ozark southpaw
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My next "Challenge"Got this pipe along with a nice Kaywoodie in a trade with AH. Don't know where he dug this one up at but it would be a challenge to restore!! Can't find any stampings-couls either be a Grabow or maybe a Medico.takes a tampon filter.
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drbridges
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Looks like someone lost it on a fishing trip ... mebbe 2 decades ago.
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ozark southpaw
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I think some one rescued this pipe from the trash heap! It had what looked like melted plastic on the shank. It also looks very weathered to me. It is the driest piece of wood I have seen! Water soaks in and drys almost as fast as alcohol would!! I have went over it with some 360 sandpaper and started with 400. Looks like it will have a lot of birds eye. Cannot find any signs of markings anywhere. Compared it to a Golden Duke bent bulldog and there are several differences.Think I may see if I can get a band for it .
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drbridges
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You are a patient and dedicated man, Oz.
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ozark southpaw
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My wife say I'm totally NUTS !!
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Gig
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Now your just being a glutten for punishment 
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ozark southpaw
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You know-maybe you're right Gig! Maybe the wife is also!
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drbridges
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| Quote: | | My wife say I'm totally NUTS !! |
No doubt she knows you best, Oz. You might point out she married you, and ask what that points out re her mental state. 
Then spend the night in the shop. 
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ozark southpaw
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I'm sure she's nuts-but don't dare tell her so! Might end up out with the dog-not in the shop!
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Sir Duke
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...why you would even consider restoring that I'll never know.
(no offense) I lost a pipe in my garden once. Dug it up when turnung the soil a year later... looked better than that! Mein Gut!
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drbridges
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Leave those cracks unfilled, and you will have an "air conditioned" pipe. Some smokers love those carburetors in their pipe bowls.
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Sir Duke
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| Sir Duke wrote: | ...why you would even consider restoring that I'll never know.
(no offense) I lost a pipe in my garden once. Dug it up when turnung the soil a year later... looked better than that! Mein Gut! |
Now that I'm in a better mood I realize my post was harse!
I will repost: I lost a pipe in my garden once. Dug it up when turning the soil the following year [after fertilizing]. The garden was equal only to that in Eden. Vegetables abound. Flowers blossumed. Birds chirped. No insects or varmits. Maybe you should bury it before the ground freezes. There's always next year/. 
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ozark southpaw
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But SD,the stem is really quite good!! Besides,don't nothin' grow in these hill except rock!!
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AmericanHussar
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Re: My next "Challenge" | ozark southpaw wrote: | | Got this pipe along with a nice Kaywoodie in a trade with AH. Don't know where he dug this one up at but it would be a challenge to restore!! Can't find any stampings-couls either be a Grabow or maybe a Medico.takes a tampon filter. |
I got that as part of an estate lot off epay. I was really disappointed, because I liked the shape, and it didn't look that bad in the photo. I was planning on using it as a replacement stem, but then you came along, and I figured maybe you could work a miracle.
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ozark southpaw
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I don't know about a miracle but I haven't gave up on it yet!
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ted
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OS.....Bet I've looked at the picture 25 times. Sometimes it is, sometimes it aint'. My final opinion is that it is a Royal Duke #83 from about 1975, dug up in someones yard.....Maybe SD's, or found in a coffin.........ted
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ozark southpaw
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Guess we'll never know for sure Ted! I compared it to the only bent bulldog I have- a Golden Duke that has a vulcanite stem. The Duke is smaller-not much though, also the Duke stem is about 1/4" shorter and the aluminum tenon on the Duke is a tad shorter. Still haven't been able to find any kind of markings. No spade on stem or stamping on stem to indicate that it might be a Medico. Oh well, its fun messin' with it anyway!!
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ozark southpaw
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One other difference I've noticed about this pipe. The bead is one wide groove-not two as on my Golden Duke.
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ted
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| ozark southpaw wrote: | | One other difference I've noticed about this pipe. The bead is one wide groove-not two as on my Golden Duke. |
OK, I take back my opinion....ted
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drbridges
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My DG Bulldogs compared to your Bulldog. I see differences between them, but not in the bead.
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ozark southpaw
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It'd hard to see it in my pic,the bead is about the same total width as those in your pipes but there is only one rather crudely cut groove. Don't suppose you need a pouch of Mixture 79 and a beat up Lark??
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AmericanHussar
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How's it coming, OS?
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ozark southpaw
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Still working on it off and on. Got it in a vise at present,trying to glue the crack in the shank. De-oxidized the stem,but haven't shined it up yet. Bowl Sanded to 600 grit. I think it will make a nice looking pipe !
