Something called "Streamline Moderne" design was once a very big deal in the Western world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamline_Moderne
Its peak of popularity was the decade preceding WWII. Everything from toasters to cars to... tobacco pipes 8) were produced under its spell.
The GBD R9239 is the King of Them All, imo. Not only graceful, sweeping, and voluptuous---the very definition of streamlined---but adorned with an audaciously large sterling silver band that didn't simply "work", but added to the lushness.
I've seen several R9239's over the years, and this particular specimen is the most well-cut of them all. How such perfection of line was achieved in a high production environment is a mystery.
The condition of the pipe was average---nothing going on with the stem or stummel that couldn't be set right with routine procedures---except for the area above the rings. The rim was ashtray-hammered, and the area below the rim had some gouges and deep, pinpoint burns from someone who'd attempted to raise the dents with steam and heat.
So, the challenge was to shave a bit of wood from the top of the bowl---the rim itself---as well as the conical section leading down to the rings in a very special way: while maintaining the original surfaces' gently convex cross section. Meaning keep the radius while "tilting" it inward.
Doing that by hand uniformly enough to 1) pass the "gleam lines test" of uniformity (no flat spots or uneven symmetry); 2) avoid jacking the rings; and 3) not create unwanted edge radii, called for more luck than I was comfortable counting on. (Remember, there is no rewind button on stuff like this---taking off a few thousandths too much wood anywhere above those rings would stand out like a sore thumb, and it couldn't be put back.)
So, the the stummel was mounted backwards (?!) in a lathe via its tobacco chamber (on a cylindrical reaming tool :mrgreen: ), the assembly centered and squared with a dial indicator, and the wood shaved off.
Then came matching the color and depth of the now-raw briar above the rings to the rich, mahogany-overtoned walnut color below them, along with its 80-year-patina. Meaning match when viewed under any light source, florescent, incandescent, or sunlight.
Some projects are still able to get my heart beating a bit faster, and this was one of them: A straightforward repair that anyone can understand, but that's borderline-impossible to do invisibly well... and pull it off. :D
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamline_Moderne
Its peak of popularity was the decade preceding WWII. Everything from toasters to cars to... tobacco pipes 8) were produced under its spell.
The GBD R9239 is the King of Them All, imo. Not only graceful, sweeping, and voluptuous---the very definition of streamlined---but adorned with an audaciously large sterling silver band that didn't simply "work", but added to the lushness.
I've seen several R9239's over the years, and this particular specimen is the most well-cut of them all. How such perfection of line was achieved in a high production environment is a mystery.
The condition of the pipe was average---nothing going on with the stem or stummel that couldn't be set right with routine procedures---except for the area above the rings. The rim was ashtray-hammered, and the area below the rim had some gouges and deep, pinpoint burns from someone who'd attempted to raise the dents with steam and heat.
So, the challenge was to shave a bit of wood from the top of the bowl---the rim itself---as well as the conical section leading down to the rings in a very special way: while maintaining the original surfaces' gently convex cross section. Meaning keep the radius while "tilting" it inward.
Doing that by hand uniformly enough to 1) pass the "gleam lines test" of uniformity (no flat spots or uneven symmetry); 2) avoid jacking the rings; and 3) not create unwanted edge radii, called for more luck than I was comfortable counting on. (Remember, there is no rewind button on stuff like this---taking off a few thousandths too much wood anywhere above those rings would stand out like a sore thumb, and it couldn't be put back.)
So, the the stummel was mounted backwards (?!) in a lathe via its tobacco chamber (on a cylindrical reaming tool :mrgreen: ), the assembly centered and squared with a dial indicator, and the wood shaved off.
Then came matching the color and depth of the now-raw briar above the rings to the rich, mahogany-overtoned walnut color below them, along with its 80-year-patina. Meaning match when viewed under any light source, florescent, incandescent, or sunlight.
Some projects are still able to get my heart beating a bit faster, and this was one of them: A straightforward repair that anyone can understand, but that's borderline-impossible to do invisibly well... and pull it off. :D
.