1905 Barling pipe

[orlandofurioso]

Thank you Al and jpmcwjr.

Topping I think is safe to do, but how to Rebuild the interior, like with pipe mud, or JB weld or something? I suppose I do not like to bring "alien" material in an antique pipe.

 

[sablebrush52]

A mixture of ashes and silicate gel, in thin coats, then build up a protective cake over that. PM georged to get specifics. Don't remove wood to even it out.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Thank you sablebrush.

My usual routine is to make a pipe cement, or -mud from first quality ash from beech and distilled water.

It dries rocksolid ( better than from tabacco ashes ) .I do not really understand the silicate gel, that to my best knowledge only comes in little pearls .

What do you mean " PM georged " ?

 

[sablebrush52]

Georged is a master pipe restorer and a member of this forum. He recently did two restorations for me, one of which involved protecting the chamber walls of a 1920's Barling. Contact him about what he did for me. He's a super nice, super helpful guy, who knows more about pipe restoration than anyone else I know.
PM refers to the private messaging system on this site. You can send George a PM.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Thank you Jesse for your kind words

btw; I would not dream about removing wood from the bowl, no worry.

My navigation still is a little clumsy; How to find George on the forum ?

Is there a picture out there from your 1920 Barling sweetheart ?

 

[orlandofurioso]

Ah, there is of course the members list, but I cannot retrieve "Georged " from it.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Thanks bk,happy your still in the thread
Meanwhile retrieved George and sent him a PM

This is all so very exciting LOL .

 

[dmcmtk]

Sounds all very interesting, and that you are going to be careful with what you do. I think you will end up with a great old pipe.

 

[sablebrush52]

Is there a picture out there from your 1920 Barling sweetheart?

Here's the link to the restoration that George did.
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/george-dibos-masterful-barling-restoration

 

[georged]

Got the PM.
Hi Orlandofurioso, and thanks for the kind words, Jesse. :D
Sorry to hear that the Barling has some worrisome condition issues.
Specific recommendations aren't possible without having the pipe in hand, but the same principle applies to all collectable antiques: Pretty much anything CAN be done to bring them back to near-original condition, but the more that IS done the more it will cost AND the return on that cost (in terms of resale value) will diminish asymptotically.
Pipes are one of the few old collectables that can be (and often are) regularly used, though, which can change things a bit.
So, Orlando, what is your intended "mission" for the pipe? What attracted you to it, and why did you buy it? Understanding that is essential to knowing how to proceed now that you have it (and returning to the seller is an option).

 

[orlandofurioso]

Damn, pardon my language, but is is one hell of a pretty pipe and what restoration.I am in awe, this is magic.

Thank you for posting Jesse,the pipe btw looks so much like mine, about the same rim wear too ! That chunk of Barling silver mount is such an incredible beauty.

This is how I am accustomed to top the rim of my real old pipes;just a little, not to much and always leave traces of use and history..
The devil is in the detail and this staining is perfect .

 

[orlandofurioso]

Hi George,

Thank you for the swift reply, this is about the most helpful and kind community ever.

well, I intend to enjoy it myself and meanwhile decided not to return. The seller is a super nice guy who knows his stuff and meanwhile sold many good pipes as a pastime and to pay the bills. The old Barling's are not thick on the ground and this is my second one. I kind of stumbled over it and felt attracted to the silver, the presence of what I hope to be the original stem and the overall appearance of the briar. The RJ Lea stampings worked in its favour too.The bowl looks to be in pretty neat conditon and it is. Besides; we sometimes just do fall in love, don't we and not always on the per se prettiest girls . Beauty lives in the eye of the beholder.

My first B. turned out to be a terrific smoker,

allthough this is not a Barling turned bowl .

I am located in the Netherlands btw.

 

[georged]

Definitely sounds like the start of a life long romance. :D
Here's a good discussion of how to deal with chamber wall heat damage:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/heat-damage-when-to-coat-and-when-to-cake-over