Restoration project?

[Legion]

I was in a antique/vintage/thrift store today, and they had a number of estate pipes come in. I don't smoke anymore, so normally I wouldn't pay too much attention to them, but for some reason this calabash caught my eye, and since it wasn't hugely expensive I picked it up on a whim as a possible project.

When I was smoking pipes I restored plenty of briar pipes, but I've never done a calabash. So any hints and tips from the experts are welcome!

 

[brandaves]

I have no idea how to go about fixing that up, but it's a great find. I still need to add a Calabash to my collection.

@luvmysuper is probably your best bet. He's successfully applied elbow grease to several unique projects around here. Please keep us up-to-date on the results!

 

[Tommy Tutone]

I’m not great at linking stuff, but there’s a good article on cleaning a gourd calabash on the “reborn pipes” website

 

[Legion]

I’m not great at linking stuff, but there’s a good article on cleaning a gourd calabash on the “reborn pipes” website

Cheers. I'll have a look for it.

 

[luvmysuper]

The reborn pipes guy goes into great detail on refurbishment, giving links to tools, equipment, and supplies.
I'll have a look for his calabash projects and drop the link here.

 

[luvmysuper]

@Legion

A Dirty Gourd Calabash Brought Back to Life

Blog by Steve Laug When my brother Jeff saw this pipe he went for it. He picked it up May of 2018 from an online auction from Lusby, Maryland, USA. This pipe appeared to be in rough shape. The meer…

rebornpipes.com

 

[Legion]

Done! That turned out ok.

 

[luvmysuper]

Done! That turned out ok.

View attachment 1786482

Superb!
They smoke great by the way!

 

[Legion]

Superb!
They smoke great by the way!

Umm… maybe not.

 

[luvmysuper]

Umm… maybe not.

View attachment 1786902

That's insane! The Sherlock Holmes is U.S. $95.00 for 50 grams!
It's $17.00 here.
Want me to send you a couple tins?

 

[Legion]

That's insane! The Sherlock Holmes is U.S. $95.00 for 50 grams!
It's $17.00 here.
Want me to send you a couple tins?

Thanks, but it would get stopped at customs. No away “The Man” is going to miss out on those sweet, sweet taxes.

I’m in no hurry. Next time I have an in-law visit from the states, or I get there myself I’ll grab a tin or two duty free.