text:
The Case of the Murdered Dunhill
Blog by Robert M. Boughton
Copyright © Reborn Pipes and the Author except as cited
https://www.facebook.com/roadrunnerpipes/
It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside. — From Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
NOTE: I owe the singular logic and chronicle of this story to the author of a French blog upon which I had the good fortune and immense pleasure of discovering, quite by chance, in the course of a search for other, more mundane instruction on Dunhill pipes. The credit for the blog, almost hidden at the bottom of the page, attributes the work to "pipephil," whose nationality and working name being identical to that of a certain devoted and well-known researcher of pipes and their histories, I can only surmise is one and the same. This story is based on an unequal blending of fact and fiction and might better be approached as the latter. Acknowledgement to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is likewise in order, and, if prevailing opinion of this willing suspension of disbelief warrants, apologies. Names have been changed to protect the real and imagined
(Being a reprint from the personal blogs of JAMES BOSWELL)
CHAPTER I. MR. SHERRINFORD CAVISH
At the age of twenty-six, early in the year of 1989, I was considered an old man to be commencing studies as an undergraduate at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and was branded non-traditional, a distinction which stirs not a grain of animosity in my mind. The principal difference between the average teenager fresh from the crucible of high school and myself, during my first semester of courses prescribed for those desiring to specialize in journalism, was my already appreciable experience in the workforce I sought to continue. I had under my belt a solid grounding in the old school style of newspaper writing, owing to an early tossing into the cesspool when I was a mere fifteen-year-old. Already I was squared away in the requisite determined and, when necessary, obdurate nature to survive the initial condescending underestimation of my ability to recognize obfuscation when I heard it. These traits were of invaluable help in eliciting a modicum of legitimate answers from the police officers, politicians and other authorities who became the salt and pepper on the main fare of official reports that fed my regular police and city hall beats.
Quartered at first in one of the better dormitories and accustomed to taking my meals at the campus cafeteria, an establishment that over-favored a form of creamed chipped beef on toast that exemplified the military term for that menu item which I will for the sake of good form abbreviate as S.O.S., I straight away took up the tobacco pipe. As well as soothing my nerves and allowing an air of contemplation conducive to my studies, the pipe expelled the unfortunate after taste of the gruel the school called food. Pipes were also a family tradition on the paternal side, and so I embraced them with alacrity. Smoking, of course, was prohibited in the dormitories, but I dismissed the absurdity as did all but a poignant minority of the other inhabitants.
Finding disagreeable the cramped suite of rooms that allowed no privacy and which I shared with three adolescent males who were more interested in beer kegs, parties and all of the other inclinations wholly natural to youngsters, I reached the inevitable conclusion that I must secure a more mature roommate off-campus. The very same night, while strolling the university grounds taking the long course to the student union building, where I had planned to brush up on the Associated Press Style Book tucked under an arm, and puffing contentedly on the single pipe I then owned, I heard my name called from nearby.
"Boswell! James Boswell!"
Glancing in the direction of the greeting, I found the young man smiling and waving at me vaguely familiar, but only a name came to mind.
"Beall!" I said, relieved to have no need to fumble with that social awkwardness.
Trapped, I found myself engaged in small talk.
"Wherever have you been hiding?" Beall asked. "I haven't seen you in dog's years!"
Not caring for the suggestion that I in any way skulk and thinking that dogs tend to age with rather unfortunate rapidity, I was off-put before I could answer but endeavored to be civil.
"Off fighting the good fight, Beall," I said. "Just at the moment I'm considering how to move out of my dormitory but can't afford a place of my own on my income."
Where I met Beall and why the devil I let slip my need for a proper roommate eluded me, and I would have kicked myself had that colloquial expression been possible. With all the delicacy I can muster, I found young Beall to be a nice enough fellow but rather insipid and a bit too friendly. I braced in anticipation of his putting himself forward as a candidate, and indeed, having among other faults a distressing clutching habit, he seized me by an arm.
"Why, I have just the person for you! I've known him forever, and he's absolutely perfect!"
