Rescuing a Barok Bruyere of St. Claude Pickaxe from the Mother of All Pipe Injuries – a Cracked Bowl

Well, after about a month of fighting off sickness and finally getting some antibiotics, I’m able to get back to the restoration of this Barok Pickaxe.  Here we go!  The next pipe on the worktable came to me in what I call the Lot of 68 that I acquired in February of 2019 from a …

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Road Trip Restoration:  A Sullivan Powell Burlington Arcade London, London Made 283 Cherrywood

The next pipe in the queue is FINALLY on the ‘mobile worktable’ here at Dale’s Hollow Campground in Tennessee.  My wife and I embarked on a 4-month road trip in April from Golden, Colorado, and we will not return until mid-July.  We are visiting churches that have supported us over the years in Ukraine, Spain …

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Rescuing a Lowly Mastercraft Pot of Italy from Basket Pipe Oblivion

After pressing through a boat load of flu of some variant, I’m happy to be back at the worktable.  Other than getting well again, I always enjoy this time of the year for football season – both college and NFL.  Since my team has gone on vacation back to Florida (Miami Dolphins) I’ve been pulling …

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Christmas Tree Bound: Renewing a Stout French Made Pickwick Arms Bulldog

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 …

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Resurrecting a Venerable Medico ‘F’ Frank Imported Briar Apple

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 …

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Bringing a KBB 1940s-1955 Yello-Bole Filter Brush Panel back to life

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 …

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Resuscitating a Mastercraft Custom Made Italy Prince (aka: ‘Pandora’s Pipe’)

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 …

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Rescuing a Chap Ecume of Saint-Claude: A Broken Shank and Meerschaum Lining Repair

The next pipe on the work table came out of the box with some obvious issues. The Chap Ecume had tape wrapped around the shank which is a sure sign of a crack or fracture of some sort.  It came with the ‘French lot of 50’ I acquired from a seller in Paris, France, in …

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Repairing 14 Fills to Revive this 70s/Pre-70s Savinelli 4015 Slim Dublin

The next pipe on the worktable is another interesting pipe that came from what I have called the Lot of 66.  These pipes became part of the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ online collection back in September of 2017.  The huge lot came from a charitable organization in Texas that has thrift stores where they take …

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Overcoming a Severely Charred Rim for an Unbranded Horn Stem Bulldog

The next pipe on the worktable is unbranded, but I’m 99% sure it is French made.  It came to me in August of 2018 from Paris, and I have called this acquisition the French Lot of 50.  I have only a few of this French lot left as the majority have found homes with new …

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