vintage Falcon pipe find today

[Smokin Harley]

Its a frigid spring 41*F here in "Chicagoland" and I had the morning to myself so I went to a local gun show/swap meet held out at the Chicagoland Speedway ,400 vendors' tables were presented in the unheated car garages that would normally hold 42 NASCAR racecars in hot humid June awaiting a 400 mile day. I had a few firearm things (AK furniture) I wanted to look for but was out of luck in that department,no deals to be found that couldn't be had online and nothing to fit what I was looking for...but I did get a nice surprise when I was going by a vendors "other wares" glass top box and spied a nice vintage Falcon Standard pipe like my dad used to smoke many many years ago. It was nestled in amongst a few other old tobacco pipes in a ziplock bag. Here was a supposedly total gun audience and here I came with a rare tobacco interest. I think he figured he wasn't going to have too many others ask about it because I talked him out of it for $10 and he threw in some pipecleaners. I had a good look at it. The bowl I believe is a "dublin" style ,straight sided smooth finish and what layer of cake had been in there most definitely had been reamed out since the rim looks a little thinner than it would new but it'll do fine. straight stem . The bite seems to be a bit chewed on but I'm sure it was at one time some fellows favorite, given its wear. The bowl to stem fit seems to be nice and tight threads giving a good seal for a solid draw. I can't wait for a nice (warmer) day to get the old boy back in his paces. Nice to know these workhorses are still made today and interchangable bowls can be had quite easily and reasonably...I may even get a nice meershaum lined rustic finish bowl to put on it .

 

[Smokin Harley]

 

[ArizonaDave]

Nice find. I'm surprised!

 

[Chris A]

Looks good. Love that speedway. Used to go every year for Indycar with my son. Great place to tailgate.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I have a Falcon just like that. Cool pipe for sure. Awhile ago someone was selling a Falcon bowl with a meerschaum insert... which I failed to buy.

 

[Gavroche]

One of the friendly messes possesses Falcon, this pipe smokes very dry. He(it) has several bowls, it takes less place(square) than several pipes and so useless to wait that the pipe cools, we change the bowl and we smoke again I do not think whether it is a bowl ( shape ) Dublin, Dublin are in cone. For me it is a billiard bowl

 

[Smokin Harley]

Falcon sells a few Meer lined bowls
im kinda thinking I like this one,
(http://www.premierpipes.com/falconpipes/images/Hunter Bowls/istanbul meer-lined rustic.jpg),
http://www.falconpipes.com/

 

[Smokin Harley]

I already took it to the table , cleaned the air shaft with a nicely rum soaked pipecleaner. there was a plug of dried up tobacco near the bowl end. Once I cleared that it draws easy. The underdome (spot under the bowl) or whatever they call it was very clean. Then I polished up the bowl and stem with a dot of grapeseed oil. turned out to be very beautiful.

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

I already took it to the table , cleaned the air shaft with a nicely rum soaked pipecleaner. there was a plug of dried up tobacco near the bowl end. Once I cleared that it draws easy. The underdome (spot under the bowl) or whatever they call it was very clean. Then I polished up the bowl and stem with a dot of grapeseed oil. turned out to be very beautiful.

Nicely done. If you can stand to wait a few more days, you can pack the bowl with cotton balls and saturate them with Everclear, vodka, gin - something without too much flavor. I use Gilbey's Gin. It draws out some pretty stank deposits and will sweeten the bowl.

 

[Gavroche]

I prefer salt and alcohol...

 

[Smokin Harley]

Nicely done. If you can stand to wait a few more days, you can pack the bowl with cotton balls and saturate them with Everclear, vodka, gin - something without too much flavor. I use Gilbey's Gin. It draws out some pretty stank deposits and will sweeten the bowl.

believe it or not . I took a sniff of the bowl and it actually has a pleasant aroma about it . Nothing old ,rank or stank about it. But, if and when I do take to cleaning it out ...I have a jar of "clear" that ought to clean up damn near anything.

 

[Gavroche]

I believe in you gladly, I often buy estates pipes, certain smell magnificently good I disinfects them all the same with salt and alcohol

 

[deluxestogie]

A few months ago, I purchased a large, pot style Canadian Jobey pipe from a local antique shop run by two sweet, older ladies. $9.

It wasn't until I got it home that I realized that, in order to maintain the decorum of their antique shop, the pipe had been thoroughly sprayed with a scented room deodorizer. Stinky pipe? Let's spray it with Febreze!

A careful reaming, together with complete cleaning with diluted vinegar, removed quite a bit of the perfume. This was followed by smoking a daily bowlful of a heavy Latakia blend (while wincing at the floral background). Room note--mysterious.

After a couple of months, the off aromas are gone.

Bob

 

[Jitterbugdude]

So Bob, You found the secret ingredient in Lakeland Tobacco?

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Room note--mysterious.

I actually lol'd @ this.

 

[Smokin Harley]

A few months ago, I purchased a large, pot style Canadian Jobi pipe from a local antique shop run by two sweet, older ladies. $9.

It wasn't until I got it home that I realized that, in order to maintain the decorum of their antique shop, the pipe had been thoroughly sprayed with a scented room deodorizer. Stinky pipe? Let's spray it with Febreze!

A careful reaming, together with complete cleaning with diluted vinegar, removed quite a bit of the perfume. This was followed by smoking a daily bowlful of a heavy Latakia blend (while wincing at the floral background). Room note--mysterious.

After a couple of months, the off aromas are gone.

Bob

OMG Bob, that had to taste just awful . I have no idea why the decorum or "antique" crowd ruins perfectly good pieces of tobacciana by doing that or when you happen to find a nice perfect looking cigar mold and the owner thinks they are "preserving" the piece by shellacing it or worse, turning what they thought was a "tapered candle mold" (in reality an impeccably perfect perfecto mold) into a wall sconce.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Finally got the time to give the old Falcon a smoke. Filled it with FTT members "orphan" cav . Some of my own homegrown, some of BigBonners Perique and a pinch from the samples JBD sent me. Had a nice "classic " aroma to it, if that makes any sense. I love this little pipe. Smokes very cool . Very light and comfortable in the hand .

 

[Planter]

I second Gavroche on the salt and alcohol method. I have also used "Ballistol" gun oil with great effect on old Vulcanite stems.

 

[Smokin Harley]

gun oil??? Is that not a petroleum based oil? I wouldn't use that for anything going in my mouth. As for cleaning , I use vodka . I used grapeseed oil to give the bowl and stem a shine.

 

[Planter]

The brand I mentioned is medical-grade white oil once developed for the German military, where it was also used as a disinfectant for small wounds. It's still widely used as a lip balm, for skin care, on dogs and horses, and there's also an insect repellent version. It's fully biodegradable. (Some people swear that it's also good against stomach trouble and such, but I have not tried that.)
I've bought it originally for knives and garden tools, because it does not harden, but it indeed works well on rubber, leather and wood. It seems to penetrate the surface of Vulcanite stems and briar, after a few hours there's no fatty or oily residue left. Oxidized Vulcanite stems become black again and lose the sulphur aroma (I once had a really bad case of a never-used but old stem, which was almost yellow and stinking like rubber). It also brings the grain out nicely in briar. I only apply it occasionally, and it's effects last for quite a while.