The next pipe on the worktable is a stout straight Bulldog. It came to me in March 2016 from a seller in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. It worked out well because the seller had two other pipes which I had an interest in that were also ticking down on the eBay auction block. In the …
Continue reading Christmas Tree Bound: Renewing a Stout French Made Pickwick Arms Bulldog
The Medico now on the table came to me from a friend and fellow pipe man Dave Shain. ‘Shainy’ and I first met when we served together in Ukraine back in the 1990s/early 2000s. Shainy has become a well-known and respected contributor to the pipe community and is known through his website, https://thepipery.com where he …
Continue reading Resurrecting a Venerable Medico ‘F’ Frank Imported Briar Apple
This Kiko came to me in January 2018 on an online auction block from a seller in Hillsdale, Indiana. I was attracted to it not only because it was a Kiko, but mainly because it was in desperate shape. The leather had potential and hope extended to what I assumed was an intact Meerschaum lining …
The next pipe on the worktable is an Amphora X-Tra of Holland which came to me via the online auction block in December of 2017, from a seller in Fort Meyers, Florida. The bid was sufficient for the day and the Amphora Poker made its way to the For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY! online collection. Gary …
Continue reading Restoring a Gubbels Amphora 815 X-tra of Holland Poker
I love the Season of Christmas when most of the world celebrates the fact that Christ was born. When I consider the shape of the world, and our prayers for the people of Ukraine, I am thankful for a reason to celebrate something that is good news. The next pipe on the worktable was commissioned …
With Christmas soon to come, I have received commissions from loved ones of very fortunate pipe men. This beautiful Nørdin Freehand was commissioned by Jocelyn who wrote to me with this request: We live in Butler PA, USA. My husband, Mark, is an avid pipe smoker. I would love to give him a unique, possibly …
Continue reading A Christmas Gift for a Blessed Husband: A Nørdin Made in Denmark Freehand
I’m glad to be back at the worktable after a hiatus where my wife and I traveled from Colorado to the eastern side of the US. We traveled for 2 months putting 7546 miles on the car while pulling our small travel trailer. The primary purpose of our journey was to visit churches which have …
Continue reading Bringing a KBB 1940s-1955 Yello-Bole Filter Brush Panel back to life
This pipe was a challenge – more to come later…. The pipe on the table today is a nice-looking Prince. It has the right stem orientation, and the apple shaped bowl is on the petite side. I saw this Mastercraft Custom Made Prince on the online auction block in March of 2016, from a seller …
Continue reading Resuscitating a Mastercraft Custom Made Italy Prince (aka: ‘Pandora’s Pipe’)
The next pipe on the table came to me in August of 2021 which I call the Lakewood Lot of 14. The Lakewood Lot came from a pipe man selling his collection because of health reasons. Ron had several pipes in his collection that I would consider higher shelf pipes – several were Freehands and …
Continue reading Bringing New Life to an Elegant Unbranded Freehand
The next pipe on the worktable was part of a Lot of 4 pipes that were on the online auction block from Giussago, Italy, in January of 2017. Three of the 4 pipes were similar in that they sported red, glossy shellac-like finishes. It seemed to point to the affinity of the former steward’s taste …
Continue reading Replacing a ‘Shellac-Candy Apple Finish’ for a Machiavelli Cambio Ball of Italy
The Pipe Steward 