Problem with a Swiss pipe.

Hello folks, this is my first post so please be gentle with me. I was recently given a whole load of old pipes from a pal who gave up piping some years ago. By and large they all cleaned up nicely though with much elbow grease, alcohol, cotton buds and of course pipe cleaners. One pipe however is causing me some problems. It is a rather nice Swiss made 'Bernina' briar with antler stem. The problem is that it has a threaded aluminium insert solidly fixed into the pipe for screwing on the antler stem. Thing is it will not allow a pipe cleaner to pass through it, I can poke a spike into the hole but only for circa 30mm. Despite this 'blockage' the pipe is smokeable (very nice it is too)so I am wondering if a stinger may be attached inside though I cannot be sure as the threaded aluminium spigot is so firmly attached to the pipe. Also I see that at the bottom of the bowl there are actually two airholes! Can anyone please advise a newcomer as to how I might solve this issue please?
Regards,
Jay in Cornwall UK.

Hello Hawke, thanks for the speedy reply. What I should have made clear (but didn't) was that the 'blockage' is not gunk, it is aluminium. I have attempted drilling out the blockage but after about 15mm of drilling my drill bit ran out of length. I tried hand drilling it with my spike tool that I had cut a chisel tip onto, it gave me a little more depth (and much aluminium dust) but that too ran outh of length so am now stumped! I'm wondering if the whole aluminium threaded spigot might need to come out but it seems to be well fixed in place. The pipe is by the way a Swiss made Bernina with the numbers 659 stamped underneath.
Regards,
Jay.

Hi again chaps, before I go any further I need to know how to post the images I took this morning onto the forum with my next post, might some kind soul advise me as to how I might do this please? I see the IMG button but the images are in a folder on my desktop and not at a URL.
Regards,
Jay.

Cortez, I did try the freezer trick but as the threaded part is aluminium and the only part protruding from the stem I had to be very careful with grips (+ rags)when it came to attempting to separate the two after a while freezing. Alas all I did was slightly nosh part of the thread, it never budged one jot.
MSO489, yes I did say the pipe was a good smoker but as I prefer to clean my pipes after each & every smoke (thorough cleanse)it is only a matter of time afore this particular pipes refuses to smoke due to gunk etc. Also am a tad puzzled by you stating that "Many pipes, especially bent pipes, don't accept a pipe cleaner all the way through, but can be cleaned from both directions when the stem is removed." How on earth does one feed a pipe cleaner up the smoke hole via the bowl? Surely that would be impossible, it certainly would with this pipe, particularly as it has two!
I actually had it under the microscope yesterday and was able to remove more of the yellowish powder that appears to be the cement that holds the piece in the pipe itself by means of a sewing needle. I was also able to remove more of the gunk from the inside of the stem with long nose tweezers, alas now when I screw the stem back onto the pipe it all looks rather skew-whiff so I reckon a washer/spacer will be required once I have the aluminium piece fixed.
By the way I do have photos, I just need advice as to how to include them.
Regards,
Jay.

Well how things have progressed. Yesterday after yet another two hours with the pipe under the microscope poking away carefully at the cement with the small sewing needle and not making much progress I decided to try the freezer trick only in reverse.....I would heat the aluminium spigot and try twisting it out. Knowing full well that in so doing I would further nosh up the threaded end of the spigot (which of course attaches to the stem) with my Leatherman grips I felt I had nothing to lose. So, after a minute or so above a pipe lighter I tried to remove the sipgot but it refused to budge. At this point I really thought I was flogging a dead horse and was about to give up and bin the bloody thing when I thought of using more heat.....as in a tea light candle. This did the trick! Yes I did also further nosh the delicate thread but at least the bugger was out at last. I celebrated with a smoke in a newly acquired Duncan pipe.
The actual spigot was longer than I thought it might be at circa 18mm but it took only a few moments to remove the remainder of the powdery cement still adhering to it then I popped it into an alcohol bath to soak. Looking into the newly opened up spigot/shank hole I was astonished to see that each of the two air holes had an aluminium tube inserted into them (not visible down the bowl however) and I marvelled at the skill someone must have had to do that. Unfortunately in my haste with the drill I had totally ruined the entrance holes to such an extent that I couldn't get a pipe cleaner down either, also I could no longer blow down the bowl so back under the microscope with various pointy tools I attempted to open up the tubes by shifting some of the aluminium shards that were blocking access. This was finally done to the point that I could actually get a long spike down either air hole and into the bowl....progress was slow but worth it.
I then plonked the whole into alcohol and was amazed at the tar that poured out of the pipe.....eventually I was able to get the thin end of an alcohol soaked pipe cleaner into the holes and wiggle them about, this eventually allowed the thick end to be inserted and much more gunk poured out. I was now left with a 'breathing' pipe at long last.
Realising now that the only way to clean the airways was via the shank with the spigot removed (due to my butchering, a pipe cleaner would never go through the spigot and find its way into either airhole) I had to think up a way to make the spigot an interference fit. As I was so desperate to try out my 'new' pipe I decided on a temporary effort with the help of some PTFE tape wrapped around the spigot and after three attempts, adding PTFE tape in small measure each time I got a pretty good fit, so good that with my finger over the stem hole I blew into the bowl and there were no air leaks from the temporary join. That done I half filled the bowl with Condor (ready rubbed) and lit up. Well, after the initial strange flavours of what was left of the alcohol soaking it smoked perfectly, I was really impressed. For the long term I reckon the only solution will be to build up several layers of nail polish until I get the fit I want but as a temporary fix the PTFE worked a treat!
So, for a pipe that was at the point of being ditched I now have a smoker and one that I shall have fond memories of as my first attempt at pipe restoration.
PS: Still not worked out how to post a photo :-(
Regards,
Jay.