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AmtPav

Lurker
Dec 16, 2019
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82
Hey everyone, I posted here late last year after being given a set of Dunhill pipes that belonged to my Great-Great-Grandfather. I took the advice of the membership here and sent them to Anthony Cook for a clean and polish, and I thought I would share the results. I will attach the photo I took today after receiving them and also link to the before and after photos that Anthony took. I am not much of a photographer so I figured his photos would represent them better. Unfortunately, there was extensive damage to the chambers on all 3 pipes and I don't think I will ever smoke them. I'll attach the quoted text from the email I received from Mr. Cook and would like opinions on the repairs that were made and if any of you have had similar repairs made and feel confident in gently using the pipes.
20200812_121220.jpg
Cook's Fine Pipe Works | 1923 Dunhill DR 7 - https://www.cooksfinepipeworks.com/1923-dunhill-dr-7-000164a




Here is the email I received from Mr. Cook regarding their condition.

There are a couple of additional things about these pipes that need to be mentioned. Most importantly, the pipes have been smoked very hot which caused severe damage to all three chambers. They are among the worst I've ever seen and I'm very surprised that they didn't burn through completely. The chambers have been patched and insulated, but nothing is as resilient as the original wood. For that reason, this is one of very few repairs that I can't guarantee. The success of the repair relies as much on the technique of the smoker and the qualities of the remaining wood as it does on any skill or material that I could bring to the table. Knowing that, if you still choose to smoke the pipes, be sure to break them in very slowly and very carefully. If you notice the bowl becoming hot, stop immediately and let the pipe rest.

Relatedly, the inner rims of both DR pipes were heat damaged as well. On the DR 9, this only resulted in a bit of darkening and some irregularity around the inside of the rim. No big deal. On the DR 7, however, the front, inner rim was fully charred. There was no good wood at all, only brittle charcoal. The damaged section has been rebuilt using a heat resistant resin. You can see it at the 6 o'clock position in the top-down rim photo. The wood surrounding the damage is darkened but still good. So, the replacement material also needed to be dark for a good match.


I would like to thank everyone here that replied to my previous posts and helped me make the decisions that I did. Regardless of the damage that was found, I am happy to be in possession of these pipes and I hope to preserve the family history that they hold.
 

ron123

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 28, 2015
541
984
Park Ridge, IL
Those before and after shots are awesome. I’ve used Anthony a few times for assorted higher end pipes and he actually has a couple more that I recently sent to him as well. He does great work. His restoration of that case for those pipes is pretty cool. Not sure if anyone does better than he does TBH. From what he said, it looks like you could smoke them but you’d need to really baby them for a while. I would think once you got a cake building up in them, you wouldn’t need to continue to be so careful. Keeping them in the refreshed condition they’re now in and not smoking them might be less nerve wracking if you’re newer to pipe smoking them. Totally your call.
 

AmtPav

Lurker
Dec 16, 2019
39
82
Those before and after shots are awesome. I’ve used Anthony a few times for assorted higher end pipes and he actually has a couple more that I recently sent to him as well. He does great work. His restoration of that case for those pipes is pretty cool. Not sure if anyone does better than he does TBH. From what he said, it looks like you could smoke them but you’d need to really baby them for a while. I would think once you got a cake building up in them, you wouldn’t need to continue to be so careful. Keeping them in the refreshed condition they’re now in and not smoking them might be less nerve wracking if you’re newer to pipe smoking them. Totally your call.
Thank you for the reply, I could not be happier with how they turned out. I have never smoked a pipe before and these are definitely not the ones I am going to learn on but if I pick up the hobby and get confident in proper technique, that DR 9 is singing to me.
 

AmtPav

Lurker
Dec 16, 2019
39
82
It seems like a lot of our ancestors smoked hot. Like when I see photographic evidence it seems like a lot of hard puffing went on. And there are way more stories about burnout and pipe breakage.
After the damage that was discovered I wonder if that is what happened to the 4th pipe. I was told it was a Meershaum pipe from one of my Aunts on that side. I dont know if that material is more susceptible heat damage maybe?
 
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verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,879
8,933
Anthony does great work! Those photos are great and really show what he can do.

His advice is spot on so if you smoke them do so very very gently and be alert for any danger signs so you can stop if there’s an issue.

Just the fact you have such lovely pipes with their family history and they CAN be smoked is priceless. If you choose to smoke them carefully I hope you enjoy them thoroughly!

Thanks for sharing.
 
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AmtPav

Lurker
Dec 16, 2019
39
82
Anthony does great work! Those photos are great and really show what he can do.

His advice is spot on so if you smoke them do so very very gently and be alert for any danger signs so you can stop if there’s an issue.

Just the fact you have such lovely pipes with their family history and they CAN be smoked is priceless. If you choose to smoke them carefully I hope you enjoy them thoroughly!

Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the reply, I really hope to use and enjoy them one day. As for now, time to start looking for a starter pipe.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,391
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In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
After the damage that was discovered I wonder if that is what happened to the 4th pipe. I was told it was a Meershaum pipe from one of my Aunts on that side. I dont know if that material is more susceptible heat damage maybe?
way less to heat damage though more sensitive to water or being dropped. So if he smoked his briars like that it's not hard to imagine less care being applied to the meer. Which is cool I'am sure he bought them to smoke and not thinking that they'd be handed down later.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,831
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Unfortunately, there was extensive damage to the chambers on all 3 pipes and I don't think I will ever smoke them. I'll attach the quoted text from the email I received from Mr. Cook and would like opinions on the repairs that were made and if any of you have had similar repairs made and feel confident in gently using the pipes.
Congratulations! Those are truly gorgeous pipes! That blast is out of this world!

I have had similar repairs made by George Dibos to a few of my venerable pipes and am familiar with the advice given by Anthony. Ask yourself what is more important to you, preserving these family mementos or smoking them.
Mine had similar issues, though not nearly as extreme as Anthony indicates with your pipes. I've smoked mine, and broken them in with super slow and cool smoking, like taking a few draws and then putting the pipe down to go out, then repeat. Do this until you've built a cake over the silicate coating, and always be extra careful with temperature whenever using these pipes. It's not for beginners. It's not exactly a relaxing way to smoke. Do it wrong and you'll crack the pipe. Instantly.

So consider what is more important to you and proceed accordingly.
 

AmtPav

Lurker
Dec 16, 2019
39
82
Congratulations! Those are truly gorgeous pipes! That blast is out of this world!

I have had similar repairs made by George Dibos to a few of my venerable pipes and am familiar with the advice given by Anthony. Ask yourself what is more important to you, preserving these family mementos or smoking them.
Mine had similar issues, though not nearly as extreme as Anthony indicates with your pipes. I've smoked mine, and broken them in with super slow and cool smoking, like taking a few draws and then putting the pipe down to go out, then repeat. Do this until you've built a cake over the silicate coating, and always be extra careful with temperature whenever using these pipes. It's not for beginners. It's not exactly a relaxing way to smoke. Do it wrong and you'll crack the pipe. Instantly.

So consider what is more important to you and proceed accordingly.
Thank you for the reply. If I ever do smoke these pipes ill hold off until 2023 and celebrate their centennial. That gives me a few years to practice and hopefully develop a proper technique.
 
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