Ghosts Be Gone!

[nsfisher]

I thought this would be a cool experiment to conduct with a cheapy pipe. The info comes from a good source so I will feel pretty confident trying it. Curious to know if anyone here has already tried it, and if so, how did you make out?
http://www.glpease.com/Articles/Spot.html

 

[gmwolford]

I read that article a few nights ago and wondered if anyone had tried it, too. Looking forward to hearing about their experiences if so.

 

[will]

Very good article.

I have a couple estates that I would like to try this out on.

May wait for cooler weather though.

 

[gwtwdbss]

Good article. Definitely something to try.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

Would try, but it's been in the high 90's here nad i'm NOT turning on the oven for my pipes...and plus my wife would be upset!!!
Although it does seem like a long time...6 plus hours, I imagine for a pipe that is less ghosting would not take so long?

 

[topd]

I have a '67 Dunhill Shellbrier that is destined for this treatment, but as everyone

else said, I'll be waiting for cool weather. Thanks for the article fisher.

 

[ssjones]

I am tempted to try, it GLP knows his stuff. Fortunately, I havent encountered a pipe yet that needs this treatment.

 

[taerin]

That's pretty neat, never had a pipe that I couldn't get the ghosts out of with a couple of smokes though.

 

[choppa]

Trying it right now. I did the alcohol and salt thing to soak up the tars, but the pipe still had a strong odor from the previous owners tobacco. I got a big jar of activated charcoal at the pet supply store and am giving it a go.
I changed a couple of things in the process though. Based on my experience with woodworking. I filled the bowel and shank with the charcoal first and placed it in a cold oven. I then slowly brought the temp up to 180*. I'm going to give it 4 hours at this temp and then turn the oven off, leaving the door closed to allow the pipe to slowly cool over night. I feel this would be less of a shock to the briar that heating it up and then removing it and filling it with room temp charcoal, hence cooling it, and then heating it back up again. I will post my results.

 

[waznyf]

That is a very interesting read!

Luckily for me I only smoke one aro so it isn't too much of a concern unless I happen to run across some estate pipe that is ghosted badly.

 

[john218]

What concerns me is the statement that the pipe is drier and more brittle after this treatment. What is the long term effect of this treatment? I will try this on some flea market pipes in the future as an experiment, but not on any of my current pipes. They don't need it, anyway. Choppa's recommendations make a lot of sense and I will use his method when I do this. The article recommends an oven thermometer and I strongly urge you to get one if you do this. I bought an oven thermometer and after my first time using it bought another one because of the discrepancy. It turned out both gave the same reading. My oven ran over 35 degrees hotter than indicated on the thermometers! So to repeat, if you use this treatment, get an oven thermometer to be safe.

 

[choppa]

UPDATE:

Well, the oven cooled down completely and I went ahead and dumped out the charcoal.... I am very happy to report SUCCESS!! There is absolutely no detectable odors of any kind. No old tobacco, no alcohol, Nothing!
As mentioned in GLP's blog, the stem is very tight now and I won't try to force it. I will let it rest for a day or two and hopefully it will all fit back nicely as his did.
I should note that twice during the heating process I misted the interior of the oven walls with water to add a little humidity. Not sure if that was necessary, but it seemed like a good idea to prevent over drying.
I still recommend the alcohol/salt treatment to remove all the tars first. But I think this is a winner!

 

[gmwolford]

Thanks for the undate. I think to keep the humidity at an even level a small baking dish on a lower rack with an inch of so of water would do the trick rather than misting: just an idea …

 

[numbersix]

Funny, I am cleaning up my very first estate pipe - using the salt and alcohol treatment. So far so good.
I read about this idea just before trying, but it seemed to have more risks than I was willing to try (plus getting the charcoal would require a 50 min trip).
@choppa - thanks for the update, will be good to know if the alcohol treatment doesn't work.

 

[mangers]

I don't go through all that to get rid if a ghost, I just smoke a few bowls of Five Brothers in the pipe and the ghost vacates the pipe.

 

[ghost]

Bump! 8O Long post...
I tried this today, as per Mr. Pease's original article, and here's what's happened so far. I just removed them from the oven now. I tried it on three pipes, each with a different history- an old Medico, an estate Shamrock, and my Big Ben. All had recently been given just one S/A treatment that didn't do the job, so rather than do a second S/A, I earmarked them for the oven. They are all going to sit for a day before I put the stems back on.
First the cheapie Medico. This pipe was exclusively Captain Black Royal and White for a few years when I was first starting out. I haven't smoked it in a long time, but the aroma was still there even after cleaning. First sniff after removing from the oven? Nada. Zip. The smell is completely gone. I'll call it a success for now, but I'll have to fire it up with a completely different blend than CB just to make sure.
Second, the Big Ben Presidential. I ordered this pipe years ago from Frenchy, and it was one of my first really good smokers. As such I ran a whole can, that's a whole can of Argosy Black when it was on the market. The stuff smelled amazing, and the pipe has never shaken it since. I actually liked the smell, but since it was my most persistent ghost I gave it the treatment. There is still a sweetish smell, but most of the Argosy is gone. I'll pass judgement on it when I smoke it again but I suspect a second treatment, S/A or oven, would possibly be the one that kills it once and for all.
Lastly, the Shamrock. I don't know exactly what was smoked in this pipe by its previous owner but it's really hanging on in there. Caveat- I smoked it once after cleaning and S/A, and it still had the original ghost taste to it. So it went into the oven with the first ghost and one bowl of Lord Methley courtesy of me. Verdict, aroma is still present so it needs another treatment for sure. I don't think my one bowl made a difference given the smell, but it will still take some work.
Anyways, to sum up...this is a very easy process to follow overall. I'll probably try it again soon on some other estates, maybe for an extra hour or two (?) and I'll post any neat findings here. I don't know if it's the be all end all yet, but it's definitely worth a try.

 

[keith929]

I ain't afraid of no ghost. :nana:

 

[ghost]

Update- I put the Big Ben, the Shamrock, and an estate Comoy into the oven today. Four hours at 180 with the pellets in from the start. I was able to banish Zuul from the Big Ben, and the Shamrock is also almost clear. The Comoy wasn't too bad off to start, and there's only a hint of ghost left. Once I take them for a test drive, if all is good I'm going to keep this as a deodorizing method, if needed, going forward...