Briar Pipes and Water

[pitchfork]

I often wash estate pipes in warm water (no soap, though) and never have had any problems. Seeing as briar hardly absorbs any moisture :lol: , the effect on the pipe is minimal. Similarly, I once left a favorite pipe out in the rain overnight. The cake got damp and the stem had a tiny bit of oxidation, but that was it. It dried out in a couple of days and smoked like it always did.
The only caveat to this cavalier approach to water and briar is that some pieces of briar expand more than others when damp, so you'd want to be careful about the stem-shank fit and about any extensions or bands on the pipe, especially if the extension is made of a wood that absorbs moisture more readily than briar.
I've never washed any of my pipes since the first time I cleaned them (if they were estates), but I might try it with ones that have gotten sour or funky.

 

[robwoodall]

I accidentally washed a Dr. Grabow in the laundry once.
I'm certainly not recommending that, but the pipe survived fine. Lost a bit of it's shine and took a couple of days to dry out, but no other problems.
Now I wash my pipes in warm water every few months. I worried about loosening stems, cracking briar, etc. but I haven't had any problems, yet.

 

[reverendsasquatch]

Being a fly fisherman, I can testify that water will not ruin a briar pipe....(if the cold flowing waters of a trout stream don't crack the bowl, that is!) I'm a little disturbed by the guy who chucked his pipe 'cause it fell in the creek! I only fish w/ "cheap" briars (Dr Grabow usually), but that's not because I'm afraid the pipe will get wet, I'm afraid it'll get damaged!
I was once fishing one of PA's world famous spring creeks in the middle of January. One of those days where no one was on the creek 'cause the air temp was in the 20s, there was 10" of fresh snow on the ground, but the water was running at a hot and steamy 55 degrees. As I was working my way up the bank, I hit a rock w/ the toe of my boot, stumbled, and my Medico went flyin' out of my mouth and into the snow. Medicos burn pretty darn hot (at least this one did), and that sucker just melted its way right down to the bare grass by the time I was able to retrieve it. I thought for sure the bowl would crack, but that was 4 years ago this January and I still have that pipe!

 

[didimauw]

I washed a grabow in the laundry once too... Next day it was just fine.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've had pipes left out in the garden during rainstorms, left on the back porch, dropped in the hot tub, my wife has washed them in the sink with dishes, and then this...

https://youtu.be/jKPSnQ2XvUk

 

[jpmcwjr]

OMG! Pelted with ice cubes AND water! Oh, the humanity!
Speaking of soundtracks, I've heard that if you leave your pipe listening to The Ride of the Valkyries at full volume for more than 12 hours, the bowl will split down the middle.

 

[tmb152]

"Then why did you throw it away?" "Because it got wet."

Ren to Stimpy: "It got WET, you fat, bloated EE-DI-OTT!"
Well, I just washed another pipe, this time a great little bulldog that I fully restored earlier this year. Didn't hurt a thing--- the finish wasn't ruined, the bowl didn't fall off, the stem didn't shrivel up and go limp, and boy, does it look and smell great! Can't believe I never thought to try this all these years! Figures it would take common sense to apply, well, er, common sense.

 

[pitchfork]

https://youtu.be/DTcQNBEdrrg?t=970

 

[jpmcwjr]

That's it!! That's why some folks think water may ruin a pipe! Thank you; mystery solved.
I am glad some are finding benefit to this. I started out just trying to dispel a myth and share what works for me.

 

[thebadkitty]

There was that story that Cortez' told a few years ago about a guy who dropped his pipe in the toilet while he was urinating. I think that one was a one and done dunk.

 

[igloo]

So you think you have it all figured out .Here is the real story . So I like to buy estate pipes and seems like the nastier the condition the better the price . And lets face it folks cleaning up a neglected pipe is a lot of work . You can go through handfuls of paper towels , Q-tips and bundles of pipe cleaners . And everyone who has used a pipe reamer regardless of the brand knows that all those rotations can be hard on the hand . Now if you are like me you don't really want any traces of the previous smoker left when you get done . That's about when the idea dawns on you . Hey I wash my car , body , dishes hell I even wash my dog with water . Those guys that clean up and restore estates charge crazy prices . Then you think to yourself I have this cheapo estate I picked up ,I wonder what would happen if I washed this sucker out tap water . Those pipe companies and retailers just want to sale stuff . Hey don't they boil briar to remove the resins and stuff from it , what could be the harm . Feeling quite smug at being the smartest man besides Einstein to ever walk the face of the earth . So you amble over to the kitchen sink to perform your grand experiment . In just a few minutes under warm water that old nasty cake is falling out in chucks and only enforces your feelings of superiority over all other pipe smokers before you .Man that pipe is clean as a whistle in no time flat and with just a few paper towels and pipe cleaners to boot . Wow what a money saver . You place that pipe bowl on a paper towel after you dry it and place it in a cool dark space to dry and in a few days woolah super duper clean pipe . You are overjoyed at your new found discovery you have out smarted the all those high priced restoration shops . You ride that emotional high and get a few of these water restorations under you belt with no adverse effects . Then one day something goes wrong you did everything the same way and that's when the giant crack in the shank appears ,only this time it was not your garage pipe or the one you mow the yard with . It was one of your favorites . You see briar can only withstand so much moister before it becomes unstable . New thoughts pop into your head , that's why they told me to rest my pipe . That's why everyone uses alcohol it evaporates faster than water . That's why they use a alcohol retort instead of steam . That's why pipe manufacturers tell you not get your pipe wet .That's why the guy that restores pipes charges so much . That why they cure briar for so long before they make it into a pipe .That is the real deal and that is why the only moister I want in my pipe comes from the combustion of tobacco .It only takes that one time and every time you smoke that pipe the shank repair will haunt you .YMMV

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sounds like you had a bad experience, but it most likely wasn't because you used water in your cleaning routine. Something else caused your shank to crack.

 

[willc]

I have had a lot of estate pipes and I used to wash some with water.

Now water can damage some finishes but as for the integrity of the pipe it is fine.
I can't remember where I saw it but someone submerged a briar for a good bit of time and weighed the before and after and it absorbed very little water.

So unless your pipes are pine or basswood I wouldn't worry about rinsing them out.

 

[pitchfork]

I just washed one of my Andrew Marks pipes and now it smokes sweeter than ever before. I had bought it as an estate, but only did the usual cleaning routine (alcohol and pipe cleaners) when I got it. It always performed great -- the airway is perfect, but never smoked particularly sweet or mellow. However, I've bought several new pipes from Andrew and the briar he uses (he's had the same supply for over 40 years) is the sweetest smoking briar I've ever come across. Now that I've washed this pipe for the first time, it smokes sweet and fresh like it probably did when it was first made. Wow, I'm smoking it right now and I can't believe the difference.

 

[tmb152]

That is the real deal and that is why the only moister(sic) I want in my pipe comes from the combustion of tobacco

False premise. Better for you to say the only moisture you do NOT want in your pipe is from the combustion of tobacco!
I believe that most of that moisture comes from juices cooking out of and condensing, precipitated in part by the differences in temperature between the upper and lower parts of the bowl. In all cases I can think of, that moisture has no positive contribution to the smoking!
Now, water is a great natural solvent, and what better dissolves water than water, and the moisture in the pipe is at least water-based. I cannot think of any better thing to do than to rinse out a pipe after normal cleaning to both flush out any leftover particles as well as a chemical rinse of residue.
The flushings I have done these past few days have only been about ten seconds long. Briar is far too dense and I think if you were to scrape a millimeter below the surface, you would find the wood quite fresh and dry, especially with the oils built up from smoking!.
Not only does it seem to help the cake to develop better by removing what I might call a "false" cake from the real cake, but under no circumstance do I think any such flushing could causes any sort of stress or damage to the wood itself. I just flushed a pipe minutes ago that actually has a slight crack in the stem, and if anything, a water flush might make the wood LESS likely to crack further, not more.

I just washed one of my Andrew Marks pipes and now it smokes sweeter than ever before.

Agreed. I have noticed the same thing and attribute it much like when your throat is parched--- what do you do? TAKE A DRINK OF WATER. Just imagine if your throat was the pipe with all that going through it.

 

[huntertrw]

Hummm...I just purchased a 3,000-PSI pressure-washer; perhaps I could use it to clean my Dunhills!

 

[pitchfork]

hunter, make a video!

 

[carver]

hunter, make a video!

+1 I wanna see that. I wanna the pipes flying around as soon as the jet hits them :D

 

[huntertrw]

On second thought, perhaps our pipe-makers could utilize one to cut briar ebauchons in a manner similar to what the fellow in this video (Pressure-washer cutting) is doing!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you're afraid of using water, don't use water. What another guy does to his pipe is his business. I, too, have questioned what water would do to a pipe. I've never seen a written warn from a manufacturer to avoid water. In fact, we've had several well respected pipe restorers and pipe makers tell use likewise.

I, for the first time, last night ringed yesterday's rotation out with water and used a pipe leaner, wiped it down, and set it down to dry. One, I lit up right away for my end of day smoke. The ones that I rinsed and racked had no ashtray smells. This morning they are very non-odorous at all. The one I smoked right away didn't gurgle, didn't break, and no explosions. My thin layers of cake didn't fall out, nor did they soften. One was a Nording Signiture with no finish, a couple were stained black, and one brown, and one looks lacquered. The finishes are all fine.
Now, this was just one cleaning. Not a scientific test at all. I may or may not ever use water again. But, for the most part, for me, it just seems like the water myth is grossly over exaggerated within the hobby. I also smoke a pipe in the shower every morning. It doesn't get drenched, just a bit steamy, but when I smoked cigarettes it was a part of my morning that I couldn't let go of when I converted to pipes. I also smoke my pipes while resting in our hot tub, on days I have to soak my weary bones. I also smoke in the rain when the clouds catch me unawares in the field. My pipes have also gotten a tad wet while fishing or my old forgetful mind leaves them outside over night... or longer.
Now, take what you want from all of that. But, I think the water washers can have just as much a say in pipe care suggestions on this forum as the "oh no, magic water gods will kill your pipe" guys. Just my $0.02