WDC Wellington

[Briar Lee]

Today I got a huge bent pipe in the mail, with a bad button, that reminded me of my first true, large size pipe, that I still own today.

At a gas station near Topeka Kansas in 1977 they had a basket of unsold pipes, and this WDC Wellington Giant cost $4.95, same as the others. I asked the clerk why it was so cheap, and he said it had somehow gotten under some laundry soap they had for sale and it was caked with soap. So were the other pipes he had in the basket, although all were far smaller.


I boiled this pipe to get all the laundry soap out of the briar, and today I finally bought a bigger pipe, but not by much.


Supposedly this size and shape was smoked by the Duke of Wellington.

I’d never seen another like it until today, but this WDC has a properly proportioned stem.



I understand it’s a hard shape to make, because the stems are so long they are difficult to drill.

With a military mount, it’s no trouble to try another stem, but if you messed up a stem on a push mount pipe trying to make a Wellington, you’d have to shorten it considerably.

I guess I got two bargains on Giant Duke of Wellington sized pipes in my life, but I wish the one I got today had the correct sized stem.

Large or small, the Wellington has a certain proportion that only looks right, if there’s a proper length stem.The pipe on the right is a small Peterson, but with properly proportioned stem.

The Giant Wellington will hold an enormous amount of tobacco.

They are a bit large to walk around with, but make for a long smoke of evening, before you turn in.

I can’t say as I’ve ever seen any other Giant Wellington sized pipes for sale.

But I’m sure proud of my two, even if my last one does have a funny looking stem.

 

[telescopes]

I have the exact same pipe only it is in excellent condition.

It smokes well enough, but to be honest, for a pipe that size, I prefer my churchwardens.

The bowl is simply too big.

So what do I use it for.

Lakelands, but in small doses.

 

[OzPiper]

They come up often on EBay, though not for $4.95, I'm very sure !

 

[Briar Lee]

They come up often on EBay, though not for $4.95, I'm very sure !

The size of it being so large, I’m sure it was more than $4.95 wholesale, whenever it was made. WDC made their Wellington in all sizes and qualities from the 1920’s to 1972.

I bought my pipe from the young, new owner of an old gas station near Topeka who said he found a box of pipes in a storeroom but laundry soap had broken open and every pipe was coated with white detergent. It had a ghost taste of soap for years, all gone now.

Wellington pipes – rebornpipes

Posts about Wellington pipes written by rebornpipes

rebornpipes.com

A standard pipe cleaner isn’t long enough to go through. Years ago I bought extra long pipe cleaners, but now I just clean from both ends.

When made the stem was turned from a long, wide rod of vulcanite.

Kaywoodie made a version (but probably with a Kaywoodie Synchro Stem and stinger) called the Chesterfield, which I’ve never seen. It would have been a huge pipe to be considered a Giant Wellington, no doubt.

 

[craig61a]

I have several, from normal size to jumbo. Yello-Bole made a copy of the jumbo, the 3x68C.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I may be wrong, but something tells me that those stems aren't drilled... maybe injection cast?

A guy in our pipe club collects those pipes. We had a naughty Santa ugly pipe swap, and it was definitely the hot potato in the game.

Lovely pipe, and I hope she smokes well for you.

 

[condorlover1]

I am always amazed by people who enjoy smoking pipes that hold enormous amounts of tobacco. Don't get me wrong as personal preference often is a deciding factor but with the inflationary times we live in keeping one of those in regular rotation could consume an average tobacco budget in no time. Lovely pipe. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Briar Lee]

I may be wrong, but something tells me that those stems aren't drilled... maybe injection cast?

A guy in our pipe club collects those pipes. We had a naughty Santa ugly pipe swap, and it was definitely the hot potato in the game.

Lovely pipe, and I hope she smokes well for you.

Here’s the Pipedia entry about Wilbert Demuth Company.

William Demuth Company - Pipedia

pipedia.org

The old box at that Topeka gas station had at least a dozen nice old detergent soaked pipes, and being a 19 year old kid I only bought the best and biggest one.

This was an old time full service gas station, not a modern convenience store.

The owner had bought it from the old widow who had ran it for many years after her husband died. The pipes had been his, he thought.

In a storeroom where they were found, there at one time had been a washer and dryer to wash the uniforms of the attendants. Evidently this old box of pipes was left below a shelf where over the years laundry detergent had spilled down and coated all the pipes in a box.

He asked what I’d give for all of them, but I had a rather expensive girlfriend at the time, and five dollars plus the gasoline was about all I thought I could swing. I had no idea of any pipe logos then except the Dr. Grabow spade and E.A. Carey.

There were pipes with little shamrocks and some with little gold stars, every one coated white with detergent.

The guy hid them too well, from his wife, I’d reckon.



It took me a long time and a lot of tobacco to get the smell of detergent out of my biggest pipe I owned, until I got a bigger one, yesterday.

On the largest of those old Giant Wellingtons I’d say they about had to use rod vulcanite.

Casting and bending such a long piece of plastic would be quite a trick, I’d think.

 

[FurCoat]

Beautiful pipes. First I've seen with that rustification on a WDC. I like WDC pipes and pick them up if I come across them. Below is a Wellington, Jumbo and a KB&B Chesterfield which shared a lot in common with WDC and Yello Bole in that era.

 

[kcghost]

Lee must write these extremely long threads just to read them to himself.

 

[craig61a]

You can see the casting flash on the front end of the stem…

 

[anotherbob]

Lee must write these extremely long threads just to read them to himself.

they seem to garner a good number of responses.

 

[telescopes]

I’ve had this one for years.

Yes, it has a big bowl.

No, I prefer my HCA convertibles.

The stem is gawky. The metal rings is over done, even for a nine foot giant.

 

[Briar Lee]

View attachment 103663
I’ve had this one for years.

Yes, it has a big bowl.

No, I prefer my HCA convertibles.

The stem is gawky. The metal rings is over done, even for a nine foot giant.

I had a pipe smoking friend in the dormitory, I took my new giant pipe to when I got back from Topeka.

He was delighted and pronounced I’d found a jewel of a pipe, and showed me things about the Duke of Wellington shape I still remember most of, although de soaping that pipe is my strongest memory.

Each WDC Wellington was hand made.

There are a lot of homages paid to the Peterson System pipe but it’s not a direct copy, but a Duke of Wellington shape. They came in all different sizes.

First, the bowl needs to lay flat where the top of the bowl is equal to the height of the shank, on a three quarter bend.

The stem in the larger pipes is a monstrosity. That flare on the stem must be proportioned to the shank diameter. There are two holes drilled in the stem, a larger one where it joins the shank, and then it has a taper down to a standard air hole the size of a pipe cleaner.

WDC used a military mount, and the bottom of stem is on a taper and thd shank that it joins has a matching taper inside.

There’s a WDC version of a Peterson water well inside the shank.

And especially on larger bowls, the chamber is also tapered a bit like a Dublin, to help get all that tobacco burned down to the bottom.

The stem is so many times longer than the distance between the front of the bowl and rear of the shank, and each one is bent to hang down so the British soldier in the Napoleonic War could load and fire his Brown Bess, or so the advertising went.

SM Frank kept this pipe cataloged until the 1980s.

After I got all the laundry detergent out of it it’s been an excellent smoker for over forty years now for me.

It holds enough tobacco to where a 1 1/2 ounce pouch is maybe good for four to six smokes.

The one I got on Monday was slightly bigger, but a push stem, and the stem had been obviously shortened and re bent and a button improvised, due to some accident.

It’s a neat conversation piece and even better smoker.

 

[didimauw]

I like the pipe except for the stem.

Do you not clean your estate pipes after you buy them?

 

[telescopes]

I had a pipe smoking friend in the dormitory, I took my new giant pipe to when I got back from Topeka.

He was delighted and pronounced I’d found a jewel of a pipe, and showed me things about the Duke of Wellington shape I still remember most of, although de soaping that pipe is my strongest memory.

Each WDC Wellington was hand made.

There are a lot of homages paid to the Peterson System pipe but it’s not a direct copy, but a Duke of Wellington shape. They came in all different sizes.

First, the bowl needs to lay flat where the top of the bowl is equal to the height of the shank, on a three quarter bend.

The stem in the larger pipes is a monstrosity. That flare on the stem must be proportioned to the shank diameter. There are two holes drilled in the stem, a larger one where it joins the shank, and then it has a taper down to a standard air hole the size of a pipe cleaner.

WDC used a military mount, and the bottom of stem is on a taper and thd shank that it joins has a matching taper inside.

There’s a WDC version of a Peterson water well inside the shank.

And especially on larger bowls, the chamber is also tapered a bit like a Dublin, to help get all that tobacco burned down to the bottom.

The stem is so many times longer than the distance between the front of the bowl and rear of the shank, and each one is bent to hang down so the British soldier in the Napoleonic War could load and fire his Brown Bess, or so the advertising went.

SM Frank kept this pipe cataloged until the 1980s.

After I got all the laundry detergent out of it it’s been an excellent smoker for over forty years now for me.

It holds enough tobacco to where a 1 1/2 ounce pouch is maybe good for four to six smokes.

The one I got on Monday was slightly bigger, but a push stem, and the stem had been obviously shortened and re bent and a button improvised, due to some accident.

It’s a neat conversation piece and even better smoker.

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The nickel band can polish up nicely. That does help.

 

[Briar Lee]

I like the pipe except for the stem.

Do you not clean your estate pipes after you buy them?

I’ve owned the WDC since 1977, and after I got the Tide out of it, it was sure clean then.

I’ve smoked it like a chimney for over forty years. I guess technically it is an estate, but until now it’s my biggest pipe.

I need advice on stem cleaning.

I use steel wool and olive oil, but the tarnish comes right back where it’s clenched.

Any pointers?

 

[telescopes]

I’ve owned the WDC since 1977, and after I got the Tide out of it, it was sure clean then.

I’ve smoked it like a chimney for over forty years. I guess technically it is an estate, but until now it’s my biggest pipe.

I need advice on stem cleaning.

I use steel wool and olive oil, but the tarnish comes right back where it’s clenched.

Any pointers?

Flame it off with a lighter, rolling the flame gently and quickly. I then use a heavy grit micro mesh pad and work my way back to the polishing pads. Then, a wipe of mineral oil or obsidian oil. Keep the stem out of direct sunlight if it acts up.

 

[Briar Lee]

Flame it off with a lighter, rolling the flame gently and quickly. I then use a heavy grit micro mesh pad and work my way back to the polishing pads. Then, a wipe of mineral oil or obsidian oil. Keep the stem out of direct sunlight if it acts up.

Thanks for the pointers.

I’ll have to get some obsidian oil just to brag I have some.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks for the pointers.

I’ll have to get some obsidian oil just to brag I have some.

I really like to use the micromesh pads, They will bring up a very nice polish.
Then afterwards, I just keep them buffed with a jeweler's cloth after each smoke to keep them shiny. The white piece polishes and removes tarnish, and the blue outside piece is imbedded with a microcrystalline wax that prevents oxidation.

I've never used Obsidian Oil, but I find that oils in general just tend to hide the oxidation. And as soon as the oil has dried it comes back. It must do something right, because so many people swear by it. YMMV