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Dunhill: Difference between revisions
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<blockquote><q>The first pipes were made by two men on the upper floor of Nº. 28 Duke Street. By 1912, when the pipe was well and truly on the market, Father had about half a dozen hand-picked craftsmen in a workshop in Mason's Yard, a short distance from the shop. They worked from eight in the morning until seven at night and, when required to finish pipes the shop would sell next day, later than that. No question of a five-day week or of water to wash with. Like every employee, they received a small commission based on sales and they worked hard because, with the ginger-haired man they called the Guv'nor bounding up the iron staircase several times a day, they were in no doubt about the urgency and importance of their work.</q> '''Dunhill''', Mary, Our Family Business (The Bodley Head - Great Britain, 1979).</blockquote> | <blockquote><q>The first pipes were made by two men on the upper floor of Nº. 28 Duke Street. By 1912, when the pipe was well and truly on the market, Father had about half a dozen hand-picked craftsmen in a workshop in Mason's Yard, a short distance from the shop. They worked from eight in the morning until seven at night and, when required to finish pipes the shop would sell next day, later than that. No question of a five-day week or of water to wash with. Like every employee, they received a small commission based on sales and they worked hard because, with the ginger-haired man they called the Guv'nor bounding up the iron staircase several times a day, they were in no doubt about the urgency and importance of their work.</q> '''Dunhill''', Mary, Our Family Business (The Bodley Head - Great Britain, 1979).</blockquote> | ||
In the beginning, Dunhill's pipes were limited production straight grains, hand-cut from over century-old briar burls and fitted with hand-cut 'push' vulcanite bits. | |||
<blockquote><q>These pipes were individually priced from ten shillings | <blockquote><q>These pipes were individually priced from ten shillings sixpence to over four pounds.· I am not sure how these pipes were stamped but most likely DUNHILL over DUKE ST. S.W. appeared on the shank with either a "B" or a "DR" near the bowl. A "B" stamping is possible since at that point in time "B" denoted Dunhill’s highest quality pipe. On the other hand I believe "DR" more likely as that stamping was being used to denote straight-grained pipes by at least as early as 1915. While these pipes in time became a high-end subset to the Dunhill 'Bruyere' (and later the Root) line initially they should be distinguished as these straight grain pipes were hand-cut in London from burls as opposed to the Bruyere line which was generally finished from French turned bowls until 1920. (The qualifier 'generally' is used here because any pre-1920 OD, HW or letter shape Bruyeres were most probably also carved from burls in London).</q> '''Loring''', J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998)</blockquote> | ||
Hener's information corroborates Loring's, and expands with information about the Motorities pipe production: | Hener's information corroborates Loring's, and expands with information about the Motorities pipe production: | ||
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<blockquote><q>If we talk about the earliest Dunhill pipes during the Motorities period (1904 – 1907), there were 3 qualities: A Quality (“First quality Briar, with finest vulcanite hand-finished mouthpiece”), B Quality (“specially selected Briars, hand-made”) and a Popular quality, which was lower grade and price. <br>Later, once his own production started, the nomenclature was similar: A Quality, the more expensive B Quality and the much more expensive limited production Straight Grain pipes.</q> '''Hener''', K. S., Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division and Walthamstow site.</blockquote> | <blockquote><q>If we talk about the earliest Dunhill pipes during the Motorities period (1904 – 1907), there were 3 qualities: A Quality (“First quality Briar, with finest vulcanite hand-finished mouthpiece”), B Quality (“specially selected Briars, hand-made”) and a Popular quality, which was lower grade and price. <br>Later, once his own production started, the nomenclature was similar: A Quality, the more expensive B Quality and the much more expensive limited production Straight Grain pipes.</q> '''Hener''', K. S., Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division and Walthamstow site.</blockquote> | ||
Mary also related that Micrometer measurements have established everything that they needed to know about shapes and design of bowls. Every Dunhill pipe should have its own specially designed mouthpiece, hand-cut from the finest block vulcanite. | Mary also related that Micrometer measurements have established everything that they needed to know about the shapes and design of bowls. Every Dunhill pipe should have its own specially designed mouthpiece, hand-cut from the finest block vulcanite. | ||
In an article, on fumeursdepipe.net called "Genèse et histoire de la société Adolph Frankau & Co Ltd" it is mentioned that Dunhill also used briar from other English wholesalers. | In an article, on fumeursdepipe.net called "Genèse et histoire de la société Adolph Frankau & Co Ltd" it is mentioned that Dunhill also used briar from other English wholesalers. | ||