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
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 …
Continue reading Resuscitating a Mastercraft Custom Made Italy Prince (aka: ‘Pandora’s Pipe’)
The next pipe on the worktable was part of a Lot of 4 pipes that were on the online auction block from Giussago, Italy, in January of 2017. Three of the 4 pipes were similar in that they sported red, glossy shellac-like finishes. It seemed to point to the affinity of the former steward’s taste …
Continue reading Replacing a ‘Shellac-Candy Apple Finish’ for a Machiavelli Cambio Ball of Italy
The Savinelli Punto Oro on the table has special sentiment attached to it. It came from a friend and colleague in Bulgaria. Jacob is a husband and father and also a pipe man that knows his tobaccos and pipes. Whenever I have a question about trying a particular blend or brand, he’s the one I …
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
It’s fitting that the next pipe on the worktable is another well-known Italian pipe name, Savinelli. Pipe man Gary from North Carolina added this Italian to the Brebbia Portofino, which came out great. In the research drilling down to understand the origins of the Brebbia Portofino line, I discovered that this production line was an …
Continue reading Sprucing Up a Classy Savinelli Silver 111 KS Italy Billiard
After a 1 month and 9-day road trip covering 1400 miles I’m finally back at the worktable. My wife and I visited several churches, family and friends in our trek that went east from Colorado. We pulled our Forest River R-pod and camped along the way. In addition to our visits, we were able to …
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 next pipe on the worktable got my attention when I saw it in January of 2018 on the online auction block from a seller in Hillsdale, Indiana. Even though the only clue to its provenance was the stamp, ‘Italy’, I liked the oval shank and that gentle, slight bend that lends itself to the …
Continue reading A Fresh Start for an Unbranded Italy Slightly Bent Oval Shank Billiard
The next pipe on the table has some sentimental value to me. It came to me in July of 2018 as a gift from a dear friend in Bulgaria. Svetly actually gifted me 3 pipes on this occasion with the bones of one more. A ‘Nelson’ quarter bent Billiard, London England, a Churchwarden Bruyere Garantie, …
Continue reading A Fresh Start for a Savinelli Oscar Aged Briar 102 Billiard of Italy
The Pipe Steward 