Scoundrels – Iwan Ries

May 4, 2016 pipesrevival 2 Comments

Pipe Scoundrels Pipes.

Way back in February Clint of Pipes Scoundrels sent a huge package out of the blue . We had spoken a month or so before of a pipe that was in need of care but never figured out a plan. In the package a letter where he offered up a trade of sorts skill for skill, I love the barter system. In the package an incredible framed Pen & Ink work, that I watched though his blog come together. I was blown away by his skill and photos online. I had no idea it was coming my way, in person it was even more amazing, beautifully done. Also in the package a couple Pipe Scoundrels stickers ( he has a killer logo) and three pipes in need of repair/cleaning. A couple John Bessai pipes one Canadian, one Pot and an Iwan Ries a unique shape I’m not familiar with. I was excited to get to work , this was the first time I was to work on someone else’s pipes but I got side tracked and side tracked again but finally I had some time to sit and finish. Now the three are complete.

The first three photos were sent by Clint, this was the original pipe that we had talked about a few months back it was in need of a good cleaning. The shape was interesting and not one I’ve seen before. The name however I was familiar with, Iwan Rise & Co an establishment I would like to visit before I kick the bucket. There pipes were made by different manufacturer’s over the years.

The Restoration.

Overall the pipe was in good condition. The stain had long worn to a lighter color, the chamber had a thick & crumbling cake, the stem was oxidized with mild tooth impressions and the rim had a few indentations.

The narrow chamber would need a tag team of young and old to tackle. My old Castleford reamer attachments ran a little smaller than the Pipnet set. Starting with the smallest attachment from my Castleford set I slowly worked my way to the bottom of the chamber, then working between the Pipnet set and Castleford set I reamed back the old cake. Finishing up with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth out the chamber.

Next I addressed the rim, for the most part it was free of any heavy tars, oils or charing. I applied a light coat of Method Wood For Good Polish to the rim and left it upside down on a make-up pad so the polish could soft up the residue. After allowing the stummel time to sit, the tars and oils were removed with a Q-Tip.

With the rim clean I could now work on the rim indentations. Using a household iron set to medium heat and damp rag I steamed the indentations out.

After the steam there were still a few spots in the inner portion of the rim that needed attention. I worked through a variety of sandpaper, starting with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 until all traces of the dents were gone.

I now moved on to the internals of the stem and stummel. Using EverClear and a cotton ball lightly inserted in the chamber I ran a retort to loosen the old tars, oils and tobacco.

After the retort I did a vigorous cleaning of the stem and stummel internals. Using EverClear, a shank brush, mortise brush, Q-Tips, make-up pads and stiff/soft pipe cleaners. I worked the internals until my final pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

The stummel had one noticeable fill that the filler had crumbled away. Using Gorilla Glue and briar dust I filled the pit, after allowing the fill to dry I sanded the area with 800, 1000 and 1500 sandpaper.

Now the oxidized stem, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem and left aside until the Soft Scrub penetrated the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish shade it’s time to scrub the stem vigorously with a rag until all noticeable oxidation is removed. Holding the stem under natural light will allow you to see if all oxidation has been removed.

The Soft Scrub had removed the oxidation and the stem was in good shape aside from light chatter at the bit/button area. I taped off the bit portion of the stem with blue painters tape so my sanding would remain in the area that needed attention. I started with 800 grit sandpaper wet, then 1000 grit paper wet, 1500 grit paper wet, then on to the various grits of micro-mesh -1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet, 2400 mesh wet, 3200 mesh dry through 12000 dry. I removed the painters tape before polishing the stem with final two micro-mesh pads 8000 & 12000.

The final step before hitting the buffer was to tighten the loose-fitting tenon. I run into this more times than not after cleaning an estate pipe. I expanded the tenon by lightly heating the tenon with a Bic lighter and slowly inserting the end of a round tip pair of jewelry pliers. Repeating until a snug fit between tenon and mortise is achieved. When using this method to expand the tenon take care not to over or under heat, over heating causes melting, burning or a misaligned tenon , under heating will cause a cracked tenon.

