Old Kaywoodie With No Stampings and Odd Repair (pics)

[agnosticpipe]

For your perusal here's an interesting old Kaywoodie that raises some interesting questions.

I came across this old Kaywoodie in an antique shop that looked pretty old, but had no stampings. I looked closer and saw that the shank had been replaced for some reason, and it seemed to be rather well done except for the mismatched grain. I think the stem may have been replaced too because there are some marks on the 4 hole stinger and the clover is off center. It fits perfectly though. Maybe this pipe was from the time that they were rather expensive and it was worth the cost of the extensive repairs. Would Kaywoodie have done these repairs?

I did some moderate restoration on it and it looks better in some ways, but the mismatched grain shows up more. Any thoughts?

 

[ashdigger]

Nice. Pipes were guaranteed back in the day and shank/bowl replacements were performed at the factory and the reason it lacks stamps is because after the repair, it's not the same "guaranteed" pipe. No doubt it had a warranty, but it probably wasn't guaranteed. From the clover it looks like it's from the 1930's.

 

[georged]

Kaywoodie wouldn't have done that except by request, and it's unlikely a "back room of the smoke shop" type of repairman did it. That level of workmanship wasn't really available because there was no demand for it. Today's collecting hobby didn't exist. Meaning repairs were almost always of the "return to service" type with little precision.
My best guess is that the pipe was meaningful or special enough to someone that they sent back to Kaywoodie, where it was spliced and "re-manufactured".

 

[mawnansmiff]

Is there any chance it could be a 'travelling pipe'? I have a Barling pipe that too has a mismatched shank and it was only when Dave suggested I try unscrewing the shank did I realise what I actually had. The shank unscrews from the bowl for easy pocket storing.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Thanks for the info guys. I agree that the pipe was probably repaired by Kaywoodie for whatever reason. As George said, it's too well done to be done by some random pipe shop repairman, although I'm sure George could do an even better job of it today.
Yes Jay, I remembered your Barling and did attempt to twist it apart but nothing happened, and I didn't want to try too hard and break it.
I like the fact that this pipe has some unknown history behind it, and it will probably stay with me just because of that. ::

 

[pipesticks]

Cellini Pipe Shop in Chicago had the biggest pipe repair business in the country back in the day, and they started like 1929. Pipe shops from all around the country sent them their repair jobs. You could take your pipe there and they would fix while you wait, too. I can't see Kaywoodie bothering with an extensive warranty repair like that....cheaper for them to replace the pipe and move on, but you never know.