This is the before and after pics of a GBD Congress / Shape 1353 restore done by Walker Briar Works.
The pipe was gifted to me by a friend, Max, who gave up pipe smoking, although it is obvious to see that he loved this one nearly to death. All the signs point to a well loved and oft utilized friend.
Upon receiving the pipe, I contacted Dave at Walkers to gather his thoughts and opinion on the restore, my main concerns being the restoration costs outweighing the materiel value of the pipe. Even though the pipe has some sentimental value attached, there was no sense in sinking more money than the pipe would be valued" as new, or in good to excellent "estate" shape.
Dave was able to quote a price that was well within my projected budget for the pipe, and stated he would be able to float the GBD badge onto the new stem, as well.
The entire project took about 6 weeks, due to the backlog of repairs at Walkers. The shop does provide an online list of ongoing projects, and projected finish dates, so you can follow your pipe 'up' the ladder of projects if you want to, which I did on a weekly basis. And, the pipe actually was delivered on the projected completion date, so it was finished a bit ahead of schedule. Walkers also did a basic cleaning of the pipe, and minus the expected wear of the bowl due to age and use, the pipe probably looks pretty close to what it did brand new.
Now, I am going to gently break her back in with a bowl of Sutliff Roma Vita, kindly provided by Ed James....
