Makes Me Want to Cry...

[addamsruspipe]

What I saw today makes me want to cry. My job is in the field so I drive all over the state. So what I like to do is visit antique stores/malls to see if I can find any estate pipes to pick up. Well went by a antique mall up north that I had not been to before and was looking around to see what they had. I was quite excited at first when I found a cabinet with 10-15 pipes in it. Through the glass they looked to be in decent condition, so I asked for them to open the cabinet so I could take a look at them. There was a Nording, Comoy, Grabow, Custombilt and several other generic pipes. Then I noticed that all the chambers were completely clean like they had never been smoked(strange I thought). Took a closer look and on all of the pipes the cake had been ream down to the briar(which I can live with). But then the briar under the cake had been carved out on all the pipes so the they looked like they had never been smoked. Some of the tobacco chambers weren't even round any more. Looked like they had used a knife. It was so sad to see how they had mutilated the pipes. Some people just deserved to be slapped.

 

[unkleyoda]

 

[danielplainview]

My father found one of my grandfathers long lost pipes. He decided to clean it up himself and give it to me. I believe he used a pocket knife to reem it to bare wood. My Pop’s... gotta love him.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I use the California clip blade on a case knife for reaming. Haven't damaged one yet. They are, however, just pipes after all.

 

[Civil War]

Unfortunately, a lot of estate pipes are over reamed.

 

[mikethompson]

Reminds me of a collection I went out to see and they were all knarled up with rough sandpaper and a dull blade. It wasn't pretty.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, this is why I never recommend a knife on the forums. While I ream my own pipes with a sharp pocketknife... in some hands a knife can be a precision instrument of creation, and in others it can be a battering ram of despair.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I turn the pipe against the blade, and never force the blade into the carbon.

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

I like my senior reamer...works perfectly and you can leave just a bit of cake if you want.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Senior Reamers are good for cylindrical bowls, but not really useful on a conical one. Buttner style or pipe knives come into play on those. I have a Senior, Buttner, and Pipnet, but still prefer a Case knife.

 

[luigi]

It's just pipes, a piece of wood, I wouldn't bother. More sad is to see some sellers take advantage of unexperienced and naive buyers and sell them "mutilated" pipes. That's why I prefer to buy pipes from trusted people and potentially get a new one instead of estate.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Unfortunately, people at antique stores probably had no clue how to clean a pipe. Most of the time they don't know much about how to clean antique furniture either. I hate going into one and seeing really well made vintage furniture that the owner decided to decoupage or paint flowers on. They have no idea that they destroyed something that they could get way more money on, and turn it to crap by decorating it. But, they probably know their market, and their actual customer base is probably not going to pay big bucks anyways. I much prefer the nicer antique stores, where the owners know the makes, years, and styles of different years. Sure, they are way more expensive, but at least they don't hack the stuff up or paint flowers on all of the merchandise. It's worth it to me, to shop at places like our sponsors and better antique stores, and the extra money you spend saves me the time of fixing what people in past have done.
But, some people like to fix and refinish things. That's valid also. But, you have to deal with people that use a cold chisel and hammer to ream the cake sometimes. C'est la vie ::

 

[jaytex1969]

Battering ram of despair, sounds like one of Death Metal's videos.
I've laid off the estates for now. I find ones that look swell but carry Aro Ghosts of Despair.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Battering ram of despair, sounds like one of Death Metal's videos.

Sounds like a great new nickname for my hog.
Sorry.