Cigar Weekly

kevie49 · 03-20-2018, 12:50 PM

After seeing quite a bit written and discussed about restoring estate pipes (a term I'd never even heard until about a month ago) I thought that I'd keep a look out on eBay and pick up something I liked the look of without breaking the bank. Whilst I waited for the specimen pipe to appear I also researched quite a bit about different techniques and the do's and (probably more importantly) the don'ts.

So a pipe appeared on eBay that appeared to fit the bill, so I bid and won for the grand total price of £15 ($21 US). The pipe was intact with no cracks on the bowl but was extremely heavily caked following years of use along with a bit of damage to the end of the stem. It is a Lorenzo pipe and I believe the name is Alpine, however the last letter after n is on a dark part of the bowl design which makes it unreadable.

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kevie49 · 03-20-2018, 01:14 PM

For the past 2 weeks I've been cleaning, polishing, filling, removing cake, manufacturing parts and scraping.

Firstly I scraped the stem to remove any loose residue and then soaked it overnight in a bleach solution to I sanded down the hole in the pipe. To get rid of the hole I filed down a couple of pieces of orange and beige acrylic and mixed these until I got the colour as close to the stem as I could. I placed a pipe cleaner covered in vaseline into the pipe stem and mixed the acrylic dust with acrylic cement and built it up in layers so that it protruded from the stem. After leaving it to set overnight I smoothed this down with some 1200 grit aluminium oxide (wet & dry) sandpaper.

For the bowl I put a pipe cleaner in the end piece and cotton wool in the bowl and then filled the bowl with alcohol using a syringe, being careful to avoid any coming over the edge. After several attempts at cleaning the heavily caked bowl with my existing tools, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a reamer. This cleaned the bowl very well indeed. The inside was finished with a stone "bullet" attachment on a drill. The caked top required a bit of light filing, which was then finished with several thin coverings of linseed oil.

However one thing that I was unhappy with was the fitting of the stem onto the bowl; when the screw thread was tightened it wasn't straight so, rather than risk damage to the pipe, I decided the safest way was to make a spacer. Initially I made it out of steel, but given the colours of the pipe I wasn't happy with the finish. After a bit of searching, some small pieces of brass were found in the spare metal box, including a piece of flat bar that was just perfect for the job. A bit of drilling, filing and (a lot of) polishing later the spacer was the perfect shape and thickness and suited the pipe far more than it's steel cousin.

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

kevie49 · 03-20-2018, 01:20 PM

Here is the finished project. I initially bought this as a project and then I was going to out it back on eBay, however I've grown quite attached to this and I may end up keeping it.

The bowl is certainly quite a bit bigger than my other pipes, but it is a lovely looking pipe and I may even keep it as a decorative piece.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm not expecting this to be perfect given it is my first attempt.

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SLR · 03-20-2018, 02:32 PM

Wow Kevin, that s a great job on that pipe restoration.

kevie49 · 03-20-2018, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLR

Wow Kevin, that s a great job on that pipe restoration.

Thank you very much for that kind comment. It was definitely a labour if love, I didn't realise how many hours went into restoration.

Smokestack Jack · 03-20-2018, 03:29 PM

You did a great job on that restoration. I am sure you are pleased with the outcome.

I would go ahead and smoke it!

ElkTwin · 03-20-2018, 05:38 PM

Nicely done.

ak2000 · 03-20-2018, 06:00 PM

Ditto everyone else, awesome job, thanks for sharing!

kevie49 · 03-20-2018, 10:59 PM

Thanks for all of the nice feedback

.

I'll post when I eventually decide what I'm doing with it, whether it's a comment on how it smokes or if I pass it on/sell it.

xrundog · 03-21-2018, 04:21 AM

That's a pretty good job! Rims on blasted pipes are difficult to clean and preserve. Going at it too hard will result in loosing the original texture. I use 000 steel wool to get as much of the crud off as possible. Then I use dental picks and scrapers to carefully take off what's left.
Refreshing the color is usually required after that type of work. Fiebings leather dye is an excellent alcohol based product. Anything that might leave a residue or have an odor when heated should be avoided.

