced by the following new member of my pipe family. Her stamps read: LINKMAN’S over Dr. Grabow on the left shank, 9733 De Luxe over BRUYERE on the right. The top is stamped with a gold shield and the bottom with PAT. NO. over 1896800. The stem also had a white “propeller” logo.

The pipe had some scars, dents and peeling finish and hygiene issues yet structurally she was solid with precise fitting mortise and tenon and was in wonderful shape for a 90ish year old pipe. I was looking forward to spending some quality time with this old piece of briar. There was a substantial queue in front of her to reach the work bench and she did have to wait her turn. Okay, I pulled some strings and got her past a bunch of others. Don’t tell them that though…

Background on Linkman’s Dr Grabow pipes

This story goes back to 1898. No, this is not another of my Peterson pipe reflections but it does begin about the same time that Charles Peterson was changing the pipe smoking world with his wonderful patents. 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/)

Below I show documentation/definition of the stamps on the Linkman’s 9733.

Dr. Grabow stamp

“1930 Linkman (59 years old?) begins using Dr Grabow (62 years old) name” (Dr. Grabow Pipe History Timeline – Pipedia)

De Luxe stamp – This excerpt from pipephil.eu shows a tremendous amount of information in a small blurb. Which indicates a slightly bent Dublin shape rather than the bent bulldog of the 9733.

9733 stamp

As for the 9733 shape, pipedia.org has an entire article dedicated to “Dr. Grabow Models (Series,Line) Names Through the Years” (Dr. Grabow Models (Series,Line) Names Through the Years – Pipedia). In this article it says the following about the De Luxe:
- DE LUXE begins with 92, 97, 98 – Two Dots, Circle or Shield on shank sometimes. Series 92 = Very dark reddish wine, solid looking finish, yet undefined, possibly from 1938 or slightly later era. Series 97 = Natural Variegated Grain Finish, c1937. Series 98 = yet undefined, Dark Brown appearance? Series 99 = Dark Walnut Finish, c1937.
(Dr. Grabow Models (Series,Line) Names Through the Years – Pipedia)

This pipe has the “97” and “Shield”. The second two numbers of the 9733 refer to the shape of the pipe. The 97 with the “Natural variegated Grain Finish” looks like a good fit for a description of this pipe.

Below is another Linkman’s line, the Courtleigh. It has a different first 2 numbers, “88” followed by the “33”. The 33 here is obviously the same shape as the De Luxe 9733

PAT. NO. 1896800

“1932, April 13th, Linkman applies for his spoon/tool/nicotine-saliva trap stinger, Patent #1896800.” and

“1933, February 7th, Linkman (62 years old) receives patent #1896800 for threaded stem”

(Dr. Grabow Pipe History Timeline – Pipedia)

(Patent Public Search | USPTO)

BRUYERE

The term “Bruyere” is French for heather or what we call briar. The terms Bruyere and “Italian briar” were used prior to the Second World War by numerous pipe makers. During the War there was an interruption to the supply of briar from the Mediterranean. This led to manufacturers attempting to use various alternatives. There have been documented 9733 and 9733A pipes stamped with “WEST COAST BRIAR”.

Example: “I did finally get a 9733 stamped West Coast Briar, but it’s a real mess — someone (not me) severely distorted the stem with pliers in an attempt to remove it. This damaged the propeller logo on the stem and sort of actually TWISTED the stem a bit, but it’s the only WCB I have, so it has to do until a better example comes along.

Mine has WEST COAST BRIAR in block letters on the right side along with the number, a script “Dr. Grabow” over a block letter DE LUXE on the left and the SHIELD emblem on the top of the shank. The usual patent number for the cleaner is on the bottom of the bowl.””

Author: LokoMac8 on the Dr. Grabow Pipes forum https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/drgrabows/west-coast-briar-t376.html

This most likely would have been Manzanita. After the War many manufacturers used the term “Imported Briar” indicating that the wood used was indeed briar.

From the above stamps I can say with a good level of certainty that this pipe was made between 1933-early 1940s at the Chicago Dr. Grabow factory.

The Restoration

As usual the Linkman’s got a clean denim piece for work surface protection. I must have been in a hurry to work on this pipe because I wasted no time in seeing how dirty the shank was. Yes, it was pretty dirty. I used 95% ethyl alcohol on cotton swabs to soften the smoking residues in the airway.

A dental scraper was then used to scrape as much tar from the airway as possible. The more I can get out via scraping the less I have to scrub.

