Salvaging truly messed up pipes. Peterson Sherlock Holmes Rathbone

rumrum4me · May 2018

I get a big kick out of trying to fix up old heavily used and abused pipes. I found this miserable example of a Peterson Sherlock Holmes Rathbone from 1998. It was pretty bad, and came with a messed up Dr. Grabow Omega stem. I would have liked to get a stem that is like the original, but honestly I didn't think the pipe was worth it, and the Omega stem looked somewhat appropriate for the pipe. Waiting for the pipe mud I smeared in the bowl to dry before I try it out.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/4p/u8m2anjwyup0.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/pm/yrsgdzk41jsq.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/ak/k796t1o000wk.jpg

Oddjob27 · May 2018

Wow..... even with the mismatched stem... I'm very impressed. Nice!

PappyJoe · May 2018

Good job on the restoration.

I would have just passed on that pipe.

Pyrate · May 2018

Nice job bringing this back into good form! It may now be deserving the original stem to.

Kmhartle · May 2018

Great restoration job!

KA9FFJ · May 2018

Great job @rumrum4me I hope it smokes ad good as it looks. If so, you have a winner...

rumrum4me · May 2018

Thanks for the comments everyone! I just finished my first smoke of some FM Cellar and it smokes better than I hoped it would. The only problem is that I hate the clumsy Omega bit on it. Fortunately it was easy to sand it down so it's almost like a fishtail button. Much better!

jfreedy · May 2018

I’m impressed!

Watchmaker61 · May 2018

Amazing!!!!!!! Great work!!!!

thebadgerpiper · May 2018

Wow, nice work @rumrum4me ! It's nice to see a pipe brought back from the edge and put back to work. I wouldn't have known it wasn't the right stem for it until you mentioned it.

Londy3 · May 2018

Thanks is unbelievable! Incredible job mate!

Londy3 · May 2018

Woodsman · May 2018

Great work.

ghostsofpompeii · May 2018

It's alive once more. Great job!

motie2 · September 2018

Watched Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear - the one with the orange pips (1945). Much pipe smoking by several characters. Holmes smokes the Peterson you referenced.

ghostsofpompeii · September 2018

@rumrum4me How did you deal with the crack in the bowl?

rumrum4me · September 2018

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/u8/ku09e9i71kwl.jpg

I've been using JB Wood Weld to fill cracks and covering them with a little briar dust while still sticky. It sands down well and takes stain too. If the crack goes inside the bowl, I fill it in with pipe mud (cigar + oak wood ash + rum to make a paste) and let it dry. Sometimes I use a little honey in the bowl to coat the pipe mud to start a cake, but I don't think it's all that necessary. Here's a pic of the Pete after I made a new stem more in keeping with the original. Not that great a job, but then the pipe isn't all that great either.

Here's another example of a Carey Magic Inch I recently repaired just for fun.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/34/3f4oz1p8ho57.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/4t/mcbic4os186p.jpg

RockyMountainBriar · September 2018

@rumrum4me
Nicely done sir. I like the new stem, it looks fine.

mapletop · September 2018

Impressive
It hurts my heart to see someone abuse a good pipe like that.
Heck of an effort on your part, kudos

Salvaging truly messed up pipes. Peterson Sherlock Holmes Rathbone

Comments