My father's Dunhill Root Briar 52821
- Thread starter Usmc1968
- Start date
Usmc1968:
You are indeed fortunate to have one of your father's pipes. May it prove to be a good companion to you going forward!
You are indeed fortunate to have one of your father's pipes. May it prove to be a good companion to you going forward!
That's a beauty. Hope it smokes as good as it looks.
Very cool!!
Is that a green stem, or just a HEAVILY oxidized black Vulcanite stem?
If its supposed to be black, get after that ASAP, before it eats itself.
If its a green stem......very cool green stem.
Is that a green stem, or just a HEAVILY oxidized black Vulcanite stem?
If its supposed to be black, get after that ASAP, before it eats itself.
If its a green stem......very cool green stem.
Very cool!!
Is that a green stem, or just a HEAVILY oxidized black Vulcanite stem?
If its supposed to be black, get after that ASAP, before it eats itself.
If its a green stem......very cool green stem.
Interesting observation I did not even notice. The pipe is almost flawless with no scratches. The stem back is Green (kind of like Jade color) with some Black by the actual mouthpiece (burns?) but the front , or the part showing in the picture is like a Tan color. How do you clean / fix the oxidation?
It's called oxidation. Color varies but it needs to be removed. Restored, it would look like this Comoy's stem.
We have a Repair & Maintenance section here you can review. I don't recommend you start out on that pipe, get some beaters to practice on.
We have a Repair & Maintenance section here you can review. I don't recommend you start out on that pipe, get some beaters to practice on.
I can’t emphasize that enough.
I ruined one of my dad’s Stanwells with the internet and no experience.
Great pipe, and great connection.
Ok, good idea! He left me like 20+ pipes so I will look. I found a KIKO 6/F that was made in Kenya not sure if it is a, "good one" but the stem has an almost identical look. I will check out the repair and maintenance section, thank you!
The Kiko is a good one. It's African Meerschaum which is a great material for pipes, but won't color with smoking the way a Turkish Meerschaum would. Though as far as making money off it... not as valuable but as far as a pipe that is good it's one of those.
Nice pipe and otherwise then the stem color it's in great shape and not great shape that has been in a box in a closet great shape, but used and cared for great shape.
I guess your father was a serious pipe smoker. Not going to venture if he smoked regularly but clearly he it was something important to him.
Or in other words what wonderful keepsakes.
As @ssjones says, there is a bunch of info here and online about cleaning stems and removing oxidation.
The thing is, oxidation is like rust. The longer you leave it on the pipe, the deeper and more damaging it becomes. Thats why I said you should take care of it before it eats the stem.
There are also many good pipe restorers online who can get that thing looking brand new for a price.
But the thing about Vulcanite, it never stops oxidizing...ever. You can slow it down with wax and oil, but like rust, it never "goes away".
This is why the growing majority of pipers prefer Acrylic stems these days. But there are those of us who still prefer Vulcanite or Ebonite. They feel better on the teeth due to being softer. Vulcanite feels almost like rubber in your mouth,while Acrylic feels like rock hard plastic....because it is.
My original post was just being respectful. Your Dunhill definitely is suffering from advanced oxidation. But you can bring it back to a jet black, shiny stem by removing enough material. There is a point that the oxidation pits the Vulcanite so bad its beyond repair. In that case your pipe will always have a greenish appearance. But that is okay to smoke, it will just diminish the monetary value a bit. If you plan on keeping it, just remove as much of the oxidation as possible, wax and oil it, and enjoy. You need to take note that due to that level of oxidation, the inside of the stem is most likely just as bad. And remember what I said about rust. The oxidation is like a cancer, it just keeps eating Vulcanite.
In my opinion, I would send that to a professional. The result may just bring a tear to your eye. You will not believe how brand new it will look. From the pictures the pipe looks to be in great condition.
Cool info, thanks. I am not looking to sell, I do not think but was trying to find one that I can try my hand at refurbishing the stem. He did smoke his pipes occasionally but most were gifts from his patients.
Great, thank you. Any recommendations on where to send it for restoration? And cost? The pipe itself is flawless (to my amateur eyes) no scratches, nice and smooth with incredible wood marbling. Now I am looking at all the pipes and they all are suffering from some level of stem oxidation. One of the La SAVINELLI GIUBILEO D'ORO 606 KS looks the same as the Dunhill :-(
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Im not sure who is the go to anymore, but this link may help.
The Sav GDO is another great pipe.
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