Pipes in Selection #2 - Click the grid image to view details of each pipe

CHARATAN

The first of the London Pipemakers to make entirely hand-made briars from the rough ebauchon to the finished pipe, including the stems. The nomenclature "Charatan's make" refers to this method of production.  Dunhill was dissatisfied with the quality of the turned bowls he was importing from France and bought pipes from Charatan (paying high prices for only the best). Later Dunhill enticed one of Charatan’s best carvers, Joel Sasieni, to work in the Duke Street workshop
Charatan continued to make high quality pipes, and became very popular in the USA, being one of the first brands to break in 1960 the $100 per pipe barrier.

Charatan Freehand Extra-large Liverpool “Selected”

254-RfChFreeHand R1950.00    on preview days*

As is to be expected this handsome pipe has a near-clean bowl, with almost straight Flame Grain rising from a beautiful spread of Birdseye over the base of the bowl and shank. Strong thick wood. Quite beautiful.
Hardly smoked, excellent condition.

Weight 54g
Inside bowl diameter20mm
Inside bowl depth 45mm

Charatan Special, Semi Dublin

254-RfChSpec47  R1750.00        

Lovely golden colour with plenty of Birdseye and other tight grain. The flat base allows the pipe to be free standing. Lightly smoked, but some burn marks on the rim. Original stamped mouthpiece.

Weight 37g – pretty good for a smooth finish medium large pipe.
Inside bowl diameter 19mm
Inside bowl depth 35mm

Charatan Special, Extra Large Bent

254-RfChSpecXL R2500.00   on preview days*

Made by hand. An incredibly large ebauchon gave rise to this pipe, and there is hardly a spot on the surface. Thick wood around a large inner bowl
It has a very good feel in the hand which is essential with a bowl this size.
Original Charatan stamped signature “two step” mouthpiece. 
Mint condition – unsmoked.

Weight 124g
Inside bowl diameter 23mm
Inside bowl depth 50mm

BEN WADE

Ben Wade – has had a very chequered history, but as Richard Carleton Hacker says “is once again a highly respected pipe”.
Ben Wade was a pipe trader, then manufacturer, in Leeds, England in 1860.
His pipes were of a very high quality and standard of workmanship. Good grains and excellent finish.
The factory was destroyed in WWII, and then rebuilt.
The brand (together with the Charatan brand) was sold to Herman G Lane, President of Lane Ltd in New York, in 1962.
Charatan pipes continued to be promoted, but the Ben Wade factory was finally shut down in 1965.
Lane’s heirs sold the Charatan and Ben Wade brands to Dunhill in 1978.  But Dunhill had no interest in Ben Wade pipes – they had their own Parker Hardcastle brand for the bowls that didn’t reach Dunhill standard.
In Denmark, Preben Holm had a problem with his US distributor who could no longer pay him. In 1971, in conjunction with Lane Ltd., he created Ben Wade Danish pipes which were very successful for both partners – until Preben Holm died in 1989.
In 1998 Duncan Briars bought the Ben Wade brand.
The pipes are made in the Walthamstow factory of Dunhill, where the Parker Hardcastle pipes have always been made, and are doing well. We came across a beautiful 2017 Christmas pipe offered for £64.99

Ben Wade smooth rounded “Bulldog”

254-RFBen wade R1250.00   on preview days*

The triangular shank allows the pipe to rest at a nice angle.
Lots of hardwood with Straight Grain at the top and Birdseye below. But for a few surface flaws it must have had a much higher grade. Original stamped mouthpiece.
Mint condition - unsmoked

Weight 56g
Inside bowl diameter 23mm
Inside bowl depth  39mm

254-RfBenWadePrince R495.00  

This Ben Wade pipe could easily have been elevated to a higher quality except for a couple of surface flaws. The bowl is well covered with beautiful Straight Grain virtually all around. It is a big bowl, thickly wooded. The unstamped band is an afterthought although the possible crack doesn’t show on the shank. Carefully smoked but there are a few small “dings”.

