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runscott

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 3, 2020
869
2,005
Washington State
Curious if I am the only one who takes their pipe apart every time I clean them? I also use alcohol (whiskey) on the pipe cleaner every time. Not for the bowl though.

Lots of guys talk about sour pipes and clogged airways, both of these things are inconceivable to me and my cleaning process is so simple.

I think messing with your pipe is a good way to slow things down in your life, so if you enjoy doing a few extra things for clean-up, I personally think it's great. Also a proponent of corks in wine bottles and shaving plugs for my pipe. S.l.o.w i.t d.o.w.n
 

KingcobraJFS

Lurker
Sep 22, 2021
36
72
I never take my pipes apart unless I'm doing a deep clean, which only happens a couple of times a year because I rotate so often.

I pretty much only smoke one bowl on any given day that I smoke, and there's really no reason for frequent deep cleaning at that rate.
 

JOHN72

Lifer
Sep 12, 2020
5,136
51,569
51
Spain - Europe
Throughout these three years, as a corn pipe smoker, I have been changing some systems or techniques, or whatever the hell you want to call it. The truth is that smoking and cleaning, once the pipe is cold, is for the moment for me, the best. I am not afraid to give an internal bath to the corn pipes, especially to give a deep cleaning, or to remove some aromatic tobaccos or loaded with latakia. However, with the few briar pipes I have, which are two, and a new one on the way, I will do the same cleaning, daily, using paper napkin, alternating with hot water. I imagine that sometime in life, I will have to hit it with alcohol, when the cake becomes more visible. Alcohol is infallible, it melts the oils and other dross, and on top of that it leaves no taste, since it volatilizes. I think that the vinegar of kitchen, is beginning to like also, for interior and exteriors, besides the almond oil, to give shine to the wood in exterior. Vinegar is also said to be a good cleaner, I'm using kitchen vinegar, so far the experiment is going well. There are people who use alcoholic beverages in interior, I have to say that it is not a bad idea, they clean well I imagine, and I doubt that they damage the wood or the interior of the bowl. In any case, this is what I do today. In summary, what I would not do, would be to clean the pipe, exterior or interior, with chemical products, not suitable for human consumption, for example products for cleaning in general, even if it is for wood.
 

Michigan_Bill

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 14, 2021
921
3,418
Macomb County, Michigan
Clays: Clean the bowl with a paper towel and whiskey, then a pipe cleaner with a bit of whiskey through the stem, after each smoke.

Unfiltered briar: The same as above, no disassembly of the stem.

Filtered briar: Disassemble to remove filter, whiskey and paper towel in bowl, pipe cleaner with a bit of whiskey through the mortise to the chamber. Inspect the stem to see if it looks clean.

That's it! Seems to do the trick. The pipes all seem sweet-smelling.
 

Michigan_Bill

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 14, 2021
921
3,418
Macomb County, Michigan
My assumption is that the tenon extends far enough into the mortise so that there is no gap between the end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise. If there was a gap, then funky stuff would accumulate there and eventually affect the smell and taste of the pipe. I have not noticed any problems so that is why I don’t take them apart for cleaning.
Oh did I say "whiskey?" I meant "special cleaning fluid." ???