Show Off Your WDC Pipes
- Thread starter Briar Lee
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Briar Lee, the stampings look a little different than the ones I was looking at. Is this an early one? Could you take a pic of them for me? Love that pipe.
I have a good number of older WDC pipes. Here’s a few.
My Wellington is marked French Briar and has a tall rounded nickel cap. Probably pre 1920.
A WDC French Briar Bakelite bulldog with the Lockmount tenon. Probably late 19teens.
And a WDC meerschaum bulldog. Judging by the band embellishments possibly 1890s. The stem is a modern Bakelite replacement for a really crummy rubber replacement. It likely had an original amber stem.
My Wellington is marked French Briar and has a tall rounded nickel cap. Probably pre 1920.
A WDC French Briar Bakelite bulldog with the Lockmount tenon. Probably late 19teens.
And a WDC meerschaum bulldog. Judging by the band embellishments possibly 1890s. The stem is a modern Bakelite replacement for a really crummy rubber replacement. It likely had an original amber stem.
My latest WDC. A cased Triangle Bakelite. Probably 19teens.
I got this a few months ago and I have a couple questions for y'all about it. Could this strange tenon possibly be original? I assume it's not, but thought someone might confirm my assumption. Also, the case says "Real Russian". Does that mean the case was made in Russia and that a real Russian case was desirable? Finally, would the stem likely be amber.
As you can see the WDC Genuine Meerschaum label is missing from inside the case, but oddly enough the impression is still there and is legible.
Anyway, it smokes well and I'm enjoying it even though it's not in very good condition.
As you can see the WDC Genuine Meerschaum label is missing from inside the case, but oddly enough the impression is still there and is legible.
Anyway, it smokes well and I'm enjoying it even though it's not in very good condition.
The case label is actually an embossed stamp. Real Russian probably refers to the original amber stem. Looks like you have a replacement red Bakelite stem. The tenon was likely replaced at the same time. Originally it probably had a bone tenon glued into the shank. The amber stems wore quickly and broke easily. Later Bakelite replacements are very common. To me the pipe looks like it’s made 1900ish.
Thanks so much! This clarifies several things. I had wondered how a repaired/replaced tenon could fit so exactly and securely into the stem (see the picture) if the stem was original; it makes sense that it is a replacement stem and that the tenon was replaced at the same time. The Russian amber reference makes sense too. That the case label is an embossed stamp also removes the improbability of my initial thought of an imprint from a physical label. I had guessed a date of around 1900 for the pipe, so I'm glad for your input on that. I did not know that horn stems were sometimes glued into the shank. Again, thank you; I appreciate the good info.
That aluminum tenon is 100% correct for a WDC, unlike the Europeans WDC favored aluminum over bone. They made loads of those chubby square shank meers and they almost always had aluminum tenons, I’ve worked on and repaired several. They even sold replacement aluminum tenons, I’ve got a whole bunch of them from WDC sold in the 1920’s. The catalin stem is also likely not a replacement, it looks 100% correct to me.
The “Real Russian” is a vague claim meant to inspire thoughts of amber without making any actual claim of being amber. In the long run you’re better off with catalin as it’s held up better than most of the actual Amber stems of the era. All of the WDC of that style I’ve worked on have had Amberoid, Amberol, or Catalin stems, none of them have had real amber.
The metal tenons didn’t show up until the 1920s. Before that bone tenons were it. All the companies used them. I might have 30 WDCs with bone tenons predating 1920. A good number with the cherry Bakelite stems. Bakelite was invented in 1907.
OP’s pipe is a lot earlier than the 20s.
The amber stem claims were often bogus though. It’s just easier to call them all amber. I mean, how do you differentiate between celluloid, amberloid or amberol?
OP’s pipe is a lot earlier than the 20s.
The amber stem claims were often bogus though. It’s just easier to call them all amber. I mean, how do you differentiate between celluloid, amberloid or amberol?
You are absolutely right on all counts except that WDC made those well into the 20’s. Celluloid is easy to spot, it doesn’t resemble anything else and it’s usually turned to dust by now. Ameroid and Amberol are a bit tougher to spot but there’s a few ways to tell. Catalin (colored Bakelite) is also easy to spot because it doesn’t actually look like anything else.
WDC absolutely used loads of bone tenons. But they also used loads of aluminum tenons from the late teens into the twenties.
