Do you use to remove the stem to clean your pipe?

[Chasing Embers]

That's why the loose fit on some estates.

Mostly from over smoking, or the inside of the mortise has shrunk from long periods of time without smoking.

 

[seldom]

Depends on how much time I have and/or how lazy I am being. The amount of gunk in the mortise can be surprising. I bend a pipe cleaner in half and give the mortise a nice scrub sometimes but not after every smoke. I think cleaning the mortise improves the taste of subsequent smokes but perhaps it's all in my mind.
I'm not yet on board with the warm water flush and certainly get mortise gunk buildup.

 

[jeff540]

I almost always break pipe down after smoke. Run pipe cleaner through to remove gunk, and after a few bowls do a deeper cleaning with warm tap water or just some spirits, depends on my laziness level. Also, use Q-tip to clean out mortise.
Having the mortise and tenon joint become loose has not happened for me with any pipe I've owned for 10+ years. If anything, quite the opposite is true. I've had a few become so tight that I needed to very gently sand or expand the joint by either working on the tenon (fine sandpaper) or the mortise running an appropriately sized drill bit by hand to skim off the glazed wood.

 

[mso489]

I clean my pipes after every smoking session, although that session may involve more than one bowl. If the bowl scoops and wipes out cleanly, and the pipe cleaner leaves an open airway, I don't remove the stem. Usually I only remove the stem every ten or more bowls, unless it seems blocked or especially needy. I have no problem taking the stems on and off, but I think it promotes wear to do it more often than needed.

 

[crashthegrey]

As can be seen above, you'll find a split opinion on this. If the tenon fits well and you can, it is fine to clean with the stem in. If the tenon is short, you'll get funky buildup in the mortise from doing this. If the pipe is a system or has an extreme bend, you'll have no choice but to remove the stem, depending on drilling and such. If you run filter systems you have to remove the stem. It kind of depends on your own comfort and the pipe, but you will want to occasionally remove the stem and deep clean in there regardless.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Wait, we are supposed to keep the stems? You guys don't throw them away before you start to smoke it?

 

[lawdawg]

After I finish a smoke, I always run a cleaner from button to bowl and swab out any nastiness and condensation. If the cleaner comes out looking dirty, then I put another one in. I usually let the cleaner sit in there for a bit to absorb any condensation that occurs as the pipe cools. Then I remove the cleaner. I also wipe out the bowl with a paper towel and a dab of 190 proof grain alcohol after every few bowls. This keeps the cake from growing. I keep a very thin cake in my briars (and no cake in my cobs).
The above processes seem to keep the pipes pretty clean, so I don't have to deep clean them very often. I probably take the stem off and give them a real cleaning every twenty smokes or so.