When it comes to estate pipes, one of the biggest turn-offs is the heavily oxidized vulcanite or hard rubber stems. Non-pipe smokers will see an estate pipe with a grayish green crusty stem and think, “Why would you want to put that in your mouth?” Savvy pipe collectors know deoxidizing hard rubber stems is worth the effort. What they don’t …
The truth about Stanwell Danish Star Pipes is elusive. If I was to have a nightmare about pipes, it would be me sitting at a table and a famous carver, like Sixteen Ivarsson, sitting there yelling, “You can’t handle the truth!” like Jack Nicholson did in “A Few Good Men.” Take, for example, the three Danish Star pipes I just …
I’m back with 3 Ascorti’s to be restored and sold. It’s not like I really went away, but a combination of advancing preparation for one of my other “hobbies” and getting ready for the holiday season. That, and I just didn’t have any new estate pipes or new tobacco blends to blog about. Until now. In early February I received …
When is an estate pipe find not sweet? When it’s a Savory pipe. If you never ever heard of a Savory pipe, you’re not alone. When I first saw the “Crown over S” logo I thought it was a Stanwell. But, it was stamped “Made in London England” so I knew it wasn’t a Stanwell. I started doing some research. …
Searching antique shops & malls has always been a hit or miss situation. You go hoping to find something worthwhile and you get nothing. Or, you walk in not looking and you find treasure. Last week was definitely a “finding treasure when not looking” one for me – mostly, anyway. My wife collects salt & pepper shakers and pie birds, …
I saw my first Ardor pipe seven years ago at a Denham Springs “antique shop.” It had eight or nine beautiful, new Ardor pipes on display and priced at the MSRP. This “antique” shop – about a half-step above a roadside flea market, was asking full retail for the pipes. The least expensive one was $375. (In my opinion, an …
Which Stem for Which Pipe? When the Ben Wades arrived, the Martinique came with a beautiful, amber colored but transparent acrylic stem. There was a minor amount of tooth chatter near the bit, but nothing I felt the need to repair. The airway, on the other hand, was black from being smoked. The stem was tight in the mortise and …
Not Ben Wade the U.S. politician or Ben Wade the baseball player and scout, but Ben Wade pipes. Specifically, a Ben Wade Martinique and a Ben Wade Royal Grain produced by Preben Holm in Denmark. I first saw the Martinique and the bowl for the Royal Grain at Penny’s Little Flea Market just outside of Marion, MS two weeks ago. …
August has been a good month for rescuing pipes from various antique shops in Mississippi. Earlier this month, I bought a Peterson Kapp-Royal and a Søren Refburg Rasmussen freehand from an antique mall in Picayune, Mississippi. Click the link to read about the Peterson and read about the Søren at the end of this post. This past weekend, we visited …
Not long ago, I was discussing a Peterson Kapp-Royal I was restoring with Mark Irwin at (https://petersonpipenotes.wordpress.com/) and he mentioned soaking the stummels in an alcohol bath to clean the exterior. Both Mark and Steve Laug at (https://rebornpipes.com/) use 91% isopropyl alcohol the bath. After 24 hours, the alcohol removes the finish, removes some of …