After several minutes of airway scraping and scrubbing I decided that maybe I should do this restoration the way I do most others. Normally I start with the reaming, move to the stummel scrubbing then work on the shank’s airway. I have no idea why I broke from this routine, maybe just excited by this pipe. I returned to doing things “by the booK” and assembled the reaming tools.

The PipNet with the #2 blades did the majority of the reaming. The SmokingPipes scraper and the General were used to finish us the reaming.

The 220 sandpaper wrapped around the wood dowel was used to sand the chamber to briar. The chamber showed no signs of any damage from excessive heat or any other mistreatment. I further sanded the tobacco chamber with 320 sandpaper wrapped around a Sharpie marker. The rim of the pipe remained dirty with a light lava deposit.

The rim was wetted with saliva and gently scraped with a sharp pocket knife.

The stummel was then taken to the sink where it was scrubbed with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a medium stiff toothbrush. The soap was rinsed with warm water. At this point I thought that I would try scrubbing the shank airway with a shank brush and Dawn dish soap. The airway was thoroughly rinsed with warm water and scrubbed with the shank brush during the rinsing. Upon returning the stummel to the workbench this is how it looked.

I wetted a make-up pad with 95% ethyl alcohol and gave the stummel a wipe. The remaining clear coat seemed susceptible to alcohol. It must have been a light shellac.

After a second make-up pad with alcohol the shiny spots of the stummel were gone.

I looked over the clean surface of the stummel and saw one pit where the fill had loosened with the scrubbing. I picked the remaining old filler from the pit. This would get filled with cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust later.

I returned to the cleaning of the airway. I was hoping that the use of the water, soap and rinsing had softened the tar and yuck (Yuck – a highly technical term for hardened smoking residue) in the airway. I poured 3-4 ml of 05% ethyl alcohol into the chamber and allowed it to flow into the shank. I scrubbed with this alcohol and a shank brush to loosen and dissolve the yuck. I then poured the remaining alcohol into a medicine cup. The color was not bad. Apparently my out of sequence scrubbing had served a purpose after all.

I continued to scrub and clean with alcohol dipped cotton swabs until the airway was clean.

Once satisfied with the cleaning of the airway I turned to the filling of pits on the stummel. I only found the one pit which I had already picked free of old fill.

This one pit was filled with a dab of brown CA applied with a fly tying bodkin. I then quickly pressed briar dust into the wet CA. The CA set-up almost immediately with the briar dust and the subsequent fill was sanded smooth.

I did find some dents that I did not want to fill with CA and briar dust on the top of the shank and the front of the bowl. To address these I thought that I would try to raise the dents using steam. I heated the clothes iron on high, selected a soft cotton cloth and a pipette with tap water.

I wrapped the dented area with the cloth, applied several drops of water and pressed the iron to the wetted cloth. The dents on both the shank and the bowl front were raised beautifully. I love it when things work like they are supposed to.

Next was the sanding of the stummel. I first wanted to protect the stamps from any damage by taping over them with painters tape.

Doh, forgot to tape that logo stamp. I did tape it, then sanded the stummel with a sequence of sanding sponges from 400-3500 grit. Between each sponge I would wipe the stummel with a make-up pad wetted with alcohol to remove dust. This alcohol wiping is hard on smaller taping making me have to retape that logo more than once.

After the sanding the stummel was worked with micro-mesh pads 4000-6000. Again between each pad I wiped with an alcohol wetted make-up pad.

At this point I repainted the logo with Gold Leaf Rub’nBuff.

This is a relatively new product for me. Steve Laug mentioned that I try it in one of our chatting sessions and this was the perfect place for it. I tried to apply it with a cotton swab and made a bit of a mess. I think future applications will be done with a detail paint brush. Anyway, I cleaned up the edges with an alcohol dipped cotton swab and continued micro-meshing with the 800 and 12000 micro-mesh pads.

The stummel was then coated with Before and After Restoration Balm and allowed to sit while I worked on the stem.

I cleaned the aluminum stinger with 95% ethyl alcohol, a magic eraser and pipe cleaners. It looked much better.

This stem was not typical vulcanite. I could feel the material get slippery with the 95% ethyl alcohol. As the alcohol evaporated it would solidify again. This is more typical of phenolic plastics like Bakelite. Not wanting to dissolve the stem in alcohol I used SoftScrub on make-up pads to clean away the oxidized material. The airway of the stem was cleaned with soap and water with bristle pipe cleaners. Below you can see the make-up pads become less discolored with oxidized material. The stem was then oiled with mineral oil.

