James Upshall Pipes - A Discussion

[fishingandpipes]

Ken, I'd be curious what you'd have to say (if anything) about mine. Would love to know what you think of it / any details you may know. A P grade bent billiard... not the best photos.

Stamped FH next to the Upshall logo:

 

[kenbarnes]

Are the first two photos of the same pipe as the second two photos?

The first photo shows a 'P' grade with a natural tobacco chamber which I have never seen before. Before 1989 we would carbonise/blacken the chambers of 'P' grades as a matter of course as sometimes there might be a sand spot or two in the chamber. This one has a lovely grain, classic shape, beautiful bend on the mouthpiece and un-smoked!!! I would say that it was made in the early 1990s?

The second two photos seem to show a different finish on the pipe and with an odd black spot (I don't think that it is a flaw) on the shank-just under the James Upshall logo stamp. I am mildly confused

 

[fishingandpipes]

Yes, it's the same pipe, I took the last two photos out on the porch just today. I actually don't know what the black spot is, looking at the pipe now it's not there.
The first photos were when I had just received it, and yes, the bowl was natural. I bought it new from a pipe shop here that was actually more of a news stand whose owner was an avid pipe smoker and had some real beauties over the years. After he sold they mostly got picked over, but this Upshall remained.
The second set of photos was taken after it had been well smoked. I can say it's certainly not as red as it looks in that photo so the lighting likely played a role as well.

 

[kenbarnes]

That explains it. Wow, it has turned a beautiful colour. The briar looks like it was from the Arta Company, Arta,

Greece. It was a very porous, soft briar and started naturally white (on the saw) and turned like butter on the lathe and it did go a beautiful golden-like colour when smoked. Does it smoke well?

 

[fishingandpipes]

Effortlessly. I've only had it for a couple of years, there's a reason it's gotten so much darker in that time!
It's one of the one or two pipes I've purchased that I was tempted not to smoke and to keep pristine, but I felt that would be a shame.
I had seen it at the shop maybe five years before I bought it, at that time I bought a lovely P grade apple that I ended up selling due to being a bit dumb about this stuff at that time. The apple was a little big for me and eventually I sold it, though it was gorgeous. Selling it is among my few pipe sale regrets. It was probably made and purchased for the shop around the same time as this one.
I figured the bent billiard had been sold - the shop had changed hands to someone who was not a pipe smoker and the stock had very much been picked over. One day I remembered this pipe and made a trek out specifically to see if it was still there, and it was. I used to go fishing with the original owner of the shop before he retired, and he was a bit of a pipe mentor when I started 10 years ago, so it means a lot that it came from that particular business.

 

[lasttango]

I should know better... especially after reading all of this and getting guidance from Ken and SSJones...
Then the unexpected happened. My favorite shape. The elusive Skater pops up on eBay... from jamesupshallpipeco
A size 6 upshall skater! It's a dream pipe for me... but I have so many reservations... the name stamp? It doesn't quite look like other skaters I've seen from them...

 

[kenbarnes]

The stamp is real and I seem to remember that this was the first stamp that we used (in 1978) before the one which had the name en-circled. I think this Skater was made, by Barry, between 1990-2000+. I can see why he used this stamp because with a carved piece like this if he had engraved the name it would have showed up as natural briar. (you can see how he needed to engrave the 6FH (as we had no stamps for numbers and FH) and which he then blended the colour or at least tried to lose the natural contrast.

By using a stamp, he has merely 'squeezed' the briar rather than cutting into it thereby preserving the colour of the smooth part of the pipe. Less work, less hassle!

It would be nice to see the whole pipe - I am sure it has been fitted with a saddle mouthpiece?

 

[lasttango]

here's the whole pipe:

 

[kenbarnes]

Yes, nice one. I am not sure what the bowl height is on a group 6, 2.5"?

As the Charatan skater was machined made and came in a group 2 or group 4, the Bowl height of the larger group 4 was 5.2 cms, just over 2" (shape 4654 DC). It was very rare to find one in a 'freehand' size.

 

[Strike Anywhere]

I was a long time fan of Upshalls and acquired many over the years.
I have several Upshalls and some Tillsheds I am thinking of selling. Some smoked, many unsmoked. Send me a Private Message if interested.

 

[hoppes]

Posted this Upshall a month or so ago. Didn't get many comments. Maybe some of the experts can weigh in with a little more history.Bought this for the price of a corn cob. Thought it would make a good restoration project. I haven't seen such a large piece of briar that has no defects, fills, pits, etc.. Unfortunately, the tenon has been broken off and there is a crack in the shaft. I think it is worth the effort to repair. Any information about when and who might have made it would be appreciated. Thanks Hoppes

 

[ssjones]

@hoppes - a new tenon and you should be good to go. A little work will also remove most of that build-up on the bowl top.

 

[fishingandpipes]

I would definitely say it's worth repairing and cleaning up. Looks like a diamond in the rough, and not that rough, to boot.

 

[sablebrush52]

That poor pipe! It was clearly owned by a pathological slob. The biggest trick will be getting that tenon out without further cracking the shank. I'm a coward. I'd send it to a qualified repairman like Georged.

 

[kenbarnes]

Barry Jones fashioned this pipe and I may well have cut the briar into the block ready for turning. I think that this is quite a late first era piece from around 1988. That is Barry's shank-work. I think that the tenon would be quite easy to remove as the crack will 'give it more space' although this needs to be done by someone who has successfully removed many of these before. This pipe bowl is ready to blow out or crack as it is extremely over-carbonised. In an ideal world, if a customer had brought this pipe into the workshop for repair I would have suggested that he send it to Les Wood at L&J Silverware for a beautiful and befitting barley twist silver band to cover and protect the crack and I am hopeful that there is a high-grade silversmith / mounter in your vicinity.

Nice large pipe which needs a good home and some TLC.

 

[londonmake]

Hi Guys;

Say Ken, has James Upshall pipes ever used lucite for stems as a regular material? Most seem to be vulcanite which I prefer!

I love that bent bulldog---graceful.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I just spied this whilst shopping...surely overpriced?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/James-Upshall-Unique-Giant-Sized-Freehand-Pipe-Grade-E-/150894828622?hash=item2322085c4e:m:mEBdwPTCB0mqGi5K3lpB1Kg
Regards,
Jay.

 

[kenbarnes]

has James Upshall pipes ever used lucite for stems as a regular material?

No, we were never 'tempted' to use Plexiglass/Lucite. We were always trying to improve our existing mouthpieces and the quality and didn't go for the 'softer option'.

On hindsight, I wish I had had the courage at the time to cut the production down and to hand-cut mouthpieces for all the Upshalls we made and quadruple the price of them.

 

[sablebrush52]

I just spied this whilst shopping...surely overpriced?

Well, clearly, if you have to stoop to questioning the price, you're not the right sort for Bond's of Oxford Street! But be not ashamed. This pipe has been on eBay forever.

 

[kenbarnes]

I remember Mr Shah or a member of his family. When they opened their shop in Oxford Street in about 1988, I went to see him and he said that he wanted to buy every pipe that we had i.e. our entire stock. I told him that there were quite a few but he was unperturbed. So the next week I brought around about 2,300 pipes (nearly two hundred dozen-try getting that in your car!) mostly dead stock Tilsheads and odd looking/poorly grained Upshalls that we had in stock for years. it was a 'risk' but I had heard from Dunhills that they had did the same with them and paid. I asked for a cheque for the lot not believing that he would but he gave me 3 cheques one to cash there and then one for the following month and one to cash after 60 days. They all went through ok and our stock room suddenly got more spacious.