Peterson with a Hole!

[The Mitre]

Hello everyone,
This lovely Peterson System Standard 312 has just come in and has a small defect in the bottom side of the bowl. Under a lens it looks like it might have been a factory fix, with some filler in it, that's failed. As a worker of wood I have no problem in sorting it out but does anyone have any ideas about how this should be done?
Look forward to hearing from you guys.

 

[didimauw]

Yup that's just a pit they filled with putty. It won't affect the smoking. That's a pretty small one too. My Rossi is filled with pits and fills. One of my best smokers. You can color it if it bothers you. Marker or stain.

 

[mso489]

Strictly cosmetic, and minor.

 

[ashdigger]

Tis but a scratch

 

[mortonbriar]

Pretty typical of factory pipes. I make a point of not keeping any estates with obvious fills (or I rusticate the area). This is nothing to do with how they smoke, it just happens to bug me when it catches my eye...Heck I even removed the red dot on a Dr Plumb stem because it was making me go cross eyed.

 

[kola]

Holy Petersons!

 

[workman]

That looks amateurish. Is the pipe new?
I'd like to think that even the folks at Peterson's would know how to conceal their fills better than that.

 

[OzPiper]

Look up Rebornpipes.
Steve Laug has hints on how to use briar dust and glue to fill those pits.
The difficulty is matching the stain afterwards.

 

[The Mitre]

Thanks everyone. I'll take the plunge and give it a go at repairing it keeping you posted along the way......

 

[The Mitre]

Here you go then, bee brave, I've never done this to a briar pipe before!
Important thing is to get all the loose stuff out and any flaky edges. If you don't the problem will re occur. A sharp, pointed tool will dig out and remove the loose stuff. I decided to use a two part resin filler that I can colour. I use this type of stuff for furniture restorations, it easy to use and can be finished just like wood. I started out with a mahogany colour, this is in the image om the right with the little dab of white hardener. The middle filler has had a walnut colour added and the left one a darker mahogany. In the light the middle one looked best. When you pack the recess make sure the filler is worked well into the cavity and finished a little proud. It will shrink slightly so you don't want to do it again.
Now I had to be patient and let the hardener do its work. I'll be back later on.....

 

[JimPM]

With a little bit of briar dust and a 2 part epoxy mixed together that defect with fill in. Just get a furniture repair marker to shade it to match. Many of the estates that I restore have those. Its a defect that can be easily fixed.

 

[The Mitre]

Thanks John. Yes, I used a two part resin that was already coloured but added some spirit based stain to darken it further and match it in as best I could. Once this mixture had hardened off, and it doesn't take too long, I sanded it back with some fine grit paper. Even with this stuff it left some marks so I then used 0000 grade steel wool to remove these and clean any other impurities from the bowl. At tis stage a wet finger will give you an idea of the final colour, let it dry off before proceeding. Dark wood needs a dark filler and light wood a light one. I know this is obvious but if there is any variation the filler in the dark wood should be slightly darker and slightly lighter in the light wood. This way your eye is not drawn to the defect. Here I decided a little help with some acrylic paint was needed and added a few tiny dark streaks.
I'll be back later to show you how it finished off.....

 

[kcghost]

I'd just ignore it.

 

[The Mitre]

I couldn't, to me it stood out like a sore thumb!

Anyway, here we go. A bit of masking tape around the stem to protect it and then a couple of spray coats of clear lacquer cutting back in between coats and the last one with the 0000 wire wool. A little wax polish, "Rugger Brown" and a good buff up and the jobs done. With patience, all in an afternoon, and not that bad for a first try?

 

[The Mitre]

PS
I'll be putting this pipe and another Peterson onto eBay UK shortly. It'll join a load of others I've already got listed. Take a look if you have time. You should find me as The Mitre. Thanks....

 

[mawnansmiff]

Seems like more of a plug than a hole

Regards,

Jay.

 

[greeneyes]

I've seen several of your pipes on eBay lately. If you repair them yourself I think it'd be a good idea to let collectors know this in the listing, especially with some of the more expensive ones.

 

[The Mitre]

Hi there,

Good point, thanks.

There are only three pipes listed currently that I've restored. One is the later Peterson with a repaired crack, I've changed the text on this, and the other is the earlier Peterson churchwarden. This one I've followed the previous replacement amber button that was broken with anew one, I've changed to text to reflect this.

I will be posting this repair shortly because it shows how you can work amber.

Many thanks for this Peter.

 

[anotherbob]

to me that looks like a gouge. My pits are mostly circular and much better covered up in every pipe I own that has any. Especially the Vauen with the really dark stain. They're there but near impossible to see.

 

[bullet08]

Damn. That's an ugly fill. I've seen some fills and that one takes the cake.