January of 2018 was when I saw this Mastercraft Bulldog on the eBay auction block. The Bulldog seemed to have good ‘bones’ from the seller’s pictures, but the straight saddle stem was a bit out of kilter mounted on a bent shank. The stem seemed to be begging to be bent to the proper orientation. …
Continue reading Reviving a Mastercraft Imported Briar Bulldog
In September of 2017, I landed on eBay the first large lot of pipes which helped to stock the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ online inventory where pipe men and women seek pipes that whisper their names and then commission them. The ‘Lot of 66’ pipes have contained many treasures that have already been restored and …
Continue reading A Fresh Start for a GBD Flame 1344 Poker Made in France
The next pipe on the worktable is an attractive Chacom Relief. I am surprised it stayed in the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ collection as long as it did. I acquired the Chacom December of 2018 in what I have called the ‘St. Louis Lot of 26’ that my son, Josiah, helped me to land. Josiah …
Continue reading Fashioning a New Stem and Chamber Repair for a Chacom Relief Oval Shank Billiard
The next pipe on the worktable I found on the online auction block in December of 2017. I was drawn to the pipe by its unique shape and deeply carved rustication which could almost pass for an ‘extreme’ blasted surface. As often is the case with online sellers, the pictures don’t always tell everything, and …
The next pipe on the worktable came to me in 2018 when my son, Josiah, contacted me from an antique shop in St. Louis, where he lived and was studying. He found a box of pipes with a price on it, and he texted me in Bulgaria, where we were then, with a question whether …
Continue reading New Life to a French Chapuis-Comoy Sunrise 729 Acrylic Bent Stem Dublin Sitter
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 …
The Pipe Steward 