I couldn’t wait any longer to see how the stummel was going to look. I wiped the remaining Restoration Balm from it with an inside out athletic sock. Beautiful is the word that came to mind.

I wanted a better handle for holding the stem while sanding it. The stummel seemed to be the easiest holder. I taped over the finished briar.

The stem was then sanded with a series of sanding sponges from 400-3500. Between sponges I would apply a bit of mineral oil with my finger and rubbed it over the stem. I would then wipe away the oil and dust from sanding.

I micro-meshed the stem with the 4000-12000 pads. Between each pad I applied a drop of Obsidian Oil to the stem, rubbed it on and wiped with a clean paper towel.

The stem was then polished using Before and After Fine Polish applied by finger and hand buffed using a soft cotton cloth.

After the Fine Polish Before and After Extra Fine Polish was applied and hand buffed.

The pipe was then taken to the buffer for several coats of carnauba wax.

This shape is an absolute favorite of mine. I love the way it hangs from my mouth and feels in my hand. The pipe turned out beautifully. I was very pleased at the way the dents lifted without a trace and the fact that the single pit was a simple fix and nearly unnoticeable was a huge plus. The stem polished up well and accentuates the briar grain wonderfully. I like the lack of the aluminum ring at the junction of the stem and stummel more than her sister. The final photo shows both side by side. Let me know if you agree. I am not sure if I prefer the beading around the bowl over the lack of beading. On Some bull dogs I think the beading is necessary, this one, I am okay without it. Perhaps it is because of the thickness of the shank that makes the beading seem a bit unnecessary. The dimensions of the Linkman’s Dr Grabow De Luxe 9733 are:

Length: 5.32 in./ 135.13 mm.

Weight: 1.58 oz./ 47.30 g.

Bowl Height: 1.65 in./ 41.91 mm.

Chamber Depth: 1.25 in./ 31.75 mm.

Chamber Diameter: 0.69 in./ 17.53 mm.

Outside Diameter: 1.56 in./ 39.62 mm.

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

Below are some photos of the finished Linkman’s Dr Grabow De Luxe 9733.

The sisters. 9733A, left and 9733, on the right.
A Dr Grabow Westbrook Triangle Dublin Restoration

April 25th, 2024
Photographed and written by

John M. Young

I have a love for two groups of Dr Grabow pipes; the old Linkman’s and the Westbrook line. The Linkmans were produced from 1932-1953 while the Westbrooks were from 1957-88. The linkmans I have are mainly pre-World War Two (WWII) pipes while the Westbrooks are more undetermined ages. I guess I should slow down and clarify this a bit. “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.

History:

The subject of this blog has a left stamp reading WESTBROOK over DR GRABOW. I believe to be an earlier sample due to the stamping of the right side: IMPORTED BRIAR over Ajustomatic over PAT. 2461905. According to pipedia.org, “1949, February 15th. David P. Lavietes gets patent for AJUSTOMATIC stem to shank threading system, Patent #2461905” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow_Pipe_History_Timeline).

So you ask, “Why is a patent from a Mr. Lavietes important to a Dr Grabow pipe?” I reply, , “Good question.” Before I answer that question let’s go back to 1952-53. 1952 Linkman (82 years old?) retires as president of M. Linkman & Co., or maybe in 1953-54?” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow_Pipe_History_Timeline). As The founder of Dr Grabow was looking to retire he sold the company to Henry Leonard and Thomas (HL&T). HL&T held the patent for the “Adustomatic” filed by Mr. David Lavietes. Now, you see the connection. In 1955, HL&T started manufacturing the Westbrook line. They stamped the new line with a famous patent number giving additional merit to the new line.

I do not think that pipes produced a few years after this would still be marketed as having this “new” feature. Yes, it is conjecture but it makes sense from a marketing perspective.

“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 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.” (Henry Leonard & Thomas Inc. – Pipedia)

Another interesting feature of the Westbrook line is that they were only available as “coupon” pipes, meaning that they were not sold at normal retailers. They were only available as promotional items via tobacco purchases.

“Westbrook was one of several pipes (Berwyck, Belvedere, Emperor, and Sculptura) that were made by Grabow and distributed by R. J. Reynolds as coupon pipes. A coupon was placed into bags of Carter Hall and George Washington tobacco that was redeemable for these Grabow pipes. Westbrook was about 5 coupons and $3.00 for part of its life. This offer started in the mid-50’s and ended in the late 80’s. It was the longest running redemption offer in history” (https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/dr-grabow).

