Kaywoodie Supergrain "Handmade" Bulldog (w/4 hole)

[ssjones]

It's been a while since I've had a Kaywoodie on the workbench and I just finished this one. It is stamped Handmade Supergrain and has a smaller, 4-hole stinger. The stinger is stamped "Drinkless" and I see the remnants of a number under that (only under magnification). Other than pre-1955, does anyone have a clue as to a more specific date?
It has one of the finest KW stems that I've ever worked on. The stinger was out of the stem and frozen in the shank insert. A piece of it flaked off when I removed it (an alcohol soak loosened it). I repaired it with a little JB weld and it seems pretty stout (damage was strictly cosmetic).

 

[xrundog]

Hand Made pipes were made all through the 40s. Some people say that the Drinkless stamp stopped being applied to the the stinger in 1950. That may be true, but those stingers can turn up on slightly later pipes. But it's a useful assumption. Calling it a 1940s pipe would be pretty safe I think. The stems from that era are tough. That's a really nice example. The mortise inserts are really thin. They break easily.

 

[ssjones]

Thanks xrundog, our resident KW expert (every forum needs one!). I was thinking late 40's. I may keep an eye out for a trashed bulldog and do a mortise insert swap. But, all mortises are not created alike. This stem doesn't fit any of my other 4-hole stems, save one (a Flamegrain, two digit, 4-hole bulldog).

 

[scrooge]

She's a beauty Al!

 

[ssjones]

Here's the full write-up:

https://rebornpipes.com/2016/04/19/kaywoodie-handmade-supergrain-bulldog-restoration/

 

[theediabeticman]

Love it

 

[gmjabsky]

Magnificent! That's a really nice pipe.

 

[danielplainview]

Nice work ss. I have few KW Drinkless stinger stamps with and without a registration number. I imagine the reg number stamped stingers would be the oldest of the Drinkless.

 

[beefeater33]

Nice old 'Woodie and a great rest job!........ :clap:

 

[gambit88]

Beautiful pipe! I'm kind of surprised I haven't added a bent bulldog to my Kaywoodie collection yet.
Dave, If the stinger has a patent number on it that's a late 20s early 30s Kaywoodie.

 

[cigrmaster]

Al, nice refurbish. How can anyone get any smoke out of the piece of metal whose hole is the size of the tip of a sharpened pencil? That thing must gurgle the entire time.

 

[ssjones]

I'm a dry smoker, so I like the 4-hole stinger pipes. In theory, the ball traps moisture before it goes up the stem. You can't be a fast puffer with a stinger KW, but my older pipes smoke quite well (awesome stems) My long, Shape 95 Churchwarden is the exception: the long draw thru that 13" stem and the stinger is a bit tough, so that one only gets smoked once a year on Christmas eve.