Dunhill: Difference between revisions

“Men of Bushongo,” he said solemnly, “thank me from the bottom of your hearts, for I have brought you this.”  

The elders passed the leaves from hand to hand and shook their heads; one of them said sternly:  

[[File:Screen_Shot_2562-09-07_at_17.21.07.png|thumb|right|200px| Briar Selection. ©About Smoke]]

[[File:00000IMG 00000 BURST20191102150900988 COVER.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Outdoor Smokers]]

Loring stated in his book that between 1907 and March 1910 (before establishing the manufacturing facility) Alfred's pipes were not made by him. He bought fully manufactured pipes, (most probably) made out of varnished Algerian briar, in four shapes. These were thick shanked, thin shanked, military mount billiards, and a bulldog. After this period, the pipes came from France.

== About New and Old Pipes ==

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Among the brand lovers, there are always doubts as to the quality of the pipes and their relationship with the period when it was manufactured. It is often said that Dunhill only manufactured good pipes until mid-1968 and after that, the quality was compromised. The patents Era ended in 1954, but it is said that good pipes continued to be made until mid-1968.

<blockquote><q>Dunhill is famous for its oil curing techniques and this is believed to be a source of its peculiar and particular taste and flavor characteristics. On the surface this sounds quite neat and tidy. But just a bit of analysis immediately makes such claims quite suspect. Does every Dunhill have that same character? I could find no evidence for this in the tastings that I have done with Dunhills. One vital question concerns when a particular Dunhill pipe was made. Bill Taylor of Ashton pipe fame has remarked that during all the twenty-plus years that he worked for Dunhill, that he never observed any oil applied to a Dunhill bowl. David Field told me on two occasions that he is convinced that oil curing stopped after 1968 and after that Dunhill pipes were quite different. Thus, Dunhills after the mid-1960s do not appear to have been oil cured at all and, on top of that, their bowls seem to have come from different suppliers.</q> Dr Fred Hanna. <ref name=hanna>Hanna, Fred. (2002), The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking. Retrieved 19 March 2020 from [http://www.greatnorthernpipeclub.org/Myth.htm The Great Northern Pipe Club].</ref></blockquote>  

In 1967, Carreras Ltd (Rothmans International at the time - then in 1999 Rothmans was acquired by British American Tobacco<ref name=nwtbat>Edmund L. Andrews (1999). "International Business: British American Tobacco Will Buy Rothmans - New York Times". Retrieved 06 February 2020 from [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/12/business/international-business-british-american-tobacco-will-buy-rothmans.html Nytimes.com].</ref>) purchased 50% of the Dunhill capital from the company and from members of the family and three of their directors joined the Dunhill board<ref name=balfourchronology>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (pp. 234-236). London, Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>. Is it possible that this new council has defined any administrative measures that have influenced the production of the subsequent products? We have signs of transition in that period, but we don't know if it was for that reason, but it is a possibility that it cannot be ruled out. It is also a period that the company begins to reposition itself in the market with male accessories, leaving tobacco-related products in the background.  

  '''Note:''' All pipes come with a costly fitted black ebonite (is generically known as hard rubber and is obtained by vulcanizing natural rubber for prolonged periods. Ebonite may contain from 25% to 80% sulfur and linseed oil. The material has also been called vulcanite, although that name formally refers to the mineral vulcanite).  

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|<center>'''The Black Spot'''</center>  

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<center><font size="3">[[File:Aspas-copy.png|40px]]This white mouthpiece was made in our factory. It is made from a material called "Erinoid", a predecessor to Bakelite and we used it for its colour. Until recently we had some stock of the material left.[[File:Aspas.png|40px]]</font> The White Spot Division.<ref name=hener>Hener, K. S. Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division and Walthamstow site. (Conversations held between 2019 and 2020).</ref></center>   

<blockquote><q>It would be difficult to imagine a life without plastic. The first plastic was cellulose nitrate developed in the mid-19th Century, which was popular for co||ars and cuffs. The second was Casein hardened with formaldehyde and patented in Britain in 1911. Casein plastic was made under the trade name "Erinoid" at Lightpill Mills in Stroud for about 70 years from 1912. Unlike the later plastics such as Bakelite, Casein plastic could be dyed in many bright colours. It could withstand the rigours of washing and ironing, dry-cleaning solvents, etc and became popular for buttons and other household goods. It was eventually replaced by oil-based plastics for most users but is still made today on a small scale for high-quality goods.</q></blockquote>

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[[File:Fourpipesset.jpg|thumb|right|135px|4 Pipes Set]]

[[File:Weeksetupbox.jpg|thumb|right|135px|Week Set Box]]

[[File:I150b.jpg|thumb|right|135px|3 pipes Set]]

The first setup (see images on the right) contains 7 pieces for the weekly rotation, where the days of the week related to each of the pipes.

File:Yangset2.jpg|© Yang - pics by Naddeo.

File:Yangset3.jpg|© Yang - pics by Naddeo.

