Photographed and written by

John M. Young

Whenever I read about a pipe with a cult-like following I get interested, “what is it that all those people know, that I don’t”.  Maybe it is the fear of being left out or just a general need for ignorance mitigation.  Either way, I am drawn to finding out what it is that I have been missing.  It was that way with Kirsten pipes, for me.  I had read about them, seen people discuss their virtues on Facebook groups, and watched many auctions sell for what I considered high prices.  Like the old codger tobacco blends, they must be good or they would have never lasted this long.  I finally came across a Kirsten as part of an estate lot.  This pipe wore the stamps Kirsten in a scroll type script on the left shank and PATS & PATS PEND with an M offset towards the stem.  Below are some photographs of the Kirsten before any work had begun.

This pipe’s greatest issue was the oxidation of the stem.  The aluminum was in great shape, needing only some buffing.  The interior probably would require a good cleaning but it didn’t appear too bad.  The bowl was in fine shape with little cake build-up and only moderate lava flow on the rim.

Background

The story of the Kirsten pipe begins with the inventor, Frederick K. Kirsten.  According to wikipedia, the greatest source of information and spoken of with disdain by my sister the librarian, “Frederick Kurt Kirsten (born Kurt Friederich Johannes Kirsten, March 13, 1885 – November 19, 1952) was an American professor, engineer and inventor.^[1]

Kirsten was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1902. He graduated from University of Washington in 1909 and later taught there as a professor of aeronautical engineering. During his life he was granted numerous patents on a wide variety of subjects.^[2] Among his inventions were the Kirsten pipe ^[3] (a tobacco pipe), and the Kirsten-Boeing propeller (a cycloidal propeller ).^[4] The Kirsten Wind Tunnel at University of Washington was promoted by and named after him.^[5]“ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Kirsten).  I understand why librarians are so critical of wikipedia.org, the notion of people being able to openly edit entries without verifying content can be problematic for scholarly writing. It nevertheless is a wonderful source for general knowledge.

Turning to a more trustworthy though questionably objective source, the Kirsten Pipe Company website.  Here is a short description of the founder and inventor:

“Professor Kirsten

It is by no means merely puffery to say that Professor Frederick K. Kirsten was a genuine American original. He first sailed to this country in 1902, as a cabin boy from Hamburg, Germany. After successfully rounding the Horn and eluding the Shanghai gangs of the West Coast, he navigated the educational system at the University of Washington to become a Professor of Aeronautical Engineering. Here, his inventive spirit took wing. He created the world-famous Kirsten Wind Tunnel, Air-washing equipment for factories, an air-cooled Utopian Bed, and, most notably, a revolutionary propeller which enables boats to stop and turn on a dime. Today, in the same waters where he jumped ship almost 100 years ago, ocean-going vessels are landed by sturdy tugs driven by Kirsten cycloidal propellers, piloted by equally sturdy captains smoking cool Kirsten pipes.

Rightly called the coolest pipe in the world, this latter innovation came about when a doctor advised Professor Kirsten to switch from cigarettes. He quickly dreamed up a way to trap the moisture, tars and tongue-biting acids which attack the users of briar pipes. After 80 years and counting, Kirsten pipes are still produced by the Kirsten family, faithfully following the basic designs of this father of invention.”

Professor Kirsten

• Inventor and Founder

(https://www.kirstenpipe.com/history.html).

The next source comes to us from the University of Washington, where Professor Kirsten was a staff member.  Here too the information may have a slightly romanticized bent, it is still a fun and informative read and gives examples of his contributions in science and the university.

“The Inventive Mind

Frederick Kirsten — 1915-1951

I am a research man.

Frederick Kirsten

Fredrick Kristen explaining one of his inventions. (aa.washington.edu)

Frederick Kurt Kirsten was one of the founders of the UW Department of Aeronautics. He earned the first patent awarded to a UW faculty member. He was the public face of UW engineering for three decades, tirelessly promoting technology as the future’s greatest hope.

Born in Germany, Kirsten graduated from the UW in 1909 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He was immediately hired by an industrial firm and by 1913, was supervising construction of the underground electrical service at MIT. Recruited back to UW, he agreed in 1920 to teach the entire curriculum of the new Department of Aeronautics: aerodynamics, airplane design, and propulsion.

On December 1, 1921, Kirsten filed the first patent awarded to a member of the UW faculty. He and William Boeing went into business together as the Kirsten-Boeing Engineering Company to develop Kirsten’s invention – the cycloidal propeller, first for aircraft and then for boats. He obtained a $290,000 grant from the Guggenheim Foundation to build the UW aeronautical engineering laboratory in 1926, and led the campaign to finance a state-of-the-art wind tunnel in 1936.

