When Not To Restore A Pipe

[pruss]

Here is my latest entry on Steve Laug's blog: http://rebornpipes.com/2015/04/06/you-got-to-know-when-to-hold-em-paps-pipes/
I'd love to know when you choose to walk away from a pipe restoration. For me it really comes down to two things, my skill level and the predictive outcome of me continuing with restoration work. If the pipes belong to someone else, I won't take risks in continuing work.
How do you make this call?
-- Pat

 

[danielplainview]

I don't know any better. There are plenty I should have left for dead.

 

[jackswilling]

^^^ I like your attitude.

 

[menuhin]

When I see the title (before reading your text), my answer is simply, "for sure when the tooth marks and charring were left by Einstein, or alike"

 

[tuold]

It would have interesting to try the briar dust/superglue trick on those fills. There's no way to completely cover those, but I think you could hide them pretty well after a restaining.
The charred rim would have to be topped quite a bit, maybe making it not look like Pap's pipe anymore.
The cracked shank I think you could do a cosmetic repair but not without wiping the nomenclature off.
I bought some turd pipes on eBay for a few bucks just so I could practice this kind of thing. I certainly don't have the confidence myself to work on other guy's pipes, especially heirlooms. I'm sure you made the right decisions.

 

[pruss]

Thanks for the comments, gents.
It really is interesting to hear when and how folks decide to make or halt restorations ... we all have our limits of skill, and different perspectives on risk vs. reward.

I don't know any better. There are plenty I should have left for dead.

I hear you. Those kinds of pipes, for me, are experiment pipes. Pipes that I use to try new things, like dealing with broken shanks or using black superglue on vampire chewed buttons.

The charred rim would have to be topped quite a bit, maybe making it not look like Pap's pipe anymore.

Yeah, Tuold I could have topped it, but then it wouldn't have been a pipe any more. The charring literally extended almost a full 1/2" down the bowl on an already smallish prince. Topping would have been more like halving. Which is why I left it.

The cracked shank I think you could do a cosmetic repair but not without wiping the nomenclature off.

The cracked shank on the dublin was already opening up behind the repair band. I think the next step there would be to pull the band, clean out the crack and add some fill, then re-band the pipe. The bulldog was more concerning as there was a split opening between the two fills on the bottom of the shank.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
-- Pat