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Gig
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You are a life saver, really more like a pipe saver ozark. I'll be looking forward to seeing your end product - pipe
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ozark southpaw
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Progress Report.Spent some time tonight working on this pipe. I had used a bleach solution to deoxidize the stem, which left it with the worst case of pitting I have ever seen!! I spent a good two hours just wet sanding this thing--and it is still pitted--think they go all the way through!!! It buffed to a nice shine but it still has some pitting! Got the shank crack glued but it didn't close up completely. The color of the bowl is a result of me having my head where the sun don't shine!! Got to thinking since this bowl was so dry some oil might help.Asked the wife if she had any olive oil-sure she says and digs out a bottle. Later after wiping it down with the olive oil I glance at the bottle and see a Dollar General tag on it!! Turns out it was olive oil--with 90% soy bean oil added!! The oil ain't gonna hurt nothin',whats bad is that I put it on before I was finished sanding. Now the sandpaper gums up on contact,have gone through a bunch of paper and I'm only at 600 grit and need to go up to 1500 at least!!But the oil did give it a nice brown color!
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Terry292
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You certainly do 4.0 work, OS. Think I'll send some of my pipes to you for refurbishing. Your work is better than a lot of 'professionals' I've dealt with in my time.
Terry
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ozark southpaw
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Send 'em!! Be sure to send all of your bent bull dogs, Zulus,Authors,and Berwycks and Commodores and Emperers,Starfires,and that set of beat up Viscounts!!
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Sir Duke
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I take back everything I said. Nice work and well worth it.
Eating my Hat,
Tom
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AmericanHussar
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Wow. I'm stunned. That thing is turning out really good!
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ted
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Yep...think I was right.....Give OS a pile of sawdust and a bowling ball, and he'll make pipes forever...
PRETTY WORK......ted
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ozark southpaw
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The bad thing about this pipe is the cracks around the rim. I would be afraid to smoke it for fear that the heat would cause the cracks to open up more. It has a light cake but am not sure it is enough to prevent further cracking. Not sure if it's from sanding or the oil but some of the cracks appear to have closed up some.
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drbridges
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Save all your dust from sanding. You may need it.
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ozark southpaw
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Yeah! could mix it with some glue or filler and fill the cracks!!
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Gig
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I do just that. Its also good to save some of the fine gray ash of your tobacco when finished smoking. Mixed with a little sour cream and whole milk it makes a fine pipe mud and coating for your bowl to assist cake buildup and breakin period if need be
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drbridges
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Also good sprinkled over coffee ice cream.
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Gig
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By all means if you wish, but it will taste like shit I bet
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ozark southpaw
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I'll have to get some sanding dust from another pipe as the oil I put on this just gums up the sandpaper-no dust!! I've have made pipe mud a time or two but never heard of using sour cream and milk to make it! Will give that a try next time I need some!!
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drbridges
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Don't try it sprinkled on ice cream!
Gig was RIGHT!
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ozark southpaw
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He tried to warn you !!!
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ozark southpaw
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Done as it gonna get!Well I have sanded this thing till I'm blue in the face and I ain't gonna sand it no more!! Got up to 1000 grit and got tired of wasting sandpaper!! Took it to the buffer and while it did shine up some,if looked at closely it looks as if I stopped at 4-500 grit. The finer grits would just gum up. Any way here what I ended up with.The dark area on the shank is where the melted plastic was,will not come out!!
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steverino
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Man, that looks good enough to smoke! OS, do you wet sand? That's what I do to keep the sandpaper open, but I haven't used it on a stained surface that way. Didn't know if that would help or hurt.
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ozark southpaw
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Steve,I wet sand stems but not the bowls. I don't think the water would do any harm to the briar,but with good sandpaper don't have problems with the paper clogging,unless I'm sanding the lacquer off,although I usually use steel wool for that. If I hadn't put that oil on this pipe it would have sanded nicely. Thought about soaking it in alcohol for a few days to remove it!!
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TheDuke
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Are you gonna try smoking this pipe know?
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AmericanHussar
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Wow, I was right - you are a miracle worker. I can't believe the wreck I sent you came out like that.
Fantastic work.
Any photos of the top of the bowl?
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ozark southpaw
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Duke,I dunno,might try half a bowl in it. Almost afraid to,worried the heat will make the cracks open up more. AH,not a miracle worker--just a hard headed old fart!!
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AmericanHussar
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So, is it all done now?
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ozark southpaw
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Yeah,I've done all I intend to do to this one. It's sitting on the shelf with my Grabows.