Kristen Wind Tunnel – February 1939

The team lowers an experimental Kirsten cycloidal propeller boat for testing. (Kirsten Collection. University Archives. Special Collections, UW Libraries)

Kirsten was confident and stubborn; his designs were based more on trial and error than on analysis. Endlessly inventive, he never gave up the quixotic effort to perfect the cycloidal propeller, and patented more than two dozen other inventions, including the Kirsten pipe, air-raid sirens, fire extinguishers, neon lights, and air cleaners.” (https://www.washington.edu/innovation/the-inventive-mind/)

“It’s variations like this that give some of the Kirstens extra individuality. There is one pipe, a Generation 1.5, that shows up occasionally and has an entirely different valve than any others. It is a pipe that I have never seen in old Kirsten catalogs or brochures. In addition to the different shaped valve, which has an “O” ring while the mouthpiece does not, the pipe has a flat top with no bowl basin on top of the radiator tube. It usually has the Kirsten script logo but never a model letter on it. It is a short, straight pipe.

Kirstens are kept track of by their model numbers. The following table is an attempt generation by and shape to provide some guide to Kirstens and their genesis:

• 1st Generation No O rings – stamped “Pat. Appl. For” and “Pats. & Pats. Pending”
  • Straights
    • Companion First edition in rough finish.
    • S Standard 1st generation with full-length cooling fins
    • M Medium
    • L Large
    • A Aristocrat Extra large 1st generation
• 1.5 Generation O rings either valve or mouthpiece, none on other end – stamped “Pat. Pending” and “Pats. & Pats. Pending” some with “Made in U.S.A.”
  • Straights
    • K Companion
    • M Medium
    • L Large
• Other Transition Models
  • Thrifty Nice early model with black offset valve that works in reverse – O ring on valve, none on stem … takes same mouthpiece as No Letter/No Name model
  • No Letter/No Name Unmarked short pipe w/different valve and O ring, no O ring on stem
• 2nd Generation O rings – Stamped “Pat. & Pats. Pending” and “Made in U.S.A.”
  • Straights
    • K Companion
    • G Gem
    • S Sportsman
    • SX Sportsman Brass
    • M Mariner
    • MB Mariner Black
    • L Lancer
  • Quarter-Bents
    • A Aladdin
    • V Vagabond
    • CX Cavalier Brass
    • T Tyrolean
  • Full bents
    • W Westerner
    • B Beau Geste
    • P Premier
    • F Firesider
• 3rd Generation O ring current models stamped “Made in U.S.A.”
  • Straights
    • JX Jewel Brass
    • M Mariner
    • L Lancer
  • Quarter-Bents
    • RX Regent Brass
    • H Horizon
  • Full bents
    • EX Esquire Brass
    • DX Designer Brass”

(https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Pipe_Company)

The next piece of information here is the original patent drawing from 1938.  I will include the link to the PDF of the patent for those interested in reading that as well here:  1499073238500980922-02200237

()1499073238500980922-02200237.  The diagram above is quite detailed and can be further explained by the writings within the patent documentation found in the PDF.  For ease of understanding, I refer to a much simpler diagram of the Kirsten pipe from pipedia.org.  Here we can see the four main parts of the Kirsten pipe; the imported briar bowl, the valve, the Kirsten “Radiator Stem” and the vulcanite mouthpiece.  It could be argued that the screw holding the bowl to the stem is a fifth part.

(https://pipedia.org/wiki/File:Kirsten-Diagram.png)

Using the information from the pipedia.org article: 

1. “It was determined that the ‘PAT APPLIED FOR” stamp was only used for a couple of years so I concluded that those pipes were probably produced in 1936 and were produced until 1938 and the ones stamped “PATS & PATS PENDING” were most probably made from around 1938 until about 1958” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Pipe_Company), 
2. “1st Generation No O rings – stamped “Pat. Appl. For” and “Pats. & Pats. Pending”
   1. Straights
      1. Companion First edition in rough finish.
      2. S Standard 1st generation with full-length cooling fins
      3. M Medium” (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Pipe_Company)

I can safely conclude that this pipe is consistent with a Generation 1 thus produced between 1938-1958.

The Restoration

The restoration began with a clean denim piece on the workbench.

The bowl was drilled with a pronounced taper so the only tools used would be the General triangular scraper and the Smokingpipes Low Country Reamer.  Of course the sandpaper wrapped wood dowel would join for the bowl sanding.

The light cake was quickly removed.

The bowl was sanded to bare briar and showed no signs of heat damage.

The lava on the rim was obvious and I hoped that it did not conceal any underlying charing.

A moistening with saliva and scraping with a sharp pocket knife removed most of the lave

The bowl screw was removed  and further cleaned with 95% ethyl alcohol dipped cotton swabs.

The bowl was taken to the sink for scrubbing with a nylon brush and undiluted Murphy Oil Soap.  The soap was rinsed with warm water and the bowl dried with a cotton hand towel.

Back at the workbench the bowl looked clear of finish and grime.

I wiped the surface with a make-up pad dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol, which removed a bit of dye from the briar.

I started cleaning the aluminum parts with the valve.  This piece looked fairly clean until I saw the inside.  Here it was coated with black hardened smoking residue.  The outside cleaned-up quickly with an alcohol dipped make-up pad. 

The valve was placed in a medicine cup with 95% ethyl alcohol.

