An Interesting Hesson

[troutface]

A friend gave me this Hesson and I've been trying to do some homework on the brand. The left side says HESSON-JR and the right side says PAT'D DEC 22 '25' 133. What's missing is the typical "WCD" in a triangle. Is this a lower line from WCD?

 

[torque]

That's very interesting pipe troutface. I have about 20 of the Hesson threaded tenon pipes and they all have the triangle stem logo and the inverted triangle shank stamping. From what I can see from the picture, yours appears to be of the exact same construction. Is there any WDC markings anywhere on the pipe?
I do know that an American by the name of Feldman partnered with Hesson to open a branch of Hesson Pipes in the US. The venture apparently failed and the American patents and tooling were sold to WDC. There are court records showing that Feldman owed back rent on the space he rented for the venture and the property owner tried to sue WDC for the back rent after they purchased the assets from Feldman.
I wonder if this pipe isn't from the period before WDC bought the patents or maybe Canadian produced in the facility that WW Hesson shared with Brigham pipes. Either way it's a very unusual find. It's in very good shape, enjoy!!

 

[alexnorth]

What's the thought behind the long metallic insert?

 

[torque]

What's the thought behind the long metallic insert?

Both of Hesson's most used patents were based on the concept of a metal tube that reaches from the draft hole of the bowl to the mouthpiece of the stem. The idea is that the moisture from the combustion of the tobacco will condense inside the metal tube and not in the shank, therefore making cleaning/maintenance easier. It's pretty much the same concept as the Dunhill "inner tube". The "Hesson Guard" style actually used cork material in the shank to "seal" the end of the tube to the draft hole therefore not allowing any of the condensate to enter the shank area. Was supposed to be a completely maintenance free design that only required a pipe cleaner to completely clean the airway, no breakdown required. The "Hesson" thread design you see in troutface's picture butted the tube against the draft hole but didn't use any materials to create a seal.

 

[troutface]

Is there any WDC markings anywhere on the pipe?

I don't see any, unless it was right next to the stem and was buffed off at some point. It seems to smoke fairly well. I was afraid the metal tube would cause gurgling, but so far so good.

 

[pagan]

Interesting, nice grain on that, let us know how she smokes, that's the important part :puffpipe:

 

[rigmedic1]

I am fascinated by all the different methods that have been explored in order to find the perfect smoke. Thanks for sharing this one,

 

[alexnorth]

Cool. Seems to me though that the condensing moisture would wander up towards the button and your mouth instead of being absorbed into the Briar?