Kaywoodie London Made

[magicalgibbon]

Hello all
I thought I'd consult the hive mind pipe oracle with a question that someone might be able to answer...
Does anyone know about London made Kaywoodies? It looks from Pipedia that there was a period of time when Kaywoodie and Comoy had a joint venture producing pipes in London but I couldn't work out when this might be. Can I figure out how old a pipe is from a 'Kaywoodie London Made' stamp (alongside 72B for the pipe shape)? I just bought one a ebay and now I'm trying to work out what the hell I've done.
Any ideas?

 

[mikethompson]

I just bought one a ebay and now I'm trying to work out what the hell I've done[/quote

I've been there.
Posting a few pics will help your cause for sure. A lot can be gleaned from the details in nomenclature.

 

[magicalgibbon]

OK... leave it with me and I’ll rustle up some pics. Thanks Mike.

 

[magicalgibbon]

Here goes... it's nothing special but I thought it looked like a nice, simple billiard... so have taken a punt.
(Responsibility for the quality of the pictures is entirely someone else's!)

 

[crashthegrey]

I reached out to Bill. Maybe he will know. You have a London Made, which the master list compiled by Kaywoodie gives no dates, and the shape chart lists a bunch of question marks for your 72B. What you have seems quite the rarity to me. What does the stinger look like?

 

[magicalgibbon]

The stinger?

 

[crashthegrey]

When you remove the stem is there a metal piece, a condensor or stinger in modern parlance? Unfortunately Bill (Owner of SM Frank, and thus Kaywoodie) has no information on the London Made. It was a joint venture between Kaywoodie and Comoy, but Comoy produced the pipes so Bill does not have documentation on their production period or stamping. His best guess is 1970's production.

 

[magicalgibbon]

Oh... the price?
Well, I thought I'd probably paid a little too much (got carried away late into the night!). I paid £20. What do you reckon? Was I fleeced?!

 

[magicalgibbon]

Well... you learn something new every day. I never realised it was called that!
Here's a pic:

 

[crashthegrey]

My guess from the photo is that it is a simple push tenon. I would pay that price any day if the pipe is in good condition. It is unique and, to me, makes it pretty valuable for smoking.

 

[magicalgibbon]

Thanks for looking at it, by the way! Much appreciated.
Most importantly, I'm looking forward to finding out how it smokes! I'll let you know.

 

[crashthegrey]

You're welcome. I love Kaywoodie pipes and history, so I don't mind helping out at all. Bill thinks you paid a fair price as well. I hope she smokes great for you.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Very nice looking pipe and the good thing is You can always remove this very stringer if it restricts airflow more than You like.

 

[mso489]

Boy, there's a real wrinkle in pipe history. Another much more traveled pipe maker was Jobey which started in France but also had stints in England and the U.S. before moving back (I think) to France. I have a Jobey that may have been made in the U.S. with a stem stamped France. Now we have the Falcon era in UK, after the pipe started out and was made for decades in U.S. I believe Dr. Grabow started in NY and ended up in Sparta, N.C. where it is now. These histories are fascinating, and often the old timers who know the stories of these relocations and collaborations leave no record behind. Like house pipe origins are often almost impossible to track. If you know the history on one or two brands of pipes, you may be the only institutional memory there is.

 

[crashthegrey]

Oh please don't remove the stinger. That's like rusticating a Dunhill for funzies. If you don't like the stinger on a decent Kaywoodie consider trading it for a pipe without rather than castrating the poor little guy. Too many of us collect these intact pipes. *queue Sarah Mclachlin music*

 

[magicalgibbon]

I have a couple of pipes with stingers (although I didn’t realise that’s what they were called). I like the way they smoke but not being able to stick a pipe cleaner through until they’ve cooled down is a little bit inconvenient, so I tend to leave them out. I would never ditch them though... they go with the pipe.

 

[crashthegrey]

Most Kaywoodie stingers require cutting to be removed. Thus I beg people not to do so. The inconvenience is real but it's a small piece of history.

 

[magicalgibbon]

You have my word... no cutting of stingers.

 

[crashthegrey]

Lol. Thank you!

 

[mawnansmiff]

I have a Comoy 235 'Extraordinaire' Oom Paul with contrast stain finish (highly desirable by all accounts) and I also have a nigh on identical Oom Paul stamped 235 made by Kaywoodie London. The only major difference is the Comoy has a tapered stem whereas the Kaywoodie has a saddle stem. Dimension wise they could be twins!
It is patently obvious to me that Comoy made both pipes.
Regards your £20 outlay, I'd say you got quite the bargain for what is effectively a Comoy pipe.
Regards,
Jay.