This now places the production of the Westbrook Dr Grabow Dublin to North Carolina in the late 1950s. Now to find an official name for the pipe. I found a 1970 catalog and screenshot the below image. This lists the name as a Triangle Dublin

(https://www.reddit.com/r/PipeTobacco/comments/lo30m9/happy_ipsd_heres_a_little_pipe_history_dr_grabow/#lightbox)

The Restoration:

Here is what the Westbrook Triangle Dublin looked like prior to having any work done.

Yep, it’s an old dirty beat-up pipe. The list of things to do was a long one. It could be summarized as cleaning inside and out, sanding, refinishing and polishing. That would exclude nearly all nuances but it does describe the process in general terms. Of course, I will go into more detail below.

The restoration began with a clean denim piece on the work surface.

Reaming was the first task. The reaming crew was assembled: PipNet with #2 blade, Smokingpipes Low Country Reamer, General triangular scraper with tip ground to round, and 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel.

The reaming was uneventful and the sanding unveiled the tobacco chamber free of any heat damage.

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

The stummel was then taken to the sink where it received a scrubbing with a medium stiff toothbrush and undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap. The soap was rinsed with warm water and the stummel dried with a cotton hand towel. Upon returning to the workbench, I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.

Next the stummel was sanded with the 320 and 400 grit sanding sponges to find any hidden spot to fill or to dig out existing fills which needed to be replaced. Care was taken to avoid sanding the stampings. A few pits were discovered and one large gouge on the front of the stummel was picked of it’s original fill material.

The stummel was then topped to remove some of the damage from careless dottle knocking. I know this sounds like a fun sport but let me assure you both Indigo Bunting and dottle knocking are far from fun leisure activities. One is a lovely little bird and the other leaves rim scars that give pipe restorers nightmares.

(https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/indigo-bunting)

The topping was done on a counter with a piece of 220 sandpaper laid flat. This was followed by sanding with 400 sandpaper.

The results of the topping are shown below.

Next the shank airway was cleaned. The airway was scraped with a dental scraper to remove the dry crumbly tars.

After the initial scraping, I poured approximately 3-4 ml of the alcohol into the chamber and allowed it to flow into the shank. I used a nylon shank shank brush to scrub the airway with the alcohol. The alcohol was then poured out into a medicine cup. Cotton swabs and folded over bristle pipe cleaners were then dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol and used to scrub the airway.

This alcohol scrubbing was repeated numerous times, with scraping and scrubbing with the cotton swabs and folded pipe cleaners.

Eventually the airway was mostly clean. I decided to give the stummel an overnight alcohol and cotton soaking. Cotton balls were stuffed into the airway and tobacco chamber then saturated with 95% ethyl alcohol.

The stummel was set so that the alcohol would not pour from either end. Evaporation would draw the tars from the briar ind into the cotton.

While the alcohol was doing what alcohol does, I started working on the stem. The button was reshaped with a flat needle file to give it more definition then the stem was sanded with the 320-600 sanding sponges. The stem was wiped with a heavy coat of mineral oil and allowed to sit overnight.

The next day the airway of the stem was cleaned using bristle pipe cleaners dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol. The screw-in tenon was cleaned with 0000 steel wool dipped in the alcohol.

The alcohol in the stummel had done a fine job at moving the tars and smoking residue from the briar into the cotton.

Below are the cotton pieces removed from the stummel. They were dry to the touch as the alcohol had evaporated overnight.

The stem did not line-up correctly. It was approximately 3-5 degrees over-clocked. This could be remedied two different ways. One was to heat the aluminum screw-in tenon to the point where the stem material was partially melted then rotate the aluminum back a few degrees. The second was to “paint” the stem face of the tenon with a thin even coat of black cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue). Allow it to cure then sand it smooth. This additional material would lengthen the stem and shorten the screw-in distance, moving the alignment counter clockwise. I chose the latter and painted the stem with black CA.

I used an emery board to sand the new tenon face smooth.

The stem lined up perfectly with the shank’s mortise aluminum.

The stem was slightly underclocked when all finished. This is how many manufacturers finish the fit of the stems when they leave the production line.

Next I dealt with the fills. Brown CA and briar dust were used to fill the larger gouges and pits.

The CA was applied into the depression.