Fin.

Finished up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and micro- fiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound and carnauba.

Thanks again Clint I thoroughly enjoyed restoring these estates. I still think I got the better side of the deal.

Thanks for taking a look, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed restoring.

Tim-

Pipe Tobacco review

Samuel Gawith – Black XX

March 5, 2016 pipesrevival Leave a comment

Another Excellent Review, on one of my favorites. I’m huge fan of Samuel Gawith and Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Looking forward to your next review.

pipe scoundrel

Blend Type	Non-Aromatic
Contents	Virginia
Flavoring	None – (Manliness)
Cut	Rope (twist)
Packaging	50g tin
Overall Rating	3 out of 5

If you could somehow imagine capturing the essence of pure… raw… ‘roid raging, manliness and then smashing it into a tobacco that looks like a cat turd you might understand a fraction of what Black XX is all about. This is the tobacco equivalent of every 80’s action movie ever made distilled into a smokable substance that isn’t easy to define. To aid in my efforts to explain this tobacco I will quote my friend Ryan upon seeing this tobacco in the tin…

“That is some intimidating looking shit bro…”

Yes… yes… It is some intimidating looking shit bro. Black XX looks like something a lumberjack should be smoking while he punches trees out of the ground with his bare hands or maybe the salty captain of a whaling ship who kills mutant sperm whales by…

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Pipe Tobacco review

Dan Tobacco – Devil’s Holiday

February 24, 2016 pipesrevival Leave a comment

A Top-notch tobacco review from Clint, he makes ya wana order this stuff.

pipe scoundrel

Blend Type	Aromatic
Contents	Black Cavendish, Gold Virginia
Flavoring	Fruit, Berries, Chocolate
Cut	Ribbon
Packaging	50g tin
Overall Rating	3.5 out of 5

Honestly I think the Devil gets kind of a bad wrap sometimes. Sure there is the whole “pure evil” thing but lets be honest… The Devil has contributed some pretty cool stuff to society, heavy metal music being a great example of this. So even if he is the embodiment of all that is unholy Satan sure knows how to make some kick ass tunes. Ironically in addition to shredding guitar solos and barely intelligible lyrics he apparently also has hellish good taste in pipe tobacco. A few weeks ago a friend of mine suggested Devil’s Holiday to me and being the gullible sort I thought I would give it a try. Ironically when I started to plan for this review Devil’s Holiday wasn’t at the top of my list of tobaccos so…

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Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Peterson System Standard 306

February 24, 2016 pipesrevival 3 Comments

This is the first of eleven pipes I recently acquired. The Peterson System Standard 306 is the first sitter in my small Peterson collection. I am unsure of its age as it does not have a made in or hallmarks, which I found odd as all my other Petes have some sort of way to date them. The only markings on the pipe is Peterson of Dublin System Standard 306 and K&P Peterson on the band.

As Received.

Over all in pretty descent shape, the stem was oxidized and a few tooth impressions. The chamber had an uneven crumbling cake and the rim was built up with old tar/oils, there is also charring around the inside edge of the rim. The finnish was worn and tired and one small spot of filler. The biggest hurdle was the Lakeland ghost.

I started with the stummel and my Pipnet Reamer. Starting with the smallest attachment and working up to the second largest, I brought the chamber back to briar, it was free of burn or pitting. I smoothed things out with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger .

Next I could tackle the caked and charred rim. I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim and set it aside to penetrate the build-up for a few minutes. Using Q-tips I removed the rim build-up, I would repeat this process a few times to remove all the debris. After the build-up was removed the rim darkening was still present, using worn micro-mesh I was able to fade most of the darker spots of the rim.

Next I gave the internals a good cleaning. Using EverClear, shank brushes, Q-tips and stiff/soft pipe cleaners. Cleaning until the last pipe cleaner came out as it went in. I now filled the chamber and mortise with cotton balls and added EverClear until the cotton balls were saturated and set it aside for a few hours to absorb the tars and oils. The Lakeland ghost would not give up, the stummel was left over night with EverClear and cotton balls and hopefully did the trick.

My attention now turned to the oxidized stem. I applied non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to introduce the old elbow grease and scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed. I finished up with a damp Magic Eraser to remove the leftover oxidation.

With the oxidation removed I could begin removing the impressions at the bit. I tapped off the stem with blue painters tape just before the P-lip so my rough sanding would remain in one area, the rest of the stem would not need as abrasive grit. Starting with 400 grit sandpaper wet I removed the deep impressions, then working through 800, 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500, 1800 micro-mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and finally 2400 micro-mesh wet until smooth. Before sanding with the finial six micro-mesh pads I removed the painters tape and dry sanded the entire stem 3200-12000.

There was one small spot of filler that would need to be removed. To remove I used Method Good For Wood Polish, an X-ACTO knife and a Q-tip, I applied a small amount of the polish with a Q-tip to the filler and left it aside to soften up. Once softened I removed the filler with the X-ACTO knife, I then cleaned the area with a Q-tip and EverClear to remove any oils or debris. I filled the pit with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and allowed it to dry. Once dry I sanded the area with worn micro-mesh until the repair was flush.

The rim and filler spot was left lighter after sanding with the micro-mesh, using a touch up marker I was able to blend the faded rim and filler spot into the rest of the finnish. Coloring in the rim and filler spot with the marker allowing to dry and removing the excess with an alcohol dampened rag. In the end I could not exserminate the Lakeland ghost completely but with smoking it will likely dissipate.

Complete.

I finished up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Custom-Bilt Dublin ( Mincer Years )

February 21, 2016 pipesrevival 3 Comments

The last of my medium Custom-Bilt refurbs . I have always enjoy the Dublin shape and in the Custom-Bilt carving it looks even better.

As Received.

She was in well-loved condition, chatter, a couple of deep tooth impressions, rim tar and char and the nomenclature was worn to almost non-existent. The tell tail Custom is all that’s left .

The chamber was pre-reamed by the previous owner/seller, I smoothed things out with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger. The chamber was free of damage.

Next I tackled the caked rim I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim with a Q-tip and allowed it to penetrate for a few minutes, removing the build-up with Q-tips and makeup pads. I would repeat this process a few times.

The internals needed attention. Using EverClear, Q-tips , shank brushes and stiff soft pipe I cleaned the internals of the mortise and chamber ,until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in.

Using an alcohol dampened makeup pad, I wiped down the stummel to remove the dirt and debris.

With the stummel clear of dirt and grime, I used a dark touch up marker to highlight the deep gouges, removing the excess with an alcohol dampened makeup pad. I could now move on to the stem

I applied non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside to allow the Soft Scrub to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.

After the removal of the oxidation there were deep tooth impressions left. I attemped to raise some of the impressions with heat( moving the lighter at all times never leaving it in one spot too long ) to no avail. Instead they would need to be filled.

Using thick black CA glue and activated charcoal powder I made a paste. I roughly sanded the area to be repaired with 400 grit sandpaper then wiped down with EverClear. I applied the paste with a toothpick to the impressions and hit it with accelerator to set the repair, I applied pressure with my finger to the patch pressing it into the impression just before it set. I now left it aside to cure overnight.

The following morning I began sanding the repair with 400 grit sandpaper wet , with the patch blended into the stem I could move on to the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads.

Using a washer between the stummel and stem to keep my sanding in one area, I now ran the stem through the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads starting with 800 grit sandpaper wet, 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet , then 3200- 12000 micro-mesh dry.

Before hitting the wheel I applied Howard’s Butcher Block Conditioner with a rag and let it penetrate for a few minutes, removing the excess with a clean rag.

