I saw this pipe listed with a bunch of vintage stuff the other week for single digits so I thought why not.
When it arrived, I saw the chamber was full of charred newspaper and the button hole had been covered with tape before getting the twine wrapped around it. I got excited as I realised that it might not actually be a stem repair, but rather more to do with the pipe being a theatre prop.
I removed some tarnish and polished up the silver to get a good read of the hallmarks. K&W 1907 Birmingham - who that is I haven’t the foggiest.
After cleaning up the stem (I’ve ignored the small amount of chatter on the top for the time being as my usual wrapping with friction tape is sufficient for me), I put Teflon on the bone tenon, screwed the stem on, and then unscrewed it, which with the extra take allowed the tenon to come free of the shank mortise.
this meant I could stuff 3 fluffy pipe cleaners soaked in isopropyl into the gourd and remove and repeat over the course of the weekend. Not as thorough as if I could remove the cap and meer cup, but I got a lot of gunk out.
the chamber had a lot of cake, after removing half I uncovered a chunk missing in the meer cup - which corresponds exactly with a spot on the gourd which has coloured. I think the old cake offered some protection over the last century
I continued to slowly scrape away as much cake as I felt I could comfortably get off, sanded everything smooth with 240grit.
i then made up a batch of plaster of Paris and patched the hole and any of the remaining inconsistencies in the cup lining.
I used a damp paper towel to smooth and then some sandpaper once it had cured.
after letting the pipe breath and dry out, I put Teflon on the shank side of the bone tenon, screwed her up, loaded with brown bogie and have begun the process of colouring the repair
I’ll probably sand the chamber a bit smoother after a few bowls, and once I know the repair is solid.
When it arrived, I saw the chamber was full of charred newspaper and the button hole had been covered with tape before getting the twine wrapped around it. I got excited as I realised that it might not actually be a stem repair, but rather more to do with the pipe being a theatre prop.
I removed some tarnish and polished up the silver to get a good read of the hallmarks. K&W 1907 Birmingham - who that is I haven’t the foggiest.
After cleaning up the stem (I’ve ignored the small amount of chatter on the top for the time being as my usual wrapping with friction tape is sufficient for me), I put Teflon on the bone tenon, screwed the stem on, and then unscrewed it, which with the extra take allowed the tenon to come free of the shank mortise.
this meant I could stuff 3 fluffy pipe cleaners soaked in isopropyl into the gourd and remove and repeat over the course of the weekend. Not as thorough as if I could remove the cap and meer cup, but I got a lot of gunk out.
the chamber had a lot of cake, after removing half I uncovered a chunk missing in the meer cup - which corresponds exactly with a spot on the gourd which has coloured. I think the old cake offered some protection over the last century
I continued to slowly scrape away as much cake as I felt I could comfortably get off, sanded everything smooth with 240grit.
i then made up a batch of plaster of Paris and patched the hole and any of the remaining inconsistencies in the cup lining.
I used a damp paper towel to smooth and then some sandpaper once it had cured.
after letting the pipe breath and dry out, I put Teflon on the shank side of the bone tenon, screwed her up, loaded with brown bogie and have begun the process of colouring the repair
I’ll probably sand the chamber a bit smoother after a few bowls, and once I know the repair is solid.