Brigham 3-Dot Restoration

[ghost]

Just finished up a restoration job today on a Brigham 3-Dot. As you'll see from the pics, the stem was extremely oxidized. Surprisingly the inside of the pipe wasn't terribly dirty overall, save for a stubborn draft hole that required extra care to get clean...
Here's how it looked before I started working on it. I really love Brighams. This one is stamped "Made in Canada" on the bottom of the shank, with the number 324.

There's a black stem in there somewhere, and I have no idea what that white thing is. It all must go...

Here's the stem after the Oxi bath, and I used steel wool for the first time after reading one of Greg's blog. It worked, but I think I'll stick to magic eraser and/or wet/dry sandpaper before using the micro mesh. YMMV.

Here's the finished pipe! I will probably hit the stem again at some point as I saw some faint, lingering oxidation around the button. Overall though, I'm pleased with how it turned out. (BTW- There were many other steps involved in cleaning this I didn't list here...)

Ready to load up with only the finest, fruitiest, Cherry blends! ::

 

[teufelhund]

Very nice job... Definitely a labor of love. Happy smoking!

 

[quincy]

Nice work!

 

[instymp]

Good Job!

 

[drwatson]

really nice job! :clap:

 

[oldredbeard]

Nice job, on a nice pipe. Hope she smokes as good as she looks, let us know.

 

[lumberjakpipester]

It cleaned up real nice.

 

[hfearly]

Nice one Ghost! hey let me know if you need more stuff to work on - I got a couple of Brighams and some Tripys that I'd part with for free if you want to have more pipe restoration fun. Just PM me :0

 

[ghost]

Thanks guys, I love bringing them back to life. It really is fun when you get into it, or I have a low threshold for fun...
hfearly- PM sent...
rothnh- Brighams were everywhere up here in Canada, as to be expected, but they really made great pipes. If you can find an older one, give it a try. I don't have a bad one in my collection. I couldn't wait to get this one cleaned up, and I have another awaiting the same treatment.

 

[hfearly]

Rothn: I love my Brighams. No, really! They are absolutely outstanding smokers. I found that for some blends the maple filter changes the taste to a great extend, and I've found some blends where it changes from ordinary to awesome. So, pretty much every Brigham I have is dedicated to a particular blend.

 

[gmwolford]

That turned out great! It is an addictive hobby, ain't it? 8O

 

[ghost]

That turned out great! It is an addictive hobby, ain't it?

I have three guitars that I'm building or repairing that have had no love since last August, my world is now based around micro mesh and carnauba. It's great because you can get a project done in a few hours if it's not too gunked up. Great for me since I don't always have a lot of spare time for big projects anymore...
I love the smell of Obsidian in the morning.

 

[gmwolford]

I love the smell of Obsidian in the morning.

As you (may) know, my other hobby is leather work. I knew when saddle soap and neatsfoot oil became "music to my nose" I was totally hooked. And the carnauba has that faint honey, beeswax sort of smell I am so familiar with from leather crafting that I knew pipe restoration was gonna for me real well, that and the fact many products/tools are interchangeable with the hobbies, like you have with guitars.

 

[ghost]

Roth- I`m a longtime metalhead, but I love me some twang. I will own a Gretsch one day...Mike Nesmith had a Gretsch you know?
Greg, I agree totally. I could never build anything or work with my hands growing up, but once I got into guitar repair and building it was on. Pipes were a logical next step, and there's no soldering!
There's really nothing I don't like about restoration work, though I do get frustrated during the cleaning process sometimes as the q-tips and cleaners start to pile up. Well, I don't like using acetone. That may be the big exception. The smell is nauseating.

 

[pruss]

Hey ghost that's a lovely job on that Brigham.
I'm negotiating with someone on the price of a small handful of Brighams right now, including a couple of 3 dots. Hoping to add them to the queue for restoration on the work-bench.
Thanks for the inspiration,
-- Pat

 

[ghost]

Thanks Pat! Hope you get them. I've had some luck lately finding Brigs in great condition under the grime. Post some pics if you get them...