You are currently viewing 384. A Peterson Patent NAP Reproduction by Fletch Hiner + The IPSD 2024 Challenge

384. A Peterson Patent NAP Reproduction by Fletch Hiner + The IPSD 2024 Challenge

It’s time for the International Peterson {er, pipe} Smoking Day CPG Event
see end of post for details.

The PETE GEEK Mugs are here! See end of post for details.

 

A Peterson Patent NAP Reproduction
by Fletch Hiner

As a collector of pipes and lover of all things obscure and esoteric, I’ve long lusted after a Peterson System with a NAP stem. I decided I would try to make one myself, but having never actually handled an authentic NAP all I had to go on was pictures of them. I located a picture of a small billiard owned by Gary Malmberg online, I printed off and blew up a few pictures of the bit to work backwards from.

Amber stem NAP owned by Gary Malmberg

 

With my photo model in hand, I set about selecting a pipe to crown with a fresh NAP stem, I knew I wanted to use a System Standard and the older the better. But not being in the habit of removing good stems from Pre-Republic pipes I felt I should find one without a stem. An opportunity presented itself through some horse trading and pipe repair work with another Pete enthusiast, a grimy but overall good condition Pre-Republic (block COM) 12 System Standard 3, sans bit. While the pipe was filthy and well loved it did not show any outward signs of damage and looked to be a good candidate for a new stem.

Estate fresh System Standard 3 smooth 12

 

I went to work on the stummel in my usual fashion, first giving the pipe an initial salt/alcohol treatment. Then removing the lava and reaming. The amount of gunk in the well proved to be quite a monumental task but after about an hour of scrapping and de-gunking I had it sufficiently clean for its second salt/alcohol treatment to be repeated until no tar was found in the salt, this eventually took 4 soaks.

Future NAP pipe soaking alongside a Stanwell, two Dan Pipes, and PR Shamrock 936

The nickel band on the 12 was quite loose and incredibly filthy, I removed, pickled, polished, and epoxied back in place before continuing with the rest of the restoration. Once the stummel was clean, polished, and ready to go it was time to start on the stem.

I selected a piece of orange amber acrylic sourced from Vermont Freehand for my Amber NAP replica. I drilled the stock with a standard Peterson System tapered bore using a series of drill bits and tapered reamers. I then established the tenon extension before cutting the army mount to fit the pipe. Once the stem blank was prepared I drilled the NAP cross bore at the bit.

NAP blank fitted to pipe and ready for shaping, blue tape to establish button face.

Before shaping the stem, I had to form the reliefs on either side of the button that make up the outer limits of the NAP cross bore. This was done with a small round needle file. Once this was done, I shaped the profile of the stem with my 1” belt grinder. I cut the slot by hand with a very thin fine toothed hand saw.

Rough profile established.

Rough profile side view.

With the rough profile of the stem complete I started working on creating the shape of the NAP button itself. This was done with a specialty knife edge hand file and a divider to layout the lines.

NAP Button rough shaped

With the initial button shaping complete I started refining the shape of both the button and stem with sandpaper and a sanding stick.

Once this was complete, I polished and bent the stem to shape using the Peterson 1896 catalog reissued by the proprietor of this blog Mark Irwin as a guide.

Polished & Bent stem.

Overlayed

Below the 12 pictured:

Comparison with Gary Malmberg’s Amber Stem.

Comparison in profile with Gary Malmberg’s amber stem.

I’m really pleased with the way this turned out but have made some notes as to things I will do differently the next time. I’m quite surprised at how well the pipe smokes, it’s an absolute pleasure. The button is not near as fragile as I had initially thought it would be, its quite robust.

Until next time Pete Geeks, keep it smokey.