Weight  65g
Inside bowl diameter 23mm
Inside bowl depth 38mm

SASIENI

SJoel Sasieni started as an apprentice with Charatan and became one of their best carvers. He was enticed to Dunhill when it opened in 1910, and then started his own company in London in 1918 making high grade pipes largely for the US market. Originally marked with one blue dot (for the European market), due to patent laws the logo changed to 4 dots for the US market.
They also manufactured pipes under the brand name Sashar (specifically for South Africa) for pipes a little down the line. The company was sold in 1979 and the pipes are now made by a completely different firm.

Sasieni Blue Dot bent shape 59s

254-RfSasieniBlDot 59s R750.00   on preview days*

Always good to see one of these London Made Sasieni pipes. And the grain is excellent - Birdseye with Cross Grain panels front and back. Good tight grain with plenty of hard wood.
Hardly smoked.

Weight  39g
Inside bowl diameter 20mm
Inside bowl depth 41mm

Sashar smooth Billiard

254-RfSashBillSm R395.00    on preview days*

Good grain. A chip off the rim, and the few small fillings, do not detract from the overall condition of this London made pipe. Lightly smoked.

Weight 49g
Inside bowl diameter  21mm
Inside bowl depth  41mm

Sashar rusticated Canadian

254-RfSashCanadianR R495.00

London made, machine rustication.The rustication probably conceals the join in the shank needed for the extra length. Overall condition excellent. Lightweight. Unsmoked.

Weight  32g
Inside bowl diameter 198mm
Inside bowl depth  38mm

PIERRE MOREL

Pierre Morel is among the most skilled pipe makers of France.
He was born into a family with a history of pipe making. His great-great grandmother polished pipes in the Jeantet-David factory in the 19th Century. In 1971 he started in his father’s workshop and in 1972 travelled to Denmark where he developed the “Fleur” shape which would become his specality.
In 1978 Pierre Morel was enlisted by Chacom to create a line of completely handmade pipes, called the Chacom Grand Cru. For this line he created the free-hand shapes Naja and "Fleur de Bruyère".  He then joined the team at Chapuis-Comoy full-time in 1987.
At the age of 60, in 2009, he retired from Chacom, but continued to work on his own.
When asked by "Pipe Gazette" in February of 2009, "If there should be a pipe of Pierre Morel, it would be what form?" Mr. Morel responded, "Flower Morel, I've probably made hundreds."

P Morel Freehand

254-RfPMorelFH  R2500.00  

This “Flower Morel” is hardly smoked. The bowl is covered in plenty of hardwood Flame Grain, flat bottom, self-standing. Very comfortable feel in either hand.

Weight  68g
Inside bowl diameter  19mm average
Inside bowl depth 40mm

Prolong the life of your favourite briar with a little more care and attention.

Professional Refurbishment.

Take a look at those old discarded pipes (discoloured, sour, damaged) - some of them may easily justify the cost of a professional repair or refurbishment. The bowl will be reamed, cleaned and sweetened with "mead", and the whole pipe polished to restore its dignified appearance - only the dents will remain as a reminder of past pleasures.
As well as replacement mouthpieces, a hole in the bowl or a cracked shank can be repaired.
You won't be able to buy a new branded pipe for the R200 to R300 the professional job may cost you. Bring in your pipe for assessment.

