Effective Pipe Cleaning

[AMDG]

Title edited for capitalization. Rule 9

New to the hobby. Greatly enjoying the rest and relaxation that comes with a pipe and good book. I've gone through about 10 bowls or so, and I find that no matter how many pipe cleaners I use if I draw on an empty pipe I get an ashy taste in my mouth and sometimes, typically a few days after my last bowl, I will get little bit of ashy material in my mouth as well. This does not seem to be effecting the flavor and enjoyment of the tobacco as I have to date experienced no ashy off flavors when I smoke. I wanted to see if this is normal or an indication that I am not engaging in a proper cleaning procedure.

Thank you for the feedback!

 

[Chasing Embers]

New to the hobby. Greatly enjoying the rest and relaxation that comes with a pipe and good book. I've gone through about 10 bowls or so, and I find that no matter how many pipe cleaners I use if I draw on an empty pipe I get an ashy taste in my mouth and sometimes, typically a few days after my last bowl, I will get little bit of ashy material in my mouth as well. This does not seem to be effecting the flavor and enjoyment of the tobacco as I have to date experienced no ashy off flavors when I smoke. I wanted to see if this is normal or an indication that I am not engaging in a proper cleaning procedure.

Thank you for the feedback!

Disassemble it and clean the mortise out with Q-tips.

 

[OzPiper]

Are you smoking a new or an estate pipe ?

Disassemble it and clean the mortise out with Q-tips.

^^^^ This

If it is an estate pipe, you may want to use some alcohol-soaked cleaners

Filling the bowl with cotton balls and soaking with clear alcohol (I use a clear fruit brandy, but vodka is fine) will freshen up most bowls

 

[Akoni808]

if I draw on an empty pipe I get an ashy taste in my mouth and sometimes, typically a few days after my last bowl, I will get little bit of ashy material in my mouth as well. This does not seem to be effecting the flavor and enjoyment.

This is pretty normal. It will never be odorless unless you deep clean your pipe after every use. This is because you are burning stuff in the bowl and smoke is traveling through the entire pipe. I would just be concerned if your pipe was sour or funky.

 

[AMDG]

They are new pipes

Are you smoking a new or an estate pipe ?

^^^^ This

If it is an estate pipe, you may want to use some alcohol-soaked cleaners

Filling the bowl with cotton balls and soaking with clear alcohol (I use a clear fruit brandy, but vodka is fine) will freshen up most bowls

They are new pipes. I’ll use q-tips for my next cleaning. I have only been using pipe cleaners so far. Thank you all for the advise!

 

[romaso]

After your smoke and after emptying the bowl, blow forcefully through the stem (if you're outside or if you're single) and this will clear any leftover ash out.

 

[anotherbob]

I second the use a q-tip or bent over pipe cleaner in the mortise. Makes a big difference.

 

[OzPiper]

Quite a few here are devotees of water-flushing after each smoke.

I do it on occasions esp after an English/Balkan blend

Most times I make do with 2-3 pipe cleaners, then doubled over to clean out the bowl, followed with 1-2 scrunched paper towels to ream out the bowl.

I leave deep cleaning to just arrived estate pipes and ghosted pipes. I have several that I bought in the 1970s

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, a quick flush with hot tap water not only removes the ash from the chamber and airway. It also sweetens the next smoke without resorting to using alcohol, and labor, as it lessens the need to clean the mortise as frequently.

 

[AMDG]

Yes, a quick flush with hot tap water not only removes the ash from the chamber and airway. It also sweetens the next smoke without resorting to using alcohol, and labor, as it lessens the need to clean the mortise as frequently.

I had not heard of this water flushing technique before. I will be sure to try it next time. Thank you.

Any good videos online you would recommend showing this method being done? Sounds pretty straight forward but I wouldn’t mind a tutorial if one is out there.

