Alcohol-metod gone wrong

pipesolitude · Sep 2, 2016

I believe I accidently smoked a pipe just a couple of days after I had done the alcohol and cotton method.
I had bought a lot of new pipes and forgot that I had used the alcohol method for this particular pipe. Stupid mistake, yes. The taste confused me at first. I woundered if the pipe was heavily ghosted by perique. Actually, I was under this impression when smoking the bowl, thinking that 'ok, this is how Skiff mixture would taste with a big dose of perique, not very good but I don't want to waste the tobacco'. Rather than the taste you get from a pipe that has turned sour, the pipe had more of an intense peppery taste (it also burned my mouth). But for that to be a perique ghost I think that the previous pipeowner must have experimented with pure perique, and even in that case I can hardly imagine the ghosting to come through so intensly. So I guess that is what a pipe will taste if you treat it with alcohol and smoke it only after a couple of days.
Anyone who has any experience from the same mistake? What do you think I should do, just let the pipe rest and hope that it will turn out normal when fully dried. Or, should I treat it again with the alcohol-method, doing it right this time? Or perhaps, letting it sit for a week first and then give it the alcohol-method?

tobaccojoe · Sep 2, 2016

I have only done the salt and alcohol method a few times, but every time I have been able to successfully smoke out of the pipe after about 3 days with no problem or "ghosting."
What do you mean when you say

doing it right this time?

Did you do it improperly on the first go around?

rfernand · Sep 2, 2016

Exorcise it with a few bowls of Carter Hall. It'll be fine.

sablebrush52 · Sep 2, 2016

Sometimes it can take several applications to thoroughly clean out a pipe. Sometimes the S&A treatment just doesn't do the job and a retort, or ozone treatment works better.
I wait until I can't smell any alcohol before firing up. I'm assuming that you thoroughly scrubbed out the mortise and/or trimmed down or removed the old cake. S&A works, but not without a thorough cleaning of the airway front to back.

pipesolitude · Sep 2, 2016

tobaccojoe: What I meant by doing it properly is to let the pipe dry out for at least a week after alcohol and cotton/salt method. Interesting that you only let it dry for 3 days with no problems. Som maybe it could have been the ghosting that was the problem after all. But the taste was so intense, like tabasco sauce.
sablebrush52: Yes, I did remove some cake and cleaned the mortise. I don't know anything about the retort or ozone treatment, it seems advanced.
What I did with this pipe was to try for the first time to do the alcohol treatment with cotton instead of salt. I was a bit sceptical when I tried it. My impression is that salt seems to absorb the moisture more effectively. But with cotton it just seemed to get fully soaked and then there is no where for the excess alcohole to absorb. Could I have soaked the pipe too much perhaps?

jpmcwjr · Sep 2, 2016

I'd remove all the wax, do one salt and alcohol treatment, then wash the chamber and airway with hot water. Towel and pipe cleaner dry, good to go in a day after unless your climate is humid. And leave the salt in until it's quite dry. What color does it come out at? Photos would help.

pagan · Sep 2, 2016

I wash out the bowl with warm water and swab dry after a salt bath then let it completely dry befor smoking, If the pipe has heavy cake I gently ream it first, sometimes an "Estate Pipe" needs several treatments.

sablebrush52 · Sep 2, 2016

obaccojoe: What I meant by doing it properly is to let the pipe dry out for at least a week after alcohol and cotton/salt method. Interesting that you only let it dry for 3 days with no problems. Som maybe it could have been the ghosting that was the problem after all. But the taste was so intense, like tabasco sauce.
sablebrush52: Yes, I did remove some cake and cleaned the mortise. I don't know anything about the retort or ozone treatment, it seems advanced.

Cotton balls will work just fine. With either salt of cotton balls you need to let the alcohol thoroughly evaporate before dumping the salt or removing the cotton balls. The salt or cotton balls should be dry before removal.
The retort method uses a small retort, filled about 1/2 way with alcohol, fitted with a rubber hose that is stretched over the stem's button. You fill the chamber with cotton balls. Holding both the pipe and the retort, you suspend the retort over a flame, like a tea candle, and get the alcohol to boil and pass through the hose up through the airway and into the chamber. You need to remove the retort from the heat before the alcohol boils over the sides of the chamber. Then you tilt up the pipe so that the liquid drains back into the retort and repeat. It's kind of a rocking motion. The boiling alcohol does an excellent job of removing tars and other gunk from the briar. A few passes back and forth is usually sufficient to do the job, especially following an S&A treatment. I've had good luck with it, but I had to break in a couple of pipes all over again because they had that raw briar taste like a new pipe.

dottiewarden · Sep 3, 2016

Alcohol-metod gone wrong

And here I was expecting another tragic tear-jerking thread like so many we've seen lately.

