GBD New Era Bulldog Resto Before/After

[danielplainview]

I've been hunting for another GBD bulldog for a while and when I seen this one, I had to have it. I sniped an ebay sniper in order to claim this old pipe. The price nearly doubled during the last minute, but I would not be shaken.
Condition upon arrival was rough, but a solid candidate.

There is still some oxidization around the rhondelle, but that's as close as I felt comfortable getting sand paper around the brass. It has a bit of a gap in the stem/shank connection. Shortening the tennon might bridge the gap, but I left well enough alone and don't want to possibly alter the airflow. I plan on putting some miles on this pipe so she won't be shiny for very long.

 

[scrooge]

Nice score Dave, But I can't see you smoking this imperfect pipe. So maybe you should throw it in my box an send it my way. LOL! You Can't blame a guy for trying. Seriously Great find an resto job. Enjoy!

 

[georged]

Shortening the tennon might bridge the gap, but I left well enough alone and don't want to possibly alter the airflow.

10-4 on you wanting to not affect the airflow (though a gap that narrow shouldn't change anything), but besides looking funky, not having the stem fully seated will make the tenon considerably more likely to break if the pipe is dropped.
The root-cause problem is almost certainly a raised ring of briar which was formed when a previous owner didn't clean the mortise often enough or thoroughly enough, and the accumulating gunk kept getting compressed by the end of the tenon, forming a "false bottom" that slowly grew thicker over time. Incomplete tenon seating combined with heat and moisture cycling then allowed the unsupported wood to expand inwardly a few thousandths UNDER the gunk, creating a de facto bushing.
The easiest fix is to chamfer the outside edge of the tenon with something like this (using the back end in the pic, not the pointy end):
http://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Deburring-Tool-17--60-Cal/dp/B00162QL1S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448272954&sr=8-2&keywords=case+deburring+tool
The best fix---the truly "correct" fix---is to cut the bushing/edge away with a flat-ended chucking reamer, but a set of them is expensive and a set is necessary because you must use exactly the right size.
http://www.amazon.com/Morse-Cutting-Tools-29212-High-Speed/dp/B00PY3PU9O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1448273108&sr=8-3&keywords=chucking+reamer

 

[aggravatedfarmer]

Them eBay snipers are hard to beat sometimes! Doubt your competitor had the skill you do!

 

[newbroom]

I'd say that pipe found its way into the corrective hands. Amazing transformation dave g as we've come to expect.

Really enjoy reading the rest of the contributions to this thread, also, too.

 

[ssjones]

I was casually watching that one and didn't pay attention to the shape number. I assumed it was a 549, but they have saddle stems. As we've discussed, I've never seen a tapered stem 614. With the popularity of GBD pipes, a new shape is tough to uncover. I would have also left well enough alone on the stem fitment, lacking those tools George describes. Nice work one to savor.

 

[davet]

Dave, these pics of your work are truly inspiring, they show what is possible although a little intimidating for us beginners.

 

[gloucesterman]

Nicely done. Love the shape. I can't recall seeing it very often. There are a lot of saddle bit bent GBDs but the tapered bit is a rare find. Your resto did it justice. A little "Ten to Midnight" and a comfortable chair, Enjoy.

Another trick I have used in the past when I had a bit that wouldn't fully seat is to insert a dowel (oak) into the tenon end (with great care) and then put the bit into a drill press without any dowel exposed. With the drill press at slow speed, take a strip of sand paper and gently round over the outside edge of the tenon. It won't change the air flow but it will often give you the clearance you need. That gap is so small it won't take much to remedy it. If the dowel doesn't want to fit put it in the drill press and sand it down just enough to fit into the air hole. I just hold a strip of sandpaper against the tenon and let it turn, almost no pressure. If you have a drill bit that's the right diameter and can be turned in that's a better alternative. A lot of GBDs were made with a domed tenon or radices on the edges.

 

[mvmadore]

Great pipe and a beautiful refurb...thanks for sharing

 

[voorhees]

Very sweet indeed.

 

[danielplainview]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I might just ship it out to a pro repairman. With my luck, I'll end up breaking this rare bird. When in doubt, farm it out.

 

[captainprophesy]

Damn, thats a whole different pipe... fantastic job on the refurb, and congrats on the great score.