A pinch of briar dust was pressed into the wet CA. The briar dust sets up almost immediately with the CA.

The resulting fill was then filed with a flat needle file.

A very light bead of thin CA was applied to the surface of the fill.

The wet thin CA was then quickly sanded with the 400 sanding sponge. This same technique was used to fill the smaller pits, a small drop of CA, followed immediately with sanding. The sanding provides the briar dust for the fill. It fills in the depression and the CA bonds with the dust to make a nice fill.

The gouge at the front of the stummel was filled using the brown CA with the pressed briar dust. This one took a couple of pinches and pressing to complete the fill.

Once all the fills were done the stummel was sanded with the 400 grit sanding sponge. I wanted to sand the outer surface from the stummel. My hope was that I could remove some of the old original stain achieving a contrast stain appearance. This proved unsuccessful. The original stain had penetrated the briar very deeply. I then thought that I might be able to lighten the whole stummel using oxalic acid. Besides, I wanted more practice using the oxalic acid. I Made a saturated oxalic acid solution a couple of restorations ago and stored it in a glass canning jar. I applied this solution with a cotton swab. As the stummel absorbed the solution and as it dried, I applied additional solution. I wanted the whole stummel well coated. I allowed it to sit with the oxalic acid for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes I took the stummel to the sink where I rinsed it with warm water. I dipped a toothbrush into baking soda and scrubbed the stummel with the baking soda and water. I figured that this would neutralize any oxalic acid that remained on the stummel. The stummel was further rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton hand towel.

After a few minutes of drying the stummel did appear much lighter and the grain was more visible.

The stamps were taped over with painters tape and the stummel was sanded with a series of sanding sponges from 1000-3500. Between each sponge the stemmel was wiped with a make-up pad dipped in alcohol.

The stummel was then micro-meshed with 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads. Between each sponge the stemmel was wiped with a make-up pad dipped in alcohol.

The stummel was then coated with a liberal layer of Before and After Restoration Balm.

While the Restoration Balm was working its magic, I worked on sanding the sem. The orange logo was raised slightly above the surrounding stem. I used the topping counter with 400 grit sandpaper to sand the stem logo flush then used the sequence of sanding sponges 600-3500. Between each sponge I dipped my finger into the mineral oil and rubbed it over the stem. I then wiped off the excess oil with a paper towel.

After the sanding sponges I used the 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads. Between each pad I applied a small drop of Obsidian Oil to the stem, rubbed it in and wiped with a paper towel.

The Restoration balm worked it’s magic on the briar returning the luster. The excess balm was wiped off using the inside of a cotton athletic sock.

The pipe was taken to the buffer where it received several coats of carnauba wax.

Overall, I am very happy with this restoration. The briar lightened up nicely with the scrubbing, sanding and oxalic acid treatment. All of these combined to return the wood to more the way I imagine it looked fresh from the factory. The stem polished up nicely as well, showing off the glossy ebony. The orange spade provides a nice accent and fits in well with the color of the briar. The scars on the bowl are present and show that this pipe had been used and was probably a favorite of someone’s. I do regret that the stinger is missing and wish that I had a replacement, perhaps someday…

The dimensions of this Westbrook Dr Grabow Triangle Dublin are:
- Length: 5.29 in./ 134.37 mm.
- Weight: 1.01 oz./ 29.00 g.
- Bowl Height: 1.68 in./ 42.67 mm.
- Chamber Depth: 1.42 in./ 36.00 mm.
- Chamber Diameter: .70 in./ 17.78 mm.
- Outside Diameter: 1.29 in./ 32.77 mm.
I do hope that you have found something here useful to your own pipe care, maintenance or restorations. If you like this sort of thing, please click the like and subscribe buttons. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished Westbrook Dr Grabow Triangle Dublin.
A Dr. Grabow Duke Restoration

April 9th, 2024
Photographed and written by

John M. Young

This is honestly more of a refinishing than a restoration. This little Dr. Grabow Duke had never been smoked. If you have read my blogs for a while you know that I do not like clear-coat finishes. Oh, and thank you for being a reader. If you are new here, thank you for stopping by and I don’t like clear-coat finishes.

I know many folks don’t think too highly of Dr. Grabow pipes. They have a reputation as mass produced, factory made, low quality and low price pipes. I can agree with all of those statements save the “low quality”. I view a good deal of the Quality of a pipe in the briar used and the finish applied. This pipe is a prime example. Though it is small the briar is a fine specimen. It has nice grain and I did not see a single fill. The finish of the pipe is another matter. I do not like clear-coat finishes. Hmm, have I said that before?

