Acquisitions and a project...

I was out at the Peddlers Mall with the wife the other day and came across a fantastic find. Although there were many pipes and tobacianna around one piece in particular caught my eye. It was a pretty beat up Decatur pipe rack with seven equally beat up pipes in it. At first I thought they were all old drug store pipes not worth the effort but upon closer inspection I found 3 very nice salvageable GBD pipes among them. A Prehistoric, a French Sablee King size and a Conquest Ebony. The price tag was $55 which I dickered down to $45...a steal!

I was also lucky to find an old Kentucky Club tin and a brass cat pipe stand.

I turned to the restoration work on the pipes after getting them home. The stems were removed and soaked in OxiClean while I reamed out the bowls. I started with a standard reamer and then moved to sand paper once the work got more delicate. After reaming and sanding I set each bowl up for a sweetening. I filled the chambers with salt and then topped each one with Everclear alcohol and let them rest for a few hours. While the bowls were taking a bath I turned to the stems. I scrubbed the outside with a toothbrush and the Oxi Clean then moved on to the more fine and time consuming work of cleaning their insides with pipe cleaners. This was a bit more time intensive given the clear stems on the Prehistoric and the Conquest. There was some significant tar build up, particularly on the Prehistoric. With some elbow grease and time I was able to reduce them both to a light brown tinge.

After stems I began again on the bowls. I emptied the salt and alcohol and scrubbed each one with a toothbrush and Murphey's Oil wood soap. This did wonders for their appearance. They all came out with a lovely shine. After wiping down I set them aside to dry for a bit while I went on to final work on the stems. I used some obsidian oil to bring them back to life. Rubbed some on and let them set for about 10 minutes and then buffed it off. The transformation was amazing.

Finally I once again reached for the bowls and rubbed in some Decatur pipe wax, let set 10 minutes and lightly buffed them. All pipes were then reassembled and placed in the rack for drying. I had also cleaned the Decatur rack with the Murphy's Soap giving it a very nice shine. Now all there was left to do was to allow the freshly cleaned pipes to dry before a resurrection smoke.

The lot all cleaned awaiting a smoke.

The fresh GBD Prehistoric

The French GBD Sablee looking svelte

The GBD Conquest Ebony shining like new

Also in the realm of acquisitions of late is the start of a project I've been planning for a bit. A nice smoking cabinet has been in order for a while now. At first I was thinking of building something modest as a winter project but instead had a spark of inspiration while browsing Craigslist. What if I repurposed a decent China cabinet instead 🤔? The larger dimensions would hold my collection and provide ample space for growth and the drawers underneath would provide nice storage options for tobacco and other smoking essentials. Well it didn't take long to find the perfect candidate. A very nice Mahogany cabinet which I was able to aquire for a meager $100...a fraction of what materials would have cost me to build my own.

Now all I needed were the materials to build pipe racks to fill the thing. I opted for Poplar wood as a money saving alternative to oak which I intend to stain dark. I want to build the racks to hold the pipes in a sideways cant to better display them. I will using this rack I found on Amazon as a loose design guide.

I think that ought look really sharp once complete. I also ordered a new tool for my project, a cheap drill press from Amazon. Perfectly straight holes will be an absolute necessity on this one. I'm not shooting for perfection in the build as I believe my pipes will draw the eye more then the racks, but I still want them well built. I also intend to use only wood doweling and no metal fasteners whatsoever. I was able to use this concept to great effect in a shave brush shelf I built a few months back.

Today was the day for my inaugural smoke of the fresh GBD pipes as well. I started the day with the Prehistoric and some Luxury Navy Flake. I now have a new favorite Virginia pipe. The draw was simply beautiful on this pipe. An effortless and flavorful smoke on a beautiful fall morning with a fresh cup of coffee.

I see myself reaching for this looker of a pipe often. The smaller size feels fantastic in the hand or in a clench and boy she is a looker as well.

Next I reached for the GBD Conquest Ebony filled with some HH Burley Flake. Another superb smoke. There is something warm and inviting about the flavors of Burley mixed with light portions of Virginia and Dark Fired Kentucky. Earthy, leathery and delicious with just the right nicotine punch. 

This evening I think I'll be reaching for the GBD Sablee, perhaps with some Pirate Kake? We shall see...

I will update my pipe rack project progress as it comes. Enjoy some good smokes 👍