Complete

I finished up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Brebbia Clean Up

February 21, 2016 pipesrevival 6 Comments

Happy International Pipe Smoking Day to all my friends, readers and fellow bloggers. For the day I wanted something new, well new to me . She came in on Friday just in time for a Saturday puff. The Brebbia Fat Bob is a pipe I’ve been in search of in my price range for two year’s. Now I’m unsure if that’s what I have here but if it’s not it’s a close match. The pipe itself is unmarked but the stem has the Brebbia inlay. I have seen other unmarked Brebbia’s in the past made for private B&M’s.

As Received

I got a little ahead of myself with this refurb and began working without stopping to take before and after photos, the photo above is from the auction. It was listed as clean and ready to smoke apparently my standard’s are a little higher than others. The pipe was badly reamed ( out of round ) and the chamber had the start of a burn out. The chamber and mortise were still holding tars and oils, the black finish was worn in spots. The stem on the other hand was spotless.

The above two photos are of the rim and chamber burn. The right side of the rim was thicker then the left side and the chamber was reamed into an oblong shape. I had already begun removing the worn finish in my excitement starting with EverClear and then moving to acetone, I would normally ream the chamber first.

The chamber was reamed by the seller for the most part back to briar exposing the burn in the right side of the chamber. I sanded the chamber instead of reaming with 220 grit sandpaper and then 400 grit sandpaper, sanding the right side of the chamber and removing the burnt area completely. There was more than enough chamber thickness to do so.

Next I moved onto the uneven rim. Using a round side needle file and 220/400 grit sandpaper I began reshaping the rim.

I decided the rim would pop more if it were smooth and natural, I sanded the rim with 400 grit sandpaper and finished with 800 grit sandpaper.

I now cleaned the internals of the chamber, mortise and stem with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff soft pipe cleaning until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in.

With the old Finnish removed I re-stainded the stummel with dark brown Fiebing’s leather dye hitting with a lighter to set the set the stain. Now this is where I got over focused and did not take photos of my process. I removed the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag and then sanded the high spots to lighten the stain, leaving the darker stain in the lower blasted areas of the stummel, wiping the stummel down with an alcohol dampened rag once more .

I gave the stummel a coating of Howard’s butcher block conditioner before hitting the wheel, removing the excess with a clean rag.

Ready For IPSD

Finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing. Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Now with a beautiful 54 degree February afternoon in N.Y. I’ll sit and enjoy my work and celebrate my wife’s birthday as well. Keep your chambers full and your hearts happy.

“May your matches always light and your tongue never bite”

Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Finished Product…

February 15, 2016 pipesrevival Leave a comment

An impressive piece of work from Clint of http://pipescoundrel.com . Check out his blog to see his work from conception to completion. Looking forward to seeing more from him.

pipe scoundrel

Well here it is… The final product of about 20+ hours of drawing dots. After having been away from doing anything “artistic” for a number of years I think it turned out pretty well. I had a lot of fun with this one and I’m already starting on my next project. I’m hoping in the next few months I can also sit down with some oil paints and see how much I’ve forgotten about that as well.

I picked up a frame for this over the weekend and despite the crappy picture it looks pretty damn nice in the frame if I do say so myself. I’m going to have a hi-rez scan done so that I can make a few prints but I’m probably going to give the original to a friend. Just thought I would share here for anyone who is interested in how it turned out.

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Pipe Tobacco review

Vanilla Blend Title Fight

February 13, 2016 pipesrevival Leave a comment

I had to reblog this.Clint’s review’s are never boring, imaginative and hysterical. This tobacco review is byfar my favorite, this is the way every tobacco comparison review should be written.

pipe scoundrel

I’m gonna do something a little different for this review. Typically I would dedicate a lot of time to one tobacco blend and then tell you a bunch of bullshit about it that we both know won’t effect your opinion in any way, shape or form… But I’m feeling a little wily this week so I thought I would shake things up a bit.

