Pipe Restoration

[Trouser Bark]

Roughly 40 years ago a guy that I looked up to was a pipe smoker. A couple of unrelated events happened around that period and at one point it came up in conversation that I was surrounded in the office by people that smoked cigs and I was occasionally one of them... but it didn't seem like my thing.

He gifted me one of his pipes that I could never quite get used to and that exact pipe's since been lost to time. It was a Peterson bulldog w/ a P-lip (or whatever they call their fat lip version). It seemed far too awkward at the time trying to get used to smoking a pipe and that unusual tip didn't make it any easier. Worse yet was that having weaned myself on cigs I was that one guy that inhaled like a Kirby Vac and as often as not wound up w/ a horrific flavor on my tongue that I believe you all call 'bite'. It was gross, the pipe got set aside and eventually lost only to be thought of far more often than I'd have predicted over the following years.

But now I've found the same exact model w/out the goofy lip. The pipe looks far too nasty to wipe off and stick in my mouth so I guess I get to learn a little about how to remove 40 years of use from this one. If any of you know an easy restoration path I'm all ears. Should receive it w/in the next couple weeks.

I had no idea at the time that I'd still be thinking of his kind gift 40 years later.

I haven't seen him in 30 years.

It was Borkum Riff that would be in the air wherever he went. Assuming they still make it I'll be smelling it again and soon.

Wherever you are Bill, I hope you are well.

 

[Edward]

Be interesting to see how you get on. That stem is well coated - it should be black, I believe. I've had a couple of pipes in similar condition over the years. Had some luck with T-Cut fluid (really designed to remove old, oxidised paint from a car body), though Herself complained about the smell in our little flat. A very fine steel wool and a lot of patience also worked. A light duty buff on the likes of a Dremel could be a real time saver - not something I've yet had access to try. Once it looks black all over, hit it with stem cleaner and then some stem polish. I've never had a new pipe end up this extreme, but to be fair I keep about half a dozen pipes around and I probably only really smoke every few months. A 50g bag of tobacco will usually do me at least a year. It's a very occasional indulgence that way, but very pleasant.

FWIW if you decide in the end this isn't one you can save, Petersons replacement stems can be bought. They can come directly from Peterson's themselves, or there are dealers selling them through their own retail operation. Not cheap (about Euro 25), but if your bowl is in good condition, it's very viable compared to the price of a new pipe from them at about a hundred bucks and upwards. AFAIK, the Peterson's factory can also custom fit a stem for your pipe, though that dies involve sending the pipe home to Ireland and I imagine would become uneconomical quickly for all but the most collectible (or sentimentally valuable) of pipes.