(Genuine) Questions for the Water Flushers

[Ahi Ka]

I’m thinking about considering to start water flushing my briar pipes, maybe.

To be honest, with a bowl or so a day and with it being predominantly homegrown leaf (so: very low case, no additives, a small breath through chamber to rehydrate once packed), time spent on maintenance is just not really a chore anyways. I also smoke a cob most days, so there are times when my briars get neglected altogether.

I’ve read through a lot of the threads and find the technique intriguing. I also find the banter hilarious. I apologise if these questions have already been answered elsewhere.

despite the appeal of starting a raucous that distracts everyone from the black locust release, I am actually after some genuine responses. Please refrain from being a wanker until at least page 3.

1) how do you water flush full bent pipes? Especially if the stem is not being removed for the flushing.

2) how does water flushing impact the ghost that is developing in a pipe dedicated to a blend/genre?

3) I normally wipe the chamber out with a paper towel after a smoke to help contribute to a hard thin carbon layer. How does water flushing impact this process?

 

[OzPiper]

Dave,

Very timely and cogent questions.

I've tried douching, but have given up when I found that it did nix at removing Latakia ghosts. I now dedicate certain pipes to Latakia blends so as not to spark a pipe-cleansing OCD

You might care to undertake an experiment with 2 pipes - one just using pipe cleaners, and one which is flushed after each use. It'd be very interesting to take them apart for comparison, say after 50 smokes.

I'd volunteer, except that with my rotation, it'd take me a couple of years to accumulate any meaningful data

 

[charf]

Can’t answer 1 and 2.

I don’t wipe out the bowl at all if I water flush. I found if I do it will clean the bowl back to clean wood. Call me old fashioned but I like a bit of soot left on the inside of the bowl.

I pulled the stem out of a Savenelli 673 pipe I have been water flushing and there was a bit of gunk on the end of the mortise. I think from time to time a deep clean of the airway will still be needed. It’s still way cleaner than not water flushing.

Do it or don’t do it, that is the question. I think it depends on your cleaning OCD. ?

 

[karam]

Please refrain from being a wanker until at least page 3.

1) how do you water flush full bent pipes? Especially if the stem is not being removed for the flushing.

2) how does water flushing impact the ghost that is developing in a pipe dedicated to a blend/genre?

3) I normally wipe the chamber out with a paper towel after a smoke to help contribute to a hard thin carbon layer. How does water flushing impact this process?

Hey, happy to post in a thread of yours!

I'm not going to be a wanker but what I will say will trigger some people for sure, so they may become!

My approach is to clean with paper towels and pipe cleaners after every smoke, and often leave to rest for the night. Water flushing comes once per month or so.

1) What I do is remove stems - vulcanite (a material I hate) will oxidise to hell and back - then flush with as hot as the water in my house will get (it is set to 70C). I leave the pipe aside and do the same with other pipes I will clean. Then return to it, add water to the chamber and scrub with an old toothbrush, as hot water is running through the chamber. Following that I will take my pipe knife - sensitive readers look away now - and proceed to ream the chamber of all cake, down to bare wood. Then do one more round with the toothbrush to remove any residual sludge and the pipes get put for drying. Bent or straight pipe makes no difference.

2) My experience is that when doing the above, after drying the pipes smell like unburnt tobacco of the genre used in them, the Latakia pipes smell just like the tobacco in the tin, the VaPer pipes smell somewhat sweet and woody. I do it because I find that the first couple of bowls on bare wood are pure bliss, super clean tastes.

3) I don't believe in hard thin or any kind of carbon layers, in fact it gives me great satisfaction to seeing it all flushed down the drain after reaming the chamber :D

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Hehehehe... He said wanker

 

[Ahi Ka]

Hehehehe... He said wanker

And the other guy said he tried douching!

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Sorry I didn't wait for page 3...

 

[fireground_piper]

In regards to #3, I wipe the chamber out after running water through it but my goal is to not build cake. I can't say what it does to a layer of cake, but has helped me in not building it by flushing and wiping out.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Sorry I didn't wait for page 3...

No need to apologise man, I’m all for a bit of heckling.

 

[captainsousie]

I believe I can help here.

