Major Repairs to a Much Loved Peterson Aran 68
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
2w ago
Every pipe smoker has a favourite pipe. It’s almost inevitable, I think, as people tend to find something that works for them – a particular button design, width or height, a bowl with just the right capacity or size to fit their needs the majority of the time. Have a look at any pipe lover’s rack and I’m willing to bet that a select few pipes seem to get used more frequently than the rest. A favourite pipe is like an old friend – faithful, reliable, and consistent without making undue demands. But sometimes a favourite pipe gets over used and, often , under maintained and that’s when little p ..read more
Visit website
Replacing a Worn Out Acrylic Stem on an Armellini Verona 903
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
3w ago
Stem replacement is one of the bread-and-butter jobs for any pipe repair shop. I have fit hundreds of stems over the last decade or so, from relatively simple jobs using pre-cast stem blanks in Vulcanite and Acrylic to fully custom hand cut stems crafted completely in-house from Ebonite, Acrylic or Resin rod. As a writer, I try not to inundate you, the reader, with too many blog posts on the same subject, but it’s hard to get away from talking about stems sometimes. They are, after all, “wear items” – parts that will eventually wear down through use, even by the most diligent of pipe smokers ..read more
Visit website
Add a Podcast to your IPSD 2024 Celebrations!
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
1M ago
It’s February 20th, and every pipe smoker knows that it is also International Pipe Smoking Day! I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to pipe smokers across Canada and around the world for their continued support of DadsPipes.com. I have had the unique pleasure of repairing and restoring smoking pipes, new and old, sent in by pipe stewards from every province and territory of Canada and from countries on almost every continent (still waiting on you, Antarctica). Quite something for a little repair shop in Southwestern Ontario! I have also published more than 500 blog posts on Dads ..read more
Visit website
Refinishing a Peeling Peterson Killarney 65 Bent Billiard
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
1M ago
Some pipe lovers really enjoy a shiny pipe, something that pipe makers have recognized for decades. One common way to provide a low-maintenance, high shine finish to briar pipes is to add a gloss topcoat over the colour coat during finishing. While a topcoat maintains a pipe’s shine for quite a while, it inevitably begins to flake off from use. The briar and topcoat expand and contract differently due to changes in heat and moisture. This uneven movement eventually causes the clear coat to delaminate from the briar, usually starting at the rim where the pipe is subjected to higher heat from sm ..read more
Visit website
Reviving a 2010 Peterson St Patrick’s Day Pipe
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
2M ago
Today’s patient is a 2010 St Patrick’s Day pipe by Peterson, sent in for some TLC by a Canadian piper in Ottawa, ON. Judging by the series of photos below, the pipe is one of its steward’s favourites. The pipe had been well used but looked a bit worn out when it first arrived on the bench. The bowl was slightly gritty feeling and sported large dark patches on its left and right sides, loosely corresponding to where a smoker’s thumb and fingers might grip the bowl. The rim was hidden under an uneven layer of carbon “lava” and the chamber appeared out of round due to a lopsided buildup of cake w ..read more
Visit website
Restoring an English Made Arcadia Metal Pipe
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
2M ago
Metal pipes have been around since the 1930s, and while briar pipes make up the overwhelming majority of smoking pipes, metal pipes, made famous by the makers of Falcon and Kirsten pipes, have a strong following. Part of the success of metal pipes is their light weight and interchangeable bowls, which can be made from briar, meerschaum, morta (bog oak) or other alternative woods. The pipe on the bench today came into the shop from a gentleman in Nova Scotia, Canada who had inherited the pipe from his grandfather. As you can see in this initial series of images, the pipe needed some TLC to brin ..read more
Visit website
Working Around a Shortage of Acrylic Stems
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
2M ago
Welcome to 2024, everyone! The move into a new year should be a time for looking forward to new experiences, new events, and better times ahead (or at least wishing a heartfelt good riddance to parts of the previous year we’d rather not repeat), so while I extend my best wishes to you for the year ahead, I also find myself waxing nostalgic about certain things I’d like to see again. More specifically, as a pipe repairman, I really miss the previous availability of acrylic stem blanks. At the time of writing this post, there were only ten (10) acrylic stem options available – three Churchwarden ..read more
Visit website
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
3M ago
At this festive time of year, filled with family, friends (and special edition pipes!), I’d like to say thank you for a great 2023 and wish you and yours all the best for the year ahead. May your holidays be everything you hope. DadsPipes will close for the holidays on December 23rd and reopen on Wednesday, January 3rd. Looking forward to continuing to serve your pipe repair and restoration needs in 2024. – Charles ..read more
Visit website
A Complete Bowl to Button Restoration of an Heirloom Medico VFQ
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
3M ago
As a restorer and pipe repairman, I am often asked about the value of a particular pipe. On the surface this is a straightforward question about potential resale value, but when one digs into things a bit further, the definition of “value” becomes quite a bit more complicated. Take today’s pipe, a Medico VFQ Apple, as an example. The Medico brand was established in the USA back in 1933 and is still in production today as one of SM Frank’s best selling brands. Made famous by their disposable paper filters, Medico pipes can be found just about anywhere you find a pipe smoker. The VFQ line was in ..read more
Visit website
Making an Invisible Shank Repair on a 1960s Sixten Ivarsson
Dads Pipes Blog
by Charles Lemon
4M ago
Sixten Ivarsson was one of the Danish pipe makers at the forefront of the Danish Fancy craze that hit North America in the 1960s and 1970s and though he passed away in 2001, his legacy as a pipe maker still looms large in the industry today. Ivarsson’s impact on the world of pipes really cannot be understated, so it was a real treat for me to be able to work on an original 1960s Ivarsson pipe. The pipe in question was sent to me by a gentleman in Montreal, Canada. He had purchased the pipe new in the 1960s and it has been his treasured smoking companion for the last six decades. According to t ..read more
Visit website

Follow Dads Pipes Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR