My dad has a meerschaum pipe. He read that he was supposed to clean it often, so he took some everclear and wiped around the inside, and the dark stuff (cake?) just smeared. Should he have done that? If not, what should he do?
Cleaning a meerschaum
- Thread starter charlie
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From previous threads on here, the experts say it is not good to build up cake on a mere because when it gets hot it will expand and crack the pipe. I wipe the inside of my meer with a moist paper towel after each smoke. There are others on here that should be able to tell you the best way to go about cleaning your meer.
Nope. Carefully remove any and all cake build up from the chamber and give it a wipe with everclear. Keeping the cake out is rather important for a meerschaum. Also regular cleaning of the shank and stem.
And just as a little something if you'd like to re-wax it Clapham's Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish served me well in restoring a meer I got on ebay. Use it sparingly. I put a little bit on a clean cotton t-shirt scrap and wiped it across the meer, let it dry, smoked it, and while warm gave it another wipe. After it had started to cool I wiped the excess off and it left was left with a nice and healthy shine.
Somebody may have something better than what I did but it worked for me. YMMV and all that.
Somebody may have something better than what I did but it worked for me. YMMV and all that.
I just got a meer lined pipe and I also was wondering how to clean it. What to use once a cake does build up. Should you scape or ream it? Or as Charlies dad did, just try to clean it with everclear only? It seems even with a wipe that a cake would build?
If it has any cake gently remove it by scraping . I clean my meers after each use.(one reason I don't smoke them a lot.) Any cake is very gently removed.
I just treat meers the same as a clay (but a bit more delicately because I care more if a meer breaks obviously) that is to say, I make sure there is little to nothing in the bowl after each smoke. .. but to be honest non of my pipes I bought unsmoked seem to be building up any kind of cake at all. I don't worrya bout it because I smoke slowly enough the bowls never get more than a little warm so I doubt I'll be burning them out soon, but yeah I buy used pipes when I can just to get one with a little bit of proper cake in it.
What I was getting at though (and what everyone else has basically said) wipe them out with a moist paper towel (water or everclear or whatever) -- of course the ash is going to smear. . . just wipe until most of it comes off (it'll probably still colour the inside of the bowl though) and that's good enough. .. do stem/schank cleanings the same as any other pipe. .. just be careful not to push the pipe cleaner all the way into the bowl. You know how when you clean a briar you let the pipe cleaner just go through until it hits the inside of the bowl and that stops it? Well that'll slowly but surely damage a meer, so don't do that with meers -- briars are obviously fine with this treatment, and I haven't had problems with clays either, the two clays I have broken I left one outside in the hail and the other was long so when I tapped the stem against my hand to empty the bowl it broke right where my finger stopped touching it heh heh
Ohhh -- 500 posts for me! Pretty n.n.
What I was getting at though (and what everyone else has basically said) wipe them out with a moist paper towel (water or everclear or whatever) -- of course the ash is going to smear. . . just wipe until most of it comes off (it'll probably still colour the inside of the bowl though) and that's good enough. .. do stem/schank cleanings the same as any other pipe. .. just be careful not to push the pipe cleaner all the way into the bowl. You know how when you clean a briar you let the pipe cleaner just go through until it hits the inside of the bowl and that stops it? Well that'll slowly but surely damage a meer, so don't do that with meers -- briars are obviously fine with this treatment, and I haven't had problems with clays either, the two clays I have broken I left one outside in the hail and the other was long so when I tapped the stem against my hand to empty the bowl it broke right where my finger stopped touching it heh heh
Ohhh -- 500 posts for me! Pretty n.n.
Thanks! Those answer it. Good tip about the pipe cleaner. Never would have crossed my mind. Next I'll have to try a clay pipe. I like those lattice meerschaum pipes a lot and have been tempted. But I wouldn't want to worry about finger prints. I could see me now with a special Michael jackson glove obsessing on the proper coloring. : ) HA
I read once on another forum that you have to be careful with the alcohol as well. Just a slight amount should do fine. Best way I've found to clean my meers has been just a damp towl inside the bowl, but even this doesn't have to be done after every smoke.
As for the comment about finger prints, well, that's your choice, but I find that I tend to hold my meers by the shank like a cigar vs. the bowl. Even then, the amount of time it'll take to gain the coloring doesn't seem as important as to how one holds a meerschaum.
As for the comment about finger prints, well, that's your choice, but I find that I tend to hold my meers by the shank like a cigar vs. the bowl. Even then, the amount of time it'll take to gain the coloring doesn't seem as important as to how one holds a meerschaum.
With my first meer I started off just holding it by the stem but I got tired of it. My thinking was that I bought this brand new meerschaum so it'd colour as a sort of reflection of me and if it shows that I'd rather not subtract from my enjoyment by using overmuch care and consideration well that's just fine with me.
Sorry I haven't responded, been working and studying for finals. Well, a little update is due. My dads pipe was one of those gourd meerschaum pipes often associated with Sherlock Holmes. He paid about 80 for it. Well, he brought it home, push it under the faucet, against my advice, and proceeded to wash it. It came apart in his hands. I nearly cried at the disappointment in his face. Well, lesson learned.
There are replacement bowls available for those Charlie. http://www.pipemakers.org/misc_products02.html
That sucks about what happened with your fathers bowl Charlie. Remember that you NEVER want to get meerschaum wet because that will happen. Wiping the bowl out with a cleaner dipped in alcohol is fine, but since meerschaum is a soft stone, getting it wet will pretty much destroy it.
Here is a good article about meerschaum pipes that will help you on your way in learning about them:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-meerschaum-pipe-experience/
Here is a good article about meerschaum pipes that will help you on your way in learning about them:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-meerschaum-pipe-experience/
Most calabash bowls are pressed meerschaum as well. Some of the top dollar ones are block . Pressed is definitely not up to water.
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