03-20-2018, 12:50 PM	#1
kevie49 Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Isle of Lewis Posts: 193	My first attempt at restoring a pipe After seeing quite a bit written and discussed about restoring estate pipes (a term I'd never even heard until about a month ago) I thought that I'd keep a look out on eBay and pick up something I liked the look of without breaking the bank. Whilst I waited for the specimen pipe to appear I also researched quite a bit about different techniques and the do's and (probably more importantly) the don'ts. So a pipe appeared on eBay that appeared to fit the bill, so I bid and won for the grand total price of £15 ($21 US). The pipe was intact with no cracks on the bowl but was extremely heavily caked following years of use along with a bit of damage to the end of the stem. It is a Lorenzo pipe and I believe the name is Alpine, however the last letter after n is on a dark part of the bowl design which makes it unreadable. Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

03-20-2018, 02:32 PM	#4
SLR Charter Member Moderator Herf God Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: OC/LA Area, CA USA Posts: 15,520	Wow Kevin, that s a great job on that pipe restoration. __________________ Isaiah 53 LGBFJB BE AWAKE, NOT WOKE

03-20-2018, 03:29 PM	#6
Smokestack Jack Herf God Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Warsaw, Mo. 65355 Posts: 13,366	You did a great job on that restoration. I am sure you are pleased with the outcome. I would go ahead and smoke it! __________________ *SSJ... Herfin' in the Heartland* I can't help it, I have an excuse. What was that excuse again?

03-20-2018, 06:00 PM	#8
ak2000 Charter Member Herf God Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Illinois Posts: 10,601	Ditto everyone else, awesome job, thanks for sharing! __________________ Cigars are brain food...... JLOH #19

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03-20-2018, 01:14 PM	#2
kevie49 Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Isle of Lewis Posts: 193	For the past 2 weeks I've been cleaning, polishing, filling, removing cake, manufacturing parts and scraping. Firstly I scraped the stem to remove any loose residue and then soaked it overnight in a bleach solution to I sanded down the hole in the pipe. To get rid of the hole I filed down a couple of pieces of orange and beige acrylic and mixed these until I got the colour as close to the stem as I could. I placed a pipe cleaner covered in vaseline into the pipe stem and mixed the acrylic dust with acrylic cement and built it up in layers so that it protruded from the stem. After leaving it to set overnight I smoothed this down with some 1200 grit aluminium oxide (wet & dry) sandpaper. For the bowl I put a pipe cleaner in the end piece and cotton wool in the bowl and then filled the bowl with alcohol using a syringe, being careful to avoid any coming over the edge. After several attempts at cleaning the heavily caked bowl with my existing tools, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a reamer. This cleaned the bowl very well indeed. The inside was finished with a stone "bullet" attachment on a drill. The caked top required a bit of light filing, which was then finished with several thin coverings of linseed oil. However one thing that I was unhappy with was the fitting of the stem onto the bowl; when the screw thread was tightened it wasn't straight so, rather than risk damage to the pipe, I decided the safest way was to make a spacer. Initially I made it out of steel, but given the colours of the pipe I wasn't happy with the finish. After a bit of searching, some small pieces of brass were found in the spare metal box, including a piece of flat bar that was just perfect for the job. A bit of drilling, filing and (a lot of) polishing later the spacer was the perfect shape and thickness and suited the pipe far more than it's steel cousin. Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

03-20-2018, 01:20 PM	#3
kevie49 Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Isle of Lewis Posts: 193	Here is the finished project. I initially bought this as a project and then I was going to out it back on eBay, however I've grown quite attached to this and I may end up keeping it. The bowl is certainly quite a bit bigger than my other pipes, but it is a lovely looking pipe and I may even keep it as a decorative piece. Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm not expecting this to be perfect given it is my first attempt. Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

03-20-2018, 05:38 PM	#7
ElkTwin Ungulate in Chief Club Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2,705	Nicely done.

03-20-2018, 10:59 PM	#9
kevie49 Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Isle of Lewis Posts: 193	Thanks for all of the nice feedback . I'll post when I eventually decide what I'm doing with it, whether it's a comment on how it smokes or if I pass it on/sell it.

03-21-2018, 04:21 AM	#10
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	That's a pretty good job! Rims on blasted pipes are difficult to clean and preserve. Going at it too hard will result in loosing the original texture. I use 000 steel wool to get as much of the crud off as possible. Then I use dental picks and scrapers to carefully take off what's left. Refreshing the color is usually required after that type of work. Fiebings leather dye is an excellent alcohol based product. Anything that might leave a residue or have an odor when heated should be avoided.