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Silver Sleuthing On A Cased Loewe

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bluegrassbrian

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,104
53,890
41
Louisville
Recently won an auction for a particularly fetching cased and banded Loewe. The condition of the case is superb. The stummel is also surprisingly well maintained. Some gummy buildup on the rim, but very little cake/carbon in the chamber.

The stem is Amber colored.. I haven't the foggiest if it's real amber or not. The tenon will need replacing.
20180127_223638.jpg

Sadly, the silver band has been buffed nearly to death. The L&Co stamp is good, and the RD (Robert Dumenil) maker stamp is plenty legible. Even with eye loupe, the hallmarks are tough. Panther head and lion passant are obvious but the date letter is mostly a ghost. Careful inspection shows (to my eye) what appears most likely to be the bottom half of either a lower case "n" or "u". That would point to 1908 or 1915.
20180128_144232.jpg

I found another example of a banded Loewe with same style case and stamp by Robert Dumenil. It is dated to 1895, so my guess of 1908 or 1915 doesn't seem too far off.
7S0RzoD.jpg

I'll be sending this one off to have the tenon replaced, stem refurbed(if possible), and given a thorough cleaning.

I don't want my sausage fingers messing anything up.

Mostly just wanted to share, but if anyone has insights or similar pipes please share. :puffpipe:

 
dmcmtk

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
I would agree with the hallmark being London, date code u, 1915. Nice old Loewe. :)

 
piffyr

piffyr

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2015
782
80
Beautiful Loewe you have there, Brian. Congrats! The stem is the original amber.

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,775
45,377
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Thanks for sharing the picture. Possibly a bone tenon, hard to tell. This is fairly late in the game for screw-in tenon on briar pipes. Barling had switched to vulcanite friction tenons on all stems, both vulcanite and amber, years before. If you don't mind, could I see a photo of the mortise without the stem attached?

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,775
45,377
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Thanks for that latest pic. It looks to me like a stuck tenon whose connecting screw has become detached. Of course, I could be wrong and you can tell me if the face of the mortise I'm looking at is wood. A stuck tenon can be freed up, but amber is very fragile, so getting that tenon out needs to be done with great care.

 
bluegrassbrian

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,104
53,890
41
Louisville
Ya know, I never considered that. I just don't have much experience with screw tenons.. how they are intended to operate.

I've seen pictures from Mike Myers of similar pipes (Loewes too). I just may contact him and see what he thinks should be done.
Ash, this is my 4th in a fairly short period of time. The first one I got was so impressive to me I just had to get more.

 
bluegrassbrian

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,104
53,890
41
Louisville
...and now that I REALLY look at the mortise.. I don't think the face of the mortise is wood. I think it's..vulcanite or similar.
So the screw attached to the stem actually screws in to a solid tenon that is meant to push into the mortise?

And that piece is stuck..

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,775
45,377
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Now you know why I asked to see a photo of the mortise. It's almost certainly vulcanite. Barling pioneered this kind of construction using a vulcanite tenon connected to the amber stem by means of a screw that was cemented into place.
Vulcanite is both softer and tougher than amber. Sometimes the cement gets brittle and fails, allowing the connector to unscrew.
What needs to be done is to drip alcohol into the crevice between the tenon and the mortise to soften up the crud that is holding the tenon stuck. To introduce the alcohol I used a small syringe to lay in a few drops at a time, letting it penetrate. Took about 35 minutes.
Then I gently unscrewed the tenon from the mortise, rotating it in the same direction that tightens the connecting screw. With an amber stem you have to have little to no resistance when turning the stem, or the amber will crack. If you are unwilling to take the chance, a qualified repairman should be able to remove the tenon without damaging it.

 
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