Improving a NOS Rogers Standard Lovat

[Briar Lee]

Today in the mail came a $15 Rogers Standard small Lovat. Marked Algerian Briar-Made in Algeria, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen such a cheaply stained and varnished NOS old pipe. The Algerians were in a hurry, to finish and ship this one.



Here’s what Everclear, 4/0 steel wool, and grapeseed oil can do in only a few minutes.




I watched a man named Harry Hosterman do exactly the same thing to Dr. Grabow pipes about sixty years ago, except Harry’s wife only had olive oil instead of grapeseed oil to put the shine to them.

Harry claimed that removing the varnish helped the pipe breathe.

But for sure and certain, they look a lot better after the factory varnish is gone.

 

[Mr_houston]

That looks so much better. Nice job.

 

[Briar Lee]

The Rogers Import Company was owned by or somehow associated with Weber pipes.



I’ve seen and own other pipes made in America of Algerian briar, but this Lovat is stamped (poorly) Made in Algeria.



I wonder if after independence, there was an attempt for domestic Algerian pipe production, trying to keep the industry going.

It’s not consistently grained, but it was a good block of Algerian briar, very quickly varnished.



Whatever they used for varnish came off very easily.

There’s not one fill, and the pipe was shaped and polished well.

Why the cheap stain and varnish job, who can say?

 

[Fralphog]

Wow. Amazing transformation. A great find indeed. And right thrifty of you!

 

[bullet08]

Interesting grains.

 

[UB 40]

Today in the mail came a $15 Rogers Standard small Lovat. Marked Algerian Briar-Made in Algeria, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen such a cheaply stained and varnished NOS old pipe. The Algerians were in a hurry, to finish and ship this one.

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Here’s what Everclear, 4/0 steel wool, and grapeseed oil can do in only a few minutes.

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I watched a man named Harry Hosterman do exactly the same thing to Dr. Grabow pipes about sixty years ago, except Harry’s wife only had olive oil instead of grapeseed oil to put the shine to them.

Harry claimed that removing the varnish helped the pipe breathe.

But for sure and certain, they look a lot better after the factory varnish is gone.

I agree the pipe looks a lot better. But once again Harry tells the old myth of a breathing pipe. It’s wood it cannot breathe. There is no exchange of gas molecules between the chamber and the outside of the bowl.

The cells are so dense, that even stain only sinks in a fraction of a millimetre. It can assimilate a certain degree humidity and dry out again in the long run, that’s it. Maybe a thread about pipe myths may help, there are some around. Another one is that briar becomes “brittle” over time.

 

[Briar Lee]

I agree the pipe looks a lot better. But once again Harry tells the old myth of a breathing pipe. It’s wood it cannot breathe. There is no exchange of gas molecules between the chamber and the outside of the bowl.

The cells are so dense, that even stain only sinks in a fraction of a millimetre. It can assimilate a certain degree humidity and dry out again in the long run, that’s it. Maybe a thread about pipe myths may help, there are some around. Another one is that briar becomes “brittle” over time.

To Harry’s defense!

His farm, while large in acres, was hilly and wooded, and he mainly earned his living as a sawyer.

The most prized tree other than a veneer grade black walnut in and around Spout Spring Hollow was a white oak that could pass inspection at the Independent Stace Company at Lebanon. A white oak whiskey barrel does too “breathe” or else your bourbon would still be white mule corn liquor.

Harry was a devout member of the Bear Creek Christian Church and would not intentionally tell a lie to me, and not anyone else either. The Master was watching, and making a record, that could never be earased.

He took enough chances talking about tobacco to me, when his wife and my mother could have caught him, than to mislead a child.

If briar doesn’t breathe, Harry was convinced it did.

 

[UB 40]

To Harry’s defense!

His farm, while large in acres, was hilly and wooded, and he mainly earned his living as a sawyer.

The most prized tree other than a veneer grade black walnut in and around Spout Spring Hollow was a white oak that could pass inspection at the Independent Stace Company at Lebanon. A white oak whiskey barrel does too “breathe” or else your bourbon would still be white mule corn liquor.

Harry was a devout member of the Bear Creek Christian Church and would not intentionally tell a lie to me, and not anyone else either. The Master was watching, and making a record, that could never be earased.

He took enough chances talking about tobacco to me, when his wife and my mother could have caught him, than to mislead a child.

If briar doesn’t breathe, Harry was convinced it did.

