In Praise Of Water Rinsing a Briar Pipe

[renfield]

Yesterday I had the worst tasting smoke I can remember. I switched pipes and had a pleasant smoke so I knew my palate wasn’t messed up. (After dumping the first pipe I drew some air through it. Yep, it was the pipe. WTH, it was fine a few days ago?)

My normal routine is pipe cleaners during and after every smoke and frequent water rinsing of the stem. Every few months they’ll get deeper cleanings with Everclear. This has previously worked well.

After a brief rinse of the offending stummel with warm water I was able to extract some nasty grunge composed of tar and pipe cleaner fibers from the shank that pipe cleaners alone hadn’t previously removed. Problem solved. The pipe tastes good again.

I’m convinced. Water rinsing will become part of my deep cleaning regimen.

 

[Grangerous]

Running water is the simplest way to freshen a pipe. There’s no tag on briar saying Dry Clean Only.

I rinse my Cobs.

Yeah, I smoke burley scraps.

But in pristine, sparking clean pipes.

Dissenters? Skip your shower for a week and use only alcohol and pipe cleaners to clean yourself.

 

[weezell]

I’m convinced. Water rinsing will become part of my deep cleaning regimen.

...

 

[Servant King]

I had a mental block to trying this for the longest time. I'm going to just do it already. Thanks @renfield for helping me get over the hump! I can't wait to take a gander at what nasty crud comes out of the shank.

 

[romaso]

Do you rinse the whole stummel, or do you keep water from getting on the outside?
Also, do you fill from the bowl or mortise end, or doesn't it matter?

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

...

Horses are so last year. Care for a baby seal?

I'm kidding (but what if the horse gets back up?).

 

[scloyd]

Do you rinse the whole stummel, or do you keep water from getting on the outside?
Also, do you fill from the bowl or mortise end, or doesn't it matter?

I water rinse after every smoke. I'm not an all day smoker/everyday smoker, lately I've been smoking 1-2 bowls a month. I rinse with warm water through the chamber and out the stem. Then I wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, run a pipe cleaner through and dry the entire pipe. Easy peasy.

 

[btp79]

I had a mental block to trying this for the longest time. I'm going to just do it already. Thanks @renfield for helping me get over the hump! I can't wait to take a gander at what nasty crud comes out of the shank.

Same here. I had a pretty big mental block about water being bad for wood. My buddy is a fellow smart ass and said "yep, that must be why boats were never made of wood" I saluted him with the appropriate finger and have been using hot water every couple of bowls ever since.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Do you rinse the whole stummel, or do you keep water from getting on the outside?
Also, do you fill from the bowl or mortise end, or doesn't it matter?

I keep the stem in for the most part. So, hot water into the chamber and out the airway. I don't mind water on the outside at all, unless I've just had it buffed to a high shine.

 

[captainsousie]

I've tried it. Was it a revelation? No. Was it a disaster? No. People often get the results they want to get from their endeavors and as long as they are happy with it, more power to them.

Until someone else with actual advanced woodworking knowledge (not just pipe carving or garage carpentry but the ability to work with the science behind it) cares to have an informed discussion about it with the rest of us who do, it remains a personal choice with no verifiable evidence for or against. This is an extremely unpopular opinion on both sides of the issue though.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Do you rinse the whole stummel, or do you keep water from getting on the outside?
Also, do you fill from the bowl or mortise end, or doesn't it matter?

I hold the bowl under running water for about 30 seconds, Warmer than luke warm but not so hot I can't stand it when it touches my skin. Water does get on the outside when it runs over or splashes. I wipe off the rim with a paper towel then insert the towel into the bowl and twist it a couple of revolutions. I most often flush a pipe after each smoke.

I've done this now for around two years. There's no doubt in my mind it keeps my pipes smoking fresher. It very significantly diminishes cake build up and the cake you get is hard and high quality. It virtually eliminates the need for deep cleaning. It also keeps the rims clean. It has worked great for me but I'm not fanatical about it. People should clean their pipes however they wish.

 

[Wildlands]

It’s worked very well for me in my pipe smoking journey so far. Rinse her out for a few seconds after smoking with warm water, dry, done. Pretty hard to mess up the process too much.

 

[sablebrush52]

When I first heard John evangelizing cleaning with water I was beyond skeptical. So I procrastinated for about a year before deciding to give it a go. It was one of those "if it screws up this pipe, it screws up this pipe, but I'm not happy with the results I'm getting and I don't enjoy this pipe" moments. For me the result was a profound improvement. The pipe thus treated simply tasted fresh in a way it hadn't for years. I still use alcohol from time to time when I'm neutralizing a pipe, and will also combine methods to really clean out deposits, especially on a vintage estate that I've just purchased. Mostly I water flush for regular maintenance.

I do disassemble the pipe for cleaning because I don't think warm water is good for Vulcanite, just as I don't use alcohol on Acrylic stems. I set the pour rate on the tap so that the water rises to the top of the chamber without spilling over, and just let it run through for 30 seconds to a minute, then scrub out the pipe with paper toweling for the chamber and various pipe cleaners for the airway, making sure that the mortise is thoroughly cleaned. Occasionally I repeat. A Vulcanite stem gets treated with alcohol. An acrylic stem gets a water flush and gets scrubbed out with pipe cleaners dipped in unscented organic soap before being thoroughly rinsed.

In five or more years of doing this I've experienced no issues. The fit always returns. With some pipes I need to give them 30 minutes to an hour to dry before reassembly, while others go back together immediately. It just depends on how the briar responds to the water. Regardless, the pipes taste remarkably clean and fresh, more so than with alcohol alone.

If a pipe can take 45 minutes to 2 hours of super heated steam going through it, 20 to 30 seconds of water isn't likely to hurt it.

 

[Servant King]

When I first heard John evangelizing cleaning with water I was beyond skeptical. So I procrastinated for about a year before deciding to give it a go. It was one of those "if it screws up this pipe, it screws up this pipe, but I'm not happy with the results I'm getting and I don't enjoy this pipe" moments. For me the result was a profound improvement. The pipe thus treated simply tasted fresh in a way it hadn't for years. I still use alcohol from time to time when I'm neutralizing a pipe, and will also combine methods to really clean out deposits, especially on a vintage estate that I've just purchased. Mostly I water flush for regular maintenance.

I do disassemble the pipe for cleaning because I don't think warm water is good for Vulcanite, just as I don't use alcohol on Acrylic stems. I set the pour rate on the tap so that the water rises to the top of the chamber without spilling over, and just let it run through for 30 seconds to a minute, then scrub out the pipe with paper toweling for the chamber and various pipe cleaners for the airway, making sure that the mortise is thoroughly cleaned. Occasionally I repeat. A Vulcanite stem gets treated with alcohol. An acrylic stem gets a water flush and gets scrubbed out with pipe cleaners dipped in unscented organic soap before being thoroughly rinsed.

In five or more years of doing this I've experienced no issues. The fit always returns. With some pipes I need to give them 30 minutes to an hour to dry before reassembly, while others go back together immediately. It just depends on how the briar responds to the water. Regardless, the pipes taste remarkably clean and fresh, more so than with alcohol alone.

If a pipe can take 45 minutes to 2 hours of super heated steam going through it, 20 to 30 seconds of water isn't likely to hurt it.

Thank you for the detailed guide, Jesse. This is immensely helpful, exactly what I needed. Going to try this on both my Savinellis tomorrow. ?

 

[mingc]

I never thought of water rinsing until I joined this forum. But once I heard about it, I didn't hesitate because I knew from personal experience briar does not absorb water very well at all. I found that out when I tried to soak a dent out of a piece of raw briar I was working on. After an over night soak, and a wipe off, it looked like the briar hadn't touched water at all. It's a pretty weird wood.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I found that out when I tried to soak a dent out of a piece of raw briar I was working on

You can still use water to do that by placing a wet cloth over the dent and touching the cloth over the dent with the tip of a heated iron.

 

[peregrinus]

This just seems to one of those topics that can lead to broken romances and shattered dreams.
BTAIM, it does work well and is completely safe. Like Jesse, I do try to avoid getting water on vulcanite stems as it seems to raise oxidation, but regularly applying paragon wax or obsidian oil to stems prevents most oxidation from happening.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This just seems to one of those topics that can lead to broken romances and shattered dreams.

Yep. The tantrums and name calling in the original thread ensured I'd never do it.

 

[craig61a]

Sometimes I do that, most times I'll just run pipe cleaner through it and wipe out the bowl.

Every several months or maybe a year or so I'll disassemble the pipe and give it a thorough cleaning if need be.

I don't use any special potions or elixirs either. Just carnauba wax, a wheel and food grade mineral oil. I like Halcyon II for rusticated and blasted pipes as it gives better coverage. Just hit with a horsehair shoe brush after it's dried down a bit.

 

[mingc]

Do you rinse the whole stummel, or do you keep water from getting on the outside?
Also, do you fill from the bowl or mortise end, or doesn't it matter?

Yeah, one caveat. I've had water wash out the stain on 3 or 4 Danish Stanwells. Not all of the stain but some. It's impossible to keep the water in the bowl and shank only and not touch the outside, so I slather wax on thick on the outside to protect it during the rinse if I think the stain will run.