estate cleaning tips?

[logandow]

My friend has recently given me his grandfathers old pipe and I was wondering if anyone had any tips for cleaning it

 

[unclearthur]

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/need-help-cleaning-pipes#post-41250 That should get you started.

 

[logandow]

Thanks!

 

[clanobucklin]

Lots of pipecleaners. Lots of Everclear (dip the pipe cleaners in them), a reamer to get the cake down to a niclkle thickness, a shining cloth or wipe the pipe down with Mineral Oil or Olive Oil. Lots of sweat...and Voila! Clean pipe.
Ps. you may want to do the Kosher Salt and Everclear (or any preferred alchohol) treatment. You fill the bowl and shank with salt add some alcohol. Let sit for a 24 hours or more. Scrape out the salt and alcohol - should be dry or damp with a pipe nail and finish cleaning with pipe cleaners. I have found that this works on some really funky pipes.

 

[kennerth]

I use the foam ear plugs also to stop up the stem when I do the salt and alcohol treatment. Cheap and they work great!

 

[smokindawg]

Murphy's oil soap for cleaning the wood and any buildup on the rim. If there is heavy buildup on the rim, I use a Q-tip and dip it in the Murphy's and then apply a thick coat on the buildup. I let it set for a few minutes and then use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to wipe that off. I repeat as needed till I get it all off. As you get closer to the wood go light on alcohol as it can remove the stain. Also, the closer you get to the wood on the rim the less time you want to leave the Murphy's on as it can lighten the stain.
For the rest of the bowl I put the Murphy's on and then wipe it right off using some pressure against the rag.

 

[logandow]

Thanks guys!

 

[matchstickman]

Let me give this a whack. If the stem is really brown, soak it in some hot water and oxyclean for about 20 minutes, then use a magic eraser and scrub off all the ugly brown. This isnt really harmful to the pipe as far as I know, I just think it looks nasty. Everclear dipped pipe cleaners inside the stem until no brown remains, salt and alcohol treatment as mentioned by others on the inside of the bowl, and I usually take a bristle cleaner dipped in everclear and scrub out the shank (the part where the stem fits into the pipe) until no gunk remains. Let it sit for a day or two and it should smoke like new.

 

[unclearthur]

Most online tobacco stores stock shank brushes that make life easier cleaning the crud from shanks. On nearly all estates I run the shank reamer from my Kleen Reem (same as Senior) through the shank to remove the bulk of the buildup.