1. Dipping them in the toilet actually helps here. I find the ammonia residue helps immensely with the cleaning process.

2. As we know, washing in water is akin to a holy ritual and it will exorcise any ghosts you have. If you want to keep the ghosts, you must feed them with the proper alcohol and salt ritual.

3. Remember, the cake is a lie.

4. Don't you dare say anything about my preferred way of cleaning as that will make you a big old meanie poopie pants.

EDIT: I realize this is coming across as confrontational. It is not meant as such, only as a bit of fun. I will be running an experiment with 20-25 pipes with different cleaning techniques and asking for outside feedback later this year if I have time.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I believe I can help here.

1. Dipping them in the toilet actually helps here. I find the ammonia residue helps immensely with the cleaning process.

2. As we know, washing in water is akin to a holy ritual and it will exorcise any ghosts you have. If you want to keep the ghosts, you must feed them with the proper alcohol and salt ritual.

3. Remember, the cake is a lie.

4. Don't you dare say anything about my preferred way of cleaning as that will make you a big old meanie poopie pants.

Could you please upload a video of you giving one of your pipes a swirly?

 

[Ahi Ka]

To offer more context:

- I tried “douching” (thanks ray) a full bent pipe with the stem attached and the angle required for the water to pass through the stem before overflowing the chamber needed me to consult a Kama sutra handbook.

- I’m not that fussy about dedicating pipes to genres, but I do have a couple of pipes dedicated to some particular scented blends, for sentimental reasons mainly. I like the way the residual aroma/oils of these blends have become part of the pipe. If water flushing would be detrimental to developing these ghosts, I’d just stick to pipe cleaners on these pipes.

- is the general consensus that water flushing keeps the chamber as close to wood as possible?

 

[STP]

I’ve cleaned w/just a twisted paper towel and pipe cleaner. I’ve also flushed w/water and cleaned with a twisted paper towel and pipe cleaner. There is no denying that the pipe is “fresher” with the water flush method. I noticed that if water flushing a new pipe from the start, then virtually no cake is ever developed. I’ve neither found an issue with this, nor have I experienced any negative effects, however, some like cake ?

 

[ChuckMijo]

I didn’t like a cake even just a year ago. Now I do. I actually enjoy a thicker cake. When I can’t jam my ring finger in the hole I trim it back.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I didn’t like a cake even just a year ago. Now I do. I actually enjoy a thicker cake. When I can’t jam my ring finger in the hole I trim it back.

Yeah but you have crap taste in pipes bro. I’d be building up cake in those comoys too, just on principle

 

[briarbuck]

I water rinse ever 2nd or 3rd smoke. Paper towel every time. Works for me.

 

[telescopes]

I believe I can help here.

1. Dipping them in the toilet actually helps here. I find the ammonia residue helps immensely with the cleaning process.

2. As we know, washing in water is akin to a holy ritual and it will exorcise any ghosts you have. If you want to keep the ghosts, you must feed them with the proper alcohol and salt ritual.

3. Remember, the cake is a lie.

4. Don't you dare say anything about my preferred way of cleaning as that will make you a big old meanie poopie pants.

EDIT: I realize this is coming across as confrontational. It is not meant as such, only as a bit of fun. I will be running an experiment with 20-25 pipes with different cleaning techniques and asking for outside feedback later this year if I have time.

Also known as Passive Aggressive?

 

[captainsousie]

Also known as Passive Aggressive?

Ummm, no.

 

[telescopes]

Ummm, no.

Ummmmm, yes. By definition, you zinged when asked not to by the OP. Excusing the zinger with an explanation is by definition passive aggressive. But don’t take my word, ask our gentle readers if they agree with you.

 

[captainsousie]

Ummmmm, yes. By definition, you zinged when asked not to by the OP. Excusing the zinger with an explanation is by definition passive aggressive. But don’t take my word, ask our gentle readers if they agree with you.

Feel free to redefine a term. The explanation actually negates any possibility of it being passive aggressive as it openly clarifies a possible misunderstanding. I did miss the ask where these types of posts were discouraged. For that I apologize. I will bow out as I have no direct helpful knowledge for this post.