The next pipe on the table is a diminutive, squared panel which I would call an Apple shape. I acquired the pipe from an eBay seller in Nevada in November of 2017. The Paneled Apple was in a Lot of 13 pipes which headed in my direction after having the sufficient bid. Pipe man, Daryn, …
Continue reading Refreshing a Vintage ‘Best Briar Pipe’ Horn Stem Paneled Apple
The next pipe on the worktable is a what has the feel of a French made pipe, but is simply marked, ‘Bruyere Garantie’. I found this pipe in the summer of 2017 at one of my favorite places and it brings back fun memories. This second hand, antique shop is on the main walking street …
Continue reading Giving Fresh Life to a Classy Bruyere Garantie Horn Stem Billiard
This ‘mobile restoration’ begins on Mother’s Day as my wife and I embark on a trip from Golden, Colorado, to Minnesota to visit family – mainly to see my wife’s father who now lives in an assisted living facility. When we returned to the US from Bulgaria last year, amid all the world pandemic concerns …
When Todd used the word, ‘kapnismology’ to describe taking his French GVG First Quality to the next dimension, I paused to search the dictionary. I had not heard this word before and after searching Websters, Cambridge and Dictionary.com, I discovered that the learned folk who write dictionaries for a living, had not heard of this word either. A general internet search of the word, Kapnismology, renders references and labels, but I found no definition that would definitively describe the ‘next dimension’ Todd envisioned for his pipe. Generally, what I culled was that Kapnismology describes the study of smoke. It is used most often in reference to all things ‘pipe’ – pipe culture, pipe paraphernalia, pipes, pipe smoking, pipe lovers, pipe tobaccos, pipe holder, pipe adds, vintage pipe, pipe….
The iconic ‘Poker’ is a fun shape that always seems to evoke images of why it became known as the ‘Poker’ – engaged in a game of cards or some other worthy board game with friends around a table and joined by one’s trusted and ‘lucky’ pipe ‘parked’ next to the glass holding one’s preferred adult beverage and packed with the familiar, comfortable aroma of one’s favorite blend. THIS is the Poker capturing a picture of the ‘Fellowship of the Briar’ that unites many and diverse men and women around a shared passion. Bill Burney’s great description of the Poker shape is worth repeating here from Pipedia:
The next pipe on the worktable is an attractive, Lorenzo Eleganza – another pipe that Daren has commissioned from the For “Pipe Dreamers” Only! collection which benefits the Daughters of Bulgaria – helping women and girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited. Darren is an active member in his Pennsylvania based pipe and cigar club (See: FB Chester County Cigar Club – Holy Smokes) and reached out to me after he discovered a fellow member acquired a pipe restored by me. The Lorenzo that caught Darren’s eye was acquired with the help of my son, Josiah, who connected me with a lot of 26 pipes at an antique store located in St. Louis, where he and his wife reside. It was a great addition to the Dreamers collection and many of these have already found new homes with happy stewards. The Lorenzo Elegeanza is marked.
Blog by Dal Stanton
This story started with a snow blizzard in Golden, Colorado, which made me long for the sunny, balmy weather of South Florida and with a serendipitous question to my wife: ‘Do you want to go to Florida?’ Her positive response set in motion a road trip which embarked barely 48 hours later heading to visit family in Port St. Lucy, on Florida’s east coast. The 48-hour countdown included packing my ‘Pipe Restoration Mobile Unit’ and contacting friends and family along the 2K+ mile trek who would ‘offer a room at the inn’ so we would not have to stay in COVID prone motels and hotels. So, joyfully I hung my snow shovel and my wife topped off the myriad of bird feeders under her care with oil rich sesame seed, and we headed to Florida on a road trip yearning for warmer weather!
During our couple…
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Blog by Dal Stanton
I love restoring pipes. It reminds me of how life can be harsh resulting in broken people that need help and a second chance. This sentiment is at the core of the collection of ‘broken and needy’ pipes in virtual ‘Help Me!’ baskets where what is required of would-be commissioners is the challenge to see the potential hidden under the grime and brokenness. This is why the collection is called, ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” Only!’ benefiting the truly broken and needy – the Daughters of Bulgaria – helping women and girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited. Darren saw the potential, not just for one pipe but for 7. In November he wrote:
Greetings from Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania, (and welcome back to the US)! Thank you for your labor and love of pipes! It is with no small joy that I’ve tracked…
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Blog by Dal Stanton
After having enough snow in Golden, Colorado, my wife and I packed up and decided that continuing to wait out COVID would be more enjoyable in sunny Florida. Staying a few weeks visiting family in Port St. Lucie, would mean thawing temperatures and sunshine. The next pipe on my mobile worktable is an attractive half bent Billiard that I acquired in December of 2017 on the auction block from a seller in Fort White, Florida. Fort White is a small town in north-central Florida that was named for a fort that was built there in the 1830s back when Florida was still wild and unsettled except by very rugged, tough folk and entrepreneurs who could see the possibilities. I was surprised to find that the nomenclature on the pipe also has its origins in Florida. Here are pictures of the Bennington Supreme Half Bent Billiard.
The…
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The Pipe Steward 