ADDENDUM: After publishing this write up, Doug Bisbee of DK Metal Pipes, who has a wealth of knowledge about Kirstens, reached out to me indicating that the ramrod was on this Kirsten was broken off and would gladly send me a replacement mouthpiece with ramrod. Thanks, Doug! After again returning from a trip to Krakow, …
Continue reading A Fresh Start for a 1st Generation Kirsten PATS & PATS PEND MADE IN USA – S
After serving in Krakow, Poland, for a number of months helping with the Ukraine Crisis, my wife and I recently returned to home-base in Golden, Colorado. It was an experience that will leave an indelible impression on us to have had the privilege of helping Ukrainians who had fled from their homes seeking places of …
Continue reading Renewing a Barling BB&S Challenger London England 5589 Billiard
Thanks for stopping by The Pipe Steward! Below you will find a library of all my restorations many originally posted on RebornPipes. While you're here, check out The Pipe Store and explore the virtual 'Help Me!' baskets in the For "Pipe Dreamers" Only! collection where there are MANY pipes listed that can be commissioned if you don't see something in the store for your liking. I'm adding more pipes periodically. Remember, proceeds from the sale of restored pipes helps support the work of the Daughters of Bulgaria. Glad you came by!
I acquired this French made Vuillard Concorde Chubby Billiard in January 2017 from a seller in Giussago, Italy. It was part of an interesting lot of 4 pipes which caught my attention. The other 3 pipes were a Denicotea De Luxe Regatta, a Chacom Radford's Seventy-Six, and a Machiavelli Cambio. The final bid was sufficient, …
Continue reading A Challenging Refinish of a Vuillard Concorde 3S of St. Claude Chubby Billiard
In January of 2018 I saw this fist-filling saddle stem Billiard on the online auction block from a seller in Hillsdale, Indiana. The obscured grain had great potential, but the stem needed a good bit of help. I put out a bid and brought this stout Billiard home to Bulgaria where we lived at the …
I’m finally able to do something productive after having a bout with the COVID virus. Nasty stuff. The next pipe on the worktable is the second pipe that pipe man Mike commissioned from the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ online collection benefitting the Daughters of Bulgaria. Mike fares from the great state of Tennessee and is …
Continue reading New Life to a Mysterious French Made C.A.V of St. Claude Canadian
It doesn’t surprise me that this unique, petite French Billiard came to me in a lot of pipes I purchased from a seller in Paris. The French Lot of 50 was on the French eBay auction block in August of 2018 when my wife and I were still living in Sofia, Bulgaria. A pipe man …
One of the great things and challenging things about the hobby or art of restoring pipes is that it forces one to grow and learn. When Darren approached me about restoring a special pipe, I didn’t realize that this request would stretch me quite like it has. This is what he wrote: A dear friend …
Continue reading The Restoration of a Special Gift – A 1761 Minstrel Bard Tyrolean of Austria
I acquired this attractive Stanwell Handmade Canadian from a seller in Kallithea, Greece, just south of Athens. The final bid was sufficient and the Canadian made its way to Sofia, Bulgaria, where we were living, and it joined other pipes in the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ where pipe men and women can commission pipes that …
Continue reading A Stately Stanwell Handmade Canadian of Denmark Comes Back to Life
My son, Josiah gifted this pipe to me Christmas of 2018. He was in St. Louis working on his master’s degree and happened upon a lot of 26 pipes in an antique store nearby where he lived. He knew that I’m always looking for pipe deals to help benefit the Daughters of Bulgaria – a …
Continue reading A Christmas Pipe for Me – A 1920s Champion Made in France House Pipe
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