D I Y Refurbishment

Here is a step-by-step procedure:

There are 4 distinct cleaning processes:
1. Removing the build-up of tars and juices which collect inside the shank and mouthpiece, and in the base of the bowl.Work over a tray or dish lined with paper. Remove the mouthpiece from the pipe. Insert the nozzle of the CGA Pressurised Pipe Cleaner spray into the peg of the stem and press down for 2-3 seconds to release the spray. Repeat for the shank. Use a bristle cleaner to really scrub the inside of the shank and mouthpiece. Or you could dip the bristle in a solvent (eg Savinelli Pipe Clean, or some form of alcohol). You could pour or spray just a little solvent into the base of the inside of the bowl and work the bristle cleaner through from the slightly tilted shank.           
Try not to splash the solvent on the outside of the bowl or mouthpiece. Be careful not to start a hole in the base of the bowl through excessive twisting - and for very bent pipes go easy round the bend in the mouthpiece.
You have finished when the pipe cleaner comes through clean.
2. Keeping the carbon layer under control. When necessary, ream the carbon layer inside the bowl to an even thickness of about 1.5mm (R1 coin) - the T-shaped reamer from Savinelli, the Dunhill Carbon Cutter, or the precise, high-tech Senior reamer will do the job comfortably. Wipe the inside of the bowl with a little of the solvent.
3. Polishing the vulcanite mouthpiece to remove the bitter taste. Remove the oxidation from the mouthpiece with a mild abrasive (eg Dunhill Pipe Mouthpiece Polish, Savinelli Stem Polish or Jeweller's Rouge). This might require vigorous and lengthy rubbing (a whole TV programme). If very dull and green, a buffing wheel is a big help - remove the mouthpiece to prevent accidental breakage. With the buffing wheel, take care not to buff too hard on one spot - the vulcanite may burn. If the logo is stamped on the mouthpiece it will possibly disappear.
(A recent comment from a customer was that a buffing wheel is necessary when using "jeweller's rouge" but that he found a good hand rub sufficient when using Savinelli Stem Polish regularly.)
Watchpoint - water based cleaners or abrasives (eg Handy Andy, Vim) or alcohols (eg Meths, benzine) may add to the discolouration of the outside of the mouthpiece - extra polishing will be necessary.
4. Beauty treatment for the outside of the briar bowl. Polish the outside of the bowl with a wax polish (eg Dunhill Bowl Polish; Savinelli Bowl Polish) and a clean cloth. Again a buffing wheel can help - remember to remove the mouthpiece before starting.
(Corncobs shouldn't need a polish, but a beechwood will appreciate it once the varnish has worn off.)
5. Long term protection for the whole pipe.
The Dunhill Silicone Pipe Care Cloth: 100% waxed cotton - Rub lightly over the surface of bowl and mouthpiece after cleaning and polishing. Protects the pipe with an invisible film of silicone wax.

Complete Cleaning Kits are available from Denicotea and Dunhill

Finally, leave the pipe to stand bowl down for at least 24 hours before smoking.

NB Read about cleaning your Meerschaum - a very different process.

Prevention is better than Cure!
1. Don't oversmoke a pipe (especially your favourite) - it will become saturated and turn "sour".
Do rotate your pipes to allow each to dry out properly.
2. Do polish the mouthpiece regularly, don't let the oxidation get the upper hand.
3. Do allow the carbon layer to build in your new pipe - right to the bottom of the bowl - and then keep it reamed to about 1.5mm thickness to prevent cracking.
4. If yours is a filter pipe - do use the filter or use the adapter. Don't smoke without one of them, even once, it can lead to an ill-fitting mouthpiece through a swollen shank. This is almost impossible to rectify.
5. To prevent breakage, do hold close to the join when removing the mouthpiece from the bowl, and don't remove the mouthpiece until the pipe is cool.
6. Don't use a sharp pointed instrument to clean out the bowl - you may drill a hole in the bottom.
7. Do hold your pipe by the bowl (not the stem) when "tapping out" the ash; and don't knock it against a hard surface - you may break the shank or mouthpiece or crack the bowl. Fit a "cork knocker" to a handy ashtray.
The general principle to bear in mind is that the cleaner and drier you keep your pipe, the more enjoyable it will be to smoke - and the longer it will continue to give pleasure.

ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT © Colin Wesley 2020

		. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .