Over the last few weeks, member "weezel" (Dave) noticed I had been commenting on GBD pipes. I was trying to acquire a 9242 or 9438 shape with no luck, all went beyond my pipe budget. Dave PM'd me to see if I was interested in some GBD's his father had from a friend who passed away. I said sure and was astounded when Dave replied that he would like to give them to me, with the stipulation that I clean them up and enjoy them and not sell the pipes. I agreed of course and in communication with him, we found some shared local experiences when he worked in my town.
Sure enough, the two pipes showed up yesterday and I was a bit overcome with emotion when unpacking them. Keep in mind, Dave didn't know me from Adam until we started PM'ing each other. I now count him as a friend and look forward to meeting him at some point. His kindness will be repaid with some tobacco blend favorites and others I think he will enjoy collected in my work travels. I will be picking up a Cincinnati store this year, so we will meet and look forward to that very much.
I learned both pipes are Colossus Models and the Seventy Six was released for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. The Colossus line was usually is supposed to be made on the Virgin or Pedigree line and this one sure shows it. Here is what the Seventy Six looked like. It is quite a large pipe and a wonderful shape, plus a stout 85 grams. The grain pattern is really nice and it is almost unblemished with nary a tooth mark on the stem. So, that was an easy polish.
Both bowls were cleaned and reamed and are filled with in an Everclear/Sea Salt solution.
The 76 bowl came out beautiful and nearly unmarked. It has been buffed at some point and the nomenclature is weak but legible. I polished the stem with the final three micromesh grades as it was in great shape. The tobacco in the draft hole was stubborn, finally releasing with some auto plastic cleaner on a pipe cleaner. I will polish it lightly with white rouge and than carnuba tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing smoke curl thru that perspex stem (tomorow?). Stay tuned
The Oom-Paul was in pretty rough shape and I'm still not sure what else to do. It looks so inviting to hold and smoke, I hope it works out OK. Here is how she looked:
The Oom-Paul was covered in a thick layer of tobacco & grime. The owner must have used this as a shop pipe. Some Everclear removed most but not all the grime. This pipe led a somewhat rougher life, but cleaning revealed it too is a Colossus pipe, Made In England, the GBD oval logo is visible and curiously so is "Ed Kollar". I assume Ed was the owner and the friend of my Daves father? This stem was much more stubborn and there are hairline cracks through the stem that won't release the stains. A crack on the top and bottom of the curved portion also runs the full bent length, on both sides. Too bad, but it may still be smokeable? If not, it may be worthwhile getting a GBD roundel stem made for this one? This huge briar also looks pretty inviting to smoke. The stain color is a bit uneven, but I'm afraid to do more at this point. If someone has a suggestion for a next step, I'm all ears.
Both stems polished, the Oom Paul has an Everclear soaked cleaner inserted, I'll see what some time does.
It took me about three hours of work to this point, what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
I'm still astounded by Dave's kindness and very grateful for the opportunity own and smoke these pipes. Ray Lewis and Terrel Suggs together couldn't pry these two out of my hands. They are marked "not to be sold" in my pipe log. When the day comes I'm too old to light a briar, they'll be gifted to a GBD enthusiast to continue their smoking lives (Grandson?). I hope that is many years and bowls in the future. That person will also have to agree not to sell the pipes, but only continue their legacy of goodwill.
Sure enough, the two pipes showed up yesterday and I was a bit overcome with emotion when unpacking them. Keep in mind, Dave didn't know me from Adam until we started PM'ing each other. I now count him as a friend and look forward to meeting him at some point. His kindness will be repaid with some tobacco blend favorites and others I think he will enjoy collected in my work travels. I will be picking up a Cincinnati store this year, so we will meet and look forward to that very much.
I learned both pipes are Colossus Models and the Seventy Six was released for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. The Colossus line was usually is supposed to be made on the Virgin or Pedigree line and this one sure shows it. Here is what the Seventy Six looked like. It is quite a large pipe and a wonderful shape, plus a stout 85 grams. The grain pattern is really nice and it is almost unblemished with nary a tooth mark on the stem. So, that was an easy polish.
Both bowls were cleaned and reamed and are filled with in an Everclear/Sea Salt solution.
The 76 bowl came out beautiful and nearly unmarked. It has been buffed at some point and the nomenclature is weak but legible. I polished the stem with the final three micromesh grades as it was in great shape. The tobacco in the draft hole was stubborn, finally releasing with some auto plastic cleaner on a pipe cleaner. I will polish it lightly with white rouge and than carnuba tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing smoke curl thru that perspex stem (tomorow?). Stay tuned
The Oom-Paul was in pretty rough shape and I'm still not sure what else to do. It looks so inviting to hold and smoke, I hope it works out OK. Here is how she looked:
The Oom-Paul was covered in a thick layer of tobacco & grime. The owner must have used this as a shop pipe. Some Everclear removed most but not all the grime. This pipe led a somewhat rougher life, but cleaning revealed it too is a Colossus pipe, Made In England, the GBD oval logo is visible and curiously so is "Ed Kollar". I assume Ed was the owner and the friend of my Daves father? This stem was much more stubborn and there are hairline cracks through the stem that won't release the stains. A crack on the top and bottom of the curved portion also runs the full bent length, on both sides. Too bad, but it may still be smokeable? If not, it may be worthwhile getting a GBD roundel stem made for this one? This huge briar also looks pretty inviting to smoke. The stain color is a bit uneven, but I'm afraid to do more at this point. If someone has a suggestion for a next step, I'm all ears.
Both stems polished, the Oom Paul has an Everclear soaked cleaner inserted, I'll see what some time does.
It took me about three hours of work to this point, what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
I'm still astounded by Dave's kindness and very grateful for the opportunity own and smoke these pipes. Ray Lewis and Terrel Suggs together couldn't pry these two out of my hands. They are marked "not to be sold" in my pipe log. When the day comes I'm too old to light a briar, they'll be gifted to a GBD enthusiast to continue their smoking lives (Grandson?). I hope that is many years and bowls in the future. That person will also have to agree not to sell the pipes, but only continue their legacy of goodwill.
