I have a pipe that’s a bit of a mystery to me and I’m hoping someone here might be able to shed some insight on it. The pipe is pictured below and I’m happy to provide additional information or photos. Here’s what I know about the pipe: I received the pipe from my dad in the mid-1990s. He’d used it heavily for who knows how long prior to giving up smoking in the mid-1970s – I’d guess he smoked it in excess of 10 years at least. When I received it, the sand-blasted bowl was almost completely coated in a thick black shiny coating of what I guess was paint. It reminded me of what used to be called a “Japanned finish.” The bowl had a few spots on the sides where red wood showed through from what appeared to be years of pocket wear. It showed signs of heavy use, the chamber cake was pretty thick and it was one of his “work pipes” in Alaska when he did contract clearing and survey work for the Territory and later the State of Alaska. The bent shape was useful when peering through a transit or other optical instruments.
The only writing on the pipe was the phrase “RED ROOT” over “Imported Briar” or “Italian Briar” stamped on the shank (I can’t recall). It was stamped in block letters, no script. I refinished the pipe about 10 years ago because it was just plain ugly. While sanding the black coating I discovered pretty reddish briar underneath so only removed the high spots leaving the black coating in the deeper cracks and contours. The final color is just waxed – no stain of any kind. I asked my dad back in the 90s who made the pipe and he said he thought it was a brand of Kaywoodie used for inferior bowls that had to be covered up to be sold. According to the Pipephil website, the Red Root line was introduced by Kaywoodie in 1976, but I believe dad must have owned this pipe sometime in the 1950s or certainly the 1960s.
So what does the collective knowledge of Pipe Magazine think? Was there a “Red Root” pipe company before the Kaywoodie 1970s incarnation? All of the Red Root pipes I see on-line have fancy stems, but this one is plain, with a screw-in fitment. It doesn’t have a Kaywoodie style stinger but I suppose that could have been cut off. Dad didn’t cut off any of his Kaywoodie stingers, and if this one was cut off, it looks like a very clean job.
Anyway, any suggestions comments or links worth searching would sincerely be appreciated. Thanks!
The only writing on the pipe was the phrase “RED ROOT” over “Imported Briar” or “Italian Briar” stamped on the shank (I can’t recall). It was stamped in block letters, no script. I refinished the pipe about 10 years ago because it was just plain ugly. While sanding the black coating I discovered pretty reddish briar underneath so only removed the high spots leaving the black coating in the deeper cracks and contours. The final color is just waxed – no stain of any kind. I asked my dad back in the 90s who made the pipe and he said he thought it was a brand of Kaywoodie used for inferior bowls that had to be covered up to be sold. According to the Pipephil website, the Red Root line was introduced by Kaywoodie in 1976, but I believe dad must have owned this pipe sometime in the 1950s or certainly the 1960s.
So what does the collective knowledge of Pipe Magazine think? Was there a “Red Root” pipe company before the Kaywoodie 1970s incarnation? All of the Red Root pipes I see on-line have fancy stems, but this one is plain, with a screw-in fitment. It doesn’t have a Kaywoodie style stinger but I suppose that could have been cut off. Dad didn’t cut off any of his Kaywoodie stingers, and if this one was cut off, it looks like a very clean job.
Anyway, any suggestions comments or links worth searching would sincerely be appreciated. Thanks!
