Alcohol & Salt treatments "Don'ts"

[eaglerico]

Okay so I figured out today what not to do when restoring estate pipes. I got a few new pipes in a trade a while back and decided I was going to do a Alcohol & Salt treatment. Well, I didn't have anything better to do that day so I sat there with it next to my computer and every so often as alcohol either was absorbed or evaporated I added more with a dropper. I did this for several hours, I really wanted them good and clean.
My wife eventually came home and I got side tracked. Then life got busy and it wasn't until today when I got home from work early that I had time to go back and finish cleaning them. They have been sitting with the salt in them for about 3 weeks now. Now on a normal restoration when I come back no later then the next morning there is usually some crust on the top easily broken. This time, the damn salt had hardened half way down the bowl. A very deep bowl.
I did this on two pipes. I had to sit there very gently yet forcefully drilling into the salt. You never realized just how much salt a pipe can hold until you have to removed each grain individually. Alas, I did get all the salt out but it took be a good 2 hours to get it completely out of both pipes.
The only lucky part about it was I had just recently ordered some wire shank brushes. If I would not have had them, I would not have been able to get the salt out of the shank. As both pipe were long Canadians. Normal pipe cleaners just crumpled in my finger tips.
Lesson learned...but they came out very clean.

 

[markw4mms]

Glad you were able to salvage those two pipes. I bet you never let that happen to you again. :D

 

[pipeinhand]

OK, I will sub in for Lawrence: THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICTURES. hehehehe
I would like to see them.

 

[cyndi]

What kind of salt were you using? Shaun is adamant about only using non-iodized rock salt. Lately though, he's just been using cotton balls and Everclear.

 

[spartan]

L to the O to the L. Take that for ignoring your pipes! haha
Glad you could save em. I'll take your advice and NOT do that. I'd most likely just do the cotton balls first and if that didn't work THEN I would take the salt route.

 

[portascat]

I have done cotton balls and salt, both with everclear.
Prefer the salt.
Why?
Because I have had occasion with both to have a hidden piece remain in the pipe.
Salt smoke a lot better than cotton.
trust me.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Lol, I agree to that, Portascat!
If the pipe is lightly smoked, I'll use the cotton ball method. If it's been more heavily smoked, then the salt is introduced. Then if I have a pipe that has a cake that almost fills the bowl, I do a complete retort restoration. Even with the more heavily smoked pipes, I may go ahead with the retort just because some of the weird smells in the pipe.

 

[macnutz]

I was lucky. The only time I did the salt and alcohol thing, I left it in for three days, just out of ignorance. It popped out like a little rock cylinder, a perfect cast of the inside of the bowl.
Never did light it up as it was immediately stolen from a jacket pocket at a party, before I ever bought tobacco. Delayed starting the pipe for over a year. It certainly looked clean and pretty inside the bowl.

 

[eaglerico]

I got these in a trade with marmal4de a while back. These are the pics he sent me.
This one has a cool tree bark texture and I really like the bit. This one is significantly larger then the second one below. The shank held a lot of salt. I spent the most amount of time trying to dig it out of this shank. Can't really tell what brand of pipe it is.

This one has a golden brown birds eye mixed with smoke like veins of black. It really is something to look at.. Has a stamp that says "The Albany Pipe," "Made in England" and has the number 29 stamped on the bottom. Any one ever heard of an Albany Pipe?

 

[olderthandirt]

Of course it's after the fact now but wouldn't adding more alcohol to the dried salt have loosened it back up again?
Regardless, after that warning of what can happen I'll be sticking with the cotton balls myself (-:

 

[eaglerico]

Yes OTD I did eventually use a little alcohol to remove the last bits inside the shank as they were to hard to get out other wise. But, by adding alcohol after the fact could bring some of the gunk I pulled out of the pipe back in. Kind of defeats the purpose. In my opinion.
@cyndi
I use non-iodized table salt. I like the smaller grains to be able to get all the way down the shank.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

I would suggest getting some sea salt. You can grind some of it up to make the smaller grains for the shank area.
I think there are some downsides to table salt, but I can't remember what they are.

 

[wallbright]

So you guys salt the shank as well? I had always heard not to get any salt in the shank but maybe I heard wrong.

 

[ssjones]

I use sea salt, but never let them sit more than overnight. I do try to get some in the shanks and can see where cleaning a lovat or Canadian you might want to get the treatment pretty far up the shank.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Wallbright, I've always put salt in the shank. The bowl isn't where all the crud actually is. The shank is where all that tobacco moisture sets and why a pipe tastes funky after a time of no cleaning. The alcohol will pull a lot back into the bowl, but I see it as if there's more absorbing agent there, then it should pull out more. I haven't had any issues doing it this way, either.

 

[eaglerico]

Yes. I did it a few times without doing the shank and could still taste seomthing "off" on these Canadians especially, I wanted to get everything out of the shanks. I used a wadded up pipe cleaner to plug the shank and I have a flower pot full of fine sand that i use to prop the pipes. I ended up have to scoop some of the sand out and throw it away as so much gunk came out of the shank.

 

[deleon]

I use kosher salt & everclear on my pipes. Kosher salt doesn't have any iodine. I've heard that's a big plus not sure why. If I don't have everclear, I head over to the pharmacy and pick up a hug bottle of isopropyl alcohol 99 for a few bucks and that does the job also.

 

[nsfisher]

hi all , new here just a couple days. been smokin pipe for 15 yrs now just recently threw the cigs away totally( bout a yr ago) anyway, other day i found an old brigham mountianeer(3 pin) at an antique store. I just had to have it as its in super condition,(needs nothin) anyway i cleaned it up, but it gives tounge bite not related to tobaco bite and also an afterburn on my lips. any ideas what i done wrong?? could sure use some suggestions.

 

[hauntedmyst]

ns,
How is the draw? You may need to open it up a bit if the tongue bit isn't related to tobacco.

 

[schmitzbitz]

Welcome to the bords nsfisher; before Hobie asks, we need some pics of both fish and the Maritimes! Only place in this country that gives BC a run for its money when it comes to amazing scenery I say.
As for your Brig, what did you clean it with? It sounds like a chemical reaction to me.