To clean a pipe, you need very hot tap water; flush for 10-60 seconds with stem in. Drying time will be no more than without the water flush.
Filters; No Filters; and Resting
- Thread starter bersekero
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I water flush my pipes but I leave the stem in. Water flows through easily. Then a pipe cleaner to dry and a paper towel to the bowl and go ahead and smoke it if you wish.
I suppose another downside of filters is the constant disassembly and risk of harm to mortise connection. Especially in certain Meers.
I Infrequently disassemble my pipes. What for? When I do, they’re still clean from my normal rinsing routine.
I suppose another downside of filters is the constant disassembly and risk of harm to mortise connection. Especially in certain Meers.
I Infrequently disassemble my pipes. What for? When I do, they’re still clean from my normal rinsing routine.
It won't hurt varnish at all. If a stain is applied on the outside and left unfinished, yes, it'll wash off. But I know of no pipe maker who'd do that.
And it's not inevitable: Jesse among others with real collectibles is careful to run water just down the chamber.
Well, dry if you must- pipe cleaners should come out with little gunk on them.
The finish of late production Savinelli pipes do not take kindly to water or saliva—I avoid water rinses for this reason. If it works without detriment for other people, more power to them, but I learned the hard way and water rinse is a hard “no” in my book.
Everyone has their methods, rituals, beliefs, etc., and that’s fine, it‘s your pipe, do as you wish.
Whether you want to smoke back to back, and for days, no worries, just be sure to clean between smokes, and possibly let the pipe cool before repack and lighting.
Filter vs Non Filter, it doesn’t matter…
Briar is extremely resilient, but each piece can behave differently, and in time you‘ll learn your pipes, and how to treat them accordingly.
Now on the part of learning your pipes, in regards to resting. After you wiped out the chamber, smell it. It should smell somewhat smoke/ash, possibly even damp/soggy. Now, let your pipes rest a few days, and each day, smell the chamber, and wait till it smells the sweetest and cleaner inside, you will eventually notice this. That to me, is when the briar has reached a good state of resting, airing out.
Sure you can smoke a pipe when it‘s probably stinky and ash like. I’m not saying it’s always going to mean it effects the outcome, it’s simply a good method to know how to gauge the pipe by which it has reached a dried/aired out state is all. But I have also personally noticed, when I let them dry this good, they do smoke better, at least mine have.
After smoking wipe the chamber clean with a paper towel or napkin, run a cleaner through the shank, and like a q-tip around in the mortise. Then every so often, dip a cleaner and q-tip in high proof like grain alcohol 100+ proof to run through the shank and mortise. This is all the cleaning you will ever need to do.
Whether you want to smoke back to back, and for days, no worries, just be sure to clean between smokes, and possibly let the pipe cool before repack and lighting.
Filter vs Non Filter, it doesn’t matter…
Briar is extremely resilient, but each piece can behave differently, and in time you‘ll learn your pipes, and how to treat them accordingly.
Now on the part of learning your pipes, in regards to resting. After you wiped out the chamber, smell it. It should smell somewhat smoke/ash, possibly even damp/soggy. Now, let your pipes rest a few days, and each day, smell the chamber, and wait till it smells the sweetest and cleaner inside, you will eventually notice this. That to me, is when the briar has reached a good state of resting, airing out.
Sure you can smoke a pipe when it‘s probably stinky and ash like. I’m not saying it’s always going to mean it effects the outcome, it’s simply a good method to know how to gauge the pipe by which it has reached a dried/aired out state is all. But I have also personally noticed, when I let them dry this good, they do smoke better, at least mine have.
After smoking wipe the chamber clean with a paper towel or napkin, run a cleaner through the shank, and like a q-tip around in the mortise. Then every so often, dip a cleaner and q-tip in high proof like grain alcohol 100+ proof to run through the shank and mortise. This is all the cleaning you will ever need to do.
I rarely smoke the same blend or pipe twice in a row.
I clean it out with paper napkin / towel, pipe cleaner, & brushes all through. (Neerup? They work quite well.)
Sometimes a drop or 2 of everclear in the well. Reassemble.
I like to let them rest for a few days to a long time.
So I bought a lot of pipes.
I clean it out with paper napkin / towel, pipe cleaner, & brushes all through. (Neerup? They work quite well.)
Sometimes a drop or 2 of everclear in the well. Reassemble.
I like to let them rest for a few days to a long time.
So I bought a lot of pipes.
I have one pipe I use a filter with and it’s specifically for Mac Baren non-HH blends. The filter reduces the tongue bite I usually get and makes smoking MB blends a lot more enjoyable for me.
I've learned to avoid tongue bite thanks to this community but I found that my filtered pipes are smoother anyway.
I’m pretty good at avoiding it but sometimes it doesn’t matter if my pH doesn’t jive with a blend. MB is something I wrestle with all the time, or used to, until I broke down and tried filters. No tongue bite now with their blends.
I don't usually wait for the water to heat up. I just run any old temperature water through mine, then wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, then run a pipe cleaner down the draft, and it's ready to be smoked again without any smell at all.
But, if I am going to rack the pipe, I will hit the stem with a jeweler's polishing cloth to keep it all spiffy.
But, if I am going to rack the pipe, I will hit the stem with a jeweler's polishing cloth to keep it all spiffy.
Unless someone’s body chemistry is an issue, making things difficult or down right impossible, then it’s really important what we drink and consume, our bodies hydration, and PH balance is going to determine how well we handle tobacco.
Also, something I’m going to always share until everyone knows it, because I don’t see many talking about hydration, except a few, one being @JimInks
But does anyone realize, when you are dehydrated, the mouth becomes irritated and sensitive, especially the entire area of the palate, the ridges on the palate area called ruage.
So the next time your tongue and mouth are bothering you, consider if you are actually drinking enough water daily, and your body has good PH balance.
It took me a long time to realize this, but the ruage area of my mouth use to always ache and throb, and when I smoked, it became more irritated and because I mainly smoked VAs, it was natural that everyone assumed the bite was from the VAs, and it wasn’t it was a Lack of Hydration.
Also, something I’m going to always share until everyone knows it, because I don’t see many talking about hydration, except a few, one being @JimInks
But does anyone realize, when you are dehydrated, the mouth becomes irritated and sensitive, especially the entire area of the palate, the ridges on the palate area called ruage.
So the next time your tongue and mouth are bothering you, consider if you are actually drinking enough water daily, and your body has good PH balance.
It took me a long time to realize this, but the ruage area of my mouth use to always ache and throb, and when I smoked, it became more irritated and because I mainly smoked VAs, it was natural that everyone assumed the bite was from the VAs, and it wasn’t it was a Lack of Hydration.
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I can tell when I am dehydrated by being able to feel ridges in the soft part of the top of my mouth. If I ever run my tongue across the roof of my mouth and feel ridges, I start drinking more water. But, for the most part, I always have a glass of ice water at my side.
I am having difficulty in warming up to this idea of running water through my pipes.
Cosmic, you say you hit it with a jewelers cloth, but does the water cause you to need to apply wax or polish more often? I suppose if you it does you have to wait until they are bone dry, correct?