 

[jpmcwjr]

No videos I know of. I've been asked to make one, but it's a task I've not taken to. It's also simple:

Bring faucet up to hot temp and drizzle down the chamber and out the airway. Some are very careful to not get water on the outside of the bowl, but I am not among them. I simply dry with a cloth and apply mineral oil on stem and stummel.

Then, paper towel in the chamber, pipe cleaner in the airway, and occasionally, swab out the mortise.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I’ve been using the water flush technique for a couple of years now. May be the number one tip I picked up here. Thanks to @jpmcwjr

 

[STP]

All good suggestions above. I’ve found that the water flush technique has worked well for me…

 

[Merton]

After every bowl I run cold water through the stem for 20-30 seconds. a vigorous swab with a pipe cleaner followed by another couple of pipe cleaners through the mortise and the bowl and a paper towel to the bowl. I then reassemble to pipe and fill the bowl carefully with a flavorful spirit (right now I use Jameson orange Irish which is not so great to drink but good for this purpose). I then let the spirit run out through the stem and use a final cleaner to semi dry things out. Sometimes I just use the warm water flush on the bowl only. Hot water can cause problems for vulcanite stems.

 

[bullet08]

Just running your pipe cleaner is like showering without soaping. Like mentioned, disassemble and clean the mortise. And wipe out the bowl. This will, at least, get the ashes.

 

[PipeIT]

Nope, never have, and don’t over think it.

1. Dump out left over tabac when done smoking.

2. Run cleaners through it with the stem attached.

3. Get a paper towel and wipe the chamber out so it’s clean. Wiping out serves two purposes, keeps it clean, and keeps the carbon build thin, which is all you need.

4. When the pipe is cooled down, you pull off the stem and wipe the mortise out with a q-tip.

5. When doing number 3, it should look all clean and only black from carbon inside, nothing else, and certainly no ash.

If you do these steps, it will always taste good.

P.S. Resting pipes, some smoke them daily, some let the dry out a few days. I personally rest my pipes for a few days, and then, the inside of the chambers smells nice.

 

[Papamique]

I used to water flush before coming here. Once here, I heard about using high proof alcohol/rum and gave that a try. WOW! It has worked very well for me ever since. I know a lot swear by the water thing and that’s fine but I much prefer the alcohol and it couldn’t be any more simple. No paper towels, multiple pipe cleaners, oil, etc. just a pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol once every so often (3-15 smokes) and run through bit to bowl. Fold in half and swab out mortise. Other than that I just run a dry pipe cleaner through at the end of the smoke. Never had an issue with smell or taste as the pipe is clean and sweet.

“Simple” keeps my pipes clean when I don’t want to.

 

[captpat]

Like most things associated with pipe smoking there are a myriad of solutions to a given issue. I use dry pipe cleaners most of the time, and then a pipe gets treated with water flushes about every half dozen smokes. I'll also take the opportunity to clean up the bowl interior during the water flush process. I use the alcohol/salt treatment for estate pipes only. This approach represents a happy medium for me -- I smoke for enjoyment and do not relish adding other (and unnecessary IME) tasks to an activity I do for enjoyment. I recommend trying all of the suggestions above to find out your personal sweet spot.

 

[captpat]

I used to water flush before coming here. Once here, I heard about using high proof alcohol/rum and gave that a try. WOW! It has worked very well for me ever since. I know a lot swear by the water thing and that’s fine but I much prefer the alcohol and it couldn’t be any more simple. No paper towels, multiple pipe cleaners, oil, etc. just a pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol once every so often (3-15 smokes) and run through bit to bowl. Fold in half and swab out mortise. Other than that I just run a dry pipe cleaner through at the end of the smoke. Never had an issue with smell or taste as the pipe is clean and sweet.

“Simple” keeps my pipes clean when I don’t want to.

Just a word of caution alcohol and acrylic stems do not go well together as the alcohol can introduce micro-fractures. Alcohol is fine for use with vulcanite stems, dish washing solution works fine in acrylic stems.

 

[AJL67]

So many threads on this. A quick search will give you a metric ton of info!