Restoring an Ascorti Business KS

Even a blind squirrel finds an occasional acorn. That’s how I feel sometimes when I walk into a junktique shop (the signs usually say “Antique & Collectibles) and finding something worth adding to my collection.  A recent Saturday expedition to one of these shops uncovered 15 or 16 usual Medicos, Dr. Grabow’s and Kaywoodie’s damaged beyond consideration.

I found the acorn – or in this case, a bent Dublin Ascorti KS – laying next to a cigar box. Carved before 1984 according to Roberto Silvana Ascorti, the pipe was in good condition.  The stem only had some light tooth chatter and no oxidation. The bowl had a thin cake build-up and still smelled of tobacco. Priced at $38, I decided I couldn’t pass it up. (I did get a 10% discount on it though.)

The next day I started working on the bowl with a light reaming with my pipe knife. I then used strips of sand paper around my index finger until the cake was just barely visible. After a quick rinse, I worked on removing old smells from the bowl. I dipped two cotton balls in some vodka and stuffed them into the bowl for 24 hours. I left the stem in place to keep the vodka from leaking out of the shank.

A good sign was the next day when I pulled out the cotton, it was just a light tan color. I took this to mean that the pipe itself had never been heavily smoked. After a quick rinse, I  packed wet coffee ground in the bowl and the mortise and set aside for eight hours.

Cleaning the pipe stem…

To clean the stem, I mixed about a tablespoon of Oxyclean with warm water in a pint mason jar. I dropped both the

stem for the Ascorti and a stem from a small Peterson in the solution. (One of my sons recently found a Peterson System Premium 314 at an antique shop.) I set the timer for one hour. Soaking in the Oxyclean does not remove the oxidation on the stem but it does bring it more to the surface and soften it.

I use micromesh pads (starting with a wet 3200 grit pad) to remove the oxidation. It takes time and effort but by working up to the 12000-grit pad, I can remove most of the oxidation. I then rinse the stem under warm running water for several minutes before working on the airway.

What works for me is wetting a bristle pipe cleaner and then applying toothpaste to at least a third of the pipe cleaner. After working the cleaner through the stem four or five times, I repeat with a soft pipe cleaner and then rinse thoroughly again. Be sure you rinse thoroughly and run a dry pipe cleaner through the airway otherwise you will taste toothpaste the first time you smoke the pipe.

Buffing and polishing…

I head to the buffer for the next two steps. My buffer has two wheels and I use one for applying green buffing compound (purchased from Mark Tinsky at American Pipes) to remove any remaining oxidation.  I use the second buffing wheel for applying carnauba wax. These steps may sound simple, but it takes practice to get the technique down right. You can easily send the stem flying out of your hand if you apply too much pressure.

After applying the wax, I do a final polish with a clean terry cloth rag to bring out more of the shine. Did I say final polish?   I have one more step for the stem. I rub the stem with a couple of drops of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before buffing with a soft cloth. It may be a little overkill and I may have a few unnecessary steps in my method, but I like the results.

Remember the bowl? After the coffee grounds have set in the bowl for 8 hours, I dump them into the sink and give the pipe another good rinse under warm water. Occasionally I use a pipe cleaner in the mortise to get all the grounds out, but it’s worth the effort. Don’t worry about any residual coffee taste in the pipe as it will disappear after a puff or two.

Now, you can’t immediately smoke the pipe after a cleaning like this. I recommend letting the pipe dry out for at least 24 hours before smoking.

© J. Gibson Creative Services. May 2018