Photographed and written by

John M. Young

The Peterson System Pipes are a well known feature of pipe smokers and pipe collectors worldwide.  They were originally designed and patented by Charles Peterson while working for the Kapp Brothers in 1890, 1894 and a third in 1898.  In 1894 Charles Peterson and Henry Kapp bought out the shares of Christian Kapp of the Family business, which the brothers had run together.

Most pipe-people are familiar with the Peterson System pipes of the bent variety.  Fewer folks know about the Straight System pipes.  I am not sure of the reason for this.  One can occasionally come across a Straight System pipe on eBay as an estate pipe though new specimens can be found as older stock in pipe shops in the UK.  Shops like The Black Swan (https://www.thebackyshop.co.uk/) and Miss morans (https://missmoran.co.uk/) show that they have Peterson System 31s in stock yet when I try to order to order one I get the following messages,

(above screen shot from https://www.thebackyshop.co.uk/)

(above screen shot from https://missmoran.co.uk/)

Just when you think that everyone wants your money you find that due to unknown reasons the above companies cannot deliver to the US from the UK.  This brings me to where this pipe came from.  It was an estate pipe from eBay and made the journey from Cedar Park, Texas to the wilds of southeast Nebraska in June 2024.  The pipe is a lovely smooth finished Peterson 31 and sports the following stamps PETERSON”S over SYSTEM (arched) on the left side and MADE IN THE over REPUBLIC over IRELAND and 31 on the right side.  The below photos of the Peterson 31 show its condition upon arrival.

This Peterson 31 arrived without the aluminum tenon extension which is a vital part of it being a true “Peterson System” pipe.  Fortunately I have been accumulating extra extensions from Smokingpipes.eu for this very situation.

(https://www.smokingpipes.eu/accessories/replacement-stems/)

I would like to say that I am a genius but I know better.  I am just someone who plans for the worst to avoid disappointment.  This looked to be a very stress free restoration.  The pipe was in great shape with the stummel needing minimal cleaning and only a couple of fills.  The stem was not severely oxidized and looked like all it needed was a bit of sanding, polish and a new chimney.  That is what the Peterson factory workers call the aluminum tenon extension.

Background

The history of Kapp and Peterson (K&P) is long and eventful.  In the past couple of weeks I have restored and blogged about several Peterson pipes.  I previously wrote the following and it is still relevant:   “For a great history Mark Irwin and Gary Marlburg’s book is a must read for a Pete Geek.

(Available at https://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/books/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=471478)  Given the price is a bit high but worth every penny for a Peterson aficionado.

Irwin, Mark and Malmberg, Gary (2018). The Peterson Pipe The Story of Kapp & Peterson, First edition, second printing 2021.

Here are an additional couple of sites with good Peterson information:  History of Peterson by Jim Lilley (Peterson – Pipedia).

And, pipephil.eu site for all things logo:  Peterson: historical pipes — Pipes: Logos & Markings (pipephil.eu)  They also have a few other links to things like the Peterson timeline and P-lip information.”

As for the specific background on the straight system pipes and this Peterson 31,  I will be using the The Peterson Pipe book.  According to Mark Irwin and Gary Malmberg, 

“The only straight System pipe in current production is the little shape 31 billiard.  This was not always the case.  Charles Peterson offered four straight Patent Systems in the 1896 catalog: a billiard, a straight-sided, a heel bowl and a bulldog.  To these were added three half-bents in the same shapes.  Each of the straights was offered in four sizes; the half-bents in one or two sizes each.  By the 1906 catalog the half-bents had disappeared, and the original four straight Patents were reduced to two sizes each, making for four shapes and eight pipes.

The straight Systems were produced at least through the mid-1920s, as some of them appear in a Phillip Weiss & Söhne trifold brochure from that era.  There is no indication of a straight System in the ‘37 Peterson catalog, and since ‘45 only shape 31 has routinely appeared in the catalogs.  The 120 and 87 apple appeared at some point before ‘63, but are only documented in an Associated Imports brochure from ‘76.

The contemporary pipe smoker may also run across a straight 1890-1990 Patent System Commemorative on the estate market.  This elongated, short stack billiard was actually a new design and not a reproduction.

The demise of the straight System is a bit of a mystery, because while its smoking properties and maintenance issues vary a bit from the best System, it works at least as well, if not better. As a cutaway demonstrator from the 1896 catalog reveals, the design of the straight System depends on the bore running under the tobacco chamber, necessitating a shallow-bowl geometry.  In the case of the System 31, the bowl typically runs 18.5 mm wide by 26 mm deep (0.695 in. by 1.02 in.).  But even the large-bowled Patent System Commemorative only has a chamber depth of 34 mm (1.34 in.).  The small chamber of these pipes probably accounts for their disappearance, although they are excellent for especially strong or flavorful tobaccos like Gawith’s 1792 Flake, a dark-fired powerful virginia with tonquin flavoring.

Cleaning a straight System is also more complicated than the bent System, as the bore is really a small calabash chamber, not a reservoir, with the aluminum-tenon extension going down the center of its length and extending under the draft hole.  After use, a straight System’s chamber should be swabbed out with a tissue twist, followed by a fluffy cleaner with its tip dipped in isopropyl or Everclear.  This must be done carefully to avoid spilling the alcohol on the outside of the bowl and possibly damaging the stain.  It is probably not necessary to clean it with alcohol after every smoke, but the straight System is extremely susceptible to ghosting.

