I found this estate pipe on etsy for fairly cheap (link: http://goo.gl/2mfCi) Seems to be in good condition, but the bit seems awfully brown. Any opinions?
A Cheap, but Maybe Worthy First Briar?
- Thread starter piperookie
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The stem is oxidized and it might taste bad. Take a look at the fully restored pipes at BackyardBriar.com.
I checked it out, but unfortunately there aren't any bulldog pipes up right now. It's a shape I'm quite partial to. How bad does oxidation have to be before it is unfixable?
piperookie, click on the forum link, at the top look for and click on "Pipe Repair and Maintenance" scroll down to the topic "Oxidation Removal"
If you are interested in cleaning the stem there is a world of information and tips in this thread. Good Luck.
If you are interested in cleaning the stem there is a world of information and tips in this thread. Good Luck.
Thanks trailspike, I'll take a look and see if it is something I want to undertake. Thanks for the info Rothnh! For $13 I guess it is kind of hard to go wrong. If anything it will be a cool side project. The salt/alcohol treatment is just to remove ghosting right?
Hey, Rook:
That's right.
The S/A treatment removes the ghosting. Sometimes it might take a couple of treatments but it does work. I'm told the alcohol retort method is the most effective way to clean an estate but I haven't tried that method yet.
Now, if you start buying these estate pipes on a regular basis you'll need to buy a set of these Micro Mesh pads:
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/3711?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2013-04-gp&gclid=CJvavMueurYCFQ2znQodKl8ABw&tab=Pictures
(Not shilling for Stewart-MacDonald, BTW. They just had the first complete pix after a Google search. But that's not a bad price though.)
They'll make life much, much easier.
Fnord
That's right.
The S/A treatment removes the ghosting. Sometimes it might take a couple of treatments but it does work. I'm told the alcohol retort method is the most effective way to clean an estate but I haven't tried that method yet.
Now, if you start buying these estate pipes on a regular basis you'll need to buy a set of these Micro Mesh pads:
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/3711?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2013-04-gp&gclid=CJvavMueurYCFQ2znQodKl8ABw&tab=Pictures
(Not shilling for Stewart-MacDonald, BTW. They just had the first complete pix after a Google search. But that's not a bad price though.)
They'll make life much, much easier.
Fnord
That is a good looking pipe, my friend. Is this your first briar, or first pipe? Amazon lists the Dr. Grabow Royalton in the bulldog shape for $35.00. Granted, this is a filter pipe, but I thoroughly enjoy mine, and it is on a par with many more costly pipes in my collection. That being said, the estate market can get you into some really good briar if you are willing to put in the elbow grease to restore them.
This would be my first briar. I have a MM cob that I've been using for the past month. Restoring this one doesn't seem too hard, and from what people have said it seems worth it. I'm looking for a bulldog style briar to smoke instead of the cob and this one fits the bill pretty well. As a poor college student the price is right too.
Yellobole has a bulldog style briar for under $20 It has the metal insert instead of a filter. I have one and I like it very much. I got it totally at random though when I bought it online, it was listed under assorted yellowbole pipes straight stems. Maybe you could find it singled out somewhere.
I'll second rigmedic1 on that Dr. Grabow Royalton, not in place of your estate pipe project, which sounds like a good one,
but as another pipe for your rotation. The Dr. Graybow will be a new pipe, and though machine made, is much higher
quality than its price suggests. The bowl is subtly shaped and nicely finished. The filter feature will give you a buffer
when you want to try full strength tobaccos, and a number of Forums members use Dr. Grabow pipes without the filters
when they choose -- just draw a little easier. I have mostly pipes that cost more than the Royalton, and I consider it
a good pipe ... and not just "for the money." The Royalton comes in a bulldog shape, though there are one or two
other shapes as well. Rigmedic1 and I are recommending the bulldog.
but as another pipe for your rotation. The Dr. Graybow will be a new pipe, and though machine made, is much higher
quality than its price suggests. The bowl is subtly shaped and nicely finished. The filter feature will give you a buffer
when you want to try full strength tobaccos, and a number of Forums members use Dr. Grabow pipes without the filters
when they choose -- just draw a little easier. I have mostly pipes that cost more than the Royalton, and I consider it
a good pipe ... and not just "for the money." The Royalton comes in a bulldog shape, though there are one or two
other shapes as well. Rigmedic1 and I are recommending the bulldog.
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