What to expect from a *.com estate pipe?

bayoubreeze · Oct 18, 2012

OK, Gents (and Ladies)~
I need some advice. I recently bought an estate pipe from one of the site sponsors. In fairness, I won't name the establishment because I haven't yet contacted them regarding my concerns, mainly because I wanted to see what I could glean from the many decades of experience represented on this forum.
Here's the situation: Prior to purchasing, I spoke to a lady at this *.com to ask some questions regarding the condition of any estate pipe they sold. I was assured that each estate pipe was "cleaned & disinfected, and ready to smoke." I received the pipe yesterday; and, upon removing it from the box, I took about 3 puffs just to check the draw of the pipe (sans tobacco). I was "assaulted" with what I can only characterize as a nasty stench of a taste. I'm afraid I would gross-out some members if I said what it really tasted like, so I'll refrain from getting too graphic. Anyway, it took about 2 hours of drinking & eating to get that disgusting taste out of my mouth.
Never having bought an estate before, I didn't know if this was a normal "ghosting" that I should expect, so I ran a bowl of 1Q through it this morning hoping that would "exorcise" any ghosts. Unfortunately, this pipe (which I love otherwise) is waaaay beyond ghosting; it's demon-possessed. :twisted: Only a couple of times during the bowl did I taste hints of the 1Q. Instead, it was just a nasty, burned taste. During the day, even out working in my yard, I kept smelling that foul odor on my clothes and hair. I couldn't wait to hit the shower.
So, I'm wondering if this is anywhere near a normal experience for a commercially-purchased estate? Was I expecting too much from their cleaning, or did they maybe skip something in their cleaning process?
In no way do I consider this pipe "ready to smoke." Now I'm really dreading smoking that pipe again, and have no intention of doing so w/o either a salt/bourbon or low-heat oven treatment.
Your thoughts and suggestions, please.

hawk60ce · Oct 18, 2012

+1 dave
you could try a salt treatment first. just to see what might happen as it would probably be cheaper than shipping.

captainprophesy · Oct 18, 2012

Well in my experience... estate pipes come in all conditions... Ive had some that were pristine and others that were fugly!
Just give it a thorough cleaning and all should be fine.

rd02sir · Oct 18, 2012

I bought a Brigham estate last year on eBay for about $10-20. Took it out of the box and literally threw up in my mouth. It smelt like cat shit was smoked in it by a dead racoon.
I did s/a treatment, but the smell was no just in the bowl, but the entire pipe smelt. Tried leaving it in a bag of heavy cased aro for a month, but made it smell like the dead raccoon at some berries.
Smoked maybe 10 puff, and couldn't handle the smell/taste. I deemed it a lost cause and for the most part "threw it out", but it's more like I lost it and have no desire to find it. Ever.
If it's from a site sponsor, I would contact them. Maybe they just do a quick clean and not a full restoration. I'm sure they'll take it back, but now I'm weary of buying any estate.

photoman13 · Oct 18, 2012

Sounds like you have two options: Return it or do a salt and alcohol treatment.

brewshooter · Oct 18, 2012

Have you done just a basic cleaning with a pipe cleaner and some alcohol yet?

mikemacrdlnds · Oct 18, 2012

If it is that bad, and you otherwise like the pipe, send it to Walker Briar Works for a ozone treatment. It will clear out any foul taste and odors. If needed he will take any cake off that needs to be removed. I sent him a 60 year of pipe that was bad, and it came back like new. If it is as bad as you say, I doubt a salt and alcohol treatment will do. If you do not have a retort set up on hand, it will cost you more to make one that to have it ozoned.

mick · Oct 18, 2012

...made it smell like the dead raccoon at some berries

:rofl: Oh man, that is funny. Reminds me of the time I took a taxi that smelled like shit, but also had a strawberry air freshener, so it was strawberry shit smell. :|
To the OP, it really depends (to some degree) how much you like the pipe. If it was a pipe you absolutely loved, you might try "saving" it.
Wow, I just checked Walker Briar Works price: only $5 for Ozone Deodorizing! Pretty cheap!

nsfisher · Oct 18, 2012

Someone tells you they cleaned a used pipe and it is ready for smoking; Clean it anyway.

photoman13 · Oct 18, 2012

Make that three options. I didn't think about the ozone treatment. I would try a salt and alcohol treatment first but that is just me.