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LokoMac8
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Re: My next "Challenge" | ozark southpaw wrote: | | Don't know where he dug this one up at but it would be a challenge to restore!! |
Ya know, there's a point where you just really ought to toss that one over your back and into the woods -- or at least the trash. From one that can't stand to throw stuff away, I know it's hard, but let it go! --RJ--
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ozark southpaw
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Mac,you are absolutely right!! But for some reason I just find it very hard to toss a chunk of briar.As proof of my affliction I offer this picture of pipe bowls. Not just any bowls mind you but bowls that I have cut the shank off of and made a tamper out of them. Why do I do this?? God only knows!! I have found uses for some of them. Made a couple of curtain pulls from them and I have one hanging in the garage so I know where to stop and not run over the mower! Also made a two pipe pipe stand from a couple. MAYBE I will find a use for the rest!!??
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TheDuke
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That Picture is just plain sad my friend. The carnage inflicted on those inocent pipes is downright nauseating!
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Gig
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What a shame 
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ozark southpaw
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You should know guys that there are few Grabows in that pile! Have made maybe 6 tampers from Grabows and members of this forum have three of them !Used a lot of Kaywoodies and Medicos.
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ted
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Ozark Southpaw....I genuinely apologize for what follows, but it has been on my mind all day...............Again, I apologize, I'm sorry.......
First thing I thought of when I saw the picture was "Butcher of Buchenwald"..........SORRY, REALLY....ted
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ozark southpaw
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But I didn't torture them or anything! Their deaths were quick and painless!! I gave them a new life!! ?? And many of them were in worse shape than that bulldog "Challenge" pipe!!
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AmericanHussar
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Hey OS...check your PM box.
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ted
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OS....Have you seen the CDL by Grabow?.....Perhaps resurrection is in their future....ted
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Terry292
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OS, I have two words for you: bamboo shanks. I like pipes with bamboo shanks; might even buy one from you.
Terry
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ozark southpaw
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Ted,actually I have done something like the CDL. Polished a bowl up and stuck a long stem in it and gave it to my sisters foster son. Terry, have thought about doing something like that. Should not be to hard to do if there is a little bit of the shank left to work with. Might have to try that sometime.
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TheDuke
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Do you have a Bulldog you clipped the stem off?  
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ozark southpaw
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Duke,sorry dont have a bulldog bowl.They don't lend themselves to making tampers. Square shank and bent stems makes it hard to attach tip and have a pick of any length,although it can be done.
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TheDuke
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I love the Bamboo idea but I was thinking a DG Churchwarden!
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ckr
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Such a noble effort to try and save a piece of history. Anyone that can tackle a job like that has all the respect that I can muster. An excellent effort.
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ozark southpaw
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Well Thank you Sir!!
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ozark southpaw
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Challenge PipeWell I finally got up the nerve to smoke this pipe!! Burned about half a bowl yesterday and another half this morning. It does, as Sir Duke says, have some Demons-but not as bad as I thought it would!! Smoking half bowls because I'm afraid the cracks around rim might open up. Gonna work up to a full bowl -maybe it won't explode!! 
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TheDuke
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 Best of Luck!(have estinguisher(sp?)handy )
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Texhealer
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| ozark southpaw wrote: | Mac,you are absolutely right!! But for some reason I just find it very hard to toss a chunk of briar.As proof of my affliction I offer this picture of pipe bowls. Not just any bowls mind you but bowls that I have cut the shank off of and made a tamper out of them. Why do I do this?? God only knows!! I have found uses for some of them. Made a couple of curtain pulls from them and I have one hanging in the garage so I know where to stop and not run over the mower! Also made a two pipe pipe stand from a couple. MAYBE I will find a use for the rest!!??
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Christmas tree ornaments??
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ozark southpaw
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Yeah!! If I start now might have them done by next Christmas!!
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ted
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OS....Know anybody with a Viking, or Falcon. You've got enough "top bowls" to keep 'em going for a long while. With your talent, the "threading" will be a "challenge", but not an impossibility.
Employees used to carry out rejected stummels and blocks by the bag full. They swore they worked wonderfully in the stove or fireplace.....just like charcoal. Once you get 'em hot, they'll burn forever.
Once had an employee that carried out bags full of un-finished pipes with stems. He decided he could finish them at home. Fired him in a "heartbeat"...............ted
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ozark southpaw
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If I had a lathe might give that a whirl! Although it's been a long time since I used one. Maybe some of the Grabow looking non-Grabows that pop up now and then are some that guy carried out of the plant!! Think if it were me and I was going to risk getting fired for stealing-I'd steal the good stuff!! Some Eldorados,Viscounts Etc.!!!
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