Even as I begin this project, I’m not sure if this Big-Ben Crosley is going to come out on the other side ready to go again. It came to me in February 2019 as part of a Lot of 68 pipes from a seller in West Hartford, Connecticut. My final bid was sufficient and the …
The pipe that is now on the worktable is truly a unique shape. It came to me from a pipeman who donated several pipes to benefit the Daughters of Bulgaria, now called, Spring of Hope. He was also thinning his collection and the benefactors of this are those seeking to commission pipes from the For …
Continue reading A Rim Rescue for a Tennessean Comeaux USA CC S 05 ‘Dublinesque’ Lovat
The next pipe on the worktable came to me from a pipeman in nearby Lakewood, Colorado. I met him when I responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a Zero Gravity recliner. When I went to his house to eyeball the recliner, I pulled up to the driveway and saw a pipeman in his comfy …
Continue reading New Beginnings for a Preben Holm Ben Wade Deluxe Hand Made Denmark Freehand
The Lot of 66, as I have called it, was probably my first large acquisition of pipes. I saw the Lot on eBay in September 2017. The by-line by the seller in Georgetown, Texas, was this: “Huge Lot of 66 Smoking Pipes, Pre-Owned, Pre-Smoked and Deeply Loved.” The final tag caught my attention. The seller …
Continue reading Reclaiming the legacy of a Comoy’s Made in London England P510 – D Billiard
The next pipe on the worktable had to wait a bit for me to get back to the worktable. My wife and I made a trip to the Greek island of Rhodes that was both work and play. The work was attending a Europe Area Retreat for the mission we have served with for the …
Continue reading New Life for a HANDMADE IN DENMARK Rusticated Freehand
The next pipe on the table is a workhorse Billiard without doubt. It was found along with a few other treasures November 2021 at The Antique Market in Michigan City, Indiana. We were traveling from Colorado to my son’s home in Dearborn, Michigan for Thanksgiving celebrations. My wife and I always like to explore the …
The next pipe on the worktable was donated from a pipeman who wished to stay anonymous and who appreciates that pipes that I restore help others in unfortunate circumstances. My wife and I co-founded the Daughters of Bulgaria several years ago when we lived in Bulgaria and since then, now residing back in the US, …
Continue reading A Cracked Shank Repair Brings a Comeaux USA 3-00 Canadian Back to Life
My wife and I have been traveling and it’s good to be back to the worktable. We did a camping road trip from Colorado to Orange County, California, to visit our youngest daughter and her family. As is our custom, we pulled our small travel trailer and visited many fabulous places going and coming back. …
Continue reading Revisiting the Provenance of a Pipe Pub Imported Briar Zulu
I’m on a roll with a Lot of 7 pipes I found on a picking expedition in August 2021 when my wife and I were visiting our home of 15 years in Bulgaria. We returned to see friends and we decided to go to the Black Sea coast for some much-needed holiday. We found ourselves …
Continue reading New Life for a Classy Big-Ben Royal-Silver 445 Made in Holland
This resurrection project cannot be descibed as a mere restoration. It started in August 2021 when my wife and I returned to Bulgaria a year after leaving this our home of 15 years. One of our special places we visited and a place of respite during our time in Bulgaria was a little lazy fishing …
The Pipe Steward 