Alcohol cleaning question

[clutch]

GREAT Answers for a newb with a resurrected post!
Romeo, I need a little more detail on the chemistry lab thing... That sounds like taking the pipe back to new status but has some risks that might not be worth it. I'll try the cotton ball with some everclear. The problem with using my favorite spirit is that I may not want the taste to mix with some of the aromatics that I like.
Lots of good info here!

 

[hauntedmyst]

How do you keep a cake from forming in a meer? I wipe mine out every time i smoke from it but it is still trying to cake. I used a small knife to remove the cake from my wifes meer because the cake build up in it. I was very careful but there has to be a better way.

I've used very fine sandpaper successfully in the past but I'd wait till Fred weighs in, he's the forum expert on meer.
clutch,
There are actually very little risks. Some might say that using salt may provide a risk if trapped in a crevice but I've done this probably 50 times with pipes from $30 to $500 and never had an issue nor have I ever been on a forum in the past 10 years where someone had an issue. Ream and clean your pipe properly before you start then let it dry completely and clean it again and you should have no issues.
Personally, I've only tested cotton balls once. I'll have to do it again for more solid results but the first time around I used cotton balls, waited two days and then used salt to see if the cotton missed anything and the salt got a lot more grungy that the cotton did.

 

[990rick]

I've used the non-iodized salt and everclear method on several estate pipes that had a soapy taste. I had to keep topping up the alcohol, but after a 24-hour soak all the funky taste was gone. The trick then was getting every bit of the salt out. It was especially tricky in the shanks and I'm definitely going to try the cotton ball method next time I have a need. The only time I feel I need to do this sort of cleaning is when there's an off flavor. For gunk I just use about a million q-tips dipped in everclear and scrub, scrub, scrub until they start coming out fairly close to clean.

 

[fullbent]

I use a pipe retort system on the worst ones I win at auction.It takes all ghosting out of the pipes.You can buy a pipe retort on ebay for $25.00.The one I bought,all proceeds went to their local human society,plus free shipping,

 

[hauntedmyst]

I've wanted to use one of those but was afraid of having it spill over. Is it pretty easy to use fullbent?

 

[fullbent]

Very simple hauntedmyst.Worth every dime.I watched a man use one on a dunhill,via youtube,and gave it a try,a 10 yr old could do it