ejames · Sep 3, 2016

Unless the pipe is still dirty there is no need to repeat the treatment. Just let it dry. Using a lot of Alcohol will not harm the briar. It's not unusual- during a restoration- to drop a bowl into a container full of alcohol and let it soak for a day or so. Like Sable said,if you can't smell alcohol it is probably dry enough to smoke. If still not sure just let it sit.

pipesolitude · Sep 3, 2016

sablebrush52: Thank you for the advice. I found several videos on youtube demonstrating the method. It might be the next step for me, if I could find a nice retort. This is what I love with pipe restoration, stuff I would never think of before suddenly becomes interesting.

pipesolitude · Sep 3, 2016

Your responses has made me question if it really was the alcohol method gone wrong. But I am still a bit unsure. I am beginning to speculate whether it could be a combination of ghosting that was also intensified by the alcohol not fully dried out. I probably failed in my attempt to use cotton because it was not really dry when I removed it after 24 hours.
If anyone has had any experience of how an alcohol soaked pipe might taste like, or what it does to the tasting experience (if smoked before it is fully dried out), it would be intesting to hear.
Thank you guys for all the helpful advise so far! I feel more confident on how to proceed with my pipe now.

torque · Sep 3, 2016

I agree with the other posters. If all you did was a single salt and cottonball treatment then the pipe is probably still very dirty. Dip the end of a pipe cleaner in alcohol and run it through the shank a couple of times, that should tell the tale. If it comes out black or brown then you still have a lot of cleaning to do.
A lot of the smell and bad taste comes from the shank, not from the bowl. If you think about it, you burn the inside of a bowl from top to bottom every time you smoke a bowl of tobacco. That will burn off most of the nasties that cause smells and bad taste. It's the gunk infused moisture that collects on the walls of the shank that never gets removed without a deep cleaning. The moisture evaporates leaving the residuals behind and they just continue to build up over time. Retorting the shank or using cleaners and alcohol is the only way to rid this area of these residuals.
Retort kits aren't expensive, just be careful using them. They can be a fire hazard if not used carefully. Can't stress that enough. May sound cheesy, but safety first. Take sable's advice and don't neglect to stuff the bowl with cotton balls when doing a retort, will keep the hot alcohol from spilling out and will reduce the risk of an unwanted fire.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PIPE-RETORT-for-cleaning-estate-pipes-FREE-SHIPPING-TO-United-States-/131894908867?hash=item1eb58c97c3:g:uJgAAMXQs6FRNY5M

jpmcwjr · Sep 3, 2016

If anyone has had any experience of how an alcohol soaked pipe might taste like, or what it does to the tasting experience (if smoked before it is fully dried out), it would be intesting to hear.

Tastes great! And it's not filling! Seriously, no taste at all. But I also wash with hot water after an alcohol soak.

ashdigger · Sep 3, 2016

I always use the alcohol and salt treatment. The vast majority of pipes I buy are estates, so here's how I do it.
I get a small plastic storage tub, like for left-overs. I put a bunch of Kosher Salt in it, it acts like a stable base for the pipes. I fill the pipes with the Kosher Salt and then using an eye dropper or syringe I fill the bowl/salt with the alcohol (I use Everclear) and let it sit for THREE days. The alcohol has evaporated and the salt has crusted. I then scoop out the salt and using a twisted paper towel clean out the bowl.

I sometimes have to do this 3-4 times.
The next step is the shank. Using a combination or shank brush, bristle pipe cleaners, pipe cleaners and q-tips and a liberal amount of Everclear I really go to town SINCE I HAVE FOUND a Skanky Shank is the leading cause of ghosts and other undesirables.
A retort is a great tool, but remember to do it outside!! Any alcohol concentrated enough (high enough proof) to dissolve the pipe grime is concentrated enough to turn your cleaning adventure into a Molotov Cocktail.
The method I use has resulted in the banishment of ghosts and some really great smokes. It takes time and I don't shortcut the effort, but it is so worth it.

jpmcwjr · Sep 3, 2016

Great illustration and explanation. Few things worse than a skanky shank! That's why I use hot water for all shank cleanings.

uneek · Sep 16, 2016

Thanks ashdigger. I got an estate pipe today that will require reaming and a salt and alcohol treatment. I've spent hours on the shank and it's about clean. Your narrative was very helpful.

jpmcwjr · Sep 16, 2016

Yeah, thanks, coyote. I even go hot water as I feel that removes more gunk than warm. Then paper towel, q-tips for mortise, pipe cleaner for airway. I've smoked a few pipes right after, no problem. If there'a any residual moisture, the ember chases it out.

zekest · Sep 16, 2016

Put the pipe in your microwave for 3 minutes on high to dry it out.

jpmcwjr · Sep 16, 2016

Wow. Even I, Mr. rinse the chamber in hot water, wouldn't try that!

Alcohol-metod gone wrong

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