1923 Dunhill Shape "24" Bulldog (Restore and Re-stem)

[georged]

A Dunhill collector doesn't need to see this pipe's date stamp to know it's an early one. When Alfred & Co. were getting their blasting process dialed in they often "morphed" the shape of the stummel. Presumably they were tossed if the distortion went too far, but "too far" was subjective. I suppose the final graders had a say as well as the company's cost accountants.

Anyway, while a modest and lovely little pipe in every way, it was particularly difficult to re-stem because the shank both trumpeted/flared and had a twist in it. Extending the line(s) became an exercise in sleight-of-hand (eye?) and splitting differences, pretty much, meaning instead of simply following absolutes I had to be subjective.

The original stem was lost, so I've no idea how that situation was dealt with. (The rest of the particulars were just taken from an existing 24).

.

 

[lightmybriar]

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic! Both the pipe and the work. Love these posts. Thanks, George.

 

[mso489]

Looks like it's melting ... in a good way!

 

[Casual]

Wow. The new stem is definitely the prettiest part of that pipe.

 

[verporchting]

What a stunner.

I bet that stem was an absolute bitch to make.

Fantastic work!

 

[Humblepipe]

CHUNKY! I really like this one.

 

[didimauw]

I would never want to own a pipe that nice.

 

[ssjones]

Wow, these two shots say it all. Like my shop teacher used to say, "it look like it growed that way".

 

[jguss]

This is beginning to get depressing.

 

[georged]

This is beginning to get depressing.

I suppose it wouldn't be kind to tell you about my latest acquisition, then.

The long-rumored-but-never-seen-until-now 21 pipe "Gentleman's Bet" set, where Alfred, Joel Sasieni, and Montague Barling found themselves drunked up a bit one night, and each challenged the others to make the best-ever seven day set in the history of the Universe, which would then be put into a fitted case and presented to the King of England for judging.

But the King was in a foul mood on the day it was brought forth, so he ordered the set removed from the palace and it was never seen again.

Until last week, that is. When a little old lady on a farm in the middle of Iowa gave me a call that she'd found it in her attic, and said she'd gladly pay me a hundred bucks plus gas to drive up and take it off her hands. She heard I liked pipes, apparently.

All straight grains. Oversized, of course. LOTS of high-carat gold. Astonishing workmanship. Unsmoked. Indeed, by the look of it the crocodile & silk case was never opened a single time since it was filled.

Kept in a specially built zero-light anti-entropy enclosure filled with pure nitrogen gas, in fact. (The old lady's husband was a hardcore tinkerer, it seems.)

True story.

 

[donjgiles]

ooohhhhh, nitrogen!

 

[sablebrush52]

A Dunhill collector doesn't need to see this pipe's date stamp to know it's an early one. When Alfred & Co. were getting their blasting process dialed in they often "morphed" the shape of the stummel. Presumably they were tossed if the distortion went too far, but "too far" was subjective. I suppose the final graders had a say as well as the company's cost accountants.

Anyway, while a modest and lovely little pipe in every way, it was particularly difficult to re-stem because the shank both trumpeted/flared and had a twist in it. Extending the line(s) became an exercise in sleight-of-hand (eye?) and splitting differences, pretty much, meaning instead of simply following absolutes I had to be subjective.

The original stem was lost, so I've no idea how that situation was dealt with. (The rest of the particulars were just taken from an existing 24).

.


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Dammit George, you have to stop doing this genius work! It's beginning to piss me off!

 

[beefeater33]

Bravo George!! Thanks for posting pics here!
I figured that one would be a challenge...............
Like AL, said.......... "it look like it growed that way".............. Fantastic work.............

BTW, here's an old post about the two 1923 pipes...............

1923 Dunhill With Incredible Blast & Her Sister Too! :: British Pipes

Well, I'm the proud owner of a 1923 Dunhill P shape shell. Forum member dixie posted last week of a large ESTATE of pipes he had purchased. I contacted him about the bent Dunnie, and lo and behold we struck a deal. This pipe is a real beauty!! The blast is incredible! I haven't cleaned...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[didimauw]

I suppose it wouldn't be kind to tell you about my latest acquisition, then.

The long-rumored-but-never-seen-until-now 21 pipe "Gentleman's Bet" set, where Alfred, Joel Sasieni, and Montague Barling found themselves drunked up a bit one night, and each challenged the others to make the best-ever seven day set in the history of the Universe, which would then be put into a fitted case and presented to the King of England for judging.

But the King was in a foul mood on the day it was brought forth, so he ordered the set removed from the palace and it was never seen again.

Until last week, that is. When a little old lady on a farm in the middle of Iowa gave me a call that she'd found it in her attic, and said she'd gladly pay me a hundred bucks plus gas to drive up and take it off her hands. She heard I liked pipes, apparently.

All straight grains. Oversized, of course. LOTS of high-carat gold. Astonishing workmanship. Unsmoked. Indeed, by the look of it the crocodile & silk case was never opened a single time since it was filled.

Kept in a specially built zero-light anti-entropy enclosure filled with pure nitrogen gas, in fact. (The old lady's husband was a hardcore tinkerer, it seems.)

True story.

Waiting for this thread....

 

[michail]

That's an excellent stem and restore George.

And what a finding, I used to have a 46 bulldog, which was pretty small size for Dunhill

 

[bluegrassbrian]

That’s my kind of ?