Any other methods for sour pipes?

[kangaroo]

I bought a nice pipe but unfortunately, it soured. I've tried the charcoal-oven method of G.L. Pease, and another salt-alcohol treatment but none could help, it tastes gross, still.
In fact, it isn't exactly have "sour" taste but somehow likes a ghost of chemical/ sweetener (?), i'm not sure because i haven't used or even known what sweetener is.
I'd be thankful if you got any other professional experiences to share.
Thank you for helping.

 

[ashdigger]

I've had great success using an alcohol retort. Very easy to use and very effective. There is a guy on eBay that sells them and donates part of the profit to veterans groups. You can also send it out for an ozone treatment. I've never done that but have heard great things.

 

[dj11]

I was listening to the Pipes Magazine Radio Show and catching up on years worth of episodes and one such episode featured the owner of Peretti's in Boston. He suggested filling sour tasting pipes with used coffee grinds and let the pipe sit for a few days filled with the grinds. I had some sour tasting pipes that I was close to unloading so I figured I would try it. It worked for me! I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

"You can also send it out for an ozone treatment."
Check local schools if you go this route, some college and HS campuses have an ozone machine for sports equipment. They're big enough for hockey gear so you can really load a lot of pipes into one for a few bucks. They might ask you to leave....

 

[toobfreak]

Honest to God, that must be some sour pipe. If the retort cannot get it sweetened up, I would drop a MOAB on it. I've never seen the retort fail.

 

[grilledokra]

When I came back to pipe smoking after a few years off I had a basket briar that I previously enjoyed that was sour. It took a couple salt-alcohol treatments, but finally did come around. So, it may be worth trying again. I also use cotton balls to draw out tar and gunk in a similar method to salt-alcohol. From what I've seen online the retort method seems to do a fantastic deep clean above and beyond what a basic salt-alcohol can provide.

 

[ravkesef]

+1 on the Ozone treatment. I've sent several really vile tasting pipes out, and they were returned completely neutral.

 

[kangaroo]

@dj11

I've tried coffee grinds once but it's not working. It's Costa Rica medium roast, not the story but you should try the coffee :D. Thanks anw!
@ashdigger

This is the first time i hear about ozone treatment ! I'll search more about it, thank you!
@theloniousmonkfish

A few money more doesn't matter when you love someone and wanted to cure them :lol: , the importance is to find an address which has credibility . Thank you

 

[kangaroo]

@toobfreak

What's the MOAB again? Sorry for i'm not in America, please explain
@grilledokra

Actually i've just tried salt-alcohol method, for i haven't had enough tool for retort treatment. Maybe i'll try again BUT, there's something in my pipe beside the "sour" likes chemical taste, and my goal is finding out the way to remove both without using alcohol again because i think it can't beat the chemicals.

 

[aquadoc]

How long after you started smoking did the sour taste develop? Timeline? And did you change tobaccos, etc.?

 

[kangaroo]

@aquadoc It started after a few marches, like 5 mins, burning gross like that to 2/3 pack, and then liked a little better at the last (for i've smoked 3 month of natural tobaccos on it)

I changed many: Balkan Sobranie, Nightcap, Odyssey, Early Morning, Quiet Night, Golden Glow, Vauen no14... none could help.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Try this: Get your tap water running as hot as you can, rinse through the bowl and out the airway for a couple of minutes. Follow up with paper towel drying, Q-tip in the mortise, and pipe cleaners down the airway. Now pack it with damp used coffee grounds and let sit until dry. Then another rinse, dry and smoke away. (You can smoke immediately after a hot water rinse, if you dry the chamber with paper towels, and airway with pipe cleaners, etc.)

 

[cossackjack]

Scrub the shank & bowl using a shank brush, not a bristle pipe cleaner, using hot water & unscented liquid dish soap (I prefer plain Dawn Dish Soap).

Rinse & repeat if necessary.

Re-scrub with a shank brush dipped in grain alcohol (vodka or Everclear, or even bourbon or rum), not isopropyl or rubbing alcohol as they impart their own aftertaste.

Allow to air dry for several days.
If the taste persists, fill the bowl with baking soda, plug the shank (pencil eraser, round chopstick), & add hydrogen peroxide to thoroughly saturate the baking soda.

Remove the mix after 1-2 days, rinse with hot water, & air dry for several days. Repeat if necessary.
Short of resorting to a retort or sending out for ozone treatment, this has removed most nasty ghosts & sourness, including stubborn mildew odor from several estate briars & meerschaum (I bought a few skanky pipes).
Good luck.

 

[toobfreak]

What's the MOAB again? Sorry for i'm not in America, please explain

It's a really big bomb.

 

[aldecaker]

From Utah.

 

[pagan]

Salt bath and then a retort, that should do it

 

[aquadoc]

If all else fails, Grousemoor!

 

[kangaroo]

Thank you guys! I've tried the retort treatment and now the ghost is almost gone! I think i'm gonna do it again in the next few days. Love you guys so much

 

[aldecaker]

Must have been a hell of a ghost. I've never had one that packing with either wet coffee grounds or dry baking soda couldn't take care of. I've used salt and alcohol to good effect, but that was before I'd heard of the other two methods. Glad you're getting good results with the retort.

 

[jpmcwjr]

MB, or MoaB- Mother of all bombs.... the biggest bomb yet dropped under the new administration.