Pipe Restoration, any recommendations?

[Jazzman]

I recently bought 2 of Pipetongue's estate pipes and wanted to have them restored(buffed,cleaned,etc).

I've heard great things about Walker Briar works but they have a 14 week turnaround, ugh! I was wondering if anybody knew of any other quality pipe restorers? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Peace-Mike :cheers:

 

[jhuggett]

All my restoration projects got to LL (George) but I don't think his turn around will be much faster. Lots of demand for a one guy operation. I could be wrong though.

http://www.precisionpiperepair.com/

 

[sstodvictory]

For the work you want done, Jon's Pipe Shop in Champaign IL will do well and probably give fast turn around. I've never had service through the mail though, because I live close by.

Steve

 

[KevinP]

My only recommendation is a lot of patience.

 

[Anonymous]

I prefer LL but WBW does excellent work also. Established guys who do it full time and are good at it have long waiting lists.

:face:

 

[LL]

There are only a handful of truly good restorer/repairmen in the US, and not as many as you'd think overseas.

The bottom line regarding pipes in the 21st century is you can get fair work done fast, or good work done slowly. The only exception would be someone just starting in the trade who for some reason was already really good, but that would only last until the world discovered him.

If the pipes that need work are premium ones, it is best to bite the bullet and wait, I'm afraid. There is no "rewind" button on mistakes, and a track record of virtually never screwing up is part of what makes the good guys good.

If the pipes are just casual smokers, or are already sub-par for some condition reason (buffed off nomenclature, for example), go ahead a check out one of the hobby restorers or established fast-turnaround guys.

 

[Wet Dottle]

My experience is that ALL of the good pipe repair shops have a long backlog. Believe me, I've tried many. I've also had to send a few "repaired" pipes to be repaired, paying twice for the same thing. In other words, if you really care about the pipe, it's better to wait.

Walker Briar Works is a good place to go, and so is Precision Pipe Repair.