Not caring a bit for the sound of any of that and being dubious of Beall's judgment, my aversion to conspicuous rudeness prevented me from declaring so. By my own fault, therefore, Beall, still clutching my arm, compelled both of us at once in a straight line toward the north edge of the campus, obviously the direction of the friend's place of residence. I managed with some dexterity to dislodge my arm from his grip and counted myself fortunate beyond words that the mysterious dwelling was within easy walking distance. My subsequent introduction to the man who, though five years my junior, was gifted with the most singular and brilliant deductive powers I have ever encountered, can only be attributed to fate.
When at last we found ourselves on the step and the door to the apartment opened, I had the first dreaded look at my proposed new roommate. The appearance of Mr. Sherrinford Cavish was altogether the opposite of my preconceived image. Standing three inches taller than six feet in height, Cavish towered over Beall, whom I had spent most of our walk struggling to devise a means of escaping, and had several inches on me. His stature had none of the typical lankiness associated with very tall men and was instead complemented by a husky but fit build. He wore an expensive powder blue dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, medium brown wool slacks appropriate for the season that appeared to be tailored, leather loafers with tassels and no jewelry whatsoever, not even a watch. His longish brown, wavy and un-brushed hair, wild, for lack of a better word, was the oddest feature I noted. The old, blackened clay pipe between his lips seemed a natural extension of his mouth and the highest testament thus far of his suitability as a fellow lodger. Then, ignoring poor Beall beside me altogether, his sharp blue and acute eyes narrowed and took in the whole of me with a glance. I admit I was more than a little disconcerted by the scrutiny I thought rude. His greeting astounded me.
"Have you been a reporter for any publications I may have read?"
The ensuing dumfounded silence prompted the otherwise meek and silent Beall, who still stood to my side, to remark, "Yes, he's always like that."
"Ah! But you're here about the room for rent, no doubt eager to quit the dreary conditions of the dormitories," Cavish said before I answered, astounding me once again.
The man who introduced himself to me by his full first and last name the moment I stepped inside his apartment pursed his lips in a peculiar grin I have come to know well. One corner of his mouth rose a tad and the other fell. Initially viewing the practice as a sort of conceited smirk, I soon came to recognize it as an outward sign of the constant processing of simultaneous and unfathomable amounts of complex mental data related to the unparalleled fields of study of which Cavish can only be described as an expert. Well into that first night, I learned of a comparative few of these, but our mutual fondness for pipes and shared interest in matters of crime were enough for me. That grin of his meant that Cavish was in good spirits, working out the various enigmas he undertakes to solve for his own odd pleasure and at the request of others. He calls them cases, but to me they are worse than giant white table puzzles. Cavish invariably examines each piece with pure logic and science as his only tools. On my word, I do believe he relishes scrambling the parts of the puzzles his clients – again, as he calls them – believe they have put together. To Cavish, each piece of the puzzle must be probed from both sides and every angle regardless of how closely it may seem to fit.
"Excuse me," I said, no longer able to contain my curiosity, "but how did you know I was a reporter?"
Cavish looked me in the eye. "Elementary," he said. "Even without the well-thumbed AP guide under your arm the conclusion is inescapable. Your red-striped Oxford with its frayed button collar doesn't go with the ruffled tan corduroy blazer and dark brown elbow patches, as well as the mismatched light blue cord pants. And that ancient polyester tie is enough to give an epileptic a fit. Who but a reporter dresses in that style? Then there are the light smudges of news print on your fingers and the cuffs of your shirt sleeves, not to mention the small note pad and flowy pen in your front coat pocket, icing on the cake, as it were."
However accurate the conclusions Cavish reached, I still wondered if his lack of tact might be distasteful after all but resisted the urge to do an about-face and march out.
"Very well, then, what about the fact that I live in a dormitory?"
"Good God, man!" he said with alarming drama. "Only a new student living in the dorms, regardless of age, would eat all of his meals in the cafeteria." Reading my face like a newspaper headline, he interrupted the protest I was about to make. "My exhaustive research of every restaurant menu in Cruces tells me that none of them serves creamed chipped beef such as that which caused the spot on your tie. I'm happy to say the dish is unique to that venue."
