So... I've been smoking for just over a year now and I fully understand the importance of cleaning my pipes on a very regular basis and have gotten into a good routine for doing so. But there's one thing I'm not sure I understand or even agree with: that's cleaning the rim. I have a couple briars and a couple corncobs - all I need. I've let the soot build on all my pipes, I've cleaned all the soot off the rims of all my pipes over the year I've smoked so, I know for a fact that the build-up isn't char - it's definitely soot. But my question is why? Frankly, I prefer the look of my pipes (especially the cobs but also the briars) with the soot on the rims.
Why do you clean the rims of the pipes and is it necessary?
Why do you clean the rims of the pipes and is it necessary?