It really is all about the feel. A mechanist's 3-sided scraper also works well.
Dr. Reamlove, or How I Learned to Not be Afraid of Reaming
- Thread starter lightxmyfire
- Start date
I’ve also heard a good ole popsicle stick works well, and can’t damage the chamber. Never tried it, but it sounds feasible.
I joined you and MSO and several others a ways back and started wiping out the chamber after every smoke with a U-shaped pipe cleaner. Before that, I was doing the cake building thing where you shake the ash around the bowl after each smoke and leave it. I think whoever recommended that to me in a B&M a while ago got mixed up between cake ? and "cake" something about greasing the pans and coating the sides with flour. I eventually saw the light and decided that wasn't a great way to go; for me at least.
So now I have several pipes that I never did the cake building thing with that are building a really nice hard carbon coating and several (this BST was one) that had the old flaky not so great "cake". It's a good feeling to be getting those back to a better "starting point" for doing the wipe-out method.
I'm just glad that no one got hurt. 
Good info. I agree w/above that wiping the bowl with a twisted paper towel greatly reduces the need, particularly if using the water flush technique. I have pipes that are 20+ years old w/little to no cake build-up just from cleaning after every smoke.
Some years ago I inherited a nice pipe collection from an uncle. He apparently never reamed his pipes. I had not yet become an avid pipe smoker and did not know too much about pipe maintenance. My first attempt at reaming was more akin to hacking and chopping. I'm certain I damaged a few chambers. 
I'm far more careful and deliberate now, although I could use a good, adjustable reamer.
I'm far more careful and deliberate now, although I could use a good, adjustable reamer.
I don't ream, as mentioned above, but I think developing the touch for it is like not over-tightening screws or bolts. If you get going and really give it hell, you are likely to do some damage. You have to be your own torque wrench, if you know that tool from (for example) auto shop. It's a wrench that measures the torque you are applying so you can stop before you do any damage. I don't own one, but was delighted to discover the tool in some car magazine since it is such a good illustration of the need to measure and moderate the force you are applying to a nut on a bolt, or a bolt in an engine block.