How do you clean the outside of the a pipe, not just seal in the dirt with a coat of polish or weather comes after. (And noe comments begging the question of cleaning for character.)
Cleaning the Pipe
- Thread starter sparrowhawk
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
After using a pipecleaner on the draft and paper towel to ream out the bowl, I leave my used pipes on a table below my wall racks. Then just before bed, I will re-rack all of my pipes after wiping them down really well with a polishing cloth marketed for jewelry. The light colored part of the cloth is for polishing the briar and rubbing off any oxidation on the stem, and the darker part has a microcrystalline wax impregnating it to give a light coating of wax that will protect the pipe. If the rim has some char or cake creep on it, I have a piece of leather stretched over a small piece of wood. I spit on the leather to wet it, and then rub the rim lightly over the leather to get a nice clean rim. Then I hit it with the polishing cloth.
There are many wood soap products online, but most have fragrances added.
I just use a cloth dampened with water, followed by some carnauba wax.
I just use a cloth dampened with water, followed by some carnauba wax.
I'm of the nose oil method. Give a couple of fingers worth of oil off your nose and wipe the pipe down (not stem of course). Then lightly wipe off the excess if there is any. Allow to air dry.
Cosmic nailed it, unless you are restoring a pipe, in which case it is the same buffing setup as making pipes. But that is too aggressive for a well maintained pipe.
I assume you mean paste. Car paste wax and some furniture wax is a carnuba base, but it also has a bunch of other stuff in it that might emit an aroma when smoked. You’d need a buffer or some sort of lathe to use the solid “pure” carnuba, amd buffing your pipe too often can ruin the lines and surface of the pipe. I think smokingpipes has a compound of some sort for pipe stummels that is easy to apply. But, really, unless you are just abrassive as heck on the briar, you shouldn’t have to reapply the wax on a regular basis. Just buff it well with a dry wash cloth... elbow grease.
They all are pretty much the same thing. When I had the store front, I sold Sunshine brand, because I got a great deal on them through the distributor, but now I just use these... https://www.amazon.com/Polishing-Cloth-Silver-Metals-Largest/dp/B000FIS5U4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1507852483&sr=8-5&keywords=Jewelry+polish+cloth
But, really, they are all the same thing, maybe different brand polishes or waxes, but practically the same. Just go with what is available for a reasonable price. For pipes, the bigger the better, so you can really wrap it around your stummel and give it some umph.
But, really, they are all the same thing, maybe different brand polishes or waxes, but practically the same. Just go with what is available for a reasonable price. For pipes, the bigger the better, so you can really wrap it around your stummel and give it some umph.
Water, hot, and with detergent if the outside is filthy, followed by a soft cloth- as in an old Tee- works great. Adding a bit of wax, such as Halcyon brings up the sheen a bit.
Thanks for this thread and for the info Michael. Two of those cloths just cost me 61 bucks! Well, I got a drill chuck and some tools for my lathe too and a package of surprises for the forum members. I have been looking for an excuse to make a bunch of tampers, now I have the main parts ordered. :lol:
I bought a package of 100 two inch long chicago screws. They should make nice tampers, once wrapped with wood or plastic or whatever. Gotta make a poker to go inside them too.
The one end of a chicago screw is domed/flat, the other end screws out. It should make a great tamper when completed.
I bought a package of 100 two inch long chicago screws. They should make nice tampers, once wrapped with wood or plastic or whatever. Gotta make a poker to go inside them too.
The one end of a chicago screw is domed/flat, the other end screws out. It should make a great tamper when completed.
James, you are the reason I bought the Chicago screws. I had spotted them on Amazon a while back and this order gave me the excuse to get them.
So, what material should the barrel part of it be made from? Bamboo? Wood? Plastic? So many possibilities.
So, what material should the barrel part of it be made from? Bamboo? Wood? Plastic? So many possibilities.
- Status