In this disturbingly fascinating manner was I introduced to the deductive skills of Mr. Sherrinford Cavish.
"Interesting pipe," Cavish said as he saw me to the door, speaking of the bulldog of which I was rather proud. "An Italian no-name, I see. Well, we'll have to do something about that."
The following morning, ignoring my petty misgivings as to my new roommate, I fled the dormitory. I confess with some remorse that I left my affable yet erstwhile fellow cellmates understandably dazed and confused, not to mention sad in a manner that was touching, to see me depart.
CHAPTER II. WHAT THE MAIL HAD TO SAY
Dunhill pipe courtesy These Pipes Like No Others
Sooner than later, I learned of the flipside of the unusual grin I noted. When Cavish was without a case, he fell into periods of deep broodings and profound depressions that lasted until some new mystery he deemed worthy of his time presented itself. At the low point of one of these bouts of sheer, unbearable boredom, a piece of mail arrived that Cavish was too despondent to consider. I took the liberty of cutting open the end for him and found a single small photograph of a smoking pipe in utter ruin, accompanied by a letter imploring Cavish to investigate the matter and some pages printed from a website.
Reading the letter to my lackluster friend did not even make him stir. Knowing the somewhat perverse delight Cavish takes in the most dreadful horrors this world has to offer, and also taking into consideration his deep love of smoking pipes, I concluded the only hope of rousing him from the lethargic stupor in which he was trapped might be the sight of the desecrated pipe. I tossed the photograph and printout on his chest that might have been that of a corpse. As I turned away, I heard Cavish sit up on the couch. Turning back to face him the next instant, I saw him hunched over his laptop on the coffee table cluttered with many documents only he was permitted to touch. Moving so that I could watch over his shoulder, I noticed he had pulled up the website from which the printout was made so that he could read the entire text in its original French, which he spoke fluently in addition to Latin, German, Dutch, Italian and Iranian, to name those I have identified.
"The game is afoot!" Cavish said with refreshed vigor. I shook my head and sighed with no small amount of relief as he stood and began pacing in excitement. I, on the other hand, needed a break and decided I deserved one for the part I played in reviving him. Retiring to the comfort of my armchair, I took up an elegant new briar wood prince possessing the tightest vertical grain that I found at my local shop and filled it with a handy Balkan blend. Already, I had a fine beginning of a collection thanks to a certain compulsion to acquire more and more that I blamed on the bad influence Cavish had on me. Indeed, the compulsion verged on a disorder.
CHAPTER III. CES PIPES PAS COMME LES AUTRES
The masthead of the site, Cavish translated, read "These Pipes Like No Others." Succumbing to an uncontrollable urge, I wagered the Dunhill displayed in the blog and photograph just arrived in the mail was clearly well smoked and previously lightly enjoyed. * I shall savor for the rest of my life the rare flash of utter incredulity on my friend's face that dissolved back into his typical working countenance of gravest contemplation when he deduced I had to be joking.
"She is extraordinary," Cavish said, almost in a whisper. I took a moment to realize he was speaking of the pipe. "The outer simplicity obscures an inner complexity."
"No doubt," I said for the sake of good manners.
Still pacing about the room, Cavish recited the entire text of the blog from memory after his single reading of it online. In the interest of brevity, I will paraphrase the key points of interest in the blogger's quite stylish and eloquent narrative detailing his theories relating to the cause of the Dunhill's destruction. The general theme as stated in the second sentence was that, whatever act of brutality indeed brought about the end of the pipe's days of usefulness to anyone, the once noble but now wretched thing was murdered. Counting myself an aficionado of tobacco pipes, I appreciated the writer's dramatic use of personification.
When the gruesome remains were discovered, two immediate types of suspects were considered, the more likely being a lone assassin acting on his own insane motives, and the other a terrorist group. The latter theory raised the possibility of a political link, perhaps the Front de Lutte Anti-Tabac (F.L.A.T.), in English the Fight Against Tobacco Front. Whoever ended the pipe's life, the blogger concluded, chose Dunhill rather than any other brand for the general regard of the old British house as perhaps the world's most iconic maker. The impact of the act of extreme violence would therefore engender outrage and consternation among pipe enjoyers everywhere.
