When to Not Restore? "Selected by Sasieni" Double One Dot

[newbroom]

If I had to do a major stem repair same deal. If I had to replace a stem, I'd be very sure the owner gets back the original.

Funny thing happened. I sent my only Dunhill pipe off to a certified Dunhill pipe repairman, no kidding!, for a certified Dunhill stem replacement for what was not an original, but perfectly fine, existing vulcanite stem in my new $67.00 1/2 bent ShellBriar.
He sent back the stem I had originally received with my pipe plus the new, certified Dunhill replacement stem with a nice little white dot.
Well, says I, I'll just put that new stem away for possible resale of this pipe and make a pile of money!
Whoa, what's this? The old stem is now too loose by far? What happened?
My certified repairmen took wood instead of vulcanite to fit my new stem, thus rendering the original useless.
I still went back to the guy another time, and that's another sad story.

 

[runscott]

Funny thing happened. I sent my only Dunhill pipe off to a certified Dunhill pipe repairman, no kidding!, for a certified Dunhill stem replacement for what was not an original, but perfectly fine, existing vulcanite stem in my new $67.00 1/2 bent ShellBriar.
He sent back the stem I had originally received with my pipe plus the new, certified Dunhill replacement stem with a nice little white dot.
Well, says I, I'll just put that new stem away for possible resale of this pipe and make a pile of money!
Whoa, what's this? The old stem is now too loose by far? What happened?
My certified repairmen took wood instead of vulcanite to fit my new stem, thus rendering the original useless.
I still went back to the guy another time, and that's another sad story.

If I had a really special pipe that required a repair that I couldn't do, or needed a new stem, I would go to one of three people. Their names are not as important as how I learned who they are: as I needed to do various pipe repairs, searching the forums and googling, I watched various videos, read various blogs and questioned various techniques I saw used. Basically, by researching thoroughly, I learned how to make repairs that I still didn't trust myself to do, and who I could absolutely trust to do such repairs and who I would never in a million years send me a surprise repair.

When I used to buy/sell pre-war felt fedoras and pool cues, I would hear stories like yours - someone would send a valuable old hat out for repair and it would come back with a new sweatband, the old one with all the stampings, tossed in the garbage. Pool cues could have even worse done to them.

I don't know why your repairman chose to remove wood. I can't think of a reason, but maybe there was one. A basic rule I have (and which I just used this weekend) is 'stem before stummel'.

 

[Hillcrest]

and we agree that the process should be as minimally invasive as possible while addressing any functional concerns

Very hard to get some to understand the concept of 'minimally invasive' in a world where everyone wants to 'mark their territory' ! Good to know some repairmen understand this. While I have never had to have a pipe repaired I have often had to have antiques repaired/refurbished and have learned to repair some (simple) myself to avoid the issue altogether. Hats off to master repairmen !

 

[runscott]

Very hard to get some to understand the concept of 'minimally invasive' in a world where everyone wants to 'mark their territory' ! Good to know some repairmen understand this. While I have never had to have a pipe repaired I have often had to have antiques repaired/refurbished and have learned to repair some (simple) myself to avoid the issue altogether. Hats off to master repairmen !

Some collectors believe that the goal of any restorer should be to make the pipe look brand new, regardless of condition, and regardless of how it would have looked new. At least one restorer I know caters only to such people. Such restorer's efforts might result in a gorgeous pipe, but if you have a rim that's too thin in a small area, cutting out the rest of the chamber to make it look as if a thin rim was its correct look when new, is a mistake in my opinion. Same for taking 1/4" off the top just to cover a small bad area, or destroying the originality of a shank opening just because you found a non-original stem that could make the pipe look 'new' if you created a screw-in opening for it. And the sanded down bits are unforgivable.

 

[Hillcrest]

Some collectors believe that the goal of any restorer should be to make the pipe look brand new, regardless of condition, and regardless of how it would have looked new. At least one restorer I know caters only to such people. Such restorer's efforts might result in a gorgeous pipe, but if you have a rim that's too thin in a small area, cutting out the rest of the chamber to make it look as if a thin rim was its correct look when new, is a mistake in my opinion. Same for taking 1/4" off the top just to cover a small bad area, or destroying the originality of a shank opening just because you found a non-original stem that could make the pipe look 'new' if you created a screw-in opening for it. And the sanded down bits are unforgivable.

Most antique dealers will tell you that refinishing lessens the value of valuable antiques - refinishing, not 'cleaning up', or 'polishing'. I agree with you on the above ... although I suspect one of my Peterson seconds was 'topped' by a few millimeters by Peterson because of a pit that was too bad to fill but that's why its a second and not a first. Doesn't effect the pipe ... its my favorite and more valuable to me than more expensive pipes. Buyer beware; owner be prudent.

 

[runscott]

Most antique dealers will tell you that refinishing lessens the value of valuable antiques - refinishing, not 'cleaning up', or 'polishing'. I agree with you on the above ... although I suspect one of my Peterson seconds was 'topped' by a few millimeters by Peterson because of a pit that was too bad to fill but that's why its a second and not a first. Doesn't effect the pipe ... its my favorite and more valuable to me than more expensive pipes. Buyer beware; owner be prudent.

