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 …
Continue reading Repairing 14 Fills to Revive this 70s/Pre-70s Savinelli 4015 Slim Dublin
This Republic era Kildare came to me in one of my first larger acquisitions in September of 2017 when I landed a lot of 66 pipes on the auction block. The ‘Lot of 66’ came from an NGO in Texas called ‘The Caring Place’ – an organization that takes donations and resells to help the …
Continue reading A Rim Rebuild Resuscitating a Republic Era Peterson’s “Kildare” 86 Apple
The next pipe is another treasure from the prized St. Louis Lot of 26 which has produced several pipes that have made their way to the collections of new stewards. The pipe on the worktable is marked with an arrow.I have shared the story several times as these pipes have come to the worktable. In …
Continue reading A Surprise Discovery of a Meerschaum Lining for a Sculpted Billiard of Italy
The KBB Yello-Bole Apple now on the worktable brings with it a bucket full of nostalgia for me. It was November 7, 2016, and my wife and I were in the States from Bulgaria for the wedding of our youngest daughter, Johanna, in Nashville, Tennessee. The wedding was the day before and we were heading …
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 …
Continue reading Overcoming a Severely Charred Rim for an Unbranded Horn Stem Bulldog
The next pipe on the worktable is an elegant Prince shape commissioned by pipe man, Mike, who has commissioned other pipes as well benefiting the Daughters of Bulgaria – helping women and girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited. Mike is the founder and administrator of the FB group, Brothers by Briar, and currently …
Continue reading A New Beginning for an Elegant Orlik Royal Sovereign Made in England 188 Prince
The next pipe on the worktable came my way as a gift in March of 2019. Nicky is the eldest son of dear friends in Bulgaria, Svetly and CC, who I’ve written of before. He is also brother of El, who lived with my wife and me in Sofia, while she studied Chinese language and …
Continue reading New Life for a Spanish Everest Master ‘Bing’ Billiard
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
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 …
There’s something about the Canadian shape, and all its cousins, that is profoundly appealing to my pipe man eye. If I were to guess why this is the case, I would say that the long shank lines draw the attention to the elegant simplicity of the Canadian. Even though the house name is absent from …
Continue reading Breathing New life into an Elegant French Algerian Briar Canadian
The Pipe Steward 