Heartbroken

[wyfbane]

Soooo. I awoke this morning with sore bits. (more on that Here).
I was a bit late heading out the door. Lo and behold, I bump into my mailman. He has two boxes for me. YAAAY! I signed for a box from Spain and take a bigger box I am unsure about.
I zip to my office. I open the big box first. I am STOKED it is a Linkman Grabow Churchwarden that I decided to take a chance on Ebay. Description from auction: "Estate find. This beauty measures approx 12 inches long. May haev never been used as there are not deposits..You'll like it.
I open the bubble wrap and inspect, since they didnt break it down to ship. Here it is:

Loving it. Long and sleek. Slight bend to the stem from aging somewhere warm I can live with.

Sheild intact, buffer taking a slight swipe out of the propeller I can live with.

Clearly smoked (who cares) deposit in bowl is not even a cake, clearly been restored a bit, and some fills, I can live with.

1 CENTIMETER FUCKING HOLE IN THE STEM I CANNOT ABIDE! I have pondered this all day. I just keep getting madder... Rhetorically speaking, there is not saving that stem right?
ANYWAY, I then open my box from Spain, the pain from the uber linkman stabbing me in the soul is a fresh wound. Inside are 2, yes 2 Estellas that I got at a reasonable price.
Estella 1 (my 5th overall Estella) did not disappoint. She is lovely with a super fat shank that would qualify her as an author if she had a rounder bowl:

Lightly used with a flawless stem. My mind was eased.
Estella 2 came out of the box. The stem is hypnotic. I cannot photo it well, but it is the coolest lucite stem I have seen. It's like a tiger opal. I love OOM Pauls:

This is awesome. No damage... oh wait.

Some fucking ASSHAT topped the thing then beat it with a dull nail. My bad.
Not a chance I am sending this thing back to Spain. I have to eat it. Is there anyone who can give me pointers on how to better replicate Estella rustication? I know I know. It's what makes them Estella's but I am desperate.
I was SO looking forward to these pipes.
I am going to return the Linkman's for sure. I want 10 pounds of flesh for that lying ass description. The other guy I will own I should have noted the shortness of the bowl. Buyer beware. Besides, if I can spruce up the rustication it will be fine. I DO love the stem.

 

[pruss]

Hey pal, there is a solution for saving that stem. A lot of guys will use black superglue and activated carbon to fill holes like that and the sand and buff the stem as normal. I'm not ready to do that kind of work for anyone but myself yet, but check with some of the other resto guys on the site to see if someone will. You can also check out some of the resto blogs at reborn pipes for examples of this kind of work.
http://rebornpipes.com/tag/using-charcoal-powder-and-black-super-glue-to-patch-a-hole-in-a-stem/
-- Pat

 

[davet]

The Church Warden might not have been smoked be it sure as hell got a good chewin

 

[jkrug]

That churchwarden sure is a snazzy looking pipe. Dave here on the forum has done some amazing work with chipped stems and holes in stems. Perhaps he will be of some assistance to you with yours? Good luck. ::

 

[mso489]

The worst of it, in two parts: Being lied to and taken advantage of, cheated, which is insulting and really makes you angry, and secondly, being assigned months of work figuring out how to make the pipe you wanted out of the pipe you received, or to somehow get your money back. Buying a new pipe, or buying an estate pipe from a reputable dealer who examines them, reconditions them, and describes them accurately does cost more, incrementally so. But you have a deal, some rights, and often, exactly the pipe you meant to buy, or occasionally one slightly better. Is ebay worth the heartbreak and lost time? Some make it work, but probably not on most purchases.

 

[wyfbane]

Pat, thank you! I will look into it. I don't sell my Linkmans so if I can get it fixed, on the cheap, I'd be ok.

 

[wyfbane]

Mso, you are spot on. I've done a LOT of eBay transactions and this marks the 3rd and 4th time I've gotten bit. Total expense won't break me, and I will be more cautious moving on. The other part of this is my PAD window is closing. 2 mortgages, bills and pending retirement (and the subsequent job search since my Army retirement will be peanuts) dictate I must strike while the Iron is hot, then donate plasma for my TAD. The fact this happened on what is likely to be among my last 5 chances at a good deal make it sting worse.

 

[aldecaker]

I can't really tell from the photos, is the OomPaul blasted? It kind of looks like a really craggy blast. If so, I would find some one with a blast cabinet that will handle relatively large media and try to bring it back to the original texture.

 

[gloucesterman]

Here is a link to a Dunhill stem repair I did not too long ago. It's a lot easier than you might think. Have a look and if I can be of help PM me. I don't take in work but I'd be glad to walk you through it. Also Dave has some posts showing several repairs of that nature. They are a good read.

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/dunhill-stem-repair

 

[wyfbane]

Thanks Gloucester!! I will try this out!

 

[saltedplug]

When I buy from eBay I am very careful. I read the entire listing and look for:
mostly I stay away from eBay, except for established, reputable sellers

the number of sales

whether they take returns; if not, I don't buy

pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures- If I can't see the entire pipe, including the tenon, rim, button clearly, no sale

it's a pain in the butt to have to email questions, but I make myself ask them

I look for someone who knows how to put together a listing. I believe it was ssjones who pointed out that evidence of a novice seller can be a good thing in that they sometimes sell for less than the value of the pipe.