A few weeks ago I picked up a giant bag of Smokers Pride Vanilla Cavendish pipe tobacco at Cheap Tobacco. While I was there I also grabbed a bag of Prince Albert’s Soft Vanilla… Apparently I’m going through a vanilla phase or something and wasn’t even aware of it. Anyway, I had seen the massive bags of Smokers Pride before but never picked one up because I just assumed it was tobacco flavored mulch. The Prince Albert I picked up because I actually hadn’t see it there before and…

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Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

Custom-Bilt Billiard

February 8, 2016 pipesrevival 1 Comment

Many of the Custom-Bilt pipes in my collection are on the larger side but lately the medium size Bilts have caught my eye. This billiard is the first I’ve seen and I couldn’t wait to see her finished.

As Received.

She was in rough shape when I received her. Most disappointing was the cracked tennon, thankfully it still had its little rubber filter insert and I thought it might be salvageable. The bit had deep tooth impressions that almost punched through. The button was worn down and the stem was oxidized. The rim was caked with dirt,oils and char. The chamber had a thick crumbling cake and the mortise was plugged with old tobacco and tars.

I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment working up to the second largest, finishing up with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger. The chamber was well-preserved from the thick cake.

Next I tackled the caked rim. I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim and set it aside to penetrate the build-up for a few minutes removing the build-up with Q-tips , I would repeat this process a few times. After the removal of the rim build-up There were a few dings in the rim. Using a household iron on medium high/ heat and a damp rag I steamed out the imperfections working in intervals until the imperfections were almost gone. I finished up with worn micro-mesh until the rim was free of darkening and dings.

Next was the cracked tennon, I fit The opposite end of a 3/16 inch drill bit into the tennon, making sure I had a tight fit.I mixed thick black CA Glue and activated charcoal power into a paste I then applied a generous amount of chapstick to the drill bit end so the CA Glue would not adhere to the bit but would adhere to the tennon only. I applied a thin layer of the CA Glue mixture to bridge the gap where the missing tennon piece was , hitting it with accelerator to set up the glue, I removed the drill bit at this time.

With the drill bit removed I now applied several layers of the CA Glue mixture to build up the missing section of the tennon, spraying with accelerator in between each layer I added, until I had a close match to thickness of the existing tennon.

Once my thickness goal was reached I left the tennon to cure for a few hours. After curing I worked the new tennon with needle files carefully removing the excess glue until I had a close match to the remaining section of the tennon.

I now worked the new tennon with 400 grit sandpaper until I had a close fit between mortise and tennon, making my finishing adjustments with 1000 grit sandpaper until I had a snug fit between mortise and tennon. I then re-worked the inner of the tennon with a round needle file and rolled-up 1000 grit sandpaper so I could re-fit the rubber filter insert.

This Custom-Bilt had two spots of pretty visible filler. Using Method Wood For Good Polish to soften up the filler and a X-ACTO knife, I removed the filler.

I cleaned the area to be repaired with EverClear and Q-tips. I filled the pits with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and left aside to dry. Once dry I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh until the repair disappeared into the rustication.

I used a dark furniture marker to darken the rusticated area’s of the stummel to further guarantee my repair would stay hidden.

With the outer of the stummel complete I moved to the internals, cleaning the mortise and chamber with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/soft pipe cleaners, cleaning until the last pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

I attempted to raise some of the deep tooth impressions with heat, some of the button raised but most of the impressions would still have to be filled.

Next the stem oxidation, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.

The deep tooth impressions had to be repaired, I roughly sanded the area of repair with 400 grit sandpaper and wiped down with EverClear. I mixed thick black CA Glue and activated charcoal power into a paste .

I applied the paste to the impressions and worn button using a toothpick hitting it with accelerator to set the patch, I set the stem aside now to cure overnight. The following morning after the paste had time to cure, I used needle files and sandpaper to remove the excess glue until I had a uniformed shape.

