After turning the tenon for a good fit, I started feather sanding the shank and stem to make a smooth transition. Note: Always tape the shank about a 32nd" from the stem. That allows the sandpaper to affect both areas for a smoother fit. It also doubles as a cover up so you don't accidentally sand the stamping...
Thought I'd throw this one in. A never smoked little Kaywoodie stummel. I fitted a little churchwarden stem to it, cleaned the outside and gave it a light tan stain. It came out ok IMHO.
The stamp "PATRICK'S" looks machine-stamped, not hand-carved, which suggests it’s a brand or line name rather than a one-off artisan marking.
The pipe has a rusticated finish on part of the bowl with smooth contrast grain, which is fairly typical of mid-20th-century factory pipes (possibly Italian or French in origin).
The yellow acrylic stem is less common in traditional English or Irish pipes, but does show up in Italian workshop production (sometimes in the 1960s–80s).
What I don’t see are the usual companion markings: no “Made in …” country-of-origin, no shape number, no hallmark. That can sometimes point to:
A shop brand – A tobacconist named Patrick’s (or St. Patrick’s) could have commissioned pipes from an Italian or French factory and stamped their shop name.
A private-label series – Some factories (like Comoy’s, GBD, or Lorenzo) produced pipes under contract for retailers or events.
A small-batch artisan or hobby carver – Less likely, since the stamp is very clean and uniform, but still possible.
I wasn’t able to find any records of a major pipe brand called Patrick’s in the usual collector references (Pipedia, Pipephil, estate pipe catalogs). That supports the idea of it being a shop or private-label mark.
Comments
Note: Always tape the shank about a 32nd" from the stem. That allows the sandpaper to affect both areas for a smoother fit. It also doubles as a cover up so you don't accidentally sand the stamping...
Here's the final:
Fairly roughed up and we'll used.
It came out ok IMHO.
Inspiring work, as we've come to expect....
Looking closely, a few details stand out:
The stamp "PATRICK'S" looks machine-stamped, not hand-carved, which suggests it’s a brand or line name rather than a one-off artisan marking.
The pipe has a rusticated finish on part of the bowl with smooth contrast grain, which is fairly typical of mid-20th-century factory pipes (possibly Italian or French in origin).
The yellow acrylic stem is less common in traditional English or Irish pipes, but does show up in Italian workshop production (sometimes in the 1960s–80s).
What I don’t see are the usual companion markings: no “Made in …” country-of-origin, no shape number, no hallmark. That can sometimes point to:
A shop brand – A tobacconist named Patrick’s (or St. Patrick’s) could have commissioned pipes from an Italian or French factory and stamped their shop name.
A private-label series – Some factories (like Comoy’s, GBD, or Lorenzo) produced pipes under contract for retailers or events.
A small-batch artisan or hobby carver – Less likely, since the stamp is very clean and uniform, but still possible.
I wasn’t able to find any records of a major pipe brand called Patrick’s in the usual collector references (Pipedia, Pipephil, estate pipe catalogs). That supports the idea of it being a shop or private-label mark.