"It is quite a two-pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for thirty minutes," Cavish said in characteristically blunt form. Even with what I knew of his machine-like reasoning ability, I was impressed with the time in which he expected to solve the mystery.
CHAPTER IV. THE TRUTH UNRAVELED
I can only conjecture that Cavish chose a striking natural finish Dunhill Canadian as his own way of paying respect to the victim. In silence, as requested, and as unobtrusively as possible, I watched while he loaded the pipe with Dunhill White Spot, an English blend not available in this country that he somehow managed to acquire, no doubt through one of his many private sources. He lay back in the chair, stretching his legs out before him and crossing his ankles as was his habit when formulating his inscrutable conclusions. After savoring the one fill, he repeated the process. When the last of the smoke trailed off, I glanced at the clock and observed the prescribed half-hour had passed to the minute. My friend sat bolt upright and, his eyes glinting through narrow slits, stood. I waited with greater than average anticipation for him to begin.
"The deplorable annihilation of this ill-fated Dunhill billiard was not an act of murder, as conjectured by the blogger with eloquence that was nevertheless the product of typical human emotion," Cavish said in an even tone that belied the passion I alone knew him well enough to detect from the deliberate choice of such strong terms.
"That much I myself concluded," I replied.
"Indeed, as you well know, the inherent inanimateness of the briar wood forming the chief constituent of the whole, by definition, precludes the possibility of homicide."
"Indeed," I muttered for lack of anything more substantial to contribute.
"Nor was this the work of any terrorist organization, the blogger's brio, however excessive, notwithstanding."
"Oh? How so?"
"Contrary to popular misconception, terrorists are not as secretive as they would have us believe," Cavish stated in the form of a thesis. "Why else would they invariably claim credit for their foul and pusillanimous deeds sparked by a sense of impotence?" Knowing the last part was only rhetorical punctuation, I waited for him to continue. "No such communication has been attempted."
"I see," I said. "But wait, Cavish. There is one thing I still cannot comprehend."
"Only one?" he asked, again not expecting a direct response but with the annoying twist of his mouth that so infuriated me at times.
"Yes, for the moment at least, only one," I said in a pointless attempt to defend my honor that was not lost on the great detective.
"Pray tell, my dear Boswell, let's hear the singular point of your confusion."
Once more, I knew enough of the man to recognize a note of reconciliation, however feeble I thought it. "What about the Frenchman's keen observation that in order to burn briar, how did he put it, 'extraordinary temperatures are needed which cannot be reached in the combustion of even a dry tobacco'?"
"Aha!" Cavish exclaimed, triumphant. "There you have it! Once again, you see, yet you do not observe. Any careless smoker can burn a pipe made of any material, briar by no means excluded, even to the point of creating a hole through the bowl. One sees such uncouth damages all the time. Just ask anyone who restores smoking pipes for a living."
Cavish continued before I could register a protest.
"The operative word is burn, which is altogether different than incinerate, the latter being the choice our French blogger doubtless meant. Based on my study of the incineration points of thousands of wood types, I can tell you with authority that briar can only be reduced to ashes, that being the definition of incinerate, at temperatures sometimes exceeding 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit."
"Good lord!"
"Quite so," Cavish went on. "As you will recollect from the photograph, the Dunhill, though burned more severely than any other specimen I have ever seen, which is no trivial claim, and to the point where evenly spaced horizontal cracks encircle the bowl through to the chamber, the pipe is nowhere near disincorporation into a pile of ashes."
"Amazing, Cavish! Simply amazing! But what does it all mean?"
"It means, my obtuse friend, that the theory of some person or persons unknown filling the Dunhill with a fuel or other accelerant, intent on exploding or vaporizing the pipe, is erroneous."
Bringing to bear the full powers of my brain to determine possible explanations, all I achieved was a pulsating headache.
"I surrender, Cavish! How on Earth was the Dunhill destroyed, and by whom?"
Cavish has described himself as a high-functioning sociopath, a self-diagnosis with which I would not have argued until that moment. The years I have known him, it was the first time he displayed what I would call a normal sign of humanity, the instance being a profound sense of grief manifested in his entire physical demeanor. I was almost overwhelmed by a foreboding of some cataclysmic doom. When he did speak at last, he sounded tired, but his usual veil of absolute self-control, dispassion and supreme objectivity was again in place.
"Never indulge in the delusion that the whole of mankind is not, in its most base state of consciousness, a species unequaled for its most natural instincts of callous cruelty and neglect for the welfare of others," he said, pausing as though in emphasis of his perceived status of being separate from the rest of the world. I wanted to disagree but held my tongue, letting Cavish expand on his point. Whether he was aware of the repeated use of personal pronouns usually reserved for beings endowed with life, I could not say. "Have no doubt, Boswell, she was tortured for some years. Indeed, her neglect would be criminal were she, to employ a deliberate contradiction in terms, more that a work of art. I agree with our French friend, the blogger, that the Dunhill was desecrated, and should like to believe his assertion that the act was premeditated."
Unable to bear the ensuing silence longer, I prompted him. "But?"
"Premeditation, my dear Boswell, implies a certain amount of forethought. The atrocities committed against the once beautiful and vibrant example of skilled craftsmanship, created with the sole purpose of providing pleasure to a man, demonstrate the wanton kind of thoughtless, careless disregard for all but the self."
"Really, Cavish, I think you're being too harsh," I interjected.
"In that case, Boswell, why did you acquire so many new pipes of which you could scarcely keep track? I seem to recall your frequent agitation lest one of them end up falling to the floor, from wherever you happened to set it down, and breaking. You even went to some expense to commission your carpenter friend to fashion an exceedingly large, elaborate cabinet made more of glass than wood, and filled with separate beveled holders so that you could display even more pipes than you already own. Whatever possessed you to go to this trouble?"
My blood beginning to boil, I replied in hardly contained anger, "Because I care for them! And besides, I got the idea for the cabinet from your own!"
"Quite so!" Cavish said with such pleasure he even let slip the rarest of smiles. I must say that took the wind out of me, and I felt quite the fool. My good friend had tricked me again.
"Point taken," I conceded with a sheepish grin. "But when are you going to reveal the identity of the scoundrel who so monstrously destroyed the excellent Dunhill?"
Cavish turned and resumed his former languid position in the armchair. I stood there awaiting his solution to the puzzle while he loaded his pipe once more and leaned back, puffing away with a peculiar air of satisfaction.
"The culprit, Boswell, was no monster or group of terrorists. The person who snuffed out the life of the Dunhill billiard was a common pipe smoker, one who considers these delightful instruments of divine contemplation to be as disposable as a Bic lighter."
I was flabbergasted. "Then you have no idea who did it?"
"Thankfully, no, or else I would have to track him down wherever he might live, if indeed he still does, and give him some lessons. But I can say for certain that the unknown perpetrator of this loathsome deed prefers cigars to pipes."
"How can you possibly deduce that?"
"Elementary," Cavish said. "He used a cigar torch to light his pipe."
I took a seat in my chair across from him, sighed and filled my well-tended pipe, thinking the end of this mystery a bit disappointing, but pleased the case was closed.
"She is still a beautiful pipe," Cavish said in a quiet tone. "She shall always be the woman to me."
I will leave my changing of name to the deductive powers of any readers who may be devotees of the great consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. The simplest way to sum up my little homage to the genius of the character and writing of the many Holmes adventures is to quote a funnier Holmesian anecdote, by Thomas Cathcart, another great author, who is still alive at 78.
Holmes and Watson are on a camping trip. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes up and gives Dr. Watson a nudge. "Watson," he says, "look up in the sky and tell me what you see."
"I see millions of stars, Holmes," says Watson.
"And what do you conclude from that, Watson?"
Watson thinks for a moment. "Well," he says, "astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and we are small and insignificant. Uh, what does it tell you, Holmes?"
"Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!"
