How do I keep Perspex translucet stems clean

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Jul 28, 2016
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Finland-Scandinavia-EU
My understanding is that those older translucent Perspex pipe stems are made of Acrylic,now,are the alcohol spirts forbid for airway cleaning of those?And if Yes, are there other more suitable solvents you may want to suggest?Thank You for Your pieces of information.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,260
108,376
Alcohol can cause crazing in acrylic. Whitening toothpaste on a bristle pipe cleaner will clean them up.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Smokers Haven sold more Perspex stem GBD's than anyone else in the world. Back in the very early 1980's they offered a liquid cleaning solution that they sold in a brown glass bottle like you used to get from a pharmacy for cough eyrup, etc.i purchased done then and it worked, as it was claimed to, on all lucite stems including Perspex.
When I was almost out, I discovered that this was no longer available. Apparently there were restrictions on sending it in the mail or by UPS that they didn't wish to deal with. It may or may not have been stocked in the store at that time, but if it was my memory is that it wasn't for long.
Fortuitously, at the very first Induana Briar Friars show I ever attended, which would have been no later than 1984, I met a man who had worked for Smokers Haven part time. He told me that the formula was very simple, 1/2 Acetone and 1/2 drugstore alcohol (back in those days, the only such alcohol I ever saw was 90 or 95% pure. I now see 70%,and 91% on the shelf at my Krogers. I use the 91% pure.
I have used this formula ever since on all Lucite stems, including Perspex stemmed GBD's that others have thought were stained beyond salvation. I have never experienced any cracking, hazing or other issues whatsoever. It works in a hurry, rarely requiring more than a couple of pipe cleaners saturated in it. I have never tried soaking the stem. Haven't needed to. Just dip a pipe cleaner in the bottle and run it through the stem.
If you don't want to use drugstore alcohol, you can use Everclear. I have, but couldn't see any advantage to spending the extra money. Oh, by the way,I get my Acetone at Kroger's where they have a 100% pure product sold as their own brand fingernail polish remover.
There are other things that might work for you. This works for me and has for over 35 years.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,863
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Don't use alcohol with lucite stems. It causes micro fissures in the lucite that weakens it structurally. You may get by for years, but that means nothing. The lucite is still be weakened and will eventually fail.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,434
Those clear stems are so pretty on new pipes, but I have always thought they'd take some maintenance. The toothpaste approach sounds good -- simple, available, inexpensive, and effective. Even stems with just some clear aspect, like amber stems, are improved by extra cleaning. They are appetizing but not at all so if they get nasty.

 

yaddy306

Lifer
Aug 7, 2013
1,371
502
Regina, Canada
Not all acrylics are created equally.
You shouldn't clean Acrylite, Plexiglas, Lucite, Optix, Polycast, Chemcast, Acriglas or Excelon (brand names for acrylic) with isopropanol, ethanol, methanol or acetone.

See this link.
Perspex, on the other hand, can be cleaned with isopropanol, soap and water, petroleum ether, etc.
See this link.

Link

 

yaddy306

Lifer
Aug 7, 2013
1,371
502
Regina, Canada
Actually, in reading into this some more, maybe perspex should be cleaned only with soap and water. I can't find anything from the company saying isopropanol (or ethanol) is safe.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Don't use alcohol with lucite stems. It causes micro fissures in the lucite that weakens it structurally. You may get by for years, but that means nothing. The lucite is still be weakened and will eventually fail
Well,I guess that settles that.
I started using the Smoker's Haven solution when I was around 30, am now 68, and never at any time have had the slightest issue. If any one wants to come to my home with a microscope and a non destructive means of testing, we could look at my pipes. But I am too close to the grave to stop doing what has worked. I have trouble also envisioning what would "fail." If I smoked Vulcanite stem pipes and removed oxidation using "forum approved" methods, every single one of which involves some loss of material, I suspect I would have had something "fail" over the same time period.
One thing that might be cause for legitimate concern with alcohol, though, and by extension I suppose with the acetone - alcohol mixture, would be soaking the stems. I have heard of people doing this with alcohol, but I have never gone that far with what I use. I just put a pipe cleaner in the bottle about halfway, then run it through the stem. Pipes that I have purchased new never take more than one cleaner. A really badly stained estate Perspex GBD, maybe several, but usually just two or three. Evaporation is pretty much instant.
YMMV, but maybe this is just a case of nothing in this world is dead solid perfect. I will settle for something that has worked almost all of my adult life time. :)

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Could the guy who told you the secret formula be wrong? I just don't see acetone and plastic getting along
Seemed to smell and work the same. Maybe the relatively minute quantity that is required has something to do with it. No more than it takes to saturate about half a pipe cleaner does the trick for routine cleaning. Or the fact that the acetone is diluted? I am not a chemist or materials engineer, nor do I play one on forums, which is why I gave all the background and details of my own 30 + years experience, not realizing that was worthless here. :)

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,812
3,591
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
For what it is worth, Old Geezer, I don't think the amount of exposure you are talking would cause problems. But I understand why others don't want to risk it. I also don't want toothpaste on the inside of my stems. Minty fresh breath.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
Pfft. You're probably the same kind of guy that wouldn't smoke menthol pipe tobacco. :laughat:

 
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