Peterson System-ized Ashton

[georged]

This pipe's owner said he loved the pipe for many reasons, but smoking quality wasn't one of them. It smoked so wet it needed a sump pump. Always had, reason unknown.

After some idea back-and-forth he wondered if it was possible to give it the "chamber & stinger" treatment.

After thinking about it I wondered the same thing.

So, I started taking measurements, found a vintage bone Pete stinger, made some tools, reported back, and got the green light. "It can't be worse, and it might be better... and since it never gets smoked the way it is, fire away."

And here we are. + =

 

[Scottmi]

Looks great! I presume you needed to bore out some of the shank?
Can't wait to hear smoking results!

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

Man that's a beautiful pipe, I don't think I could of took a threader to it just due to the beauty. But to each his own and it looks great, so rock on can't wait to hear about how it smokes now. If it's better, the same, or magicl, or worse. Thanks for sharing.

 

[georged]

Looks great! I presume you needed to bore out some of the shank?
Can't wait to hear smoking results!

Yes on deepening the mortise a little, and also shortened the stinger slightly.

Much more "tool centric" than it looks, though, so I do NOT recommend kitchen table swings at this particular ball. Obtaining and maintaining rigid axial alignment, tapping a "dead end" tube all the way to the bottom to avoid an internal crud-catching gap between the stinger and stem, etc. All a pig bitch to get spot-on, and no second chances.

As for whether it actually saves the pipe smoking-wise, I'm also eager to hear back from the owner.

 

[verporchting]

Keep us posted as to how the pipe smokes and what the owner thinks of it now! Looks fantastic so inquiring minds want to know.

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

Man that's a beautiful pipe, I don't think I could of took a threader to it just due to the beauty. But to each his own and it looks great, so rock on can't wait to hear about how it smokes now. If it's better, the same, or magicl, or worse. Thanks for sharing.

I bought it used, at a surprisingly low price, and there was a reason for that: it was literally unbearable to smoke in original condition. You might rather try to smoke tobacco out of your sump pump.

It cannot get worse! Maybe it gets better. Maybe it doesn't. In any case, it was worth making the attempt. This is a pipe worth saving, and I urged Mr. Dibos to do the necessary. Or maybe a little more than necessary, if it might be amusing.

Definitely worth it. Even if it doesn't work out, it was worth a shot.

 

[gamzultovah]

I can only imagine what future generations will make of this (Ashton pipe historians and such). I can hear the arguments now.

 

[yanoJL]

This pipe's owner said he loved the pipe for many reasons, but smoking quality wasn't one of them. It smoked so wet it needed a sump pump. Always had, reason unknown.

After some idea back-and-forth he wondered if it was possible to give it the "chamber & stinger" treatment.

After thinking about it I wondered the same thing.

So, I started taking measurements, found a vintage bone Pete stinger, made some tools, reported back, and got the green light. "It can't be worse, and it might be better... and since it never gets smoked the way it is, fire away."

And here we are. + =

George, I appreciate how tenacious your are. You do not easily accept defeat.
Right on!

 

[georged]

I can only imagine what future generations will make of this (Ashton pipe historians and such). I can hear the arguments now.

Now that's funny, right there.

As in, we all KNOW what sort of deep dive argu-cussions brand anomalies can cause among enthusiasts.

"SEE! Bill Taylor really WAS an Irishman!"

"Stuff like that is exactly the sort of thing the IRA does to sow discontent."

"I knew it... that pipe is fake, fake, fake."

and so on.

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

Now that's funny, right there.

As in, we all KNOW what sort of deep dive argu-cussions brand anomalies can cause among enthusiasts.

"SEE! Bill Taylor really WAS an Irishman!"

"Stuff like that is exactly the sort of thing the IRA does to sow discontent."

"I knew it... that pipe is fake, fake, fake."

and so on.

Oh man to be a fly on that wall

"Fake, fake, fake"

Obviously no one would ever seek or execute such a thing as a repair!

 

[ThermionicScott]

That's a neat repair, and welcome to the forum, @¯\_(ツ)_/¯ !

 

[georged]

For anyone wondering how this turned out, the owner was doing seasonal-y things far away from the pipe's home, where it was sent.

He recently returned, however, and took it for a road test.

This is his report:





How I love happy endings!

Maybe the stingerizationificationizing of wet-smoking Ashtons will become a Thing.

 

[ssjones]

, and also shortened the stinger slightly.

The entire job and result is impressive, but yikes shortening a bone chimney? Those things are the definition of fra-gee-lay!

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

Having the right tools for the job makes all the difference. Thanks for sharing George. Love reading about the rejuvenation & revitalization of pipes in need of attention. If I had a higher end pipe that needed such I’d get in your list. ️

 

[LotusEater]

Thanks @georged
I really enjoy it when you provide us with these little glimpses into the world of creative, super high quality pipe repair and modification.