Alcohol Cleaning: Salt Vs. Cotton Ball

[nsfisher]

@Pipe Novelist
I pour it in, let is sit for a few minutes then dump it out. Pour in again, let sit for about 10 min and empty again. Check cake to see if it is loose, if not, repeat process.

 

[ohin3]

I am just starting to use the salt/alcohol treatment because I have a few pipes that have gone a bit sour. I thought the whole idea of using alcohol and salt was because the alcohol acted as sort of solvent and the salt was used because of its ability to absorb moisture. I always thought that the idea was that the alcohol loosened all of the tars and what not and the salt absorbed them all and was then discarded. I can't see a cotton ball doing more than holding the alcohol in place. I have a hard time believing that cotton can absorb even a fraction of what salt will suck up. I'm new at this whole practice so I may very well be wrong.

 

[nsfisher]

@ohin
Ya mate, the cotton balls do work. The alochol draws out the tar etc and the cotton balls are merely a holder for the crud. Next time I do a treatment, I'll post a pic for you if you like. On an average size bowl, I use 3 cotton balls.

 

[ohin3]

I will have to give 'er a try because I have never been down with sticking salt in my pipe. I'm fine with putting some 46% single malt whisky in my pipe but salt always seemed kind of harsh. I did recently use the salt and alcohol treatment to clean an old Parker pot that had been used to smoke wormwood and other substances and it worked very well, but I can still detect the salt.

 

[nsfisher]

I ball up a piece of Saran Wrap and twist it into the very end of the shank first. Then I put a bit of alochol in the bowl and tip it so the alochol goes into the shank. Then home free with the cotton balls. The cotton ball treatment does require several alochol top ups through the process though.

 

[ohin3]

how long do you leave the cotton balls in? I suppose you could leave them in for as long as you want since they wont harden and be hard to clean out like the salt.

 

[nsfisher]

I leave it for 24 hours roughly. I find that I have to top the alochol off within the first hour, again the second hour, and again after 4-6 hours. Then I top off in the morning when I get up, usually thats all then.

 

[ohin3]

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a go tonight with the Parker because I hate the residual salt.

 

[ssjones]

I have some rubber & cork plugs for inserting into the shank hole. Erasers for mechanical pencils also work pretty well.

 

[romeowood]

Do yourselves a favor and get a retort. Takes the process down from a day to around ten minutes, and works far better.

 

[ohin3]

Yeah now that looks interesting. Where does one get one of those again?

 

[jaysin]

Ive used both methods and see no difference other then the cotton balls are a easyer clean up.

 

[nightmarejones]

I haven't done the salt method but I have done Iso and cotton balls on 6 pipes and it works wonders.There have been a couple that the cake was so bad I had to take the dremel to it with a sanding bit to get it back to the briar but no ghosts still

 

[matchstickman]

Never thought of using a dremel. Thats a nifty idea. Thanks nightmarejones!

 

[nightmarejones]

no problem I found that the standard sanding bit fits an average bowl perfectly with a lil wiggle room before you hit briar..for mine I use the 60 grit then 150 grit to smooth it out a bit.Just be careful not to angle it as u sand or you'll put grooves in the briar as I did the other day when my kid ran up and tackled me...lol

 

[carlosviet]

Maybe I will gross some people...
I clean the hard cake on the pipe submerging it some seconds in a glass with diet coke (diet, because I don't want the sugar to get inside the pores). Sometimes, the reaction between the cake's carbon and the coke is spectacular...
After that, it is really easy to scratch the cake out.
Then, I put a tampon (yes, a female hygienic tampon) in the bowl, and put the bowl in the oven from 30 minutes to an hour at a little less than 100ºC. I do not use alcohol, or salt, and advice against it. The reason: I used a precision balance several times, and weighted the bowls before and after the soaking process. Even when dry and after cleaning, the bowls had added mass after the process. That means that the pores had absorbed fluid and/or salt, even if just a tiny little. I advocate for a "dry sauna" where the pipe can sweat the tar and oils out. I am really happy with this system.

 

[ssjones]

The reason: I used a precision balance several times, and weighted the bowls before and after the soaking process. Even when dry and after cleaning, the bowls had added mass after the process.

That is a fascinating discovery. I wonder if the increased mass bowls ever go back to their original weight after time and/or use (or get heavier?)

 

[tokerpipes]

That is an interesting way of cleaning a bowl. Knowing my luck I would forget its in the oven until I smell burned briar. Although I would say the tampond is basicly the same as the cotton balls(so you dont look silly in the checkout line in the grocery store). I venture a heat lamp could do the same thing as the oven, maybe.

 

[cortezattic]

put the bowl in the oven from 30 minutes to an hour at a little less than 100ºC

If Shoe Lady has the oven tied-up baking cookies, or something, can I just use my armpit instead? :rofl:

 

[lonesomepiper]

I just got all the help I needed after reading this thread! thanks guys!