My first resto: Kaput ain't kaput.

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

Hello all, figured I'd try my hand at restoring a pipe, and maybe learn some things along the way. I'm gonna post updates and ask for advice and suggestions. Feel free to add constructive criticism.
The pipe is a Peterson Kaput 87S Billard (the eBay discription said Lovat, but the mouthpiece is to long in my opinion).

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

gloucesterman · Sep 25, 2015

First rule of pipe restoration, Be patient with yourself.

It's a learning curve, the more pipes you do the better the results will be. My first attempts didn't come out exactly as I would have hoped but with each attempt the results improved. You'll see some pretty amazing restoration work posted here. They didn't have those skills when they started out. You won't either. SS Jones. ejames, Dave G and Pruss are all great sources of information. You might want to check out Reborn Pipes web site. There's a lot of good information there. Good luck.

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

Thanks Gloucesterman! I have been doing a lot of reading on rebornpipes. It's been very informative!

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

mso489 · Sep 25, 2015

See what you can do. The "before" pictures always look pretty hopeless.

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

cobguy · Sep 25, 2015

My first question was going to be "top it or fill it" ... that answers that!

Now, is it a reamer or some careful knife work?
BTW ... I sent you a PM

philobeddoe · Sep 25, 2015

It's very interesting to see how far the smoke has gone into the briar over the years of smoking. Even with that crazy thick cake the smoke was getting to the wood.

elbert · Sep 25, 2015

A chop-top, eh? Sometimes chopping does odd things to the geometry--sometimes great things. I'm excited to see how yours turn out.

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 25, 2015

Apologies for getting back so late. It is a top chop job. I figured it would be a more permanent repair than a fill. Also this is not a rare pipe where you would want to fill it to save the pipe. I also have a castle ford reamer set in the mail on its way and I plan on using that, then sand paper the inner and outer bowl. There is quite of bit of old wear, which I might as well do because the finish is lacking luster. Why not? I paid $12 for the thing. If I fail, then its nothing, If I do it well, then its a cheap Pete. Its quite apparent that the bowl is not geometrical and I will have to address that issue as well.

danielplainview · Sep 25, 2015

Orley is the man to talk to about cracked briar repair. I've seen him perform miracles on broken pipes. Good luck. Hope it makes a good smoker.

davet · Sep 25, 2015

Interested to see how it turns out, how about a side view to give an idea of how much had to come off. I think you'll be fine and like you say " Why not? I paid $12 for the thing."

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 26, 2015

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 26, 2015

It's about as far down as I can take it. When I get ready to finish sanding I'll check to see if it's all level. The rear section in the bowl appears to be a little higher.
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.

davet · Sep 26, 2015

The rear section in the bowl appears to be a little higher.

It does look higher, level that up and that'll look great. I think you've saved it, good job.

agnosticpipe · Sep 26, 2015

@aggravatedfarmer: Looks like you're doing good with the topping project, and won't have to deal with the cracks on the outside of the bowl. But It looks like you'll have some cracks inside the bowl to deal with when you're done reaming out the old cake. That pipe must have been smoked really hot at some point! If it were me, I'd fill those cracks in with some pipe mud. There are all sorts of mud treatments you can try, and the info is posted in a sticky at the top of the Pipe Repair and Maintenance forum. As already mentioned, Reborn Pipes is a good site to visit to learn about fixing pipes up. For pipe mud just use what you have available or get some cigar ash, charcoal, or whatever and fill the cracks flush with the interior of the bowl. Give it a chance to dry and smoke the pipe slowly to try to build up a smooth thin cake and your little Pete will last quite a while. Just my 2 cents worth.
Have fun, and try not to swear too much... : puffy

:

aggravatedfarmer · Sep 28, 2015

Thank you for the advice Orley! I agree the Pete will need pipe mud, however I recieved my castle ford today (love it and reamed out a number of pipes already). I went to work on the Pete and now the true brutal truth has been revealed...

My first resto: Kaput ain't kaput.

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