metalheadycigarguy · Oct 18, 2012

Even though they says its clean that doesn't mean its actually clean or to what level of clean it is. It's possible that the ghost is in the shank and not the bowl. With each of my estate pipes, I've reamed out the bowl and some I've even used sand paper in (depending on the cake build up) and salt treat them. I do multiple treatments if necessary and then I run multiple pipe cleaners through the shank and stem with alcohol as well.
When it comes to estate pipes I don't know who had it before me so I clean the hell out of it even if the seller says it's already been cleaned. Especially if it appears to have a ghost.

gmwolford · Oct 18, 2012

I agree with checking before smoking an estate especially if you don't know the seller personally. I won't even put it in my mouth without an alcohol wipe down of the stem.

captainsousie · Oct 18, 2012

Someone tells you they cleaned a used pipe and it is ready for smoking; Clean it anyway.

Truer words were never spoken. I still clean EVERY estate I get. Only one from lonestar and one from SmokingPipes had alcohol soaked pipe cleaners come back clean. A couple from "reputable" ebay sellers were not even close to clean even though they were advertised as "ready to smoke".

baronsamedi · Oct 18, 2012

Here's an article from GL Pease about a similar problem and the solution!
http://www.glpease.com/Articles/Spot.html

bayoubreeze · Oct 18, 2012

I bought a Brigham estate last year on eBay for about $10-20. Took it out of the box and literally threw up in my mouth. It smelt like cat shit was smoked in it by a dead racoon. I did s/a treatment, but the smell was no just in the bowl, but the entire pipe smelt. Tried leaving it in a bag of heavy cased aro for a month, but made it smell like the dead raccoon at some berries.

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing because you stated what I wasn't willing to state so bluntly. :wink:

If it is that bad, and you otherwise like the pipe, send it to Walker Briar Works for a ozone treatment. It will clear out any foul taste and odors.

Definitely will consider this as a last alternative. I love the pipe, and it's not easily found in the States, so that may be my final option.

Someone tells you they cleaned a used pipe and it is ready for smoking; Clean it anyway.

Learning that one the hard way. This won't turn me off to estate pipes, but I'll definitely consider them "dirty" until I do the cleaning myself.

Here's an article from GL Pease about a similar problem and the solution!

That's the low-heat oven method I was referring to. This pipe has a stinger made from horn, so I'm hoping the oven won't damage it. Hopefully some salt/alcohol will do the trick.
Thanks for all of the feedback and suggestions. Will post an update on how the cleaning turns out.

sparroa · Oct 19, 2012

I've got a strong ghost from what I can only suppose was heavy latakia in one of my Grabows (there's a Star of the East Flake tin in the background of a picture he posted on eBay) The seller was reputable and I bought 3 pipes from him; two were "clean" and ready to smoke as he said - the third one, though, was pretty damn dirty and even though I've put in a lot of elbow grease trying to clean it I'm not really eager to give it a shot... I may have to do a salt/alcohol treatment yet but I didn't want it to come to that...

johnnyrebel · Oct 19, 2012

If you dont want to wait for the salt treatment, i read a method on here one time where the member took a cotton swab of alcohol and made the chamber wet with alcohol(Mind you that i've only done this myself with pipes reamed to the wood), Then put a flame to the alcohol wet chamber and it will burn off the alcohol. I've done this and it has seemed to help, it doesn't appear to hurt the briar either. I dont know, its just another suggestion beyond what has already been suggested. Good luck! : puffy

:

captainsousie · Oct 19, 2012

In my limited experience, that (the flame trick) usually only works for mold spores and the like.

photoman13 · Oct 19, 2012

+1 captainsousie. The only ways I know that will take a ghost out is a retort, salt and alcohol treatment, and walker briar works ozone treatment. I would try the salt and alcohol treatment at least twice and if that doesn't work send it off to walker briar works. That is unless you can fashion yourself a retort.

judcole · Oct 19, 2012

"cleaned & disinfected, and ready to smoke."

They probably did that; this is a commercial site, not an e-bay seller. But ghosting,like a lot of other things in this hobby, has a subjective aspect to it. You mentioned that you smoked 1Q in it - it could be horrible for a !Q smoker, but might be fine for somebody that smoked heavy latakia based blends.
If you really like the pipe, clean it yourself and keep it. I would not let this experience put me off either estate pipes or this particular e-tailer.

What to expect from a *.com estate pipe?

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