That happiness comes from fact that I am handling something that is old and has a long history. Sometimes I ask to myself how the previous pipe smoker could smoke them. Sometimes I get a stem with double hole, a tobacco chamber with a very limited space. It is then that I remember when my father told me when I was younger that my great-grandparent’s pipe needed maintenance . As you can see from the picture the pipe is heavily oxidized with little to no chatter marks.
Overall the bowl was in great condition with a small white mark on the bottom of the bowl (I think it was glue). The Jura Mountains are a mountain range that helps establish a large portion of the French and Swiss border. However, it is actually the mountain range that Chacom names these pipes after, fitting into the company’s history of paying homage to French regions, culture, or history. Paykoc Pipes provides a world-class selection of tobacco pipes and tobacco pipe accessories for the modern pipe connoisseur.
The brand name Chacom is a combination of the family names Chapuis and Comoy. The factory was founded in Avignon, France in 1825, when the Comoy family started producing pipes there. Henry Comoy moved the production to London and from 1879 onward he used his family name as a brand for his briar pipes. Chacom pipes are made through an extensive and important process, where natural drying, ageing, grading and master crafting take place to ensure a high end pipe is resulted. Next, I cleaned the surface of the stem with isopropyl alcohol to get rid of all the dirt, oils and tars from the surface.
Using the syringe, I add the alcohol to the salt, topping it up to the bowl brim. I usually leave this treatment in the bowl overnight.Step 2I prefer to use my old trusty friend (pocket knife) to clean the cake from the bowl. It has a more rounded tip and I find it a perfect tool to clean out most pipes without damaging the bowl.Step 3With the same alcohol I use cotton pads to remove the finish off the pipe. Alcohol also does a great job at removing tar from the bowl rim. If the tar is heavy then a light sanding works better.Step 4I don’t know what it is about sanding that brings so much satisfaction; I think it is the results you get on the pipe finish; it looks like glass.
Following the death of Henri in 1924, the company (London & St Claude factories) is taken over by Paul & Adrian Comoy with help from Emile & Louis Chapius. By 1928 the London Chacom factory had begun completely making pipes in London and the supplies from St Claude were no longer required. Rather than closing the original factory the company was renamed Comoy (a combination of both names) in 1928. Shapes, ranges and grading remained the same between the two factories and Chacom was only sold in France, Switzerland and Belguim. I came across this pipe at an antique mall in London, Ontario.
McClellan Frog Morton Cellar is rare not only because it’s hard to find, but because of its unique characteristics. Founded in 1825, Chapuis Comoy is the oldest pipe manufacturer still in existence. Situated in the middle of the French Jura lies the pipe captain black tobacco mecca Saint Claude, where the first pipes were made out of Erica Arborea root wood, better known as briar. Innovations in shape and finishes continued from the 1970’s to this day.
While in a Swiss prisoner of war camp (1870) Henry meets up with his cousins (the Chapius family) and the plan to open a pipe factory if and when they are released. On their return to France, the Comoy & Chapius families open their factory is opened. With the popularity of there pipes in London, Henry takes machinery and skilled craftsmen to the UK. The Comoy factory was supplied with pre cut bowls and other raw material from St Claude. If there are some moist tobacco bites, remove it immediately with the pipe cleaner to avoid a bad smell. Gently tap your pipe on the palm of your hand or on a pipe ashtray (with a cork knocker) to remove the ashes and tobacco.