What to do with New Old Pipe

[Teddyh]

Hi new member and new pipe smoker here looking for advice on what to do with this old boy that just came in.
I’ve cleaned up the stem but need advice on what to do with the bowl.
The pipe dates from 1901 (hallmark) so I don’t want to go crazy and damage it. Especially as I think there looks to be crack on the inside.

can I smoke it ‘as is’ or should I get a reamer and/or do the salt and alcohol clean. If reaming, how do I avoid making the crack worse?

 

[ChuckMijo]

Pipe needs a proper cleaning. I would ream the pipe and cotton and alcohol. If you can retort. If not lots of q tips in shank. Stem appears to be a replacement and that should be cleaned as well. Nice old pipe! Congrats ?

 

[OzPiper]

Nice looking pipe.

If you're not sure what to do, send it to Steve Laug @Rebornpipes or one of the other reputable guys for a refurb.

If you want to take on the job yourself, spend a few days looking through Rebornpipes for hints and instructions on how to do the job.

I'd ream out the bowl for a start - almost back to wood, so you can get an idea of any issues with the bowl. If there are any superficial fissures, a couple of layers of pipemud should fix that. The inner rim looks out of round.

I'd examine the shank closely with a bright light. A pipe from 1901 will most likely have seen a lot of use, and will need to be cleaned out thoroughly with alcohol. Ditto with the stem (looks upside down in the photo).

The rim has some lava - toothbrush and soap or wet kitchen paper towels will get it sufficiently clean.

Good luck with that pipe. And enjoy it when you're finished. But be sure to come back and post some photos of the refurbished article.

 

[Chasing Embers]

You can take the build up off of the rim with saliva and a paper towel.

 

[sandollars]

Looks like there are many cracks. I would not touch that pipe with a reamer. You might end up very disappointed....

If you feel compelled to ream it out, use sandpaper instead. JMHO

 

[F4RM3R]

1+ for sandpaper. Just take it slow and easy. Use a dowel or pencil to wrap the sandpaper around. A finger works too, but can be more prone to accidentally bending the paper too far and damaging the rim.

If it were me, i would just clean the shank and bowl with some soft and bristle pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol(or bourbon or rum), run a few soft ones at the end and dry it out overnight or two. give it a smoke or two before reaming it, Might be just fine as is to enjoy for a while. I’ve even smoked estates without cleaning them. Just to get a taste of what the previous owner smoked. Creepy? Probably.

some pipes are rank though, and def need a good cleaning.

 

[peregrinus]

Looks like there are many cracks. I would not touch that pipe with a reamer. You might end up very disappointed....

I see several cracks in the bowl also.
In less you have previous experience in pipe restoration I would send this to a professional for anything other than a simple superficial cleaning.
Best of luck with your new pipe.

 

[kcghost]

If it was mine I'd prefer to send it out to someone who really knows how to refurb a pipe.

 

[anotherbob]

if you decide to do it yourself the best thing is to go slow. Remembering you can't undo damage.

 

[solideogloria86]

I'd definitely send that one off for a professional repair.

 

[mso489]

I'm not a refurb guy, but I would definitely not use a reamer which tends to chip the cake out of the bowl but can get down to wood or take off wood with the cake. Sandpaper with a gentle touch..

 

[OzPiper]

I have a set of Pipnet reamers which does a great job removing cake very evenly and finely.

I've had no issues refurbishing most of my estate pipes myself. Early on I bought a couple of old (100+ years old) pipes in fairly bad condition (totally caked up, uneven rims from being bashed about, totally blocked up airways etc) to practise on. It was a steep learning curve.

Ones that are beyond my capability are sent off to Steve Laug (Rebornpipes)

 

[jeepnewbie]

If you do ream it yourself. Wrap something around the bowl to keep even pressure from the outside. As said before go slow and don’t use a reamer that chips or is aggressive. I too suggest to send it out if your unsure. Good luck and keep it classy.

 

[georged]

Don't do any variation of the salt/alcohol soak. Wood that old is already quite dry and you don't want to dry it any further.

Also, reaming a charred & enlarged chamber with crazing and cracking will only enlarge it further to no purpose. By the time you get down to fresh wood there will only be a shell left.

Your best bet is to simply smoke it as-is. Slowly and gently (to avoid more burning) until a decent layer of cake is built and wood is re-hydrated.

An effective way to assure it doesn't overheat during the buildup process is to fill a second pipe with the same tobacco, and trade off between the two, smoking only a handful of puffs each time. Think tag team. Your tasting apparatus won't know the difference, but the old wood sure will.