* I owe the wry comments of two friends on the Smokers Forums UK, where I posted the graphic photograph of the horribly abused Dunhill, a note of gratitude for the inspiration of these words.
http://pipes.over-blog.com/article-3152955.html
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/index-en.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_(surname)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes
This entry was posted in Pipe Related Essays and tagged article by Robert M. Boughton, Case of the Murdered Dunhill, Dunhill Pipes, Murdered Dunhill, Robert M. Boughton article, Short story on April 14, 2018 by rebornpipes.
Replacing a Broken Tenon on a Civic Select 14 Zulu
I received a call from a local fellow who had picked up my phone number from a local pipe and cigar shop. He had just returned from a trip and the tenon on his little Civic Zulu had snapped off. As it was his only pipe he wondered if I would be willing to take on the job of repairing it. He had tried to glue it on with epoxy but it had not worked. The pipe was relatively new and half the bowl was not even darkened by smoking. There was raw briar on the bottom half of the bowl. The briar was dirty on the outside from being pocketed in his coat of backpack. The stem was oxidized and had tooth chatter on both sides at the button. The oxidation is deep in the vulcanite. I told him I would take on the project. I took photos of the pipe before I started working on it. I found a Delrin tenon replacement in my box that would fit well once the diameter was reduced. We talked and he decided to get rid of the stinger to make it a better smoking pipe. The broken angle on the end of the stem would need to be sanded smooth and faced so that the new tenon would fit well. I took some photos of the pipe, stem, broken tenon and new tenon. In preparation for drilling out the stem for the new tenon I used a sharp knife to open and bevel the edges of the airway in the stem. I have found that doing this keeps the drill bit centred and straight in the airway. I used the Dremel and the sanding drum to reduce the diameter of the new tenon. I sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the tenon. I worked on it until the diameter was the same as the broken tenon and the fit in the mortise was snug. I started drilling the airway with a bit slightly larger than the diameter of the airway. I slowed the speed on the cordless drill to make sure it moved slowly and straight. I worked my way up to a bit that was the same diameter as the new tenon end, but not too large to compromise the strength of the stem. I removed some of the diameter on the threaded end of the tenon to get a proper fit in the stem. I cleaned up the inside of the newly drilled end of the stem with a needle file to smooth out the walls. When it was smooth I cleaned up the new tenon, applied glue to the end and pressed it into place in the stem. I sanded the tenon with 4000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to clean up the marks and scratches in the tenon. Once the glue had cured I put the stem on the shank of the pipe. As is usual with these repairs the alignment was not perfect but close. I sanded the shank/stem junction smooth to clean up the alignment. I took pictures of the newly fit stem. I cleaned out the mortise and the airway in the shank and stem with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and alcohol. I worked on them until they were clean. Since the pipe was barely smoked it was a pretty simple clean up. I reamed out the debris in the bowl with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. I wanted the bowl to be clean and smooth. I stained the area where I had sanded the shank with an oak stain pen to blend it into the rest of the shank. It is a bit streaky at this point in the process but that would blend together once I buffed and polished the pipe. I worked Before & After Restoration Balm deep into the briar to clean, enliven and protect it. I worked it into the finish with my fingertips. I worked it into the rim and shank end. I set it aside for a few minutes to let the balm work. I wiped it off and buffed it with a soft cloth to polish it. The briar really began to have a deep shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. The grain on the bowl is really beginning to stand out and will only do so more as the pipe is waxed. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit sanding pads and dry sanding with 3200-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish both Fine and Extra Fine to remove the last of the scratches. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. With the stem polished I put it back on the pipe and lightly buffed the bowl with Blue Diamond. I buffed the stem with a more aggressive buff of Blue Diamond. I gave the bowl and stem multiple coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. I will call the pipeman soon so he can pick up his pipe and begin to enjoy it once more. He called several nights ago and said he had ordered some new tobacco and it had arrived. He was excited to try it out with his repaired pipe. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this pipe over.
