Cleaning and Cake

[Monssen13]

I know, another thread about cake. I haven’t really built up any noticeable amount on any of my pipes because I simply don’t smoke them enough. But as time goes on (or I fail to properly clean after a smoke) will cleaning with alcohol destroy this nascent carbon layer as well as remove gunk?

 

[NookersTheCat]

If you're cleaning the inside of the bowl with it probably. Alcohol will definitely dissolve all the tar. Now cake is kind of a mix of tar and carbon so.. idk that it will dissolve the carbon itself but prob break it down and wash it away with the tar.

In general unless you're restoring a well used pipe you don't wanna soak the bowl with Alcohol. Just wash out the shank and stem with a wet cleaner every handful of smokes to keep it sweet. I'm like you, don't smoke enough/have enough of a rotation that not many of my pipes have thick cake so in general I just wipe the bowl out with a dry paper towel to clean the dottle and use the solvent on the other parts.

 

[Monssen13]

If you're cleaning the inside of the bowl with it probably. Alcohol will definitely dissolve all the tar. Now cake is kind of a mix of tar and carbon so.. idk that it will dissolve the carbon itself but prob break it down and wash it away with the tar.

In general unless you're restoring a well used pipe you don't wanna soak the bowl with Alcohol. Just wash out the shank and stem with a wet cleaner every handful of smokes to keep it sweet. I'm like you, don't smoke enough/have enough of a rotation that not many of my pipes have thick cake so in general I just wipe the bowl out with a dry paper towel to clean the dottle and use the solvent on the other parts.

Will do, thanks! I do have some pipes I’ve tried to restore (and done an okay job on I think) and some of them have had stupendous amounts of cake.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Will do, thanks! I do have some pipes I’ve tried to restore (and done an okay job on I think) and some of them have had stupendous amounts of cake.

Just don't use alcohol on acrylic or plastic stems.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Just don't use alcohol on acrylic or plastic stems.

What do you recommend? I know reactions can occur with oil and plastic but didn't know acrylic and ethanol... I haven't had issues so far I've noticed but only been my cheaper cobs really.

 

[Chasing Embers]

What do you recommend?

Soap and water, white vinegar, or lemon juice.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Soap and water, white vinegar, or lemon juice.

Huh I would've thought the acid from the last 2 would hurt the plastic more. Interesting.

 

[FurCoat]

Soap and water, white vinegar, or lemon juice.

^^This. I fill a large bowl with hot tap water with some Dawn soap. Let the stems sit in solution for about 30 minutes. Then I run a small nylon brush through them, rinse and dry.

 

[JOHN72]

When you talk about soap, do you mean a neutral soap? Another thing that could go well, is to clean the oven when it is hot, because the oils are hot and leathery, and so it will go better with the paper napkin.

 

[telescopes]

You CAN have your cake and smoke it too. I am old school when it comes to cake, despite what forum posters like to pontificate. I break my new pipes in carefully. 1/3:2/3:3/3 method. I clean and wipe the bowls after each use, usually with a water rinse so cake doesn't build up too much. But, I've seen the difference a nice cake can make. I hope most people disagree with me.

 

[telescopes]

By the way, the Unabomber was eventually caught because of the way he turned the phrase, "You can have your cake and eat it too."

He wrote, "You can't have your cake and eat it too." In the end, that is what lead to his identification.

Be careful when it comes to cake.

 

[renfield]

The cake is a lie.