Restoration Fail

[doctorbob]

Spent the last two evenings working on this Gresham's Magnum 814 Comoys made bent billiard. Rebent the stem that had lost about half of it's curve, topped, textured, and restained the rim using methods learned from George Dibos' amazing videos, and was hand buffing the bowl after Renaissance waxing when I dropped the damn thing and cracked the shank.





Pretty damn upset as this was turning out really nice. Even saved the embossed stem logo.

I'm gonna have to learn another skill, anyone got a 20 mm diameter band laying around?

 

[Chasing Embers]

That hurts. Is that oxidation around the base of the stem or just the lighting,

 

[doctorbob]

No, that is still oxidation. Had just finished bowl work, and was planning on final stem work tomorrow.

 

[trudger]

That’s a bummer but worth the fix for sure, what a hogs leg that is!

 

[captainsousie]

I've done that and worse. Sorry it happened too, that truly sucks as the pipe was a really nice one. Sadly, if you want to do restos, you'll make even more painful mistakes. This from the man who has lost a couple Dunhill and a few artisan restos to things like unseen voids/holes in the briar.

 

[georged]

Banding that pipe would NOT be easy for too many reasons to list, and the result wouldn't look very good even if perfectly executed.

Worth trying to fix it invisibly, I think:

Internal ("band-less") Shank Repair

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Oh man! That sucks.
I feel your pain, I really do.

 

[Briar Tuck]

That's a real bummer, but at least the pipe can still be smoked once repaired. It happens, and I've had a couple close calls myself. Having hardwood floors makes such accident damage even more likely.

 

[georged]

Having hardwood floors makes such accident damage even more likely.

Are you saying that 1970's bachelor pad decor has some advantages after all?

 

[craig61a]

Are you saying that 1970's bachelor pad decor has some advantages after all?


View attachment 210031

I can hear Earth, Wind and Fire in the background…

 

[hawky454]

Banding that pipe would NOT be easy for too many reasons to list, and the result wouldn't look very good even if perfectly executed.

Worth trying to fix it invisibly, I think:

Internal ("band-less") Shank Repair

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

That’s excellent work. I got hooked watching the whole set of videos. How long have you been in the business of restoring pipes?

 

[georged]

That’s excellent work. I got hooked watching the whole set of videos. How long have you been in the business of restoring pipes?

Depends on what "in the business of" means. lol

My dad was a college professor who smoked pipes his entire adult life, and when I was about 12 or 13 he started handing them off to me to work on whenever he'd drop it or etc. I did a LOT of handwork/model building type of stuff at that age, so it was a natural "fit".

After a while, whenever one of his work friends dropped (or whatever) one of their pipes---most college profs smoked back then---I'd fix theirs too. Teacher salaries have always been low, so solutions like that were common with them.

When I started pipe smoking at 20, I naturally worked on my own, too. (Enhancements, anyway, I've never sqoinked one of my own).

Been at it ever since. So, 56 or 57 years.

Here's a walkaround of my shop setup a few years ago. (I've upgraded a few things since, but they wouldn't be obvious to anyone who wasn't a tool nerd):

 

[ssjones]

I did the same thing with Sasieni Four Dot Rustic Bulldog a few years ago, both pieces are still in my work bench, a painful reminder to be careful.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I think most of us have done that it some point, it's heart breaking.

 

[doctorbob]

Thanks for the sympathy fellas, I was pretty pissed last night as this pipe was turning out great, but morning already brings a better perspective.

Just to clarify, no power tools were involved. I just dropped the damn thing while hand buffing with a terry cloth towel. Actually heard the audible crack of the wood splitting. Surprisingly loud, actually!

 

[doctorbob]

Banding that pipe would NOT be easy for too many reasons to list, and the result wouldn't look very good even if perfectly executed.

Worth trying to fix it invisibly, I think:

Internal ("band-less") Shank Repair

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Thanks George! I'll watch this over the weekend and see if it's something I can try, or maybe get in the mail.

 

[kcghost]

Nothing like getting advice from the master!!

 

[doctorbob]

Yeah, I hadn't watched that video before, and definitely out of my wheelhouse. I think this pipe is done as is isn't worth major investment.

 

[anotherbob]

Spent the last two evenings working on this Gresham's Magnum 814 Comoys made bent billiard. Rebent the stem that had lost about half of it's curve, topped, textured, and restained the rim using methods learned from George Dibos' amazing videos, and was hand buffing the bowl after Renaissance waxing when I dropped the damn thing and cracked the shank.

View attachment 209996

View attachment 209998

Pretty damn upset as this was turning out really nice. Even saved the embossed stem logo.

I'm gonna have to learn another skill, anyone got a 20 mm diameter band laying around?

I think the restoration was a success.