Who Made This Pipe and How Do I Fix This Hole?

captainsousie · Jan 4, 2013

I just got another pipe of the infamous 'bay and it is absolutely beautiful...except for one thing. It has a small hole, less than 1mm, in the shank right where it meets the pipe. How do I go about fixing this thing? Is it worth fixing at all? I bought it for very little so I could send it back or send it off but I'd really like to fix this myself if possible.
Anyway, any idea who made it? It's got beautiful grain but the only markings are "Hand Made in Denmark" and "II S"
Thanks.

captainsousie · Jan 4, 2013

By the way, the hole meets the airway about 1.5-2mm back from the bowl.

locopony · Jan 4, 2013

Take a small drill bit just slightly bigger than the hole and make a nice round hole that is an exact size. Then use another piece of wood tp make a dowl slightly bigger than the hole. Tap the dowl into the hole so that it is nice and tight. Cut the dowl close to flush. Sand smooth and revarnish.

chopz · Jan 4, 2013

or, take one wooden toothpick. dip it in elmer's glue. tap it into the hole with a small hammer. clip the toothpick flush with the surface. stain to blend it in if desired.

captainsousie · Jan 4, 2013

Thanks for the replies. Will this fix cause any significant problems if it protrudes into the shank just a bit? The wall of the shank is pretty thin there so I might not be able to avoid it.

chopz · Jan 4, 2013

you can clip a little of the point of the toothpick first. and you can slip a pipe cleaner in the shank. if you put the toothpick in dry first and it's snug and you're still able to move the pipecleaner freely then you're good. if not clip a little more to get to the larger diameter part. i've even seen a guy use 2 or 3 toothpicks bundled together for a larger hole. the wood will be softer and care must be taken not to burn it there, but i wouldn't think you should be getting that much heat in the shank anyway, if you're smoking properly.

captainsousie · Jan 4, 2013

Yeah, it's far enough back that if it's getting heat I'm doing something wrong. Thanks again and I look forward to smoking this thing.

kcvet67 · Jan 4, 2013

II S pipes were made by Preben Holm.

captainsousie · Jan 5, 2013

Thanks kcvet67. That just makes it a bit cooler and a must to fix up.

sasquatch · Jan 5, 2013

Thing is, what you are seeing is the airway, where they left no wood at the bottom of the pipe. Inserting a plug of any kind is going to plug the airway too I'll bet, so you'd need to re-drill that (no biggy).

captainsousie · Jan 5, 2013

Thanks 'squatch I was wondering if that might be the case because the shank/stummel wall was so thin. For that repair I'll probably have to send it out because I am not the best with a drill and I don't have good equipment for that type of job.

cortezattic · Jan 5, 2013

It looks like a Preben Holm to me too. You can use an epoxy putty to fill the hole. No need to enlarge the hole or use dowel plugs.

This stuff works great; non-toxic, will not shrink, and it can be sanded or filed.

cajundad · Jan 5, 2013

sodium silicate [liquid glass] and a wooden dowel . Run a floral craft wire through the shank into the bowl to make sure your dowel doesnt push too far into your shank . mix a lil pipe mud or activated charcoal and mix into a tiny amount of liquid glass for color . Dab this mix onto your dowel with a clean qtip , and push dowel into hole . The stove repair mortar that Rothnh was speaking of will work also , ive seen repairs The Old Cajun has done with it, and it is just as good as the sodium silicate that all the pipe and guitar repairmen use . Then sand flush and blend a little stain in . I was going to answere Who made the pipe but I came too late . That is a great Preben Holm pipe . Love the birds eye on bottom and flame on the side !

tomdavis · Jan 5, 2013

As the shank was drilled surely with a metric sized bit you could buy a small set of metric bits at a Home Depot or Lowes and find the one that fits snugly. Then slide the smooth end into the shank to the location of the hole. Whatever you use to fill the hole then will be blocked from protruding into the airway and will not stick to the hard steel of the drill bit. Once everything sets then twist the bit out, pack and light up.
@kcvet67 - Thanks for the info on II S. I have seen them and wondered. Time to set up a saved search.

tbradsim1 · Jan 5, 2013

Dave that is too nice a pipe for a jury-rig fix, Norwoods or Walker Briar can fix this and I don"t believe it will cost a bundle, what worries me is that if it is a partial burn-out and may have weakened the aera , that's why fix it right, pipe has good pedigree IMHO. The old cajun

wayneteipen · Jan 5, 2013

I think that's not the original airway that was cut too close to the bottom of the bowl. I'd be willing to bet that someone attempted to "open up" the airway by redrilling and didn't realize that the airway in the shank extension isn't on the same plane as the airway in the shank. The reason I say that is because I made that mistake on a similar pipe. That, and I can't imagine a pipe drilled that close to the bottom of the bowl would be sold by Preben Holm.

Who Made This Pipe and How Do I Fix This Hole?

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