Little bit of a let down this weekend

Almost anything on a pipe can be repaired so the question is how sentimental are you about the pipe. Since it's Grandpa's I would send it to a reputable repair person like Floyd Norwood @ Norwood Pipes in Tennessee. Walker Bros. is another very good repair service.

Hey mate, welcome to the forums. When one considers cost effeciency, one must consider monetary value and sentimental value separately. The Grabow is a "Low End" pipe and worth only a few bucks even in smoking condition. So as far as monetaty value, no it would not be worth it to repair it. As far as sentimental value, that is a price that only you can decide upon mate.

I got a few of my grandads old pipes not long ago. I looked over them and they were pretty beat up, no surprise if you knew the man. He worked construction and almost always had a pipe dangling from his teeth. Some of them cleaned up well and are very pretty pipes. I love smoking them to feel closer to him. Those were his "house pipes" though. Of the work pipes there were some stem repairs, a bit of burnout, easy stuff fixed it with some pipe mud. on one the stem was a bit loose so I took a look and he had wrapped it in sinew thread to tighten it but that had rotted out years ago, I got some new sinew and rewrapped it,tightened up and smokes great. But one pipe, the old briar beater that he carried so often it's shape was stretched into every shirt pocket he had, that one was well beyond my abilities to repair. The cost is more than I can afford for repairs right now. So that pipe has a place of honor on it's own stand right in the middle of the coffee table. I pick it up, hold it in my hand, put the old broken stem between my teeth the way he used to, and toss another pocket full of chains in the mason jar I have labeled as the pipe repair fund. Someday it'll get fixed up, it'll be smokeable,and that first char on that first bowl on that old pipe will make all the waiting worth it.

So you may not be able to get it repaired today. But if it's worth it to you, then toss some change in a jar, save up, and savor the anticipation. If that pipe is that beat up...well it was obviously well loved. You don't have to smoke it today to keep loving it.

But that's just my two cents, from my little smoking cave. YMMV

::

Spoken like a poet, Josh.
Well said, friend.
Fnord

Man when you finally get that back in business you will be so proud!

I can also vouch for Norwood in Tennessee, the replacement stem he put on my LJ Peretti was masterfully done, better than the original, really.

enjoy your pipe smoking journey, and welcome to the forum.

Yeah and if you post a pic some of us might could fix it or help you on your way

wow from what I can tell in the picture the chip on the side is a minor cosmetic issue in doesn't look to be much deeper than the sanded out portions of the rustication, perhaps hit it with some fine grit sand paper to get rid of sharp edges and I'm sure one of the brilliant folks on here can tell you all about refinishing it so it matches the rest of the pipe or stripping the rest and refinishing the whole thing. and yeah those Grabow's come with a paper filter so +1 to everything rothnh said about getting that bad boy out. Just remember to give your bowl some time to dry out before smoking it after that soak...not hours more like a few days or a week.

Is the blockage in the stem or in the shank? I know you said the stem was broken if the blockage is on the stem side perhaps just getting a replacement stem will solve that problem as well.

Oh and that appears to be the model they call a savoy I have two of them myself they're both great smokers my favorites in fact for hanging in my mouth during gaming sessions. Their comfy on the jaw and the weight is distributed nice nicely. Because of both the fact that Grabows are mass made and they take a standard size filter, your a step ahead of a hand turned stem on replacements.

glad to see you giving the old girl a chance, and she will be too.

Send it to Walker Briar Works and he can get it like new. Possibly for less than a new Dr. Grabow. Could work out to be a nice pipe for smoking or at least a nice family memento.
If you do buy a new pipe, I suggest putting a little more money into it and getting something really special. If you only want to spend what it would cost to get a Grabow, though, I reccommend getting a Wellington instead. Same price, better pipe.

Fix it , have the repairs done ,i would. ::

That pipe is just in Ned of some TLC. Much worse have been restored to better than new. Keep it and refurbish yourself. Excellent wat to learn. Look on the Dr Grabow Collectors Forum site for info. I collect obsolete DG pipes and they are some of my best smokers - better than any of my 4 Petersons.

Bb

The old pipe has some life and spirit left in it still. joshwolftree said it best. Take your time - throw your left over change in a jar save up to get it fixed right. The pipe will bring back the good memories the way only that pipe can. enjoy

I would say that if the pipe means that much to you then it's worth the cost to repair it. From what I can see it was definitely well used and I'm sure there are many stories that go along with that pipe. Whether you repair it and smoke it or leave it be and have it for a conversation piece it will provide many great memories.

If you can get it fixed go for it, if you can not, I suggest retire it, mount it, and put it somewhere good like over the mantle.

Normally, if I clean up a pipe and there's a hole at the mouth end of the stem, I just cover it with a B.J. longs live rubber pipe bit and smoke away, but this break looks more serious. I bought a corteccia di Mauro Armellini for just $25 on eBay because it had a fine crack lengthwise in the lucite stem and I was able to repair it beautifully by applying a thin line of superglue and letting it dry shiny. For loose stems, I use Gorilla glue to form a circumferential layer of white "cork" at the end of the pipe shank. If you don't like the result, it is easily removed. or if it is still loose, another layer can be added. This has to be done in almost all my cherrywood Ropps, they get loose shanks. A bit off topic, but I wanted to share these little tips.