How Many Pipe Cleaners...

[kris]

Harris, what the heck do on a deep clean then???

 

[joshwolftree]

I was gonna say his normal clean sounds like my deep clean

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Harris, what the heck do on a deep clean then???

I believe there is another link on here where Harris demonstrates how he uses his laboratory centrifuge and his pressure washer to perform a deep clean on a pipe.

 

[captainbob]

I use one pipe cleaner after every smoke without exception. And, I rotate pipes. My pipes are dedicated specifically to specific blends. I do not leave a pipe cleaner in the pipe. I prefer to let it air dry on the rack. I never have to do a "deep clean". I do always use a dull pipe knife to ream the bowl after every smoke. Then, from time to time, I use the Ream and Clean pipe tool to remove excess acrbon from the bowl.

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[taerin]

I use 3, how does it take you 1.5 rot, do you cut the other end off the cleaner and store half the pipe cleaner for later???

 

[lestrout]

I don't go so far as to clip the dirty tip off a used PC, though I am known to be cheap, frugal and very obsessive about wasting not. In fact, I use the old PCs as fire starters for barbeque - throws off a great aroma. I'm a minority, on a different track than all the posters here, since I average maybe 3 cleanings per PC. I re-use pre-used PCs on the first swab, usually into the shank where things are tarrier. I also fold over the used PCs with dirty tips, twice in fact - that gives me more circumference to work with inside the mortise. Then I run clean (or at least cleaner) PCs through till one comes out more or less clean. I set each PC on a tray in order of use, and have 5 or 6 going. Estates, which I don't run through a retort, chew up a lot of PC usage, especially the first dozen bowls.
hp

les

 

[swhipple]

I usually use 2 for routine cleaning. I've been trying to get my tobacco drier so my pipes have been cleaner after a bowl.

 

[rotschefeller]

Eric, that's exactly what I do!

 

[cigrmaster]

Kris, my sons do my deep cleanings for me and they do comment that the pipe is never really dirty, but I like using Everclear after about 10 bowls to keep it fresh tasting. They use a shank brush and PC's and then polish my pipes. I do any reaming that is necessary, I have not taught them how to do that.
I know I may be a bit obsessive but my pipes have never once gone sour and I never taste anything off putting. I do get dirt off of each cleaner so it is there. I like my pipes to be as clean as possible so my tobacco tastes as good as possible.
Peck, that was funny.

 

[smokeybear]

3 pipe cleaners + a nylon brush + three paper towels + 3-4 Q-tips for each of my pipes
i take my cleaning seriously :crazy:

 

[acaciavet]

I use A Pipe Cleaner during my smoke to keep things dry so when its time to break one down I need one Bristle and one fluffy.

 

[dragonslayer]

I use one pipe cleaner and a q-tip, but I have cheap pipes, when I get expensive ones I will use as many as it takes to make it perfect for the next smoke. I get them from china for next to nothing so it doesn't really matter.

 

[qhelms]

A pipe cleaner as needed during smoking. After the pipe cools I dump the ash and dottle, double that used cleaner and swab out the bowl then run two fresh ones down the stem. Every 4-5 bowls I break the pipe down and swab it out with a cleaner soaked in rum.Never had a sour smoke yet.