Harry surely was deeply rooted into his christian life, as connected to the wood he spent a lifetime on. And for sure he wouldn’t have told you lies. And yes, as you described it correctly, he “believed” in the story of “breathing” wood. People believe in myths anyways.

I am not deep enough into the chemistry of the oak barrels for whiskey. But wines are also ripening in oak barrels and in steel tanks as well.

Some vintner put oak shavings into the steel barrels to achieve the same effect. The vino is good. And steel for shure does not breathe.

The outdated colourful myths put aside most if not all issues to pipe smoking could be discussed in a contemporary way, based on what we know now about physics, engineering and chemistry. It might take us a step further in knowing pipe affairs and understanding our pipes better.

 

[huntertrw]

Briar Lee:

As I have mentioned in other threads, I have an estate Rogers Select Prince made in France from Algerian briar with lovely allover flame-grain (similar to yours on the left-hand side in one of the images above), and out of close to 100 pipes in my collection, it is a favorite. I purchased it from an antique mall for $5.00 or $10.00 (I disremember which), and that constitutes the best money I have ever spent on a pipe.

You did well to strip the varnish, and the grain is entrancing. May it prove to be a pleasant companion in days to come!

 

[Briar Lee]

Another way I helped out my Rogers Standard was to open the airway, not so much to improve the smoking but to allow for cleaning.

The stem I believe was moulded. Before I drilled it and took a miniature square file to widen the slot a pipe cleaner would not pass, and now it does. I can soak one pipe cleaner, pass it through the stem and then double it, and clean the shank. Then another one, and another, until they come out clean.

Drilling out the shank end made the pipe where a pipe cleaner will pass, just barely, if soaked in Everclear and doubled. The trick is that a push is needed to get the doubled cleaner out in the chamber.

Clean pipes smoke better.

There’s no ghost of tobaccos past.

 

[Piping Abe]

Thanks for sharing @Briar Lee i’m gonna have to try this on a Grabow

 

[reloader]

Wow! That pipe cleaned up great and looks incredible now. Fantastic acquisition.

 

[Briar Lee]

Thanks for sharing @Briar Lee i’m gonna have to try this on a Grabow

Grabow has made affordable briar pipes at Sparta since 1943, when likely most of their production was mountain laurel (spoonwood). They quickly resumed using imported briar after it became available.

At various times Grabow has offered luxurious pipes such as the Eldorado.

This Golden Duke Adjustomatic Grabow came varnished.



There’s a briar picker at Dr. Grabow that is offered more briar to pick from than any other man on earth, and he’s very good at briar picking.

 

[huntertrw]

Another way I helped out my Rogers Standard was to open the airway, not so much to improve the smoking but to allow for cleaning.

Forums friend Rick Newcombe is a strong advocate of opening pipes' airways in order to improve draw (and to make them easier to clean, by the way), and detailed his ideas in a article titled Your Pipes Should Have an Easy Draw which appeared in the Fall 1997 issue of Pipes and Tobaccos magazine. He recommends opening them to between 4.1 and 4.3 millimeters (that's 0.161 and 0.167 inches, respectively).

I took his advice and used a 5/32" (0.156 inch) drill-bit to open the airway on an estate Chacom Carat, and was amazed at how much better it smoked! Much easier to clean, too...

 

[Fralphog]

Harry surely was deeply rooted into his christian life, as connected to the wood he spent a lifetime on. And for sure he wouldn’t have told you lies. And yes, as you described it correctly, he “believed” in the story of “breathing” wood. People believe in myths anyways.

I am not deep enough into the chemistry of the oak barrels for whiskey. But wines are also ripening in oak barrels and in steel tanks as well.

Some vintner put oak shavings into the steel barrels to achieve the same effect. The vino is good. And steel for shure does not breathe.

The outdated colourful myths put aside most if not all issues to pipe smoking could be discussed in a contemporary way, based on what we know now about physics, engineering and chemistry. It might take us a step further in knowing pipe affairs and understanding our pipes better.

Of course briar, or any wood for that matter, doesn’t literally breathe. I’m sure most people understand that saying “wood breaths” don’t believe an active exchange is occurring by the wood. Or in other words, would fail to understand the figurative nature of the word use to describe that wood is porous and not impervious to water, moisture or any other liquid.
I don’t need a degree to tell me unfinished, dried wood is vulnerable to damage if not properly treated in some way.
I’m sure Mark Twain would’ve understood this concept clearly.

I’m sure I would’ve really liked Harry! Something about straightforward, common sense, hard working people I really like.