A few minutes later the alcohol had begun to dissolve the residue inside the valve.

Several cotton swabs were required to clear the residue along with a small piece of 0000 steel wool also wetted with alcohol.

The valve was eventually cleaned of the hardened yuck.

The body of the pipe or, “Radiator Stem” as Kirsten nomenclature called it, was also quite dirty with dried hardened smoking residue.  Here a nylon scrub brush dipped in the ethyl alcohol and a bunch of folded over bristle pipe cleaners were used to clear the radiator stem.

The piece of 0000 steel wool was also wetted with ethyl alcohol and pushed back and forth through the stem.

The mouthpiece consisted of the vulcanite bit and an aluminum rod.  The two were molded together and the aluminum exterior was cleaned with the alcohol wetted steel wool while the interior and vulcanite were cleaned with alcohol dipped pipe cleaners from the button end. was cleaned 

The vulcanite was initially sanded with 320 and 400 grit sanding sponges.

A pipe cleaner was threaded through the draft holes and made into a hanger which suspended the vulcanite portion of the mouthpiece into the Before And After Extra Strength Deoxidizer solution.

Below is a side view of the mouthpiece suspension hanger.

After 4 hours in the solution the mouthpiece was removed and vigorously rubbed with a coarse shop rag to absorb excess solution and remove oxidized rubber.

Back at the bench, the vulcanite was worked with Soft Scrub cleanser applied to  a make-up pad and rubbed aggressively.  The mouthpiece was then worked with a series of sanding sponges from 400-3500 grit.  Between each sponge I rubbed the stem with mineral oil and wiped it with a paper towel.  I failed to photograph these steps.

The stampings on the aluminum were covered with strips of masking tape to preserve them from the buffer.

The radiator stem, valve and mouthpiece were then taken to the buffer and worked with the rouge compound.

The bowl was micro-meshed with pads 4000-12000.  Between each pad I wiped the bowl with an alcohol moistened make-up pad to remove debris.

The bowl was coated with Before and After Restoration Balm and allowed to sit for 20 minutes.

I hand buffed the aluminum with a Cape Cod Polish Cloth.  I absolutely love the smell of this product. It almost makes polishing silver bands on a pipe enjoyable.

The Restoration Balm was wiped from the bowl using an inside out athletic sock.

The stem still had areas of brown that I was not happy with.  Mark Hoover, creator of the Before and After products, told me that he will give tough to clean stems a second dip in the Extra Strength Deoxidizer for 45 minutes.  I tried it, and I left the mouthpiece in for a bit over an hour.  Removed it and did the coarse rag rubbing.

Mark said that he just uses the Before and After Fine Polish hand rubbed with a piece of t-shirt material.  I tried that, as well.

Under normal room lighting the stem looked nice.  When I placed it under the bright photo lights the stem looked like the below photos.

I was about to claim defeat with this stem.  Then I decided that two dips in deox and all of the sanding and micro-meshing could not be for naught.  Those damned brown smudges had to go.  I took the pipe back down to the workbench and started filing the oxidized vulcanite from the stem.  This was an extreme measure for an extremely cool looking pipe.

Focusing on just the areas that had brown oxidation proved difficult so nearly the whole mouthpiece was eventually touched with the files.

For the curved area at the saddle a rounded file was used.

All this filing did mean that the entire sanding process would need to be repeated. And it was from grit 320-3500 to the mineral oil rubbing and paper towel wiping.

I micro-meshed with the 4000-12000 pads.  Betweeneach pad the mouthpiece was rubbed with Obsidian Oil and wiped with a paper towel.

The Before and After Fine Polish was used again with a soft cotton cloth and was followed by the hand polishing with Before and After Extra Fine Polish.  The pipe was then taken to the buffer for several coats of carnauba wax to the mouthpiece and high spots on the bowl.  The pipe was hand buffed with a microfiber polishing cloth as a final step.

I have to admit to being smitten by this old pipe.  Having seen them only in photos and wondering about them for so long, I finally got to lay hands on one.  I was impressed by the simplicity yet ingenuity of the design.  I tried smoking the pipe shortly after finishing it and it performed very well.  The Radiator Stem absorbed the heat from the smoke and dissipated the heat quickly, living up to the “radiator” name.  The stem did indeed trap condensation and I was impressed with the amount of liquid collected.  Cleaning was fairly easy with a disassembly and washing with soap and water.  I appreciate the aesthetic of the aluminum and how it is set off from the black of the mouthpiece yet it retains the old school look of briar with the briar bowl.  Overall a lovely old pipe that performs as advertised.  The dimensions of the Kirsten are:     

• Length:  5.43 in./ 137.92 mm.
• Weight:  1.22 oz./ 34.59 g.
• Bowl Height:  1.06 in./  26.92 mm.
• Chamber Depth:  0.85  in./ 21.59 mm.
• Chamber Diameter:  0.80 in./ 20.32 mm. (Conically bored diameter is at the top)
• 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.

Below are some photos of the completed Kirsten pipe.