  '''Note:''' Prior to the war the bottom of the Dunhill black vulcanite bit had a "REG. No 654638" stamped (without color) on the underside of the bit near the meeting point with the shank. Due to the lack of information, it is not possible to determine what this number refers to<ref name=jcl18>Loring, J. C. (1998) The Dunhill Briar Pipe - The Patent Years and After (p. 42). Chicago: self-published.</ref>.

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[[File:1944-Esquire-Advertisement-WWII-Era.jpeg|thumb|right|120px|Esquire Ad - WWII, 1944.]]

On 17 April 1941, during the infamous Luftwaffe Blitz bombing of London, the Alfred Dunhill store (and many others in the surrounding area) were bombed and almost totally destroyed. The restoration was not fully completed until 1953. A popular piece of lore from that period is that Dunhill employees called Sir. Winston Churchill at 4:00 a.m. to ensure him that his private collection of cigars ([[Dunhill Cigars]]) housed in the store's humidifier had been transferred safely out of danger<ref name=balfour27>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (pp. 132-137). London: Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>  

According to John Loring, few pipes (and mostly uninteresting) were produced by Dunhill during the 1940s. Italian Briar for smooth pipes was extremely scarce, and Algerian Briar (used in sandblasts) was just slightly more available. Likewise, vulcanite for stems was either rationed or forbidden, so that many, if not most of the pipes produced during the war were equipped with horn stems<ref name=jclwwii>Loring, J. C. ('90s). A Hypothetical WWII Pipe. Chicago[https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_Hypothetical_WWII_Pipe].</ref>.

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== Bruyere == <!--T:49-->

The original finish produced (usually made using Calabrian briar), and a big part of developing and marketing the brand. It was the only finish from 1910 until 1917. A dark reddish-brown stain. Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red.

== Root Briar ==  

Introduced in 1931 and highly prized because the grain is more pronounced in this finish (usually made using Corsican briar). The Root Briar finish requires a perfectly clean bowl with excellent graining. Therefore, it is the most expensive of the Dunhill pipes. Corsican briar was most often used for the Root finish since it was generally more finely grained. This is a rare finish, due to the scarcity of briar suitable to achieve it. These pipes are normally only available at Company stores, or at Principle Pipe Dealers. Straight grained pipes were formerly graded A through H, but are now only "Dr's" and graded with one to six stars, with the letters G and H still used for the very finest pieces.

== Tanshell ==  

The first lot was distributed in 1952 (usually made using Sardinian briar). The prototype was called  "Root Shell ", produced in 1951. The Tanshell is a light tan sandblast. Sardinian briar was used for this sandblast. There is a distinct contrast in the sandblasts using Sardinian as opposed to Algerian briar. The Sardinian is much denser and much harder. The resulting pattern, when blasted, is far more even and regular both in terms of the surface texture and the finish.

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*<font size="3">See more examples here: '''[[Dunhill Red Bark]]'''</font>

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== Black Briar & Dress ==  

'''Black Briar''' is a smooth dark finish with vein contrasted in black introduced in 1973 and renamed the DRESS in 1979.

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== Cumberland ==  

Introduced in 1979. Cumberland is another sandblast with a brown stain and a brindle stem (the material is more commonly called ‘Cumberland’ these days, thanks to Dunhill’s influence and the success of the finish over the past quarter-century). Originally, the Cumberland always featured a smooth brown rim, but in the current production the rim is sometimes smooth, sometimes sandblasted. Occasionally, a straight grain blast is finished with a Cumberland stain and a “Shilling Grain,” similar to the “Ring Grain,” resulting in a new variation on the traditional sandblast. The Shilling series is named for the British coin: the sandblast looks like a stack of shillings.  Named after the warehouse on Cumberland Road. The old pipes that inspired this finish were found there.

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== Chestnut ==  

A rich, deep walnut colour complemented by the Cumberland mouthpiece – it was introduced in 1983 to commemorate the closing of the Cumberland Road warehouse. The same stain and stem material as used on the Cumberland, but on a smooth bowl. Like the Bruyere, the finish is smooth to the feel and will lighten in time to show off the grain, which is usually cross-grain top and bottom with birds-eye on the sides of the bowl. Irrespective of shape, size or finish, all Dunhill pipes are of one quality only – the finest.

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== County ==  

A tan sandblast with a Cumberland mouthpiece. Introduced in 1986, but it has been discontinued at the end of 1987. A limited reissue of 150 pieces was made available in 2006. After that, the production has been resumed, it's available now.  Many enthusiasts find the County to be an excellent smoking finish

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== Russet ==

Having been introduced in December of 1988 and retired sometime in 2000. A medium reddish-brown stain and smooth finish that has since been retired.

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== Amber Root ==

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Since the Turkish government banned the export of Meerschaum, it is difficult to produce them. We have found a few from the '60s, '80s, '90s and early 2000.

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[[File:Catalogue 1933 - Meerschaum pipes.jpg|frameless|border|left|80px|Catalogue]]

<center><font size="3">[[File:Aspas-copy.png|40px]]I found a much earlier reference in our catalogue from 1933 (left).

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*<font size="3">See more examples here: '''[[Dunhill Meerschaum]]'''</font>

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