Show Off Your Lee Pipes Here!

[Briar Lee]

Maybe that was because most pipe makers low end pipes still did what they were designed to do? How's the drilling on the stem?

The drilling and overall construction of every Lee pipe I’ve seen is perfect.

Whenever the last Lee was made, it was as good a smoker as the first one was in 1946.

Lee used close grained, high grade briar throughout production, first to last. They aren’t flashy, few knockout beautiful Lee pipes were ever made, but no junkers.

There was a switch from 7 pointed inlaid gold stars to 5 pointed, maybe about 1950, but I’m convinced Lee regarded it as an improvement. Stems seem higher polished on 5 point star era pipes, briar quality a tiny bit better. I call those middle run Lees, and believe they are the best.

Then you’ll find middle run quality Lee Star grades with stamped stars, no other changes.

Until then, I think all Lee Star grades used hand cut (or cut by an extremely cleverly set up machine) vulcanite stems.

Then you’ll find stamped stars with the cheaper Briarlee type mortise, and Briarlee grade stems, probably moulded. Some of those have the stars stamped on the shank, instead of the stem.

About then, a soft varnish or shellac was used to cut costs.


At the end, you’ll find obvious fills under a soft varnish or shellac, and push stems.

I’ve seen hard varnished Brairlees marked Made in Italy, but I don’t want any. They are Lees in name only.

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

Late run stamped star with Kaywoodie type mortise (used first on Briarlee). Heavier brown varnish has been removed using 4/0 steel wool. Stars stamped on shank. The stem used is not quite earlier quality, same as Briarlee. This is a saddle bit Three Star grade small Apple, or rounded Billiard, an extremely common Lee shape.

[…]
I’ve never seen a stamped star Four or a Five Star grade, and Two Star stamped stars are rare.

Is it a trick of perspective or are this Apple and the previous pot slightly asymmetric where the shank meets the bowl?

 

[Briar Lee]

Is it a trick of perspective or are this Apple and the previous pot slightly asymmetric where the shank meets the bowl?

Probably.

Lee used machines to fraise his production, as did Kaywoodie.

The mystery is, there Lee was running around in the fall of 1945 buying woodworking machines, and where did he get them?

I doubt KB&B was helping him.

This superb 7 pointed star early run Three Star large saddle bit chubby Billiard shows a tiny, slight forward cant on the bowl to help fabrication.

 

[telescopes]

Here again is one of the most perfect Lee pipes seen to date. Why is it only a three star grade?

I have no idea.

 

[TheWhale13]

Here again is one of the most perfect Lee pipes seen to date. Why is it only a three star grade?

I have no idea.View attachment 193055View attachment 193056View attachment 193057

Wow. That is a fantastic looking pipe. Good find. Maybe it is time to search for a nice Lee?

 

[telescopes]

Now compare it to this very nice three star grade made for the European Market. Or at least found in Europe.

It's nice, but not near as nice as the Bullmoose. Sometimes, the finish on a Lee is just perfect. I wish @Briar Lee would cease from sanding off the lacquer finishes. Future generations will not be happy with him.

 

[telescopes]

Wow. That is a fantastic looking pipe. Good find. Maybe it is time to search for a nice Lee?

I have quite a few nice Lees. They are getting harder to find. Sometimes, you can still find unsmoked Lees still in the box. Stay away from the third generation Lees, the ones with the gold foil stars. They are still some very good smoking pipes, but as exemplars of the high age of Lees, they are not always. Of course, this is not always the case. Our good friend @JOHN72 has a third generation three star Lee Pot that is an extremely good smoking Lee. I tend to think it was made at the earlier age of the third generation switch over. That Pot was one of my favorites to ever smoke.

I professionally reconditioned all of my Lees. That Bullmoose in the picture above was in terrible shape. Often times, owners of Lee pipes seem to be the type of smoker that didn't believe in cleaning them.

I can attest to the quality of the briar. Rich at Briarville says the same thing I have: The briar seems to be a heavier dense grain. I found this to be more true of Lee pipes than other quirky brands of the time such as Marxman, Pipemaker, or even Master Craft. It maybe that they were NOT using Algerian Briar, a briar I do tend to favor and to me is lighter weight.

I hope you find a good Lee. Perhaps you might bet @Parsimonious Piper or @Briar Lee to offer to sell one. Between those two collectors, a good percentage of the Lee Pipe market (100s) is locked away. @Parsimonious Piper has the most unique collection of Lees. His collection tells an interesting story. You can see where the pipe maker experimented at the beginning of his business and tried to find something that would sell. From unusual fittings to animal figures, he finally settled on standard shapes with stars.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

It's nice, but not near as nice as the Bullmoose. Sometimes, the finish on a Lee is just perfect. I wish @Briar Lee would cease from sanding off the lacquer finishes. Future generations will not be happy with him.

It pains me every time I read about him dragging out the steel wool. I shudder in horror to think he has defaced every single one of the pipes in his possession.

 

[telescopes]

It pains me every time I read about him dragging out the steel wool. I shudder in horror to think he has defaced every single one of the pipes in his possession.

Agreed. The varnished finish on many of those old Lees was quite different than the lacquer finish you find on modern pipes such as a Savinelli.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to remove it off the Lees. I think that he has read about that of myth of lacquer finishes not letting the briar breath properly.

The varnish on a Lee was used to highlight the stained finish, which was often a deeply applied stain. It gave the pipe a more luxurious look and feel rather than the dead mat finishes you find on them otherwise.

If, and when, a @Briar Lee pipe comes to market, should I procure it, off to Briarville it would go to have the varnished finished reapplied. Again, not a shellac, just a nice coating to allow the grain and stain to be highlighted.

The Bullmoose I posted above has that finish. Imagine what it would look like after steel wool.

