Should I restore my 1937 Dunhill?

[papipeguy]

jpmcwjr- Here are a few photos of my grandfather's 1936 Dunhill Shell. I found it in one of his old tool boxes. A mouse had chewed it up pretty badly and George Dibos did a wonderful job with a full restoration. George posted a blow by blow of the work on the PM site but I can't find it here. I got the pipe back from him about a year ago.
Before:

After:

 

[beefeater33]

^^ Here you go papipeguy........... this is an amazing thread: papipeguy's 1936 Dunhill restoration

 

[kcghost]

George Dibos is the guy you want to work on this pipe. He loves old English wood, He'll do it right.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Whoa! Now I recall the step-by-step lovely work done by George. Great photos, great thread. Thank you.

 

[davet]

The marking on this pipe are correct.

Nice to have an authentic one to compare with the dodgey ones using that stamp, also a happy coincidence that this thread comes along at about the same time. A very nice pipe but the family history makes it an extraordinary pipe for you. The photos of pipes brought back to life by George and a few others on here are truly amazing.

 

[samcoffeeman]

That pipe will definitely clean up nice. It doesn't need much work, just a light polishing and cleaning. A careful ream perhaps. It'll come out gorgeous!

 

[samcoffeeman]

For those curious about the patent:

Dunhill Patent 417574
417,574. Tobacco pipes &c. DUNHILL, Ltd., A., and DUNHILL, V., 137, High Street, Notting Hill Gate, London. May 29, 1934, No. 16010. [Class 130.] A metal tube 5 in the bore of a tobacco pipe or cigarette or cigar holder is held in position by a metal ring formed by an annular portion 10, having an inturned rim 11 which is a sliding fit on the tube, and a portion split to provide spring prongs 12 which are bent to grip the tube. The ring may be held between recesses in the mouthpiece and stem, or the tube may rest against a shoulder in the mouthpiece and the ring bear against a shoulder in the stem. Specification 116,989, [Class 130], is referred to.

 

[georged]

I wonder if that tenon has been replaced.

It looks like it might have been.
Though the tenon of cumberland stems can darken quite a bit over time from contact with the mortise walls, I've not yet seen one that's truly black.
Also, the "step down" style of tenon was never used in any Dunhill that I know of.
Here's an original 1930's era cumberland stem from a 472 (LB). The 45-degree bevel where the tenon and stem face meet would be a good way for the OP to check his pipe. It was definitely found on all Dunnies of the period. (Though most tenon replacements show a seam/line there, not always. It's possible to do them without it.)
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Also, thanks for the many kind mentions in this thread, but I'm not taking on any more work at this time. My backlog has grown too large. :?
Nice pipe, OP. As has already been said, less is more when dealing with a pipe like yours. Just "clean and straighten". Do NOT re-finish the bowl in any way that involves removing material. If the remaining nomenclature goes away, the pipe dies (only in the collecting sense, of course).

 

[papipeguy]

Thanks for finding that post, beefeater.

 

[georged]

As for restoration, Shell finishes are much easier to restore than Roots or Bruyeres.

Never one to pass on a technical point, the me. :lol:
My experience has been the opposite, Mike. Re-doing Roots and Bruyeres is just a matter of knowing the "period correct" color, while getting the two-tone Shells looking just right is a tricky business. There are several ways to go about it (with every restorer having his favorite method, I imagine), but all of them taking a fair amount of experimentation and practice.
The more recent, virtually all-black Shells are definitely easier than the two-tone ones, though.

 

[georged]

I wasn't talking about color, but more about the finish. A rough finish is more tolerant of abuse over the years, and you don't really have to worry about steaming out dents, or marks on the wood.

Ah. I misunderstood. Raggedy wood indeed makes spotting imperfections a lot more difficult.
Neh-ver mind. 8)

 

[ssjones]

Very neat, right from the factory. I wonder if they had to buy them? Do you know what our grandfather did at Dunhill and the time frame of his employment?