How Often Do You Alcohol Clean?

[brdavidson]

How often should you do the pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol to clean out the stems? I've only done it once about 2 months ago, should it be a monthly routine?

 

[dnietosi]

I actually do it quite often, every 3-4 smokes in a pipe I do the alcohol thing. Now that I think about it this might mean that it is a monthly thing.

 

[wayneteipen]

I only do it if there's a problem with one of my pipes ie. sourness (which I've never experienced), the airway is getting restricted, etc. The only other time I use alcohol on my pipes is if I want to thoroughly clean it to smoke a different tobacco in it. As I stated in another thread, alcohol removes the good stuff that seasons a pipe, IMHO. I'm wondering if obsessive cleaning is a somewhat new phenomenon. I'm guessing that a lot of the old-time pipers rarely if ever clean their pipes with alcohol. Curious.

 

[mlyvers]

i always use dry pipe cleaners after smoking my pipe (s). the only time i use everclear is when my pipes have too much cake, then i do a complete cleaning. i then ream out the bowl, clean inside the shank and the stem with everclear, then i do a salt and everclear treatment inside the bowl. after that process i clean and buff the exterior of my pipes.
take care.

mike.

 

[fitzy]

Brian Levine seems to do it every night.
Brian's pipe cleaning directions

 

[ravkesef]

As soon as I have finished a bowl, I run a dry cleaner through the pipe. (no disassembly!) Then I moisten the tip of a cleaner with grain alcohol, and run it through the entire pipe, finishing it off with the clean end of one of these two pipe cleaners. I swab around the inside of the bowl with a dry cleaner to remove any loose ash, carbon, etc, clean the stem (method depending upon if it's vulcanite, lucite, etc). That way my pipes are always fresh and ready to go. Then, every few months, when I sense that a pipe really needs it, I grab ten or so of the most likely culprits and do a serious cleaning job on them, disassembling the pipe, swabbing it out with grain alcohol and swabbing brush, pipe cleaners until they come out clean, then a quick swab with some whiskey, dry it off, a bit of polish for the stem and bowl, and put it in the rack. I have pipes that I have been smoking for over 40 years, and because of the loving care I give them, they have matured beautifully over the years, and deliver pleasure, bowl after bowl.

 

[brdavidson]

Thanks for the advice gents

 

[numbersix]

I wish I could get some grain alcohol or everclear. In VT you need to sign your life away to buy it. No thanks - that's all I need is to have Homeland Security to pay me a visit.

 

[spartan]

Light and quick alcohol cleaning after every smoke.
You clean your fork after every meal to get your food and germs off of it don't you?
Don't you?!

 

[brdavidson]

I refuse to answer that Spartan!

 

[jcsnaps]

I'm with you Spartan. I smoke a pipe for the day then put it aside to clean, maybe with a few others for the week then clean them all. A shank brush dipped in 151, q-tip with a dip for a clean swab, then a pipe cleaner dipped for the stem, then a dry cleaner to absorb any excess. I always get "stuff" out, so that must mean there is always "stuff" to clean.

 

[spartan]

No judgement here.
I just can't stand the thought of me enjoying my 3 day old saliva on my stem.
I have to hit it with some alcohol before or after every smoke.
Clean clean clean.

 

[phred]

I'm getting in the habit of an alcohol clean once a week, now that I've got enough cobs for a weekly rotation... And it's one way to use up some of the less favored spirits in our liquor cabinet! :D

 

[wayneteipen]

You clean your fork after every meal to get your food and germs off of it don't you?
Don't you?!

Ah, yes. But what about stoneware? You wouldn't stick it in the dishwasher would you?

 

[spartan]

I don't stick my metal forks in the dishwasher lol
I do a better job by hand. (That's what she said!)
I just like them to be so clean, that if I'm out and about smoking and a friend of mine would be interested in a puff I'd load them up a freshly cleaned pipe and let the instruction begin.

 

[wayneteipen]

I just like them to be so clean, that if I'm out and about smoking and a friend of mine would be interested in a puff I'd load them up a freshly cleaned pipe and let the instruction begin.

See now, the thought of smoking someone else's pipe tachs my gross meter unless it's seen a retort. I know that's not a rational thought either but I guess I have my proclivities too. :lol:

 

[yadan]

Aside from the fact that I enjoy cleaning my pipes, and enjoy having clean, polished and shiny pipes, constant thorough cleaning is an absolute necessity for me since I smoke metals almost exclusively. Failing to clean these pipes with alcohol (I prefer stong whiskey) after each smoke can quickly lead to gunk build-up and even stuck parts.

 

[cigrmaster]

I have my official pipe cleaners who are on my payroll thoroughly clean my pipes with Everclear usually after 8-12 bowls. I have a very strict cleaning process that I use after every bowl smoked so my pipes never get very dirty. I believe and have heard that using grain alcohol too often can dry out the wood too much.

 

[allan]

We should change the name of this forum to "Obsessive Compulsive Pipe Forum"
I'm not usually that way in most of the stuff I do in life, but if I'm into something, (like pipes) all bets are off!
Clean pipes are nice. I like to polish my teeth marks off the stem, and it's easy for me because I have the machinery at work.
Allan

 

[rhogg]

I don't treat my pipes with alcohol unless they sour. Usually a good reaming does it for me. For instance my VA devoted pipes rarely require anything but a reaming. Pipes I use for aros are a different story.