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  1. MilesDavis

    Nailed It!

    Sometimes you love a pipe so much you just can't let it go! A couple pipes arrived on my bench that apparently had their burn-thrus repaired by inserting a nail in the hole?! And then covered with duct tape?! They're nice pipes with good grain. I fixed that one. Its friend--without the...
  2. MilesDavis

    Here's Your Big Mouth

    My brother sent me this Conway to restore. Little pipe. Big mouth!
  3. MilesDavis

    A Mystery "Marida"

    Sent to me by my brother, this "Marida" is an interesting little pipe. It features a non-metallic military mount socket stamped with a seven-point star. The stummel is stamped "Product of Italy", "8474", "Imported Briar". It cleaned up nicely. I found Lorenzo(?) makes a Marida model, but...
  4. MilesDavis

    Another thrift store find.

    I'm always on the lookout for racks and holders for the crazy abundance I have of pipes. This is my second mirror-backed display cabinet. Fifteen dollars! It's handmade from a mirror and what looks like baseboard scraps.
  5. MilesDavis

    A Much Cratered Seville With a Surprise

    Amidst a group of pipes I acquired was this Seville Filter. I didn't inquire into it. It was in pretty rough shape with a lot of lost fills. Here are a few pictures: I won't bore you with the time and effort required to get this pipe cleaned and sanded. However, here is a picture of...
  6. MilesDavis

    An English "Select Grain" #133. A Little Pipe. A Lotta Work

    Another day, another pipe. This one shows promise. Straight grain, sterling band. Gotta repair the stem, tho. This one almost got away from me. Normally I would insert a section of sanded-down tongue depressor coated with Vaseline to create a bridge over which to flow SuperGlue. My...
  7. MilesDavis

    A Little Work on an Old Kaywoodie

    Here's a nice old Kaywoodie "SuperGrain" #5130 in the shop. Nice, clear stamping. Four-hole fitment with DRINKLESS engraved upon it. I didn't do a major overhaul of this one, as it was not in bad shape. Here are some before-and-afters:
  8. MilesDavis

    This Stinks! (And a Question)

    I have worked on hundreds of estate pipes. The vast majority arrive in the workshop with the residue of a fine English blend. Today this Barontini Amaretto #630 came in reeking of some aromatic stinkweed. Sweet, cloying, it pervades the entire shop. Ugh, I need a shower! Peterson's Sweet...
  9. MilesDavis

    Did Someone Call for a Doctor?

    Probably not! Nonetheless, as the weather turned chilly here, I spent some time in the workshop addressing some old pipes that I had put off reworking. Check out this Dr. Grabow "Golden Duke". It's an "Aristomatic" and even has a patent number! Have you ever run across stems like this...
  10. MilesDavis

    Sümerler #78

    A big ol' Italian pipe. I've redone this one a couple time as it's one of my favorite smokers and it receives a bit of wear and tear. It's about the size of an extra-large hen's egg. There's very little stem wear since it's too heavy to clinch--and I'm not a clencher, anyway. It came with...
  11. MilesDavis

    In Praise of the Unlabeled Pipe

    Here's an estate pipe that will be in my smoking rotation tonight. Well-stamped "Imported Briar" and "Italy". No brand, however. I like this pipe. It has a nice shape and balance, the color is nice, and it has a pretty decorative band. Some maker's second? No way of telling. It's just a...
  12. MilesDavis

    Hardcastle Ole Bruyere #78

    I don't like working on stems, but it's part of the process. Here we have an old OLD BRUYERE from Hardcastle. Impossible to date, but it bears one of the original family names so... As you can see, it's missing something... I wonder: Did the owner keep on smoking this pipe after the stem...
  13. MilesDavis

    La Torre Diamonte #379

    From Ernesto (Oreste) Ossola. I was fortunate to find a replacement stem in my "stash" that almost fits. Here's a little background on the maker: La torre di Ernesto Ossola: una storia da ricordare - Gusto Tabacco -...
  14. MilesDavis

    Cesare Needs a New "Crown"

    Another Cesare Imperiale C in the workshop. This one's a little rougher than the last one I worked on: After I good scrubbing, the absence of cake revealed a damaged rim. Since the rim was going to require extensive work, the entire stummel was sanded a 220-grit. Note that the rim is...
  15. MilesDavis

    Show Off Your Hardcastles Here

    Four pre-Dunhill (1936) Hardcastles from top to bottom: "OLD BRUYERE" #173 "DE LUXE" #45 "JACK O' LONDON" #172 "JACK O' LONDON" #811(?) The "DE LUXE" is one of the very first pipes I worked on, as I recall.
  16. MilesDavis

    A Big Ol' Yorkshire of Questionable Parentage

    And a right bastard to work on, too! According to sources, this pipe is either a French pipe (Smokingpipes.com), an Italian Pipe (ditto), an American Pipe from Barnaby's in Brooklyn, or one offered through Sears and Roebuck. Because it does not have the fancier lettering, I'm leaning towards...
  17. MilesDavis

    Cesare Imperiale C

    Such a pretty pipe. This should/could have gone under the Repair category. I scrubbed, sanded, recolored and polished this beauty.
  18. MilesDavis

    Darnley of London

    I have found little information on Darnley, except a mention in a 1948 issue of PipeLovers magazine. Here's a $5.99 purchase from EBay of a nice example. Made in London, #234S with a cursive "D" stamped on the stem. There's very little wear except some light chipping around the outer rim...
  19. MilesDavis

    Somebody's Pipe

    Often, when I'm reworking a pipe, I'll wonder about its owner. What sort of man was he? What did he think about this pipe? How often did he smoke it? Why has it left him? Did he smoke while working away at something, or sit and meditate with it? What does this pipe tell me about its owner...
  20. MilesDavis

    Cesare (Barontini) 3 Livorno #121

    This one arrived in more of an orange color. I'm not thrilled with its new color, but that's the breaks sometimes. It was quite dirty and had LOTS of cake. (It's a mistake to take another man's cake!) The stem, on the other hand, was perfect.