This entry was posted in Pipe Refurbishing Essays and tagged bite marks, Bowl - finishing, Civic Pipes, Civic Select 14 Pipes, Civic Select 14 Zulu, Civic Select Pipes, contrast staining, finishing, fitting a stem, micromesh sanding pads, Oxidation, pipe refurbishing, pipe restemming, polishing, polishing a stem, polishing stems, refinishing, refurbishing, removing oxidation, removing tooth marks, Repairing a broken tenon, repairing tooth marks, replacing a broken tenon, restaining, restaining a bowl and rim, restemming a pipe, sanding a stem, shaping a stem, staining, Stem repairs, stem work, turning a tenon, vulcanite, waxing, waxing a stem on April 14, 2018 by rebornpipes.
Restoring a Kaywoodie Hand Made Rusticated Rhodesian
Last Fall I took a trip for work to Gainesville, Georgia in the US and during that time had a day free to do a bit of roaming. The friends I was staying with took us to a couple antique malls to have a bit of a pipe hunt. I found a few good pipes that I will be working on in the days ahead. This is the first of them – a Kaywoodie Hand Made Rhodesian. The stamping on the left side of the shank is faint but readable with a bright light and a lens. It reads Hand Made over Kaywoodie. On the right side of the shank it reads Imported Briar. The bowl had a light cake lining the walls and bottom while the rim top had a coating of lava that made the rim top look like it was rusticated or knocked about. The rim top is beveled slightly inward and was probably originally smooth. The carved worm trails pm the bowl sides and shank have angled slash marks across each of the grooves. The grooves on the bowl sides are more worn than those on the shank. There are twin rings around the bowl separating the cap from the bottom portion of the bowl. The finish was dirty and many of the grooves were filled in with dust and debris of the years. The stem had some nicks and scratches in the vulcanite and was lightly oxidized. There was also a spot on the top side near the shank where there must have been a logo insert that was lost many years ago and had been filled in with glue. There was light tooth chatter on both sides of the stem at the button but no deep tooth gouges. I took close up photos of the bowl, rim top and both sides of the stem to show the condition prior to cleaning. The buildup on the rim top is a combination of thick lava and damage to the surface of the briar. There appears to be some rustication on it but at this point I am not certain it is actually rusticated or just damaged. On the top side of the stem was a round spot that I think had originally held a Kaywoodie logo. It was missing and there was a slight divot in the stem. I filled it in with a clear super glue and set it aside to cure. I cleaned up the rim top with a Savinelli Fitsall Knife blade. I scraped the surface of the rim and also the inner edge of the bowl to smooth things out. Once the rim was cleaned off the damage to the surface of the rim was visible. It was rough to touch. I reamed the bowl with a PipNet pipe reamer starting with the second cutting head and finishing with the third head which was the close to the same size as the bowl itself. I reamed the cake back to smooth briar. I worked over the beveled rim top with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the rough surface and remove as much of the damage as possible. I worked Before & After Restoration Balm deep into the rusticated patterns of the briar to clean, enliven and protect it. I worked it into the rustications with my fingertips and with cotton swabs. I worked it into the rim and shank end. I set it aside for a few minutes to let the balm work. I wiped it off with a soft cloth and buffed it with a horsehair shoe brush to polish it. The briar really began to have a deep shine. I took some photos of the bowl at this point to mark the progress in the restoration. The grain on the bowl is really beginning to stand out and will only do so more as the pipe is waxed. I wiped down the rim top and polished it with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit pads and dry sanding with 3200-12000 grit pads. I wiped the rim top down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I restained the rim top to match the contrasting stains on the rest of the bowl. I used a black Sharpie pen to colour in the grooves on the top of the rim to match the grooves around the bowl. When I had finished I like the final look of the pipe. I used a dental spatula to clean out the hard tars and oils on the walls of the mortise. It did not take too much work to remove the hard build up. I scrubbed out the shank after that using cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and isopropyl alcohol. I cleaned out the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and alcohol. The airway in the end of the tenon was slightly out of round because somewhere along the way the stinger had been removed and the airway damaged. I used a knife to bevel the edge of the airway in the tenon and then sanded it with a folded piece of sandpaper to smooth it out. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – wet sanding with 1500-2400 grit sanding pads and dry sanding with 3200-12000 grit pads. I wiped the stem down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I finished polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish both Fine and Extra Fine to remove the last of the scratches. I gave it a final coat of Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry. With the stem polished I put it back on the pipe and lightly buffed the bowl with Blue Diamond. I buffed the stem with a more aggressive buff of Blue Diamond. I gave the bowl multiple coats of Conservator's Wax and the stem several coats of carnauba wax and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe polished up pretty nicely. The finished pipe is shown in the photos below. I will be posting it on the rebornpipes store very soon. It should make a nice addition to your pipe rack if you have been looking for a reasonably priced older Kaywoodie Hand Made Rhodesian carved in an almost classic Custombilt style. It should be a great smoking pipe with a good hand feel. The dimensions are Length: 5 3/4 inches, Height: 1 1/2 inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 3/4 inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 inches. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked this pipe over.