I have a large boxed kit made by WDC in the early 20’s that was sold to retailers to repair pipes. It’s full of premolded stems of Celluloid, Catalin, and rubber. It’s full tenons both bone and aluminum tenons and they are all made to specifically fit WDC pipes, many of the catalin stems in the kit came pre fitted with aluminum tenons. I’ve also got a few WDC meers that have their factory Catalin stems and aluminum tenons. I have specifically worked on at least three WDC meers nearly identical to the chubby square shanked pipe above and all of them had aluminum tenons and catalin stems.
Cool! We mostly agree. I’m going to nitpick a bit.
I think the silver band appliqué marks it as an earlier srt nouveau stlyle. You really dont see that after maybe 1910. Possibly earlier. The red Bakelite is something that was a big deal. The briars were stamped Bskelite. The cases labeled Bakelite. I haven’t seen a factory Meer with a red Bakelite stems. But I guess they might exist. But there are a lot of amber marked pipes with red Bakelite replacement stems. I also think the Russian Amber stamp was an earlier marketing ploy. Can’t prove that though.
Lastly, the metal tenon looks wrong. It looks like a threaded stud instead of having 2 distinct ends. It’s also too long. Here’s a Triangle Bakelite pipe as an example.
And if the stem is red, it’s Bakelite. Same stuff as Redmanol. I have a a WDC with a catalin replacement stem that is yellow orange. The catalin is heavier. More stone like.
I think the silver band appliqué marks it as an earlier srt nouveau stlyle. You really dont see that after maybe 1910. Possibly earlier. The red Bakelite is something that was a big deal. The briars were stamped Bskelite. The cases labeled Bakelite. I haven’t seen a factory Meer with a red Bakelite stems. But I guess they might exist. But there are a lot of amber marked pipes with red Bakelite replacement stems. I also think the Russian Amber stamp was an earlier marketing ploy. Can’t prove that though.
Lastly, the metal tenon looks wrong. It looks like a threaded stud instead of having 2 distinct ends. It’s also too long. Here’s a Triangle Bakelite pipe as an example.
And if the stem is red, it’s Bakelite. Same stuff as Redmanol. I have a a WDC with a catalin replacement stem that is yellow orange. The catalin is heavier. More stone like.
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I was wrong. I checked my files and I did once have a factory Bakelite stem WDC meerschaum. It was pressed meerschaum and was case marked. It looks like a 1920s pipe. I think the tenon was bone glued in the shank. I don't have a pic though and it was a long time ago.
Yep, they made both the double pitch and single pitch aluminum tenons, they also made single pitch bone tenons, though you don’t see them to often.
And yes they did make loads of replacement Catalin and red Bakelite stems but I’ve never seen one that style with the heavy bend and square shank. Bakelite is nearly impossible to bend, especially that deeply. Which means that stem was most likely molded for that pipe. I’ve got a WDC meer at home with a red Bakelite stem and aluminum tenon, I’ll take some pics tonight.
And yes they did make loads of replacement Catalin and red Bakelite stems but I’ve never seen one that style with the heavy bend and square shank. Bakelite is nearly impossible to bend, especially that deeply. Which means that stem was most likely molded for that pipe. I’ve got a WDC meer at home with a red Bakelite stem and aluminum tenon, I’ll take some pics tonight.
Talk about a 'block' meerschaum. This is such an interesting shape.
Well, looking at the bottom of the stem, somebody monkeyed with it. So it’s hard to figure what went on. I generally gravitate to the older meers so I will take your word on the 20s pipes. LHS and Frank used the same metal tenons for a short time. Then everyone went to rubber stems and push tenons on their briars. Mostly anyway.
And yeah, Bakelite is very difficult to bend. I broke a stem earlier this year trying to do just that. At least the break was clean and repairable. Lesson learned.
This is my impression too. Plus, the mortis is kind of a mess (see the picture). The tenon threads in somewhat loosely but finally snugs up enough to be fine for smoking. Also, the tenon does not begin threading until it has been inserted 3/8 inch.
Yes, it certainly looks that way.
Yes. The fit and shape of the stem seem perfect.
You guys are a well of information!
The shape must have been made for a good 30 years. I can accept that it was made with a Bakelite stem and a metal tenon. But the case logo looks older. The filigree above the WDC Triangle is dropped later. And the silver applique on a gold plate band still strikes me as older. I’m not seeing that in any of the catalog pages I have copied. The other pipes I’ve had with that style of band I’m pretty sure were like 19th century.But that’s thin. It’s an old pipe. Enjoy it!
This case logo is like yours. It’s an older pipe.
This one is later. No filigree above the triangle.
This one is later. No filigree above the triangle.