Fletch Hiner

 

 

THE 2024 IPSD (International Peterson [Pipe] Smoking Day CPG EVENT:
La Belle et la Bête / The Beauty and the Beast

Thanks to Martin Scwartz, CPG, for reminding me it’s time for the annual IPSD Pete Geek Challenge. This year’s theme was suggested by another Pete Geek (also one of the greats in the hobby), Mark Berman.  In sharing photos of a NAP House Pipe recently, the remark was made that it was “a Beast!” as in not only a large pipe but a great smoking pipe. La Belle et la Bête, as I’m sure you recall, was a French fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve way back in 1740. I have to admit I’ve always enjoyed the 1991 Disney animated feature as well, but whether fairy tale or film appeals, there is surely in your rotation both a Pete “Beauty” and a “Beast.”

To enter this year’s challenge and take away the Coveted Certified Pete Geek certificate or a new IPSD Merit Badge:
* Send a photo of two your Petes, one “Beauty” and one “Beast.”
* Send no more than a 500 word description defining your terms: what do you mean by one of the pipes being a “beauty”? The other a “beast”?
* Your submission must be sent to petegeek1896@gmail.com no later than Monday the 19th at 12 noon Central Time.

 

THE PETE GEEK MUGS ARE HERE!

Ramsey in Forest Green w/ Sunlight Glaze (top left); Ramsey in black (top right);
Tall Belly in black (bottom left); Tall Belly in Forest Green w/ Sunlight Glaze (bottom right).

FedEx brought 5 boxes of Pete Geek mugs to the doorstep yesterday, just in time to be photographed for this morning’s post. As I hope you’ll agree, these turned out every bit as incredible as we hoped they would. Deneen Pottery is simply the best at this kind of thing.  We spent a good half-hour just marveling at the differentiation between one mug and the next, as the hand-dipped glaze on the Forest Green mugs and the application of the medallions on  black and green alike creates infinite variety.

We’re boxing the mugs up for shipping over the next few days, per Deneen’s meticulous packing directions. When your order is ready, Gigi will send you a PayPal invoice–look for it as soon as Wednesday, but maybe not until Thursday. Once paid, Your Humble Shipping Clerk will transport them to USPS (for US orders) or UPS (overseas). If you don’t receive an invoice by Friday morning, be sure to check your spam or junk folder, as the invoice may have be sent there.

There should be a few extra mugs left over. If you’re interested, drop me a line.

 

 

 

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Stephen
Stephen
8 months ago

Mark,
Thanks for sharing this amazing story. That pipe is beautiful! Almost too pretty to smoke…

Nevaditude
Nevaditude
8 months ago

Fletch, truly incredible work! Thank you for sharing what is certain to inspire other CPG’s creating more DIY versions of the great idea from Charles Peterson. Love it! 👍🏼❤️
Mark, the Deneens do indeed look amazing & sounds like your cups “runneth over”! 😖…
yeah…🤔 I’ll show myself out now… BUT… great blog edition today! 👏🏼

Sébastien Canévet
Sébastien Canévet
8 months ago

The NAP is an odd but brilliant invention. Well done for this reproduction.
I’m eager to receive my mug 🙂

Michael Mikropoulos
Michael Mikropoulos
8 months ago

Amazing work! The final result is a really impressive pipe! Thanks for sharing this!
As for the CPG event, I think I already know my monster, but I need some time to decide which the beauty will be.
I’m very excitedly waiting for my mug! I’ve already got my favorite black coffee ready!

Redcoat’s Return
Redcoat’s Return
8 months ago

A fantastic restoration of the NAP Peterson pipe 😲 The NAP stem is not easy to produce…I think thats one reason…why Peterson retreated from this stem design. Still…today….I would pay a premium price to smoke a NAP Peterson pipe…if Peterson has a way…to produce them 🍀🙏🏻😄 Great news…the Pete Geek are there 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 I’ll keen an eye on my email this week 😉👍👍

Al Jones
Al Jones
8 months ago

Wow, amazing stem work! Making those cuts must have been nerve racking!

