Cleaning Some Used Old Pipes....

[ABel7son]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

I should be getting in the mail from England three old used pipes two Petersons and a Hardcastles Camden . has anyone compared the results of a good professional cleaning by sending them out for reconditioning which is about $20 a pipe, or doing it yourself at home with alcohol Say 40% in a vodka or denatured alcohol and then rinsing it out with 40% vodka, with pipe cleaners and then the salt and vodka solution in the bowl? I have a very simple tool for reaming the bowl not the professional one. Do you want to get down to the bare wood? And build a new cake?

 

[ofafeather]

Depends on the pipe condition and the results you would like. You can get a lot done with basic supplies: pipe cleaners, q-tips, high proof alcohol - the higher the better, a reamer.

If the pipes are in reasonable shape run alcohol soaked cleaners through the stem until they come out clean. Do the same for the shank. Used q-tips on the mortise. Trim the cake back - it doesn’t need to go to bare wood unless you want to check the bowl for any weakness. Clean the interior of the bowl with alcohol, as well as the exterior of the stem.

There are various ways of dealing with the cosmetics of the stem and exterior of the pipe but if you do the above the pipe will be basically smokable. You might want to start there and then see if you want to take it further or send them out.

 

[FurCoat]

I would send them out for professional cleaning. Twenty bucks is nothing really to have your pipe come back to you in near new condition. Then you have a clean slate to maintain to your standards.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I personally like to clean my estates to see how good I’d do. Self gratification ya know. But, if $ isn’t a concern & time very important to ya...you could do worse than laying out 60$ and having your estates come back fresh and ready. ?️

 

[OzPiper]

I think you will get a great sense of satisfaction cleaning up an estate yourself.

I suppose it depends on the cost and quality of the pipe in question. $20 spent on a pipe costing more than $150 is not a lot. But if it's a $15-30 estate, it might not be good value.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I do all of mine.

I have a very simple tool for reaming the bowl not the professional one.

I just use sandpaper.

 

[mso489]

Go easy with the reaming. New pipe smokers can do terminal damage even with a good professional tool. With estate pipes, you mostly have to ream, though a minority of smokers don't build cake. We wipe out the bowl after scooping, with a paper towel and maintain the original chamber size and a thin carbon layer. Do your first restorations with pipes you can afford to lose.

 

[ashdigger]

I used to send pipes out, but unless it needs a new stem, until I learn how to make one, I’m starting to do my own work.

I’ve grown tired of hiring someone to ruin my pipes.

Go on Rebornpipes.com and enjoy all the glorious restoration content.

 

[OzPiper]

I used to send pipes out, but unless it needs a new stem, until I learn how to make one, I’m starting to do my own work.

I’ve grown tired of hiring someone to ruin my pipes.

Go on Rebornpipes.com and enjoy all the glorious restoration content.

Can thoroughly recommend Rebornpipes. Great step-by-step instructions

 

[Grangerous]

I do all of mine.

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I just use sandpaper.

Outstanding! Flame method bring back those stems?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Outstanding! Flame method bring back those stems?

Absolutely.?

 

[ABel7son]

Outstanding! Flame method bring back those stems?

Hi there ,
Well what's the flame method ?
The stems the mystery to me, I've done a basically good job on some of the rest of the old, dirty little things I picked up on eBay recently.

 

[mikethompson]

I’ve grown tired of hiring someone to ruin my pipes.

Go on Rebornpipes.com and enjoy all the glorious restoration content.

This and this. Rebornpipes is a treasure trove of information.

Well what's the flame method

I will let embers answer, but essentially, it is 'painting' the stem with a soft flame to bring out the oxidation, then wiping it away with a wet paper towel.

I'm trying that method on the stem of my green Grabow I'm cleaning up.

As for the send/restore yourself debate, once you start breathing life I to old pipes it becomes a hobby into itself, very rewarding.

 

[ABel7son]

I do all of mine.

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I just use sandpaper.

Thank you, and how do you deal with the edge of the bowl ? , please .

 

[ABel7son]

Is using some sort of Varnish on the out side of the body of the pipe a bad idea ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thank you, and how do you deal with the edge of the bowl ? , please .

If you're referring to the build up on the rim, just a wet paper towel.

 

[mikethompson]

Is using some sort of Varnish on the out side of the body of the pipe a bad idea ?

Carnauba wax is what I use on the outside on the bowl.

 

[karam]

Go easy with the reaming. New pipe smokers can do terminal damage even with a good professional tool. With estate pipes, you mostly have to ream, though a minority of smokers don't build cake. We wipe out the bowl after scooping, with a paper towel and maintain the original chamber size and a thin carbon layer. Do your first restorations with pipes you can afford to lose.

Hello sir!

I've just reamed 5 of my most-used pipes, they were due for a clean as being in lockdown means I smoke more than I did and they had gotten quite tasteless indicating they needed attention as I think I haven't done a deep clean for at least 6 months. I reamed after water cleaning, until I could feel smooth wood again. I'm always surprised by how cake creeps up on me even though as you say, I also clean thoroughly after every smoke with a couple of twisted paper towels. Some of the chambers I just reamed are noticeably larger, in one I can see the lathe marks (it is a homemade pipe) again so I know I've reached its original state, another chamber I know I can fit my finger in, yet couldn't anymore before the ream.

The question though is, on the bolded, I've read it before but can you really? I'm not a new pipe smoker, and believe me I've tried to intentionally gouge the wood of a well-smoked hobby block pipe with a reamer so I have a sense of tolerances, only to find that you (I) really need to try hard to get briar shavings out of it. Briar's tough! And I'm talking getting a tiny shaving out of the wood, that can't be terminal damage! Perhaps some people wouldn't ever want to buy a pipe which shows even the tiniest of gouging in the chamber, but these are mine and won't be selling them any time soon. I guess you could argue that gouging the wood may create the start of a weak spot which may eventually burn out, which brings me to thinking that new pipe smokers can mostly ruin a pipe by smoking hot as hell, all the time rather than by trying to remove cake.

Now, need to give them until evening to dry, can't wait for that reamed fresh taste, tastes like caviar.

 

[Gavrin]

I do all of mine.

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I just use sandpaper.

What grade of sandpaper do you use?

 

[Chasing Embers]

What grade of sandpaper do you use?

320 grit