I sanded the entire stem with 400 grit sandpaper wet to remove the file marks and then moved on to the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh. 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet. Runing though the remaining micro-mesh pads dry 3200-12000.

My final step for all my Custombilt pipes is to apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner to the stummel before buffing. I apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner with a rag and allow it to penetrate for a few minutes hand buffing off the excess with a clean rag.

Complete.

I finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

Custom-Bilt/Custombilt, Tobacco Pipe Refurbishing

CUSTOM-BILT / CUSTOMBILT CRAZY

February 8, 2016 pipesrevival 3 Comments

Collecting focus- everyone needs one, right ? I’ll be the first to admit I might have a problem, but when I first started I had no direction, just buying up lots of estate pipes Willy Nilly. Two years ago I had over 300 hundred pipes, a few of them Custombilt ( before the bug really bit ) but nothing to right home about, nothing eye-catching, no real attachment. So my first step was to unload the clutter, donating and selling off what didn’t belong. I’ve never been a fan of dainty pipes, I’m a big guy and well it just looks silly, its kinda like

So smaller pipes would go first. What was left was starting to grab me. My introduction into large pipes began with Ropp cherrywood pipes, the rustic look originally sold me, being from the Adirondacks it seemed fitting but with time things loosened up at the shank and bowl. I have one un-somoked large cherrywood Ropp left. Than came Tom Howard and B P Jum pipes, this was the turning point, large and interesting, fit my face pipes. The only draw back was the overuse of filler in both Howard’s and Jum pipes, riddled like bullet holes. Then finely Custom-Bilt it was like being a kid again I couldn’t resist large, ugly and roughly carved. I had to get them all, each one no mater how closely they resemble one another are completely different. The next few refurbs will be Custombilt pipes as I have many waiting in line to be revived. I need to take photos of my complete collection, I’m not really sure how many I have at this point.

Heres one more.

Overall she was in good condition, uneven cake, a chip out of the side of the bowl, stem oxidation and faded finish.

I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment and working up to the second largest. The chamber was free of burn out or pitting, I smoothed things out with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger.

With the chamber reamed I moved to the rim build up, the rim was built up with tars and char. I applied a generous amount of Method Good For Wood Polish to the rim and set aside to penetrate the build-up for a few minutes. Using Q-tips I removed the build-up, I would repeat this process a few times.

To remove the char and darkening I used worn micro-mesh until the rim darkening was faded. I now cleaned the internals of the stummel and stem with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/ soft pipe cleaners. Cleaning the mortise and chamber until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in

I gave the stummel an alcohol wipe down with EverClear and makeup pads to remove the dirt and debris

The chip in the side of the bowl would be repaired with Gorilla Glue and briar dust. I cleaned the area of repair with EverClear, Q-tips and let dry. I filled the crack with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and allowed it to dry, I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh.

I stained the repair patch with a dark furniture marker allowed it to dry and removed the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.

Now for the stem oxidation, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and set aside to penetrate the oxidation.Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to introduce the old elbow grease and scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.

With the oxidation removed I could now run it though the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads. 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet. The remaining micro-mesh pads dry 3200-12000.

I don’t typically stain my Custom-Bilt pipes but I thought I’d give it a go. Using a dark furniture marker for the rusticated area’s of the stummel and a lighter color marker for the rest of the stummel, removing the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.

Pipe Scoundrels Pipes.

The Restoration.

Fin.

Thanks for taking a look, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed restoring.

Tim-

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As Received.

Complete.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

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The last of my medium Custom-Bilt refurbs . I have always enjoy the Dublin shape and in the Custom-Bilt carving it looks even better.

As Received.

Complete

Thanks For Taking A Look.

