Outstanding Dunhill Shell Billiard (1946)

[georged]

This was part of a small collection/batch that were the dirtiest, nastiest pipes I've ever seen, never mind worked on. (There was some sort of pathology at work... they had never been cleaned since new. Literally. Not once.) The stems were "growing" out of the shanks, meaning the non-stop internal crud buildup pushed the stem & shank apart, then handling dirt filled the external gap... The airways? Kept open with a wire... The bowls? Caked almost closed (1/4" usable diameter). The rims? Lava flowing over the outside edge... The stems? (most, not all) rawhide-bone-chewed...
However, THIS sort of pipe was the man's taste. He had an OUTSTANDING eye.
Go figure. :crazy:
The moral? Great pipes are where you find them. :lol: Never stop looking.
.

 

[ashdigger]

Fantastic!! :clap:

 

[dmcmtk]

Mid 1940's blast...craggy! :D New stem or the original on that one George?

 

[georged]

Original.

 

[npod]

O ... M ... G

!!!

YES
Wonderful everything on this post. I love your work and thank you as always for the great pictures.

 

[beefeater33]

PERFECTION!!................... ::

 

[haparnold]

I for one would love to see some before pictures for comparison.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I like it!

 

[craiginthecorn]

A classic Dunhill Shell if I've ever seen one. That blast! And, of course, it looks like it just came from the factory. Great job, George.
I was half-expecting to see this classic "Dunhill":

 

[danielplainview]

Did you restain? That’s a lovely color.
Even though there’s curse words flying at the start, there’s something about renewing those super cruddy cake bombs that’s very satisfying.
Nicely done as always. It’s a beaut.

 

[georged]

Did you restain? That’s a lovely color.

Yes. Lots of grime packed in the crevices, and removing it leaves the underlying finish dull and grayish (in the case of Shells).
Here's a better shot of the "undercolor" coming through. The pipe still looks much better in hand, though. Dark finishes in general, and Shells in particular, are a beast to photograph.
.

 

[mikethompson]

Very nice pipe, and a beautiful reddish black colouring to the bowl. Do you have any before pictures so that we can confirm you are a magician?

 

[unkleyoda]

Very nice.

 

[ssjones]

Dark finishes in general, and Shells in particular, are a beast to photograph.

I can see that, capturing the depths of the finish is a trick. That last photo brings it alive.

 

[3rdguy]

The before pictures would be crazy to see!

 

[mso489]

Hey, that's my birth year! Fortunately, I'm not a Dunhill guy so I'm glad to savor it from a distance. No one has mentioned what a rarity this is, in terms of the availability of briar during the war. Dunhill historians here correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Dunhill production dropped during the war and didn't revive for a while, so a 1946 pipe is a bit of a rarity. In the U.S., that's why many pipe brands included the stamp "Imported Briar," to emphasize that a pipe was actual briar and not some of the substitutes, like Mountain Laurel, that U.S. pipe makers used during the war. That Dunhill is a handsome classic pipe, the best of a traditional shape.

 

[georged]

Sorry, no before pics. This was one of 15 pieces that were all "fossilized"---my new term for the highest level of smoking neglect :lol: ---and taking before photos was the last thing on my mind. It was the pipe version of chipping dinosaur bones from rock.
Again, the weird part---where the suspected pathology/OCD involvement comes in---is while the SMOKING abuse was 10/10, physical abuse was minimal. Only small ashtray rim knocks and one cracked shank. It was as if they sat in a rack beside the easy chair of some eccentric professor who read while smoking 18 hours a day for 50 years, and they never left that spot. And were never cleaned, just kept "running" with a piece of music wire and a 55 gallon oil drum of matches. All have exactly the same handling marks, rim blackening pattern, tooth pattern, etc.
For anyone who thinks I must be exaggerating, have you ever seen pipes whose AIRWAYS were caked stone-hard... all the way into the stem?


Yeah. Exactly. :crazy:
The good news? There are several Barling's Straight Grains in the bunch, a few Guinea Grains, and one of the coolest pipes I've EVER seen (it's also quite rare, I think, though the Bard of Barlings will have to make the official decision).
Stay tuned.

 

[lawdogspipes]

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[cigrmaster]

Amazing work George, thanks for the pics.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, and look forward to the Barling Surprise!!