That one is hard to determine if you purchase your pipes online. Case in point, I have a pipe that should pass a cleaner, but due to a slight imperfection that must have occurred during the stem design for at least my particular pipe, the button has a slight droop, if you will, near the top. Was it designed to be that way? I doubt it, but it happened and this pipe won't pass a cleaner until I do a little work on the opening. That's only if it was some slight defect, but even more expensive pipes have this issue, more in the line of bent stems, than straight, I've found. If the cleaner gets caught on the mortise, for example and won't pass, you might not know that until you buy it and try it for the first time. I don't necessarily believe they are designed that way, but I believe it's just a slight imperfection that occurs during production.
I do too, once it cools, but if you get a blockage or if for some reason, like in my case sometimes, you get a little extra moisture in the bottom of the bowl, it would be nice to run a cleaner down inside to free it up or soak it up. Not all the time, but it has happened before.
Cap the bowl with your palm with the stem pointed toward your thumb. Hold the pipe tightly and flick it like cracking a whip to expel the moisture.
I have a semi-hard rule about this. A pipe should pass a cleaner to remove moisture during a smoke; gurgling can happen especially if you smoke outside most of the time like I do, even if one breath smokes. The qualification is there in my personal rule because I do have one full-bent that smokes so dry and I have no need for moisture removal.
Just hold on tight and sharp flick of the wrist should do you right. Crap that rhymed. :mrgreen:
