Estate Old England (Sasieni) Straight Pot - Smokes Off

[MonarchistPiper]

So basically the pipe just smokes wet, I get an acrid taste when I get past the 1st third and I really can’t enjoy a bowl. I’m smoking Englishes in it. Anyone know what the problem could be? The stem has oxidation if that makes any difference. I will post pictures when I can.

 

[MonarchistPiper]

 

[OzPiper]

Off tastes usually is a problem with tars and In the shank and mortise.
A deep clean of the shank and mortise will hopefully fix the problem

Running a pipe cleaner mid-smoke to get rid of XS moisture will definitely help

A badly oxidised vulcanite/ebonite stem can also be the source of a “sour” smoke.
I had one such pipe and no amount of cleaning helped.
I eventually had a new acrylic stem cut which “fixed” the problem

 

[Sobrbiker]

I’d ream out the cake, clean crannies of mortise, hot water flush the stummel, shank brush the airway with Everlear, then do a salt (cotton ball)/Everclear treatment if it still smelled any funkish.
De-oxidize stem and clean the crap out of stem’s airway.

Basically what I do to any estate (I think only 3 of my thirty+ briars were bought new).

 

[BingBong]

Don't let me near it, I have a dremel and don't know how to use it.

Just waiting for the thread title to be reduced to three words in 3... 2... 1...

 

[ssjones]

Don't let me near it, I have a dremel and don't know how to use it.

Just waiting for the thread title to be reduced to three words in 3... 2... 1...

boom.

Yes, get rid of that cake. A small piece of 320 sandpaper on a dowel or similar. Scrub the shank with a bristle brush dipped in alcohol, until it is clean. I find a cruddy shank is often the case of ghosting and foul tastes.

 

[MonarchistPiper]

Thank you for the replies! I ended up cleaning the shank and mortise with alcohol, reaming the carbon a bit, and sanding the stem.

 

[MonarchistPiper]

I’d ream out the cake, clean crannies of mortise, hot water flush the stummel, shank brush the airway with Everlear, then do a salt (cotton ball)/Everclear treatment if it still smelled any funkish.
De-oxidize stem and clean the crap out of stem’s airway.

Basically what I do to any estate (I think only 3 of my thirty+ briars were bought new).

Sorry for bothering, but how does one go about hot water flushing the stummel?

 

[Pipke]

Many sensible suggestions here. I'll affirm that an oxidized stem can contribute to a nasty, acrid taste.

You hot water flush a stummel by running hot water through it under a faucet. Try not to wet and hot water flush the outside.

 

[MonarchistPiper]

Many sensible suggestions here. I'll affirm that an oxidized stem can contribute to a nasty, acrid taste.

You hot water flush a stummel by running hot water through it under a faucet. Try not to wet and hot water flush the outside.

Okay so I have a thin faucet that could fit inside the shank, should I do that? For how long?

 

[MonarchistPiper]

Okay so I have a thin faucet that could fit inside the shank, should I do that? For how long?

Also do you have a video of someone doing it? Im not sure how to go about it

 

[MisterBadger]

Also do you have a video of someone doing it? Im not sure how to go about it

Hot, very thin stream, couple of minutes avoiding getting the outside wet as far as possible, into the bowl and out through the shank. Dry off with paper towel and pipe cleaner(s) inside. Use a bristle pipe cleaner for the first one, it should remove most of the tar that has built up in the shank.

 

[Pipke]

Okay so I have a thin faucet that could fit inside the shank, should I do that? For how long?

Just a thin stream from the faucet like @MisterBadger says, right into the bowl. I have not seen a video of the process - I just did it and it worked out well.

 

[sablebrush52]

Okay so I have a thin faucet that could fit inside the shank, should I do that? For how long?

You don’t need a thin faucet to fit the airway. Turn on the tap and set to a thin stream. Put the bowl under the faucet, chamber side up and adjust the rate of flow so that it just fills the chamber as the water exits out the airway at the end of the shank. BTW, I always remove the stem before water flushing a bowl. Let the water run through for a minute or so, then scrub out the the innards and let dry. The stem gets cleaned separately, alcohol for Vulcanite, soap and water for acrylic.
I’ve done this hundreds of times with no problems.

 

[OzPiper]

You don’t need a thin faucet to fit the airway. Turn on the tap and set to a thin stream. Put the bowl under the faucet, chamber side up and adjust the rate of flow so that it just fills the chamber as the water exits out the airway at the end of the shank. BTW, I always remove the stem before water flushing a bowl. Let the water run through for a minute or so, then scrub out the the innards and let dry. The stem gets cleaned separately, alcohol for Vulcanite, soap and water for acrylic.
I’ve done this hundreds of times with no problems.

^^^^^
Hot water may bring out the oxidation on a vulcanite/ebonite stem

 

[Chasing Embers]

So basically the pipe just smokes wet, I get an acrid taste when I get past the 1st third and I really can’t enjoy a bowl.

 

[ssjones]

View attachment 354629

Some pipes, you just can't reach.

 

[MonarchistPiper]

Sorry to bother again but how long should the pipe be left to dry after a hot water flush?

 

[MisterBadger]

Sorry to bother again but how long should the pipe be left to dry after a hot water flush?

Well, until it's dry, basically. Personally, I leave mine with a paper towel stuffed in the bowl and a new pipe cleaner up the shank. for 24 hours. Or until I remember to reassemble them. Whichever happens last. If you need that pipe in a hurry, best not use the hot water method.