Show Off Your WDC Pipes

[Briar Lee]

Here’s a Milano Extra I bought on eBay for $30 delivered.

Ain’t she purty?




WDC made jillions of Wellingtons, but also other fine quality pipes.

Let’s see yours.

 

[FurCoat]

I have but two. A Wellington and a Jumbo.

 

[SBC]

Did the Wellingtons all have the P-lip? They're a compelling pipe -- would be fun to add one -- but if they're all P-lip I'll pass.

(Regardless, the WDCs posted so far are "purty"!)

 

[Briar Lee]

Did the Wellingtons all have the P-lip? They're a compelling pipe -- would be fun to add one -- but if they're all P-lip I'll pass.

(Regardless, the WDCs posted so far are "purty"!)

Most, if not all Wellingtons had the p lip, and moulded stems.

But before KB&B’s out of the ballpark success hit with the Kaywoodie, William Demuth Company was the largest manufacturer of pipes in America, likely on the earth.

The Milano might have been the first popular American factory pipe of the standard shape, uncased in a box, to cost $3.50 retail, in the early twenties. The Milano Extra might have brought $5.

WDC also made a lot of cased, fine meerschaum pipes.

I think their greatest success, and what led to their eventual extinction, was the Wellington that came out about the time as Ford’s Model T.

I own two big Wellingtons and a small one.

How many Wellingtons do you need?.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

1941-43 Briar shortage Hesson Guard Manzanita pipe (unsmoked)
Gold capped and banded BD
Wellington

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Here’s a Wellington Zulu/yachtsman, unsmoked.
And a patent Milano Hesson Guard

 

[Briar Lee]

The Milano was being made in the early 1920s.

1922 advertisement



But Patent 1,855,800 was filed in 1930 and granted 1932 for the Hesson Guard, which may help dating them.



The original Hesson Guard patent described cork washers inside the shank, which may be a problem for restoration 80 years later.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

The Milano was being made in the early 1920s.

1922 advertisement

View attachment 195587

But Patent 1,855,800 was filed in 1930 and granted 1932 for the Hesson Guard, which may help dating them.

View attachment 195588

The original Hesson Guard patent described cork washers inside the shank, which may be a problem for restoration 80 years later.

Yeah, I put this Milano closer to that 1932 patent issue date based on button shape. Later pipes had larger more squared off buttons. I’ve restored a few early Milanos and never found the cork gasket to be an issue. The stem can be a little loose when the cork is damaged but the fitment is so long that it tightens right up as soon as you light the pipe.

 

[Briar Lee]

My Milano Extra came today.

I peeped in the box, and when I saw the short vulcanite tenon, I said

Jackpot!!!

This is the highest grade pipe I own, above my B grade James Upshall.

I’ll have to dig out my can of Capstan Gold, and try it out. It’s been redone, but it’s perfect.

 

[Briar Lee]

There’s a slight musty ghost of ancient bright Virginias gone sour in my new Milano Extra.

Nothing Five Brothers won’t cure, and quickly.

It has an oval shank.

And talk about made by elves and sprinkled with fairy dust.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I've had a few WDC pipes over the years, but this one is my favorite and the only one I have at the moment. It's a Milano and I love the shape and the grain.

 

[Briar Lee]

I've had a few WDC pipes over the years, but this one is my favorite and the only one I have at the moment. It's a Milano and I love the shape and the grain.

View attachment 196301
View attachment 196302

Looking at the 1908 Sears catalog, the finest, largest, best grade heavy cased and amber stemmed meerschaum cost $7.50, normally $10 in the shops, it was claimed. The best silver mounted and cased French briars were about two or three dollars.

The success of the $3.50 Milano after WW1 no doubt inspired KB&B to launch the $3.50 Kaywoodie.

The briar quality and construction of my pre Hesson Guard Milano Extra is beyond extraordinary. These must have been hand made to a pattern. How in the world did they work to such fine tolerances?



And a lesson learned. My Milano Extra was spotless on the outside, filthy on the inside. Clean every estate pipe inside and out with 190 proof Everclear before smoking, no exceptions for the perfect looking ones.

It should be a delicious smoker now.

That all my problems were so easily solved.

 

[didimauw]

Maybe it's the fact that I haven't smoked a briar in almost 6 months now, but I'm really enjoying these old pipe pictures! They don't make em like they used to! That's a fact!

 

[Briar Lee]

Maybe it's the fact that I haven't smoked a briar in almost 6 months now, but I'm really enjoying these old pipe pictures! They don't make em like they used to! That's a fact!

They never made a thousand a day like that even in 1920.


This B Grade Upshall and Milano Extra are both hand made pipes.



The Milano has a bit better briar, carved a little finer.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Been looking at my first go on refurbishing an estate, I think I need a Wellington.

 

[Perimeter_Road]

A partially rusticated hesson guard Milano, which I believe is also a manzanita pipe.

 

[didimauw]

A partially rusticated hesson guard Milano, which I believe is also a manzanita pipe.
View attachment 196358

I like how intricate the carving was done on that one. I assume the white nomenclature is not original?

 

[Briar Lee]

Marxman pipes can still be bargains, especially smooth ones.

As I best can determine, Benchmade was a ten dollar grade, above the $3.50 Mello and $5 Super Briar. (I’ve never seen a $2.50 Morocco).



Every Marxman was supposed to have been bench made, the same as all Lees were limited editions. But if it was top grade it was branded Benchmade.

I just paid $23 delivered for this Marxman Benchmade Bulldog.



That color tan is how they came from the Marxman shop.

And that almost pristine button means it wasn’t smoked to death.

Nothing else I know of is as cheap as accumulating a big hoard of really nice old briar pipes.

There was an old man about my age now named Hap that used to close down his service station about this time on Saturday evening almost fifty years ago, and yell at us boys across the street

Hey boys, I’m gonna get drunk tonight if it costs two dollars!

Even then two dollars didn’t make for a very big drunk, and especially not with those old honky tonk angels Hap sported.

If I run through the drive through burger joint tonight, I’d better bring more than $23.

 

[Perimeter_Road]

I like how intricate the carving was done on that one. I assume the white nomenclature is not original?

Not sure. It feels original since it’s stamped/recessed into the wood, but also seems a bit too vibrant for such an old pipe.

 

[Briar Lee]

Not sure. It feels original since it’s stamped/recessed into the wood, but also seems a bit too vibrant for such an old pipe.

I see those white letters on other WDC pipes.

Here’s a cheapie on eBay that says Real Briar.




In a way, mission briar from California was Real Briar.

Just not imported real briar?.