Nothing like an old Latakia pipe that tastes like it came out of a tidepool.Never been lucky enough to get a Lakeland ghosted estate. I get latakia from years past that's turned into ammonia.☹
Nothing like an old Latakia pipe that tastes like it came out of a tidepool.Never been lucky enough to get a Lakeland ghosted estate. I get latakia from years past that's turned into ammonia.☹
I like to take an extra long bristled pipe cleaner that are sold for churchwardens, put some toothpaste on it, remove the stem, and thread it down the draft of the stummel. Then attach one end to a vice or something sturdily fixed. Then holding the pipecleaner out taught, just work the devil out of the pipe, back and forth, turning it as you do. Use a couple of them, maybe soak the last one in some high proof spirits to get rid of any last remaining bit of paste.But nothing you do to the chamber is going to matter if you haven't THOROUGHLY cleaned out the airway and THOROUGHLY cleaned out the mortise.
Well, this certainly is a fresh approach, to me. I just received a pouch of Five Brothers and I was just going to tough out some bowls of that stuff to chase it away.I like to take an extra long bristled pipe cleaner that are sold for churchwardens, put some toothpaste on it, remove the stem, and thread it down the draft of the stummel. Then attach one end to a vice or something sturdily fixed. Then holding the pipecleaner out taught, just work the devil out of the pipe, back and forth, turning it as you do. Use a couple of them, maybe soak the last one in some high proof spirits to get rid of any last remaining bit of paste.
Then take some Q-tips and work that mortice over well with some spirits also.
I hope that helps.
Agreed! Sounds like the perfect pipe for Bob's Chocolate Flake and Bob's Square Cut which are both just lightly Lakeland-y.OR,
You could just learn to like Lakelands....
Yes sir, Just cleaning the bowl will not help if the pipe has been neglected. I have spent hours running bristle pipe cleaners thru filthy stems that seem to never come out clean.Sometimes the S/A treatment works after a few go arounds and sometimes it doesn't. Then you can try a retort flush as well, or send it to Walker Briar for an ozone treatment, or just smoke some OTC Burley blend in it for a while.
But nothing you do to the chamber is going to matter if you haven't THOROUGHLY cleaned out the airway and THOROUGHLY cleaned out the mortise.
Maybe you've done this: I would soak the vulculnite bit in 100% grain or wood alcohol with some unsented clorax or oxi-clean added to the alcohol. I think I would use the Oxi. Let it soak for a day or two. This will oxidize the rubber turning it brown like our mouth acids and sunlight do over time. You will have to restore the bit after this is done. I would use tooth paste on a pipe cleaner in a power drill, screw driver or Dremil drill on the end of the pipe cleaner to spin it. Hand power works good too. ?Then you will have to sand the exterior using finer and finer grades up to 1200 or 1500. Then it helps if you rub the bit with pumice mixed in olive oil (or any food grade oil) rubbing it in with a rag. It helps then if you have a buffing wheel with white compound stick which will polish the bit to a high gloss. Concerning the pipe shank I would plug the draft hole at the bottom of the bowl with plumbers putty and fill the shank with Everclear and let it set refilling as needed. When it begins to come clean you can torch the fumes and dampness with a match. This is all extreme stuff, but it sounds like you are at your wits end with this pipe.Yes sir, Just cleaning the bowl will not help if the pipe has been neglected. I have spent hours running bristle pipe cleaners thru filthy stems that seem to never come out clean.