Gary Hamilton
Gary Hamilton
8 months ago

Fletch, that is some truly nice craftsmanship. Well done fellow “Pete Geek”. The color of the acrylic stem blank is very close to being spot on for the vintage amber of the era, nice choice!

Mark, those mugs look really great! Thanks for another great read this morning!

Martin
Martin
8 months ago

Amazing work looks like real amber thanks for sharing. We have a saying here in Germany and it goes like You are not a man with two left hands, or another one a hand full of thumbs. 👍

Paul Combs
Paul Combs
8 months ago

Nice work Fletch, really great! Glad to hear the pipe smokes well too. 🙂
Mark, the mugs look nice, looking forward to the mail.

J Keatley
J Keatley
8 months ago

Masterful work! Also, it would look mighty good next to that green Pete Geek coffee mug. Thanks for sharing.

Warren Paige Simms
Warren Paige Simms
8 months ago

What does it mean to ‘ pickle’ a nickel band? Thanks

Stephen
Stephen
8 months ago

Pickling agent removes rust and other oxidation from nickel, brass, and bronze.
https://www.riogrande.com/product/rio-kleen-pickle-for-nickel-brass-and-bronze/5010333GP/?code=50103345

Warren Paige Simms
Warren Paige Simms
8 months ago
Reply to  Stephen

THANKS

Andy Camire
Andy Camire
8 months ago

Very nice picture tutorial on how you fashioned a NAP stem, Fletch. It’s indeed a time consuming but satisfying project but well worth the effort to re-create such a very unique Peterson Antique stem. Thanks much for sharing with our coterie.

John M Young
8 months ago

Thank you both Fletch and Mark. I have frequently thought of trying my hand at a NAP. Well done Mr. Hiner with the restore and the bit. Mark, I am looking forward to my mug and the two birthday present mugs for my daughter & her husband, They are not certified but both are true Pete Geeks.

John Schantz
John Schantz
8 months ago

Nice work Fletch. I have been procrastinating on making one for myself. I can’t decide on which pipe to make one for. My Premier 312 is at the top of the list. I would like to use either a “desert sand” ebonite, or a true ruby color Amber/Bakelite? that mimics real ruby amber. I haven’t found any clear acrylic ruby rods with the “right” color, most have some kind of swirl mixed in or are too lightly tinted🙁 P.S. That little NAP Billiard is now in the care of this Pete Geek. You mentioned your concern over the possible fragility… Read more »

Martin
Martin
8 months ago

Nicely done I was always intrigued to make one by my self but don´t know where to start.
With your guide and pics I will try it in the near future.
Looking forward to the coffee mugs. Nice challenge for the IPSD by the way.

Marlowe
Marlowe
8 months ago

Wow! Nice work on the NAP. I’m a like a bear cub with boxing gloves when it comes to fine work like that so it won’t be something I’d attempt.

Looking forward to the mugs. I don’t recall what color I ordered but they both look great so I may have to see if there’s another available for a set!

Thanks Mark and Fletcher!

Chris Streeper
Chris Streeper
8 months ago

Wow! What fantastic stem work. Had I not known any better I would have thought that that was the original stem to that pipe. Seriously, absolutely gorgeous work. I am blown away. Stem making is not in my wheelhouse. I’ve long sought to have a church wording style stem made for my XL15 with no luck. I can refurbish wood and make a bowl look nice, but I am a little bit envious of you folks that can make such beautiful stems. I’m looking forward to reading some of this year’s IPSD narratives while drinking a cup of iron bean… Read more »

Rick Myerscough
Rick Myerscough
8 months ago

Fletch… that is amazing to see the transformation and rebuilding of this beautiful pipe.
I am amazed at the workmanship that you and others are able to do…
Thank you Mark for putting out such nice reads… the pictures are always a treat too.
Fletch… what mixture do you use to clean the bowls… you said salt and alcohol. Could you tell us the percentage of mixture.
Blessings,
Rick