I stopped at the yard sale with the Mrs. this past Saturday and I saw two pipes bound together by a rubber band. I never see pipes at yard sales so I was intrigued. I inspected them and quickly put them back down. These pipes were in horrendous condition. I bought and restored hundreds of pipes, but these were beyond hope. After walking around some more, I came back to them and thought what the heck. There was a five dollar price tag for the two pipes, but I only had three dollars in my wallet. My three dollar offer was quickly accepted. I showed the pipes to my wife and she said these are disgusting with a laugh. I had to agree.
But, I thought if I could fix one or both of them up into smokeable condition I would use them as a work pipe… One that I might smoke when cutting the grass or driving.
From the beginning, I had no intentions of selling or trading these pipes. And, if it didn't work out, I was only out three dollars and some time.
Next, I assessed the pipes
Pipe one, had the following challenges
Pipe two challenges
Pipe one had the name Leatherwood on the Shank. This was a brand I've never heard of.
I reamed and sanded the bowl and discovered that the shank was completely clogged. I drilled the buildup out of the Shank and cleaned it out with many bristled pipe, cleaners dipped in alcohol. I gave the bowl an overnight salt/alcohol treatment and repaired the cracked stem with a bit of super glue. The next day, after rinsing out the pipe, I sanded the exterior and gave it a light coat of stain. Once that dried, I applied to coat of wax. And then I oxicleaned the hell out of the stem. And micro mesh sanded it to a shine.
Pipe two had the name Piccadilly stamed on the shank. Again, another brand I've never heard of. Pipe two was very similar in that reamed out the bowl, gave it an overnight alcohol bath , drilled out the Shank, clean the shank with a crap ton of pipe cleaners. Next, I scrubbed and sanded the exterior of the bowl and attempted to remove as much discoloration as possible, and repaired the crack on the bottom with a mix of superglue and briar dust. If I were selling or trading these pipes, I might've taken more time with this crack but remember I just wanted to get it into usable condition.
The stem required several hours of soaking in OxiClean, and a lot of sanding with micromesh pads. I applied a darker stain to the bowl, let it dry and applied a coat of wax.
I am happy to report that both pipes are excellent smokers and that they are well drilled and have a great draw. I am always telling new pipe smokers that they do not have to spend $150 on a pipe and that if they learn some simple restoration techniques, they can get some great pipes for a very little money. I've included some labeled before and after pictures.
But, I thought if I could fix one or both of them up into smokeable condition I would use them as a work pipe… One that I might smoke when cutting the grass or driving.
From the beginning, I had no intentions of selling or trading these pipes. And, if it didn't work out, I was only out three dollars and some time.
Next, I assessed the pipes
Pipe one, had the following challenges
- A bowl that was so heavily caked that I could barely see the bottom.
- A ton of lava on the top rim.
- Pipe exterior that was covered in lava
- A crack stem
Pipe two challenges
- A heavily caked bowl(though not as bad as pipe one)
- Tons of rim lava
- A pipe exterior that was covered in so much Lava that I could not see any grain
- A stem that was so heavily oxidized that I couldn't see any of the original black color
Pipe one had the name Leatherwood on the Shank. This was a brand I've never heard of.
I reamed and sanded the bowl and discovered that the shank was completely clogged. I drilled the buildup out of the Shank and cleaned it out with many bristled pipe, cleaners dipped in alcohol. I gave the bowl an overnight salt/alcohol treatment and repaired the cracked stem with a bit of super glue. The next day, after rinsing out the pipe, I sanded the exterior and gave it a light coat of stain. Once that dried, I applied to coat of wax. And then I oxicleaned the hell out of the stem. And micro mesh sanded it to a shine.
Pipe two had the name Piccadilly stamed on the shank. Again, another brand I've never heard of. Pipe two was very similar in that reamed out the bowl, gave it an overnight alcohol bath , drilled out the Shank, clean the shank with a crap ton of pipe cleaners. Next, I scrubbed and sanded the exterior of the bowl and attempted to remove as much discoloration as possible, and repaired the crack on the bottom with a mix of superglue and briar dust. If I were selling or trading these pipes, I might've taken more time with this crack but remember I just wanted to get it into usable condition.
The stem required several hours of soaking in OxiClean, and a lot of sanding with micromesh pads. I applied a darker stain to the bowl, let it dry and applied a coat of wax.
I am happy to report that both pipes are excellent smokers and that they are well drilled and have a great draw. I am always telling new pipe smokers that they do not have to spend $150 on a pipe and that if they learn some simple restoration techniques, they can get some great pipes for a very little money. I've included some labeled before and after pictures.
