Eltang cutty restoration (7 pics)

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georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
It is rare to see marquee name collectables smoked into the ground, but this Eltang cutty was an absolute mess. No actual damage, but literally probably never cleaned once in its life. The shank was solidly blocked, the rim covered in carbon lava, the stem was deeply oxidized, and the carved surface was so packed with grime and dirt it was halfway back to being a smooth. lol (A particular bummer because sharp, detailed sandblasts and rustications are tricky to clean and restore/refinish properly. )
All's well that ends well, though. It even got "de-stunk" with a purification process. Except for the chamber walls, the pipe is now effectively new. To paraphrase the movie line, "How I love the smell of... nothing in an estate pipe's bowl in the morning!"
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dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
Wow! Looks great! You had me at Eltang! That clean up, it smells like...Victory!

 

menuhin

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2014
642
3
Wow x 2!

How did you refinish the stem with those oxidation and bite marks?
I wonder who would get an Eltang cutty and smoke it in such an abusive way.

:puffpipe:

 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
How did you refinish the stem with those oxidation and bite marks?
Since oxidation can't be "changed back" and must be mechanically removed, I just treat an oxidized stem as a new stem that has 98% of the shaping already done, with 2% yet to go. Meaning get after it with all the same files & etc. that new pipe makers use, and finish using their methods as well.

 

lonestar

Lifer
Mar 22, 2011
2,854
161
Edgewood Texas
George found a way to direct his obsessive nature into something useful :D

Welcome aboard George, glad to see you posting here.

If you guys don't know him, he is the go to guy when priceless pipes need to look brand spankin new.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,413
Florida
That is an impressive resto!

You are welcome to share more examples of your expertise! Please.

Except for the chamber walls,
Do tell? What do you mean here, and what is the condition of the chamber? If you wouldn't mind sharing those details?

 

menuhin

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2014
642
3
Sounds like some professional knowledge and skills were involved, not an average weekend DIY estate restore experimenter like me. :roll:

For oxidized stem, I found it hardest when I want to preserve imprinted logos or markings.

 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
You are welcome to share more examples of your expertise!
I've been deleting pics immediately after use for a good while (the novelty soon wears off when you do a lot of pipes), but will try to keep it in mind for the more interesting stuff.
Except for the chamber walls,
Do tell? What do you mean here, and what is the condition of the chamber? If you wouldn't mind sharing those details?
I meant only that there's no way to remove heat blackening from the chamber of a used pipe. (Not without enlarging it, anyway)
On that particular Eltang, the walls were in good shape. Whoever owned it might have smoked a pound of tobacco a week in it for a decade, and used asphalt as hand lotion, but he DIDN'T smoke hot. This is a good thing. :lol:

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
Amazing how pipes can be brought back to life if you have the skill. Great looking pipe. Kind of an Egg Zulu.

 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
Great looking pipe. Kind of an Egg Zulu.
Indeed. Tom has made hundreds of them over the years. Maybe thousands. It's one of the more recognizable signature shapes in the PipeWorld.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1857&bih=963&q=eltang+cutty&oq=eltang+cutty&gs_l=img.3...2149.5443.0.6523.12.8.0.4.0.0.68.495.8.8.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..5.7.435.stI7y9vgQR0

 
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