This entry was posted in Pipe Refurbishing Essays and tagged Bowl - finishing, bowl topping, contrast staining, finishing, Kaywoodie Hand Made pipes, Kaywoodie Hand Made Rhodesian, Kaywoodie Pipes, micromesh sanding pads, Oxidation, pipe refurbishing, polishing, polishing a stem, polishing stems, refinishing, refurbishing, removing oxidation, removing tooth marks, repairing bite marks, repairing tooth marks, restaining, restaining a bowl and rim, sanding a stem, shaping a stem, Stem repairs, stem work, topping a bowl, vulcanite, waxing, waxing a stem on April 14, 2018 by rebornpipes.


Tuition does not cover all the costs of educating a student at Saint Joseph Elementary School. As a result, support from our community is vital to our success. Saint Joseph Elementary School greatly appreciates your financial support. Gifts to the school may be made in a variety of ways: a gift of cash, by check or credit card, company matching gifts or through a bequest or charitable lead trust, to name only a few. The Development Staff is pleased to work with you in structuring gift opportunities that ensure your philanthropic goals are met while best supporting the needs of the school.
Support Saint Joseph Elementary School today with your one time or recurring monthly donation. You may make a credit card gift ONLINE using the Secure On-Line Giving Form. Thank you for supporting Saint Joseph Elementary School. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of children at Saint Joseph Elementary School.
The Annual Fund is our yearly fundraising effort that provides unrestricted gifts to the operating budget of the St. Joseph Elementary School. Your support is essential to the school's success in providing an outstanding academic program, attracting and retaining dedicated faculty members, supporting students financially and maintaining our facilities. For information about making a donation to the school's Annual Fund, please contact the school office at (510) 995-9415.
Please consider making a donation to Saint Joseph Elementary Sisters of Notre Dame Endowment fund. An endowment donation invests in the history and longevity of St. Joseph.
Family and friends can establish an annual scholarship in memory of a loved one to honor their many achievements and/or their community service work. A gift to the school in memory or honor of an individual helps perpetuate the values of a loved one's life. Gifts may honor a person during his or her lifetime, or when that person has passed.
For more information about ways to support Saint Joseph Elementary School, please contact Carla VanDerveer at cvanderveer@csdo.org or 510 995-9415.
El Rancho Day is the annual family carnival at St. Joseph Elementary School and will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. The event raises money for the school through ticket sales for game booths, food, drinks and desserts. The event also includes a raffle with a chance to win first prize of $3,000. Admission is free. To purchase activity and/or raffle tickets in advance, call St. Joseph Elementary School at (510) 522-4456. Tickets will also be sold at the event. For more information click here.
The Auction is held annually in the spring and is the primary fundraiser sponsored by the St. Joseph Parent-Teacher Group (PTG). The fundraiser proceeds go directly back to children supporting things such as their field trips and monthly enrichment assemblies. The Auction includes both a silent and live auction along with dinner and dancing. Please contact the PTG Auction chair for information about making a donation for the event and/or attending.
Order Scrip Gift Cards from our school and up to eight percent of your purchase will go towards the school's scrip income. Click here for the Gift Card (scrip) form or contact Carla VanDerveer at cvanderveer@csdo.org or (510) 995-9415 for more information.
As a benefit of Raley's Something Extra rewards program, they are introducing a simpler way to fundraise . This new program is now open for enrollment and offers improved enrollment and it is easier to use: no card to remember at checkout means eligible purchases automatically earn funds.