I found my Grandfather's pipes!

[user 2031]

Very cool! I'd give my left nut to have one my grand-dad's pipes.

Thats the problem, left nuts are a dime a dozen these days.. Now a good right nut...

:lol:

 

[Big G]

Almost forty years ago, my Grandfather gave me my first pipe - a Bohn Dri - which I still have & enjoy regularly. I also still have, but don't use, his last pipe - a WDC Wellington.
You'll always cherish those old pipes and the special memories of your Grandfather they give you.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Very cool! I'd give my left nut to have one my grand-dad's pipes.

Thats the problem, left nuts are a dime a dozen these days.. Now a good right nut...

The strata of subtle funny-layers exceeds factory standards. Nicely done. :lol:

8)

 

[Mr. Doody]

So on New Years Day I got to work cleaning up one of gumpy's pipes. The bent billiiard at the bottom of my original picture. From what little I can pull off of the markings it's a Newcastle, which at the time (60s?) was apparently a seconds brand for Comoy. I gave it some light reaming and a good cleaning with everclear. Went through a zillion pipe cleaners getting the stem to come clean .

One of the fun parts of the process is that there was still a bit of unsmoked baccy left in it below the charred stuff - so I got to smell what he was smoking last in it! No clue what it was from smell.

I went for a long walk and enjoyed a bowl of MacBaren HH Vintage Syrian in it. She smoked just fine! It was neat to feel that connection, albeit indirectly, with my grandfather, who I haven't seen since I was a young boy in1976 when he shuffled off, all-too-soon and suddenly. I'm sure I looked like an idiot to passers-by with a goofy grin on my face, puffin' away .

Originally I was planning to clean up the Peterson with the silver band and p-lip. However, I can't get the  stem to separate. I'm PETRIFIED of breaking it, so I'm not sure how best to approach this. Any suggestions would be wildly welcome!!!!!!

Xoxo,
Doody

 

[Fr_Tom]

My paternal grandfather smoked a pipe and I am pretty sure it is in every picture I have of him - a slightly long thin billiard. He died just before WWII, and I have no idea what happened to anything of his. I would love to have one of his pipes. An assortment would be even better!

Lucky find!

 

[Brewdude]

Originally I was planning to clean up the Peterson with the silver band and p-lip. However, I can't get the  stem to separate. I'm PETRIFIED of breaking it, so I'm not sure how best to approach this. Any suggestions would be wildly welcome!!!!!!

Xoxo,
Doody

Doody

Put the pipe in the freezer for about 15 min or so. Take it out and gently twist off the stem. You'll find it will come off without much effort, but go slow. This has worked for me in the past.

You can then sand down the tenon with fine emory cloth until you have a better fit.

HTH


Cheers,

RR

 

[Jevverrett]

That is a really great find sir. Often things like that get trashed when a big move or clean out happens. That Lovat is a great little pipe. I have a modern one, and it's one of my favorites. I would see about pipe restoration for some of the others as well. i had an old Grabow pipe I got from a family member. Filthy when I got it. Fantastic smoker though. Much better quality than the modern versions.

 

[SpeedyPete]

Originally I was planning to clean up the Peterson with the silver band and p-lip. However, I can't get the  stem to separate. I'm PETRIFIED of breaking it, so I'm not sure how best to approach this. Any suggestions would be wildly welcome!!!!!!

Xoxo,
Doody

Doody

Put the pipe in the freezer for about 15 min or so. Take it out and gently twist off the stem. You'll find it will come off without much effort, but go slow. This has worked for me in the past.



RR

Yes, it works nicely :cheers:

 

[Richard Burley]

Here's a story that will warm your heart:

My paternal grandfather was almost unknown to me, since he died when I was quite young and we lived far from him anyhow. I didn't know he smoked a pipe until I discovered about 20 in a drawer of my father, a non-smoker, who verified their origin and wished to keep them. They were wrapped flat in a large paper bag of some sort beneath underwear and stayed there for almost five decades.

When my father passed into bliss eternal, I instantly grabbed the package of pipes and commenced to smoking them. They were mostly standard drugstore cardboard placard pipes, Yello-Boles, Kaywoodies, etc. Even so, there were several interesting specimens, such as several bent rhodesians, a Lee 4-Star bent, a Custombilt, and the usual "Imported Briar" no-names.

