Restoration - Putting Life Back Into A Mastro Beraldi

This is my first Mastro Beraldi and after some research I found they are a line of pipes made by Aldo Pierluigi’s shop. They are handmade pipes and most likely carved by different artisans. This one had some nice grain and a large bowl, so I threw an offer and practically stole it.

I always forget to take pictures before the restoration so I only have the 2 pictures from the seller.
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The bowl was very caked and the plateau rim had a lot of char. As you can see the varnish was flaked off and in those areas it was very dirty. The stem had a nasty white film on and inside the mouthpiece, but with little teeth marks and none too deep. The shank wasn't bad but there was a gap where the stem meets briar.

I started out by cleaning the shank and reaming the bowl back to bare briar. I was happy that there was no spiderwebbing or burnt walls. After cleaning the shank there was still a gap at the stem connection. I decided to countersink the shank face more so the stem sits flush. I threw it in an alcohol bath for a day and sanded off the remaining varnish. I gave it a 3 part stain, black, oxblood and then brown, lightly sanding and wiping with alcohol in between each.

Next I bored out the airway of the stem for a better draw, funneled the tenon and gave the bit a deep v slot. I also sanded the stem and button to my liking and in the process getting rid of the teeth marks. The stem was very thick. I didn't have to worry about the integrity because I had a lot of room to play. I polished the nickel inlay and cleaned off the remaining oxidation. It was a pain to get the oxidation in between the inlay so I left that part for now.

I smoothed the entire bore of the stem and attached it to the stummel, buffed it all with tripoli and a coat of carnauba.

This Beraldi has nice grain with it's only flaw being a tiny fill on the bottom but you can only see up close. It smokes very well, so overall I am happy with the results.
[url='http://i.imgur.com/Dhv5Qrt' t=_self] [/url]

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I tried to photograph it in different light to see the contrast of the different stains so they all look a little different.

Thanks fellas!
@papipeguy - while researching I pulled up a few threads of your Mastros, that's what actually got me to take the chance. I love the stubby pot you posted, Very nice!