This will be my last pipe restoration of 2025 and officially declared to be a ‘Pipe for Christmas’ because of the festive vibe it invites. The ruby red finish, the gold band and the black acrylic stem – all shout, ‘Merry Christmas!’ with promises of a bowlful of Christmas blend. My wife and I will …
Continue reading A Pipe for Christmas – An Yves of St. Claude Made in France 55
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 …
The next pipe on the worktable is a nice-looking Apple shape that came to me from a pipe man who wished to remain anonymous. He had seen my restorations in various Facebook groups and because they also helped to support the work of the Daughters of Bulgaria, he reached out to me in 2019. My …
Continue reading Refreshing an Elegant Chapuis Comoy Sunrise Amber Grain Vintage Briar 159 of France
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 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 …
Continue reading Rescuing a Chap Ecume of Saint-Claude: A Broken Shank and Meerschaum Lining Repair
This unique pipe came to me in what I have called the French Lot of 50. I acquired it from the French eBay auction block and it has yielded many great collectable pipes for stewards who commissioned them from the For “Pipe Dreamers” Only! collection. The picture below shows the French eBay seller’s presentation – …
Continue reading Fashioning a Replacement Stem for a French Gentleman No. 1 Rusticated Horn Pocket
The next pipe on the worktable came to me in August of 2018 from a seller in Paris, France. He had posted a lot of 50 pipes on the French online auction block that got my attention. The picture presenting the French Lot of 50 would make any pipe picking man salivate. What stood out …
Continue reading A Special Gift: A French Châtel Sculpted Edelweiss Horn Stem Billiard
First of all, I’m guessing that this interesting hexagonal Panel shape is French made. I acquired it from a seller in Paris in August of 2018. It came to me in what I have called the French Lot of 50, an acquisition that has produced several treasures for new stewards. Most of the French Lot …
Continue reading Surprised by a French Made ‘Hetre’ Panel – Made of Beech Wood
The Kiko on the worktable came to me on a pipe picking expedition on December 27, 2019. My wife and I were still living in Sofia, Bulgaria, where we had lived for 15 years. In the center of the city is erected a majestic Orthodox church called Nevski Cathedral. Just a small distance from Nevski …
Continue reading Reviving a Kiko Countryman Genuine Block Meerschaum 7 Billiard of TANGANYIKA
The Pipe Steward 