I’d never given much thought to pipe restoration. I have a bunch of pipes in my rotation so they don’t get overly used on a day to day basis. Nothing that would require more than a pipe cleaner run through after each smoke and a semiannual cleaning with a little grain alcohol to keep it clean and dry. I’m not a clencher so tooth marks are not a problem and I don’t let the wood dry out by frequent application of Briar Pipe Wipe. However, recent circumstances made me consider professional help.
I was high bidder on an old Castello Sea Rock SC 84. I took a chance on the pipe because it was an old one but I would be less than truthful if I said I was not disappointed when I opened the box. The pipe had been smoked hard, put up wet and ignored badly. The cake was oppressive, the smell of the bowl foul, the briar in poor condition and the teeth marks on the stem looked like a series of moguls. While I got it at a medium to low price, the condition in which I received it made it useless to me.
I sent the pipe off to Scott at PipeRestore last week. I received the pipe back today and all I can say is WOW! The pipe itself looks like new and the stem is almost perfect. Stain matching was great. I can hardly imagine this pipe looking much better new from the factory. Today I opened a new tin of Solani Aged Burley Flakes as I reserve my old 84s (SC, pre SC and some large K ones) for burley blends. The pipe and tobacco were a great match.
I have a large group of 84s and this one now is fit to be in the collection. Thanks to Scott for his work. He saved what I thought was going to be wasted money and turned it into a regular rotation pipe. I highly recommend him to you, should you need pipe restoration work.
Happy smoking!