As a buyer and restorer of antiques, I agree with that sentiment. I used to collect pre-wwii Balke Collender (and similar) pool cues. I never bought a restored cue, as most weren't done properly, but I often got very excited about unrestored cues I came across. It was mostly the restoration process that excited me, but in many cases it was the idea that I could turn a profit, as it was part of my business. Some objects absolutely shouldn't be touched, but for many it's perfectly fine and often desirable. I was just looking at the Amsterdam Pipe Museum site and noticed that they don't restore the pipes in their collection. Honestly, I wouldn't restore any of mine that are historically significant if I didn't firmly believe that all smoked pipes deserve to be smoked again. I generally don't touch the ones that I know I will never smoke.

 

[Hillcrest]

As a buyer and restorer of antiques, I agree with that sentiment. I used to collect pre-wwii Balke Collender (and similar) pool cues. I never bought a restored cue, as most weren't done properly, but I often got very excited about unrestored cues I came across. It was mostly the restoration process that excited me, but in many cases it was the idea that I could turn a profit, as it was part of my business. Some objects absolutely shouldn't be touched, but for many it's perfectly fine and often desirable. I was just looking at the Amsterdam Pipe Museum site and noticed that they don't restore the pipes in their collection. Honestly, I wouldn't restore any of mine that are historically significant if I didn't firmly believe that all smoked pipes deserve to be smoked again. I generally don't touch the ones that I know I will never smoke.

I grew up with antiques, my parents used to cart me around on weekends when they had a part time antiques business. My Dad was also fascinated by restoration but wouldn't touch anything until he fully taught himself all there was to know about an item and technique. He was a real renaissance man who could do it all. Some of his work was almost invisible but he had an artist's eye. He was meticulously careful. It also helped that he was a master tool maker and knew what he was doing. We're on the same page. I just wish I had inherited a little more of his patience and hand skills.

 

[runscott]

I grew up with antiques, my parents used to cart me around on weekends when they had a part time antiques business. My Dad was also fascinated by restoration but wouldn't touch anything until he fully taught himself all there was to know about an item and technique. He was a real renaissance man who could do it all. Some of his work was almost invisible but he had an artist's eye. He was meticulously careful. It also helped that he was a master tool maker and knew what he was doing. We're on the same page. I just wish I had inherited a little more of his patience and hand skills.

The most difficult time is when you add a new area to your collecting, and have to go through the learning curve before feeling comfortable restoring. Hopefully you can get to where you need to be, without destroying anything historically significant.

 

[Hillcrest]

The most difficult time is when you add a new area to your collecting, and have to go through the learning curve before feeling comfortable restoring. Hopefully you can get to where you need to be, without destroying anything historically significant.

Not my thing, unfortunately. My family members still acquire antiques occasionally. I just do the clean up and occasional minor repairs - usually to make them usable. I do have a great appreciation for vintage and antiques though and do have the eye for spotting quality and deals. I think I currently hold the record for 'finds' in my family but its a rotating honor.

 

[georged]

Funny thing happened. I sent my only Dunhill pipe off to a certified Dunhill pipe repairman, no kidding!, for a certified Dunhill stem replacement for what was not an original, but perfectly fine, existing vulcanite stem in my new $67.00 1/2 bent ShellBriar.
He sent back the stem I had originally received with my pipe plus the new, certified Dunhill replacement stem with a nice little white dot.
Well, says I, I'll just put that new stem away for possible resale of this pipe and make a pile of money!
Whoa, what's this? The old stem is now too loose by far? What happened?
My certified repairmen took wood instead of vulcanite to fit my new stem, thus rendering the original useless.
I still went back to the guy another time, and that's another sad story.

There's a rule in play regarding effort and result for activities like antique restoration and "invisible" pipe repair.

Doubling effort doesn't double the distance covered, but only cuts the remaining distance to the goal in half.

Like so:

One unit of work gets you 80% of the way to perfect; two units gets you to 90%; four units gets you to 95%; eight units are required to get to 97.5; and so on.

Discovering that this rule can't be beaten is why there are so few top level repairmen in fields where more than just proper function is required. If the broken antique watch, or grandfather clock, or fountain pen, or [fill in the blank] has to LOOK exactly a certain way in addition to functioning correctly again, the work required to do it quickly becomes insane. In addition, most of the time there is no re-wind button when mistakes are made.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Funny thing happened. I sent my only Dunhill pipe off to a certified Dunhill pipe repairman, no kidding!, for a certified Dunhill stem replacement for what was not an original, but perfectly fine, existing vulcanite stem in my new $67.00 1/2 bent ShellBriar.
He sent back the stem I had originally received with my pipe plus the new, certified Dunhill replacement stem with a nice little white dot.
Well, says I, I'll just put that new stem away for possible resale of this pipe and make a pile of money!
Whoa, what's this? The old stem is now too loose by far? What happened?
My certified repairmen took wood instead of vulcanite to fit my new stem, thus rendering the original useless.
I still went back to the guy another time, and that's another sad story.

been doing this road before, not once but twice or even more, so to say,the functionality of the pipes were restored,money taken and the final result was a lot to be desired,be it simple banding, be it a brand new stem ,at best,clumsy looks and mediocre fitting. When it comes to Europe , there are two persons on whom I could put my trust and both those Gentlemen are in England, and thats about it