Ebay Dunhill Disappointment

[Pipercat]

If it is just oxidation, and needing a good cleaning, and you got a good deal, I would keep it.

Could be worse, I bought a Vauen anniversary that was described as in "exquisit" condition, that was completely burned out into the shank, unusable and unrepairable. EBay made good on the money back guarantee. I at least have a nice wall hanger as it does look nice on the outside, lol.

 

[sablebrush52]

I recently won a Dunhill Group 4 Tanshell from the 60s. In the listing the seller said the pipe was in mint condition, but I could tell there was a little oxidation on the stem. I messaged the seller and he said it was barely noticable. The pipe arrived today and there's a lot more oxidation than expected, also the stem comes off of the shank very easily...not like a normal Dunhill. To top it all off the pipe reeks of lane 1Q or Captain Black. Definitely not what I had in mind when purchasing this pipe. Should I try to send it back or am I making a big deal out of nothing?

Contact the seller and contact eBay if the seller refuses to accept a return. You can file a dispute with eBay. eBay is very buyer friendly, so the seller will likely be forced to accept the return and refund you your money.

 

[tobakenist]

Some Dunhill's stems oxidize easily, some don't, some can't because they are not vulcanite, if you don't know this, don't buy one. I have quite a few in my collection, all were presents but I can say, they don't smoke better than other pipes, tonight I smoked a 80's BBB with Balkan Flake, better than my Dunhill's.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Photos would be interesting, if not helpful.

 

[damacene]

I decided to keep it and do a deep clean, I just love the blast and really have a soft spot for tanshells. Last night I soaked the stem in a deoxidizing solution and it had pretty good results.

I wasn't as offended by the oxidation as I was the loose stem and calling a Dunhill you smoked a metric ton of Captain Black in as "lightly used, mint condition." I would have been less bothered if it reeked of old Condor or Ennerdale. That would have been at least fitting to its dignity. But I'm over it and am just going to do a deep clean on the bowl and smoke as much burley and Latakia as it takes to exorcise the spirit of Captain Black.

Also, I'm attempting to do the loose stem fix that Embers posted.

Here's a side by side after the de-ox solution with my group 3 Tanshell from the same decade.

 

[xrundog]

Yeah that’s a nice pipe. I hope you can minimize the aro.

 

[Sig]

There are a few ways to tighten a stem....from very non-invasive, like @Chasing Embers said, to very invasive like heating the stem and shoving a dowel or drill bit in the hole to "hog it out".
Ive done both and more with varying success. The drill bit hogging has lasted over a decade on a couple pipes, but must be done EXTREMELY carefully and ONLY as a last resort.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Just smoking it carefully is the first step. If after three or so smokes, no joy, add some beeswax to the tenon. If still no joy.....post back please.

 

[anotherbob]

I'm asking because I really don't buy pipes on eBay often. The couple times I have, they were pretty much perfect and as described.whats the proper pipe guy etiquette in this situation?

Too get a magnum pipe and beat the seller with it around the face and neck area while angrily not shouting about learning what words mean.

 

[anotherbob]

I appreciate everyone's advice, as stated above I'm not very experienced with estate buys on ebay. All of my other dunhills were purchased from reputable dealers, or my white spots I bought new from Europe.

the easiest way to solve the issue is how do you feel about what you spent and got. If you'd not have paid that for what you got, get your money back.

 

[georged]

There are a few ways to tighten a stem....from very non-invasive, like @Chasing Embers said, to very invasive like heating the stem and shoving a dowel or drill bit in the hole to "hog it out".
Ive done both and more with varying success. The drill bit hogging has lasted over a decade on a couple pipes, but must be done EXTREMELY carefully and ONLY as a last resort.

Reading that ^^^^ caused my rememberer to kick into gear:

Adjusting an Out-Of-Shape Vulcanite Tenon

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[kcghost]

One thing about buying estates pipes off eBay is to be damn sure the seller is ethical. I think the ethical ones aren't more than 10% of the total sellers of pipes. I haven't bought an estate in over ten years so I couldn't tell you who the ethical ones are now.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Thats a Very nice looking classic Dunhill, Let assume, if You got rid of the ghosting and it smokes as You like, then in the coming years You may deside to have a brand new stem made for it

 

[BrightDarkEyes]

It may be worth just trying to clean it up and run a bunch of burley or latakia through it to get rid of the lane ghost. Especially if the stem tightens up.

I had a few pipes I exclusively smoked Hiland's Black Gold in when I first started smoking a pipe. Needless to say there was a severe ghost from that vanilla/chocolate/rum cavendish throughout including saturation in the shank. The cake was thin and looked shiny like anthracite coal.

One day I wanted to smoke other blends in those pipes so I kept smoking Haunted Bookshop in one and English blends in the other. The exorcism took a while and I didn't even need a young priest and an old priest. I just had to keep on smoking them into submission.

 

[ssjones]

Reading that ^^^^ caused my rememberer to kick into gear:

Adjusting an Out-Of-Shape Vulcanite Tenon

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

www.youtube.com

Good advice from the master. Some bells cannot be unrung easily, so proceed with caution!

 

[pappymac]

I would say you got a bargain at only $290 for a Dunhill but I don't have any knowledge of what a Group 4 Tanshell from the 60s is worth.

You could talk to Georged and send it to him and for refurbishing and possible making a new stem for it. I had him make a stem for my 1926 Dunhill and then new stem looks and fits like it is the original.

 

[damacene]

I decided to smoke it before I did a deep clean on the inside of the chamber and yes, everything I smoke in there tastes like lane vanilla topping. I'm thinking I may just dedicate it to Northwoods and Countryside; which I don't really smoke that often but definitely have a lane-like topping on them. The only aromatics I smoke with any frequency are topped with alcohol like rum(Epiphany, MCB Navy Flake, Black Frigate) or cognac(Pembroke), and those don't seem to mesh well with the vanilla/coconut frosting thing. I guess I'll order more Northwoods and keep experimenting.

The stem is slightly tighter after smoking it, but by no means as snug as my other pipes. I'm going to keep trying the least invasive means to fix it but in the long term may get a replacement stem made. It doesn't seem to effect how it smokes at all, still has that classic tight British draw that I love so much. I decided I want to collect dunhills so I'm aware there are much cheaper ways to go about the hobby, but this is what I like so I'm in it for the long haul.