Interesting Upshall needing military stem

[londonmake]

Hi All;

I always find it interesting when a particular manufacturer, like Barling, GBD, Sasieni etc and in this case James Upshall make a pipe with a military mount.

Especially so because you don't usually see them all the time -- or perhaps don't know that some were made but not shown in their catalogues. [ps---just saw that Upshall DID show in their little square catalogue a Military mount with a silver spigot arrangement]
At any rate, here are pics of this Upshall I just received. Its a large bowl group 6, straight Apple, and I'm thinking of fitting it with the traditional stick bit ala Loewe or Dunhill.

Anybody here know of a good source for me to explore?
Thanks in adavance

 

[ssjones]

If you want the best work, George Dibos is the go-to man.
If you want cheap, Norwood replaced the black stem on this Upshall spigot (B grade) for around $35, exactly duplicating the OEM stem. I have no complaints with that work.
photo hosting sites

 

[londonmake]

Thank, Al.

Looks like fine work to me.

Of course, I'd also need the silver part that attaches to the stem----do George/Norwood do silver fittings???

 

[ssjones]

I don't know. In my case, I had him take the silver tip off the OEM black stem and apply to the new Cumberland stem.

 

[georged]

Londonmake --- Ken Barnes drops by this board occasionally. He'd love to see your pipe, and will probably comment on it if he does, I imagine. (He used to run the shop that made it)
Al --- The pipe you posted has a Cumberland stem, not black. Meaning it's the "after" pic? If so, there must be more to the story. The material alone runs appx $2/inch.

 

[georged]

Of course, I'd also need the silver part that attaches to the stem----do George/Norwood do silver fittings???

No one in the US spins metal for pipes (though Adam Davidson has played with it). It's fiendishly difficult to do well, requires extensive tooling not normally found in either pipe repair or maker's shops, and has so little value to the pipe buying public that they won't pay for it (as Adam discovered).

 

[jpmcwjr]

Why not go with a standard military mount? (This from a spigot freak) I like both militaries and spigots a lot.

 

[ssjones]

The original stem, minus the silver tip also fits just fine.

 

[ssjones]

I've seen a couple of these B-grade silver spigots and none have had JU on the stem (which also curiously is acrylic).

 

[ssjones]

Correct George, I had Norwoods replace the black acrylic stem with a Cumberland stem.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Both iterations are very very fine.... I couldn't choose between the spigot and the military mount. Wonder how they got the silver mount off the old stem? Heat?

 

[ssjones]

I assume so, they are just glued on.

 

[londonmake]

I'm more inclined towards a bit without the silver tip anyway.
Thanks for all the info, guys!

 

[londonmake]

Calling Ken Barnes!
Ken, what type of stem would JU have designed? Just curious...

I keep visualizing a standard stick bit but with a little more girth in the middle, kind of 'chubby' ..,

 

[owen]

Lovely pipe whatever happened to it?

 

[kenbarnes]

I love that P grade bowl - a true original 1981-82. We never stamped or engraved the J.U on spigots as there was nowhere to put the stamp. I think we used to put the A for Astley on his pipes (on the top of the mouthpiece - possibly not.

I also love a simple push-in taper mouthpiece too, rather than a silver spigotted one. They are incredibly difficult to make and basically you need to find a specialist who only does silver mounts for briar pipes and then it maybe difficult to do. I remember Les Wood's engine-turning machine, which has got to have weighed over two tons and that it only cut the different patterns (Barley etc)onto the silver. I think that Les had different 'templates'for each foreseeable size, taper, length of taper etc. Very specialised and he was taught by the best. Bill Taylor told me once that Les was the top silver and goldsmith that Dunhill had at the pipe factory.