Help with meerschaum, estates, Dunhill stamps etc

[pipmannen]

Hello!
I recently bought a collection of 30 pipes, mixed meerschaum, briar etc for a very good price. They are all heavily smoked, having a thick cake.

In the collection are 4 Dunhill pipes, that I think should be from around 50´s 60´s, but I would be really interested in getting these dated. I have all the

stamps written down, so if you know some website where they explain them I would be happy, or maybe I could post it here?
Some of the meerschaums have a protective suede skin cover. I think they would look nicer without, but is it safe to remove or should they be left there to

keep its original state?

Regarding the cake on estates, is it best to be completely removed, or to have some kept in general?
Is the salt and alcohol the best and safest way to completely clean the bowl, or should I use some other technique, I don´t want to risk harming those Dunhills
Thank you for any replies, I will probably post more questions here regarding some of the pipe brands etc

 

[ichbinmuede]

Here is a very comprehensive list on Dunhill (and a very large collection of stamps and logos to help identify many pipes) and I wrote a (in my opinion) pretty decent instructable on restoring estate pipes.
Salt and alcohol is probably the safest and easiest that the average fellow could do. Unless you're comfortable with putting your pipe in the oven at a low temp filled with activated charcoal as detailed here. I personally have not worked up the gumption to try it but G.L. Pease put his word behind it so I'd say that the idea definitely has merit.
If any questions remain I'm positive you can find the answers here.

 

[pipmannen]

Thank you for that link. I just checked it briefly, and I could not find all of my stamps but I will dig into this later tonight. Very good instructions

as well in your restoring description. I will go ahead and continue to clean using the S A method then, might post some pictures

 

[ace57]

Ichbinmuede, Very well done. :clap:

 

[fred]

Here's some information on Meerschaums....
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-meerschaum-pipe-experience/
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-thrill-of-the-hunt-a-guide-to-estate-meerschaums/
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/slave-to-the-white-goddess/

 

[pipmannen]

Great info! Seems like I better get those chamois covers off then

 

[fred]

You're welcome. Here's an interesting document from the past....
Recently, I read an article on the Seattle Pipe Club website by Gary B. Schrier, author of 'The History of the Calabash Pipe'. In this article, there was a piece of information I found rather interesting... I think definitively, at least in print, an entrepreneur by the name of George Zorn understood best what meerschaum was all about- and this goes back well over a hundred years to ca.1892. Then, George Zorn & Co., a Philadelphia based importer and manufacturer of pipes and smoking requisites had a retail shop. His business lasted from the 1870's to about 1925. In 1989, S. Paul Jung Jr. reproduced a facsimile of an early Zorn catalog which, in a way, was to predate what the Wally Frank catalog would become in the mid-20th Century. Here then, are Zorn's general tips to the meerschaum enthusiast:
Avoid handling a warm pipe with the ungloved hand

Be careful when laying down a warm pipe so as not to leave a spot

Do not smoke the meerschaum in the cold or draft

Smoke the bowl down "…to the bottom in order to give them a uniform heat, as, if this is not done, the wax will not withdraw uniformly, and therefore cause an uneven color."

Never cover or envelope the pipe in a swaddle of chamois as was once so popular: the pipes cannot evaporate and the "dress" can stick causing a muddy brownish color

Wipe clean your meerschaum with either silk or chamois, anything else

The cake in the bowl aids in coloring and should be left alone. Ream out will scratch- no cotton. carefully if it gets too thick *

 

[fred]

Here's an interesting historical article...
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50B1EF9355517738DDDAD0A94DA415B818DF1D3

 

[bytor]

A bit more info on Dunhill stampings:
A Dunhill Pipe Dating Guide

(written by RD Field - republished Pipedia)

 

[pipmannen]

Thanks Bytor for the info. I started to clean the pipes the other day, it´s a lot of work and so far 2 of them are done. Here is a picture ( bad quality ) of the purchase, I have still some cleaning to do

 

[ohin3]

All great info and sites. Love all the pipe porn.

 

[pipmannen]

Hi everyone!

I thought I would post an update. I had some time to start the restoration, or at least cleaning some of these estates Thanks again for all the tips and trick on this. Its both really fun and sometimes slightly tedious doing it. What took the longest was to clean out the shanks ( that had a lot of buildup and gunk in them ) as well as the rims, that were quite mistreated and unfortunately in most cases blackened, probably not just because of tar but because of burnt flame? ( suggestions on cleaning this are warmly welcomed ). I cleaned them as good as I can, and did a salt/alcohol treatment to the bowls, and some polishing to the stems and bowls. Here is some evidence, from top to bottom: Stanwell, BBB, Bastia, Butz Choquin and one that says "Continental Briar". The second pic shows some of the non cleaned ones left to work on, I´m a bit nervous about how to deal with the rims on those Dunhills...

 

[bubbadreier]

Love those Dunhills! Just stick a Q-tip in your mouth and then start scrubbing the rims down!

 

[ichbinmuede]

I like a cotton t-shirt scrap wrapped over a rounded wooden block and moistened with the same..."solution". :lol:

You get a rigid plane to help but keep the soft contact so no damage to the rim.
Beautiful pipes by the way!

 

[pipmannen]

Thanks Bubba and ichbin! Yes they are wonderful, the bottom bulldog is a Comoy's. Can't wait to try these out. Had the worst cold this week so I haven't been able to smoke any of the cleaned ones :| Yes! Saliva and Q tip / cotton rag has been my tool, but there is something in the end of the process that is close to impossible to remove on some of them, is this the wood that got burnt? Should I just keep rubbing?

 

[pipmannen]

In addition it seems the Dunhill pipes are from late 60's since they have the numbers 8 9 9 and 7 stamped after "Made in England" in the same size as the D of England, does this seem right?