Anyhow, long story short, the pipes smoked like crap. I did everything I could think of to mellow them out. They each and every one of them smoked with a strange bitterness that just would not leave. Here's my theory. These pipes had been stored for nearly 50 years in a chest-of-drawers that also housed various toiletries (usually unwanted Christmas presents) among them many bottles of aftershave, another thing my father never used. I think the pipes absorbed whatever essence they could from these. It wasn't like they smelled like aftershave. I think that had evaporated years ago, though the bottles were still there. But the pipes did smell like the drawer, if that makes sense.

So what did I do with these pipes of my grandfather? I eBayed the sonsofbitches a few years ago.

 

[Brewdude]

Here's a story that will warm your heart:

My paternal grandfather was almost unknown to me, since he died when I was quite young and we lived far from him anyhow. I didn't know he smoked a pipe until I discovered about 20 in a drawer of my father, a non-smoker, who verified their origin and wished to keep them. They were wrapped flat in a large paper bag of some sort beneath underwear and stayed there for almost five decades.

When my father passed into bliss eternal, I instantly grabbed the package of pipes and commenced to smoking them. They were mostly standard drugstore cardboard placard pipes, Yello-Boles, Kaywoodies, etc. Even so, there were several interesting specimens, such as several bent rhodesians, a Lee 4-Star bent, a Custombilt, and the usual "Imported Briar" no-names.

Anyhow, long story short, the pipes smoked like crap. I did everything I could think of to mellow them out. They each and every one of them smoked with a strange bitterness that just would not leave. Here's my theory. These pipes had been stored for nearly 50 years in a chest-of-drawers that also housed various toiletries (usually unwanted Christmas presents) among them many bottles of aftershave, another thing my father never used. I think the pipes absorbed whatever essence they could from these. It wasn't like they smelled like aftershave. I think that had evaporated years ago, though the bottles were still there. But the pipes did smell like the drawer, if that makes sense.

So what did I do with these pipes of my grandfather? I eBayed the sonsofbitches a few years ago.

Very plausible theory Mr. Burley. Very plausible indeed.

After all, pipes being wooden, and therefore porous, would be ideal candidates to absorb whatever aromas are present in their environment. Given long enough mind, and it certainly seems like that was the case here. Pity, that!

Ah well, at least you were able to ebay them off. Hopefully someone was able to exorcise the past demons!


Cheers,

RR

 

[Mr. Doody]

you guys rock!

the freezer trick did the job. after 15 minutes it still wouldn't budge - but the silver band would spin, so i knew there was some progress being made. gave it another 15 minutes and BINGO!.

it had a pointy stinger in the stem that came right out with no drama. not gonna keep that :lol: .

the silver band is cleaned - purty!!!!

i may in fact get this one and the brandy restored. they both need a good reaming and some machinery (these are beyond simple elbow-grease!) to get 'em cleaned and polished right.

thx guys,
doody.

 

[Stick]

Good job Doody and top marks to Rande. Now, please hang on to them, give them a bit of TLC and enjoy them!

 

[monbla256]

Sounds like you got a good "find" !! It really doesn't matter what make the pipes are, with the Familial connection, they will ALL be your BEST pipes !! :twisted: :twisted: I have my father's 4 pipes tht he smoked back in the'40s/'50s and to me, they are my BEST ones !! :twisted:

 

[Brewdude]

Very pleased to hear it worked for you Doody. Yes, sometimes it takes a bit more time in the freezer. Don't force it off until it feels like it'll twist with ease.

I've had the heartbreak of snapping a few tenons in my day, so always resort to that technique now.

And after you've sanded it down a bit to get the right fit, if it suddenly appears a bit too loose you can apply a little bees wax and voila!


Cheers,

RR

 

[D'Artagnan]

I inherited my dad's pipes all circa the '60s and '70s. Like your grandfather, my dad smoked pipes, he did not collect them. He beat them against the car door jamb to empty them, banged them against flower pots, heel of his shoes, and carried them in his belt where they fell out frequently.

My dad's pipes are drugstore brands, the most uber brands are a couple Irwin's and Mastersens.

I had all the pipes restored at http://www.precisionpiperepair.com/index.php. They did a fantastic job to the point where they are almost unrecognizable from their beat up and burnt our former selves. It took several years to send them in a small batch at a time, and they certainly cost more to restore than what it cost to purchase them but I cannot put a price on the fact that I am smoking my dad's pipes as if they were brand new.

He too was a Captain Black and drugstore brand tobacco smoker, and now I smoke latakias, English blends, and flakes in them. I have a couple three reserved for aromatics in dad's memory.

My dad's restored pipes are worth more to me than any of my Castello, Cavicci, Le Nuvole, or L'Anatra pipes that I own.