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As Received

Ready For IPSD

Now with a beautiful 54 degree February afternoon in N.Y. I’ll sit and enjoy my work and celebrate my wife’s birthday as well. Keep your chambers full and your hearts happy.

“May your matches always light and your tongue never bite”

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Many of the Custom-Bilt pipes in my collection are on the larger side but lately the medium size Bilts have caught my eye. This billiard is the first I’ve seen and I couldn’t wait to see her finished.

As Received.

I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment working up to the second largest, finishing up with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger. The chamber was well-preserved from the thick cake.

With the drill bit removed I now applied several layers of the CA Glue mixture to build up the missing section of the tennon, spraying with accelerator in between each layer I added, until I had a close match to thickness of the existing tennon.

Once my thickness goal was reached I left the tennon to cure for a few hours. After curing I worked the new tennon with needle files carefully removing the excess glue until I had a close match to the remaining section of the tennon.

This Custom-Bilt had two spots of pretty visible filler. Using Method Wood For Good Polish to soften up the filler and a X-ACTO knife, I removed the filler.

I cleaned the area to be repaired with EverClear and Q-tips. I filled the pits with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and left aside to dry. Once dry I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh until the repair disappeared into the rustication.

I used a dark furniture marker to darken the rusticated area’s of the stummel to further guarantee my repair would stay hidden.

With the outer of the stummel complete I moved to the internals, cleaning the mortise and chamber with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/soft pipe cleaners, cleaning until the last pipe cleaner came out as it went in.

I attempted to raise some of the deep tooth impressions with heat, some of the button raised but most of the impressions would still have to be filled.

Next the stem oxidation, I applied a generous amount of non-bleach Soft Scrub to the stem with a children’s toothbrush and left it aside to penetrate the oxidation. Once the Soft Scrub turns from white to a brownish color its time to scrub vigorously with a rag until the oxidation is removed.

The deep tooth impressions had to be repaired, I roughly sanded the area of repair with 400 grit sandpaper and wiped down with EverClear. I mixed thick black CA Glue and activated charcoal power into a paste .

My final step for all my Custombilt pipes is to apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner to the stummel before buffing. I apply Howard’s butcher block conditioner with a rag and allow it to penetrate for a few minutes hand buffing off the excess with a clean rag.

Complete.

I finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

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Heres one more.

Overall she was in good condition, uneven cake, a chip out of the side of the bowl, stem oxidation and faded finish.

I started with my Pipnet Reamer and the smallest attachment and working up to the second largest. The chamber was free of burn out or pitting, I smoothed things out with 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around a finger.

To remove the char and darkening I used worn micro-mesh until the rim darkening was faded. I now cleaned the internals of the stummel and stem with EverClear, Q-tips, shank brushes and stiff/ soft pipe cleaners. Cleaning the mortise and chamber until the pipe cleaners came out as they went in

I gave the stummel an alcohol wipe down with EverClear and makeup pads to remove the dirt and debris

The chip in the side of the bowl would be repaired with Gorilla Glue and briar dust. I cleaned the area of repair with EverClear, Q-tips and let dry. I filled the crack with Gorilla Glue and briar dust and allowed it to dry, I removed the excess glue and dust with worn micro-mesh.

I stained the repair patch with a dark furniture marker allowed it to dry and removed the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.

With the oxidation removed I could now run it though the various grits of sandpaper and micro-mesh pads. 1000 grit sandpaper wet, 1500 mesh wet, 1800 mesh wet, 2000 grit sandpaper wet and 2400 mesh wet. The remaining micro-mesh pads dry 3200-12000.

I don’t typically stain my Custom-Bilt pipes but I thought I’d give it a go. Using a dark furniture marker for the rusticated area’s of the stummel and a lighter color marker for the rest of the stummel, removing the excess stain with an alcohol dampened rag.

Complete.

Finished her up on the wheel with white diamond, a few coats of carnauba and a microfiber hand buffing Buffing the stem with blue compound.

Thanks For Taking A Look.

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