The next pipe on the table brings back very good memories. Our 15 years living in Sofia, Bulgaria, provided many opportunities to visit our neighbor to the south, Greece. One such visit was in April 2018 when I attended a conference on better understanding of the Eastern Orthodox Church and its impact on Eastern European …
Continue reading Pipe Picking in Athens, Greece – An Unbranded Slightly Bent Oval Shank Billiard
After some time, I’m finally back to the worktable. The detour from the worktable came in the form of driving a 26’ U-Haul truck from Golden, Colorado, to Mission Viejo, California. My wife and I helped our daughter, and her family make the move to sunny Southern California where our son in law found a …
Continue reading Refreshing an Unbranded Italian Rusticated ‘Seahorse’ Finish Volcano
The next pipe on the worktable is a beauty. The Stanwell Hand Made came to me in what I call the Lot of 68 that I acquired from an online estate auction from a seller in New Hartford, Connecticut, in February 2019. The pipe is marked among other pipes that are still waiting to be …
Continue reading Restoring a Sixten Ivarsson Stanwell Hand Made in Denmark 23 Strawberry
The next pipe on the worktable is a spiffy Peterson’s System Standard 314. I acquired him in February 2019 in what I have called the Lot of 68 which came from a seller in West Hartford, Connecticut. The Lot was listed as an Estate Auction and the seller provided a great deal of information. When …
Continue reading Sprucing Up a Peterson’s System Standard 314 Made in Republic of Ireland
The next pipe on the worktable came to me from a pipeman in Lakewood, Colorado, who was reducing his collection. I met him when he placed for sale online a Zero Gravity recliner which I went to check out. When I pulled into his driveway, he was sitting comfortably in his own chair with a …
Continue reading An Exquisite Ben Wade Preben Holm Prominence A 4 Hand Made in Denmark Freehand
The next pipe on the worktable came to me from a generous pipeman, Patrick, who donated the pipe to help support the work of the Daughters of Bulgaria, now called Spring of Hope, which my wife and I co-founded when we lived in Bulgaria. Our goal? To help trafficked and sexually exploited women and girls. …
(Hold the press! Well, I didn't wait long enough and this post went out before I received a note from well-known Peterson expert, Mark Irwin. Please see the addendum and the conclusion for Mark's comments on the dating of this Peterson's De Luxe) The next pipe on the worktable is a Peterson’s classic. This is …
The next pipe on the worktable is a classic Custombilt, a brand that always recalls a campfire in a rustic setting for me. It came to me in February 2019 in a Lot of 68 pipes from a seller in West Hartford, Connecticut. This Lot of 68 pipes has provided and continues to offer up …
Continue reading Unraveling the Nomenclature of a Custombilt IMPORTED BRIAR Panel
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 on the worktable is the second of three pipes that N.R. has commissioned. The first pipe was a Lillehammer GL Super Extra 61 Made in Norway which came out beautifully (New Life for a Classic Lillehammer GL Super Extra 61 Made in Norway – The Pipe Steward).The Savinelli Capri Root Briar that got …
Continue reading A New Start for a Savinelli Capri Root Briar 310 Italy Cherrywood
The Pipe Steward 