Briar Pipes and Water

[carver]

pa dam, pshhh ....

well said Cosmic !!

Seriously, you smoke a bowl in your shower ? Seriously you used to smoke cigarettes in your shower ????? 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O

 

[pitchfork]

Just fair warning, water, especially warm water, even without soap, can take some of the stain off of some pipes -- it really depends on the stain the pipemaker or factory used for that pipe. Dunhill's Bruyere finish, for example, gradually lightens over time as it tends to come off fairly easily. Other stains, though, hold better and water seems to have no impact.

 

[carver]

I do have to say that I wonder about the reason for such an intense expression of warning. I received PM about this. "Do this, don't do that, don't listen to him." After reading what many people wrote, It doesn't seem such a crazy thing after all.

And at the end of the day, unless something is really really really bad, it does seem that we're all making our own choices.
So again,what generated such an emotion about whether or not use water to clean pipes ?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Carver- Seems like one fella really has a bee in his bonnet. Unfortunately, in response to one of his PM's I called him an ass****. That was wrong, and I won't do that again.

 

[jefff]

From now on I am going to SOAK my pipes for a week after smoking.
Just to be contrary.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I have scuba geer and smoke underwater in the moat surrounding The Barn. Never had an issue.

 

[jefff]

I prefer my tobacco a tad dryer.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Oddly enough, and I am not recommending this, you can smoke a pipe nicely after a hot water rinse and towel dry. The tobacco should be on the dry side: not even a gurgle.
Speaking of water, I will be on same for the next few weeks- hitting the Panama Canal and a few Central America countries, ending up in Ft. Lauderdale.
Pipe shop recommendations there? (Please!)
Happy smoking and cleaning, folks!

 

[mawnansmiff]

All of the blasted/rusticated estate pipes I have bought have had an initial cleansing with oil soap and hot running water. Scrubbed with an old toothbrush, left to sit for five minutes then rinsed and towel dried. Never had an issue.
Prompted by an old thread I once conducted an experiment. I weighed an already clean stummel, I then ran it under a hot tap for about a minute and towel dried it. Upon re-weighing the stummel had put on so little weight (the exact figure escapes me) as to be negligible.
Water and briar make for very good friends ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[ashdigger]

Jay, you use an old toothbrush? That explains my last dental hygienist's comments. :nana:

 

[pitchfork]

jpmcwjr,
I'm really glad you started this thread. I've since washed some of my favorite pipes and I'm enjoying them -- and my favorite tobaccos -- more than I have in a long time. I hadn't realized how muddied the flavors had gotten over the years.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thanks, Gents. I'm off Baja Mexico, where the bandwidth is very limited. I am so pleased that it's made a plus for you folks. Later!

 

[tmb152]

To be fair, I've found one pipe that didn't take to the water washing so well. Not because of any harm to the briar, but the kind of finish they used. But I kind of expected that before I washed it--- parts of the bowl are rusticated with a black dye over the area and I've already had to touch it up with leather dye before during normal use. Now that the water took a bit of it off, I have a reason to see if I can do a better job.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Fair enough. It the finish comes off with a water rinse, it'll come off in your hand over time. That's as philosophical as I can be today!
Keep on truckin'!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If a pipemaker is using a water-based stain, the pipe is a piece of crap. I've never heard of a pipe maker using such. But, I'm also a judgmental bastard, ha ha.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah, but you're under great stress what with an environmental hash up near your place. So, judge on!
Thought I'd show in a photo where I am. Keeping it smokey, as one of our good fellows signs off with...

 

[pagan]

@jpmcwjr, great view, hope your smoking well

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah, it's all good here. Nice little smoking lounge.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Anyone else have experience - good or bad- with cleaning with water?

 

[uneek]

For what it's worth, I had an estate pipe with a loose stem. After a soapy bath under running water, the stem is perfectly snug again. +1 for water lol.