Comoy’s Extraordinaire 235 Restoration [Pic Heavy]

[piffyr]

Sorry, guys. I got busy and dropped the ball on presenting this restoration quadrilogy. This Comoy’s Extraordinaire 235 is the third of the lot. The previous two can be seen here…
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/1938-bbb-silver-mounted-poker-restoration-pic-heavy
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/comoy%e2%80%99s-specimen-straight-grain-229-restoration-pic-heavy
Like the others, the 235 stummel was severely bleached from UV exposure. I also suspect that the pipe may have been wiped down with something with an alcohol base (possibly an attempt to clean it) because the areas that weren’t faded to near-natural had the blotchy, uneven appearance that I associate with that sort of thing. The end of the shank almost always tells the tale though and if you look closely you can see the remains of the original color peeking out from beneath the grime.

 

[piffyr]

Other than that, the pipe really hadn’t suffered any damage except for some deterioration of the stem inlay. So, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s not much else to be said and we can move along to some pics of the finished pipe.

 

[georged]

Yup. That'll work. :clap:

 

[philobeddoe]

Staggering.....well done sir!

 

[agnosticpipe]

Beautiful restoration of a lovely pipe! How did you get the inlay looking so new?

 

[sablebrush52]

Yep! Another home run with bases full! Did you restain?

 

[usrkain47]

Top work indeed!!!

 

[bonanzadriver]

Gorgeous!

 

[saltedplug]

What about the divot in the mortise?

 

[echambers]

Wow! That's amazing work!

 

[ssjones]

There's been a couple of those 235's come up lately, this was the best of that lot, good bones!
Nice job, what's your technique on the inlay? (acrylic paint, sanded smooth?)

 

[ssjones]

Dave tells me you are in nearby VA. I need to get down and meet you!

 

[ssjones]

Your pictures are as good as your work, what do you use for photos? (particularly the close-ups)

 

[beefeater33]

YOWZA!! These type of posts always put a big smile on my face! Great work..........., Amazing work actually!!...........

 

[piffyr]

@Orley & Al - RE: the stem inlay -- I kind of knew this question would come up and I hope you'll forgive me if I disappoint. I'd prefer to keep the repair material close to my chest for now, because I'm still experimenting with it to learn where else it might be useful. It's not a paint or anything like that. That would make it pretty but wouldn't address the problem that made it ugly in the first place. The white material (ceramic?) is weak, rigid, and doesn't have any center mass. So, it will always lose a shoving match with the other surfaces. The repair not only fills the cracks, but it also gives the material some flexibility. Now, when it's shoved it just bounces right back.
@Jesse - Yeah, the final pipe is restained. The only bit of the original that was left was what was hiding at the end of the shank beneath the stem face.
@saltedplug - That divot is the result of the original drilling. It's commonly seen on deeply bent pipes and it has no real negative impact on performance.

 

[piffyr]

@Al - Yep, southern Virginia born and bred (though I haven't always been here). When I was a kid, this was still tobacco country. Sadly, it's almost gone now thanks to the government mandated tobacco buyout. Don't get me started... :evil:
Don't laugh, but all of those photos are taken with a little Canon PowerShot point 'n' shoot. Not a bad camera once you learn it's limitations, but awkward as hell and not a lot of in-camera correction options. I really should upgrade to a decent SLR for the sake of photographic accuracy, but when it comes to a choice between investing in equipment for better pics or investing in equipment for better work, the work always comes out on top.

 

[ssjones]

Well, nice camera work! I also use a cheap point & shoot. The wife has a nice DSLR, and a macro lens would be fantastic...but pipes always seem to come between me and that lens. I've tried the magnifying lens (screw on filter style pieces), they are inexpensive, but also have limitations. I just use my the camera on my phone for nomenclature close-ups. Perhaps one day...

 

[danielplainview]

I’m speechless.

 

[addamsruspipe]

That is some out "fraggin" standing work. :worship:

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Perfect, you done this before?