Allow me to show you some photos of the Dr. Grabow Duke prior to being worked on.

Now, this pipe was in fine condition. Never having been smoked helps in that and we could say that the finish on the pipe had not aged well. I would still say that may be true being bumped around in a drawer, unused may lead to some dents, dings and surface scratches. The fact remains that I do not like clear-coat finishes, scratched, aged, dented or dinged. Hmm, have I said that I don’t like clear-coat finishes?

Dr. Grabow Background

I have not blogged about Dr. Grabow pipe too extensively. Although my very first blog was about using a briar plug in the bottom of the bowl of a Dr Grabow Westbrook. Back on December 27, 2023 I wrote a blog about a Grand Duke and included the following links for those interested in reading more about Dr. Grabow pipes. I will include those links again here:

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

This pipe has no shape number. The only thing which I could find about the history on this specific pipe was a quote from the pipedia.org describing the Duke line, “DUKE (c1964?) — From 1964 to 1984 the “Little Duke” and the Lark were imported from Italy. Later made at Sparta to increase production at the facility.” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Grabow_Models_(Series,Line)_Names_Through_the_Years)

The Restoration

As previously mentioned, this was far more of a refinishing project. I did start with a new denim piece and immediately tried to discern what solvent would be best for removing the clear-coat. Have I mentioned my dislike of clear coats? Anyway, the first contestant was 95% ethyl alcohol. Its two carbon chain did a fine job at removing the dust from the clear coat but accomplished little else.

The next contestant was acetone. This highly volatile beauty did a fine job at removing the clear finish and some of the underlying stain by the look of the make-up pad.

I decided that rather than me scrubbing with acetone dipped make-up pads I would just give the stummel a 30 minute dunk in the acetone jar.

This 30 minutes allowed me the time I needed to polish the stem. There was no need to use the sanding sponges since the stem was already looking near new. I ran through the 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads. Between each pad I applied a small drop of Obsidian Oil, rubbed it around with my finger tip then wiped the stem with a clean dry paper towel.

After 30 minutes the stummel was removed from the acetone. The finish was mostly gone.

I rubbed the stummel with a few acetone wetted make-up pads to be sure and folded over a piece of 400 sandpaper to clean out the beading grooves.

Being very careful not to sand the stamps I sanded the stummel with a 320 and 400 sanding sponge. My goal here was to remove the outer layer of darker stained briar while leaving the dark stain in the softer parts of the briar. In essence, using the existing stain as a contrast dye without me having to dye the stummel. I wiped the stummel between each sponge with an alcohol wetted make-up pad.

The stummel was then sanded with a series of sanding sponges from the 600-3500 grit sponges. Between each sponge I wiped the stummel with the alcohol wetted make-up sponge.

After the sanding, I used the 4000-12000 micro-mesh pads in sequence. Between each pad I again wiped the stummel as with the sanding sponges. I failed to photograph this step. If you want a description, it looked like the previous photo only more shiny and with more colorful pads. The stummel was then coated with Before and After restoration Balm and allowed to sit for 30 minutes. I also failed to photograph the restoration balm. Geez, you just can’t get good help these days.

I wiped the balm from the stummel with the inside of a cotton athletic sock and reassembled the pipe. It was really looking good. All it needed was several coats of carnauba wax applied with the buffer.

This restoration, if you want to call it that, turned out very nicely. The clear coat was gone, replaced with the more natural beauty of the briar. The wood grain was allowed to show off it’s God given lines accentuated by the stain from the original manufacturing. Only now it was not hiding beneath all that despicable finish. The glossy black of the long stem building on classic lines of the pipe. This is a small pipe indicative of the times. I can imagine a worker taking a 10-15 minute break and relaxing with their pipe. The dimensions of this little beauty are:
- Length: 5.86 in./ 148.84 mm.
- Weight: 0.78 oz./ 22.11 g.
- Bowl Height: 1.45 in./ 36.83 mm.
- Chamber Depth: 1.15 in./ 29.21mm.
- Chamber Diameter: 0.63 in./ 16.00 mm.
- Outside Diameter: 1.18in./ 29.97 mm.
I do hope that you have found something here useful to your own pipe care, maintenance or restorations. If you like this sort of thing, please click the like and subscribe buttons. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the finished Dr Grabow Duke.