Saving an old GBD

[hoppes]

Bought this a while back on the net for less than $20. As you can see it was a train wreck especially the stem. I figured no harm in trying to refurbish it. It came out about as well as I can do. Don't know how well it will hold up but probably won't be smoked too much. The date mark can not be read. The Lion mark for London is just readable. It is also marked MR&Co which apparently is an early 1900's company. At least some of its former glory has been restored and may smoke quite well for several more years. Any comments, suggestions or history always welcomed. Thanks, Hoppes

Before:

After:

 

[ukbob]

Good job on the restoration, hope it smokes well.

 

[cortezattic]

Nice rescue! Thanks for posting the before and after pix! :clap:

 

[highwaycobbery]

How did you fix the missing part of the stem?

 

[mikethompson]

I was going to say that there are a great many folks here who can help you with your resto, but after seeing the completed pics, you can do it just fine on your own!
How did you manage to repair that stem?

 

[scloyd]

Very impressive...especially the repair job on the stem. Nice looking pipe!

 

[ssjones]

Wow, great job on the button repair! Enjoy that one.

 

[hoppes]

I'm a great believer in epoxy resins. The correct type though. I have built two airplanes, one a composite and a second one of all aluminum so I have some experience with epoxy systems. On this pipe I used West Systems epoxy with their black pigment addition. Doesn't take much to repair a stem. The important part is the prep and making the surface to hold the epoxy. Most of it is just sitting there and patiently filing away the extra. The pros can do it very quickly. It takes me days to come anywhere close !! But I love working with wood and enjoy the challenge of bringing something back to life. Keeps me out of the pool hall !! Thanks for all your comments. Hoppes

 

[sablebrush52]

The clean up and repair look great. Just be aware that if you built up the stem using CA 2000 or anything like that, it will probably not hold up to much use, if any. For small patches it works Great. But for large replacements it doesn't really stay attached to the vulcanite.

 

[snagstangl]

I looked at that one a dozen times on ebay, i just couldn't buy it and fix the stem when i already have tons of other projects sitting around that need the same treatment.

 

[danielplainview]

Nice work. That’s a great looking MRC
Could just be my eyes playing tricks, but it looks like the hallmark is sporting the letter “A”

 

[hoppes]

dave g: I've looked at the date stamps with varying magnification--They are just so worn smooth that nothing can be made out. The only thing that dates it fairly early is the MR&Co stamping. Hoppes