The draft hole in the straight Systems is larger than in the bent Systems, going through the bottom of the bowl down into the chamber beneath it.  This design requires a bit of vigilance to insure the draft hole doesn’t get clogged up or swollen with carbon-cake.  The use of a bristle cleaner is therefore a good idea after each smoke. 

As for the smoking qualities, the straight System smokes drier than the best System and could be argued to be the drest smoking briar pipe ever made – which may or may not be a good thing, according to each pipeman’s taste.  The size and shape of the bore, as some pipe smokers have noticed concerning today’s artisan reverse-calabash briars, promotes the ghosting of tobacco flavors  if bothe the chimney and the chamber aren’t cleaned on a regular basis.  Many pipe smokers devote a single style of tobaccos (english, virginia, aromatic) to specific pipes in their rotation to avoid this kind of problem, and it’s a good rule to follow with the straight System as well.  (The Peterson Pipe The Story of Kapp & Peterson, First edition, second printing 2021. Briar Books Press, Canada. Pp. 264-265)

It must be mentioned that Irwin and Malmberg wrote that in 2018. Since the original publication the Peterson System 31, the last straight System pipe, had been discontinued.  This means that the only way you can now have a 31 of your own is to find either new old stock (NOS) from a dealer or to find one on the estate market.  How old is the little darling I have in hand?  I cannot say.  I do have 4 31s and regretfully, I can say little about any of them.  I can attest to them being wonderful smoking little pipes.  Regarding their age I can only say that the upper left pipe in the photo below is very recent as it has an acrylic stem and was made shortly prior to the discontinuation of the line – approximately 2020.

The Restoration

This little billiard was worthy of a clean denim piece and it got one.

The reaming tools were gathered.  No PipNet for this reaming due to the fact that the #1 PipNet blades suffered a break several months ago.  So the Scotte Stainless Steel Reamer Tool stepped up as a replacement along with the Smokingpipes Low Country Reamer.  The tobacco chamber also received a sanding with 220 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel to take it down to bare briar.  There was no heat damage observed in the chamber.

The shank’s airway was then cleaned using many cotton swabs dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol, a dental scraper, a nylon shank brush and pipe cleaners doubled over.

With the airway cleaned it was time for the exterior of the stummel to be scrubbed.  Murphy Oil Soap was used undiluted with a medium bristle toothbrush.  The soap was rinsed with warm water and the stummel dried with a cotton hand towel.

Back at the workbench the stummel was wiped with a make-up pad dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.  As you can see very little old wax and stain were removed.

There were 3 pits which I scraped the old fill material from to prepare them for new fill material.  The new fills would be done with brown cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) and briar dust.

A small drop of brown CA was applied to the pits using a fly tying bodkin.  A small scoop of briar dust was then pressed into the CA filled pit.

The excess briar dust was brushed away and the new fill was smoothed with a flat needle file then sanded with a 320 grit sanding sponge.  In areas where additional fill was needed a second small drop of CA was added onto the new fill and then was sanded with the sanding sponge.  The sanding sponge provided the briar dust this time.  The stummel was further smoothed using the 400 sanding sponge.

In preparation for sanding the stamps were taped with painters tape for their protection.  I like to use irregular cuts of tape to avoid the “censored” box look, to the area under the tape.

The stummel was then sanded using a series of sanding sponges from 600-3500 grit.  In between each sponge the stummel was wiped with a make-up pad wetted with 95% ethyl alcohol.

The protective tape was removed and the stamp areas were wiped with alcohol to remove any residual adhesive from the tape.  The stummel was then micro-meshed with pads 4000-12000.  Again between the pads I wiped the stummel sith the alcohol and make-up pad.

The stummel was given a liberal coat of Before and After Restoration Balm and allowed to sit while I worked on the stem.

The stem cleaning was a breeze compared to the shank and only required a couple of alcohol dipped bristle pipe cleaners.

The exterior of the stem was given a light sanding with a 400 grit sanding sponge.

I then used SoftScrub on a couple of make-up pads to scrub the stem in an attempt to remove any oxidation on the vulcanite.

The stem was then sanded with a series of sanding sponges 600-3500.  There was no P logo on this stem thus no need to protect it with painters tape.  Between sponges wiped the sanding dust from the stem by using my finger tip dipped in mineral oil, rubbed on the stem then wiped with a dry paper towel.

The stem was then micro-meshed with the 4000-12000 pads.  Between each pad I applied a small drop of Obsidian Oil, rubbed that in and wiped the stem with a dry paper towel.

The stem was then polished by hand buffing Before and After Fine Polish with a soft cotton cloth.

The polishing was completed with Before and After Extra Fine Polish as with the Fine Polish.

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

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

This was the fourth Peterson System 31 billiard that I have had the pleasure of restoring.  As with the others the most trying task was the cleaning of the shank. The chamber within the shank is what makes these little pipes such amazing smokers but it does require a bit of extra work keeping it clean.  Something that all previous owners had not been as serious about doing.  The briar on this 31 is lovely and typical of Peterson pipes.  The vulcanite polished very nicely and accents the briar very well.  The nickel ferrule gives the pipe that classical Pterson look.  The dimensions of the Peterson System 31 are as follows:

Length:  5.65 in./ 143.51 mm.

Weight:  1.20 oz./ 34.20 g.

Bowl Height: 1.70 in./  43.18 mm.

Chamber Depth: 1.02 in./ 26.00 mm.

Chamber Diameter:  0.71 in./ 18.03 mm.

Outside Diameter:  1.27 in./ 32.26 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 and admitted Pete Geek.

Below are some photos of the finished Peterson System 31 Billiard.