Average cost of cleaning

scrooge · Sep 19, 2015

Can some one tell me about the average cost of cleaning a pipe an stem. I realize a lot of things can change the price but just average. They are all estate pipes an wouldn't think about smoking them until cleaned properly. They are all meerschaums I am talking about.

gloucesterman · Sep 19, 2015

Cleaning meerschaum requires special technique so you can probably figure the cost will be more than the average pipe.

frozenchurchwarden · Sep 19, 2015

I've trimmed my routine down to using one pipecleaner and one Q-tip per bowl, with a bit of Isopropyl Alcohol for sanitation.
At Smokingpipes.com you can buy bulk pipecleaners for $1.01 per 56, giving you a price of $0.0180 per pipecleaner.

At WalMart you can buy 32fl-oz of 91% isopropyl alcohol for $2.58, which I'm going to say is good for about 1,000 bowls, so $0.00258 per use.

Lastly I like to rub down the bowl with a Q-tip, which costs $2.69/500 (can someone please tell me why packs of 1000 always cost significantly more?) and comes out to $0.00538 per stick.
Coming to total of $0.025995714 per bowl.

Or $0.020615714 if you skip the Q-tip.

Or if you use another pipecleaner instead of the Q-tip, $0.038651429 per bowl.

If you use Whiskey obviously the total is going to be a lot higher, most likely because you're using the supplies on yourself.

gloucesterman · Sep 19, 2015

My understanding is you should never use alcohol on Meerschaum. It will seriously alter the color.

warren · Sep 19, 2015

I use the alcohol on the bits, never in or on the bowl.

scrooge · Sep 19, 2015

So how do you sanitize the inside an outside of the bowl. Because I to have read never to use alcohol on meerschaums

sablebrush52 · Sep 19, 2015

My understanding is you should never use alcohol on Meerschaum. It will seriously alter the color.

Alcohol softens meerschaum and screws with it's absorption properties. But you can use alcohol sparingly and briefly if you first preheat the bowl to harden the meer prior to exposing it briefly to the alcohol. Basically, don't use alcohol on a meer.
Depending on how dirty the airway and stem are, it could take a lot more than one pipe cleaner or 1 Q-tip, it could take dozens. Depends one the condition and what your standard is.
You can send these out to be professionally cleaned. Briarville is often mentioned as a good place to have meerschaums cleaned and restored. Then it becomes a matter of maintenance.

sablebrush52 · Sep 19, 2015

So how do you sanitize the inside an outside of the bowl. Because I to have read never to use alcohol on meerschaums

Sandpaper or glass paper wrapped around a bit of doweling, or a marker pen to remove deposits from the chamber.

jitterbugdude · Sep 20, 2015

I've used sandpaper in the bowl and on top of a meer that had a lot of charring. Started out with a med-course grit and worked up to a very fine. It came out perfect.

easterntraveler · Nov 5, 2015

Did I just read that you use sand paper to clean the inside of a meer?

warren · Nov 6, 2015

I do, as needed.

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