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 …
Continue reading Rescuing a Lowly Mastercraft Pot of Italy from Basket Pipe Oblivion
The next pipe on the table is a quintessential ‘60s/70s’ Flower Power pipe – at least that’s the vibe I get looking at it. It came to me in September 2017 from a seller in Georgetown, Texas. The seller was from a non-profit called the ‘Caring Place’ that sells things to help needy folks in …
The W.Ø. Larsen HANDMADE came to me in August 2021 in what I call the Lakewood Lot of 14. I met Ron in the Denver suburb of Lakewood when I went to his house to purchase a Zero Gravity reclining lawn chair. When I pulled up to his house, he was sitting in the driveway …
Continue reading Refreshing a Striking W.Ø. Larsen HANDMADE Selected Grain 15 Made in Denmark
This Ser Jacopo Rusticated Bent Egg came into my possession in a totally serendipitous way in June of 2021. The world was still up in the Covid frenzy, and my wife and I were still transitioning from life in Bulgaria to setting up shop in Golden, Colorado. One of the necessities of life I was …
Continue reading A Five-Month Adventure restoring an Exquisite Ser Jacopo Spongia R2 of Italy
The next pipe came to me in August 2018 as part of what I have called the ‘French Lot of 50’. When my wife and I were still living in Bulgaria, I found a lot of 50 pipes for sale on French eBay from a seller in Paris. What attracted me to place a bid …
Continue reading Resuscitating a French-made ‘Pipe’ Dr. Geo DePosee Horn Stem Paneled 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 …
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 …
The Pipe Steward 