Mr. Lee. A nation of pipe smokers kindly request you decease from defacing the surface of your Lees. LOL

 

[Briar Lee]

It pains me every time I read about him dragging out the steel wool. I shudder in horror to think he has defaced every single one of the pipes in his possession.

I’ve not touched my Four Star or Five Star, not even a drop of grapeseed oil.

It’s all guesswork now. Lee is long, long dust, as is most of his crew, if not every one.

What is so amazing, so explainable, is there simply wasn’t any briar available to a new pipe company in early 1946.

Briar only comes from poor soil on the rim of the Mediterranean, no place else.

Even after VE Day, May 8, 1945, ships were so valuable that Harry S Truman, President of the United States, received news the A bomb worked while on a mere heavy cruiser, all the battleships in the free world concentrated for fire support of the Invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.

Somehow, some way, against all odds Lee was setting up a pipe factory while New York exploded with joy at the end of the war.



One star Lees are unicorns, but do exist.

Two Star Lees are scarce today.

Three Star Lees are likely 80 or 90 per cent of what you’ll find today.

Four and Five Star Lees were likely every one custom made by one artisan, maybe Lee himself.

Only the last Lees had any varnish, and that varnish is soft and comes right off with steel wool.

Unsmoked or smoked only a few times Lees are common. My guess is the vast majority of Lees were bought by women to give as gifts to the men they loved.

The same phenomenon can be found in a brand of knife known as Cutco, for their pocket knives.

Vintage Cutco Pocket Knife 1882 Bullwhip USA Lockback Folding Sambar Stag | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Cutco Pocket Knife 1882 Bullwhip USA Lockback Folding Sambar Stag at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Lees were graded. The top five star grade was never stained. Four star grades were only stained tan, if stained at all.

The reason for that magnificent Bullmoose was it was stained and then carved. The stain on a Lee is miles deep, maybe part of the oil cure.

It was made of three star grade briar.

 

[telescopes]

Oh, there is a finish over the briar of that bull moose, to be sure. Regardless, taking steel wool to it would be a high crime.

Yes, my late model Lees, such as the Briarlee, certainly have something cheap applied to the finish.

 

[telescopes]

This is a Briarlee Stroller. It's a type of Devil Anse pipe for its day. Short and close up. But, it is a good smoker.




What do you think?

 

[Briar Lee]

I think Pipe Maker pipes were made by Lee but I’m certain Briarlee pipes were.

Lee had exactly the same challenges as Savinelli does today, with one huge difference.

Imagine five grades of Punto Oros, plus inlaid real jewel’s gold stars and a recessed duralumin fitment in each one, no varnish or sand blast or rustication allowed.

$300 new Punto Oro 712 KS




What Lee did, I think, was sort all his briar blocks.

The lowest quality were reserved for Pipe Maker, or other hidden manufacturer specials like this Middleton.



But to get to Three Star grade, it was oiled and polished only.

Before oiling



After oiling and buffing. Left pipe is unstained Marxman. darkened only by oil.



Lee was attempting to sell the highest priced regularly catalogued pipe on the planet earth. Kaywoodie Flame Grains were $10 and all best quality London makes were $15. The Lee Five Star cost $25.

5 pointed star Five Star Bullmoose

I opened the five star box and took that unsmoked five star grade Lee from it’s five star satin sleeve and smoked it for the first time.

It cost $85 delivered.

I’ve only polished it with a soft rag and I’ve carefully cleaned it with Everclear when it needed cleaning, only on the inside.

It was oiled and maybe waxed.

And it smokes like it was made of asbestos. Not particularly above another good Lee in flavor, but astoundingly cool.

 

[Briar Lee]

More Five Star grade photos:

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I’ve not touched my Four Star or Five Star, not even a drop of grapeseed oil.

Are we to infer that all the Three Star (and lower) pipes have been mutilated with the steel wool treatment?

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

Here again is one of the most perfect Lee pipes seen to date. Why is it only a three star grade?

I have no idea.

Very nice. I’d put that aside my alternating grain Bulldog as a couple of the nicest examples of Lee grain.

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

This is a Briarlee Stroller. It's a type of Devil Anse pipe for its day. Short and close up. But, it is a good smoker.


What do you think?

I have a few Strollers—all Briarlee. Perfect for lunting with that medium bowl and short stem. What I’d love to find is a Lee branded Stroller with stars like the ones in my catalog.

 

[Kobold]

I picked this up on eBay last week. I worked on cleaning it up this past week but it could use some more work. Can’t wait to try it out this weekend!

 

[Briar Lee]

Are we to infer that all the Three Star (and lower) pipes have been mutilated with the steel wool treatment?

A note on original Lee final fit and finish.

The final fit was perfect.

But in almost every Lee I’ve seen the final finish was just shiner than matte. The pores are polished or filled somehow, but a Lee glows but does not shine.

And except for high grade 5 pointed star middle run Lees (the pinnacle of Lee production I think) the vulcanite stems glow and don’t shine, either.

Only if there’s blackened residue does my Everclear and 4/0 steel wool come out. I never steel wool the letters or sharp edges, unless they are blackened badly.

Mostly I use this routine.

Three Star Lee neglected for months.



After cleaning with paper towel and Everclear.



Then just a blot of grapeseed oil on a paper towel, and rubbed dry. Ready to show off in the office, smoke all day, or toss in a vehicle. These Lees cost me about $30 each on average.




Lee tried his damndest to make the finest factory production pipes on this planet after the war.

Find one any better.

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

It’s been mentioned that later Briarlees were made in Italy. Came across this nice little billiard. Nothing special—decent grain, a little birdseye. Well shaped and drilled, and with one of the common Lee stingers, it’s a good little choocher. Just figured I’d share one of the non-American ones.