How Often Do You Alcohol Clean?

[durham270]

numbersix I was not aware of that. In Kentucky it's available at about any liqueur store no questions asked. I can recall getting a bottle or two at around 16 years of age. Of course that was to many years ago to remember. Might have been from a boot-legger though! I purchased this bottle roughly 18 years ago for a gag during a company Christmas Party. I've been using it to clean my pipes since I wouldn't dare drink it. I use Golden Grain which is 190 proof 95% ALC/VOL to thoroughly clean a pipe after about the fifth smoke.

 

[captainbob]

I have not found it necessary to regularly use alcohol on my pipes. It is rare for me. Only when a pipe is neglected do I recommend it. In my case I have 16 pipes in regular rotation and they are dedicated to specific blends. I always use a pipe cleaner and dull pipe knife after every smoke.

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[surlysoul]

I use about three dry pipe cleaners every smoke. One during the smoke and two after. I alcohol clean my straight pipes after about ten smokes and my bent pipes a little more often than that. I feel like if I waited until it tasted sour, I have waited too long.

 

[dochudson]

I usually clean the pipes I have used during the week on Sat morning after cleaning and ready to be put up I run a cleaner of this stuff through the stem and around the bowl.

 

[alexl]

I do thorough cleaning for all my pipes once in several months. Because it's hard to keep Glenfiddich whisky which I use for cleaning - it tends to disappear :D

 

[topd]

I let the dog lick them off Spartan!

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I only use alcohol when I'm cleaning an estate pipe that's new to me, or if one of my pipes has a ghost. It's been a long time since I've had a ghost, and I can't remember the last time I've used alcohol or had to do a salt treatment.
After I'm done smoking my pipe I run a dry pipe cleaner through it, ream it out and then use the pipe cleaner to clean the bowl. After the pipe has cooled (10-20 minutes) I'll pull the stem off and use the pipe cleaner on the shank as well.

 

[bludgeoningdeath]

So this is a lil off topic but I see some of you clean your bowl with a pipe cleaner. If you're trying to build cake I take it one should avoid this?
I usually use Bee Pipe Sweetner every 3-4 smokes.

 

[cigrmaster]

bludgeoningdeath, what I do after every bowl is let it cool till the next day and then take an extra fluffy pipe cleaner and double it. I will then run it around the inside of the bowl getting any loose tobacco and then put my mouth to the shank when the stem is removed and blow it out. It evens my cake but does not remove it. I build cake fairly quickly because of the type of tobaccos I smoke. If you wipe the bowl while it is still warm then yes you might remove cake which is why I always wait till the next day giving my cake a chance to harden. I have been doing this for a long time and it works very well for me.

 

[bludgeoningdeath]

Cool deal Cigarmaster. I will try that. I'm still learning.

 

[cigrmaster]

bludgeoningdeath, we are all still learning which is what is so great about this hobby. I still learn new things on a regular basis hanging out here. Glad I could be of help.

 

[foggymountain]

On a regular basis, never.If the pipe is kept meticulously clean during the smoke it is unnecessary. Beware of rubbing alcohol. It leaves a bad taste for those that have taste.

 

[jonesee75]

A lot of great info in this thread. I run a cleaner through the stem and after a few hours remove the stem and clean the shank. Lastly I double the pipe cleaner over and wipe out the bowl. I only use alcohol for estates that I purchased to restore. For those that use rum, whiskey and/or bourbon, do you occasionally pick up the flavor of the alcohol while smoking?

 

[zonomo]

For the noobs out there, be careful. I did my first cleaning using some Captain Morgan and I ruined the finish on on my sweet Savi's. It smokes just fine but the bowl is now a flat tarnished dull color. I wish I knew how to refinish this. I wonder how much it would cost me to send it in to have refinished.

 

[4dotsasieni]

In over 50 years of pipe smoking I have never ever felt the need to put alcohol anywhere near my pipes. The whole idea of introducing a harsh chemical into the pristine environment of one of my treasured pipes makes me shiver.
As long as you do a thorough swabbing with pipe cleaners, in the stem, the shank, and the bowl, I see no reason to use chemicals. I want my pipes to smell like tobacco, not like a hospital.

 

[igloo]

If it is a new to me estate pipe I will clean the devil out of it . Other than that a I just run a couple of pipe cleaners though it and cork screw a paper towel in the bowl after every smoke . I refuse to use more alcohol on my pipes than I do on me .

 

[buster]

Once a week with rum. After every smoke with a dry pipe cleaner.

 

[juni]

Not often enough. About once every three months when I do the cotton ball/alcohol treatment.

 

[dutch65]

My routine involves cleaning my briar pipes with bourbon whiskey after each bowl of tobacco. However, when I am breaking in a pipe, I may simply run a dry pipe cleaner through the pipe while building a cake.
On a pipe that is broken in, I will inspect the bowl for excessive cake buildup, and if I feel it needs to be taken down, I will either use my British Buttner reamer, or my Kleen Reem reamer. Once I am satisfied with the cake situation, I will use a scruffy bristle pipe cleaner dipped in bourbon and scrub out the shank. After about a minute of scrubbing, I will draw the scruffy out far enough to clear the bowl, and then use a Q-Tip dipped in bourbon to clean out any bowl residue. One reason I prefer bourbon, is because it doesn't dry so quickly, so it is easier to work with, and it isn't as harsh on my pipes finish, should I get careless and get some on the rim of the pipe while cleaning. One reason I like using Q-Tips when possible, is because they are much cheaper than pipe cleaners, and they are less invasive than a metal wire tipped pipe cleaner.
Once I have finished with the Q-Tip, I will then withdraw the scruffy, and dip it again in bourbon. I will again scrub the inside shank for about another minute, before I set the pipe aside and allow it to dry.
I usually clean a weeks worth of vulcanite and acrylic stems all at once, using a standard pipe cleaner dipped in bourbon. Once I finish this process, I will run warm water over my clean stems, and this also serves the purpose of cleaning my rubber pipe bits, and keeping them clean for future use.
If the stem is acrylic, I simply set it aside and wait approx. a week for my briar to dry, before reassembling and racking the pipe. If the stem is vulcanite, I will give it a quick coat of Obsidian pipe stem oil.
I use the same process for my Meerschaum pipes, however I do use pure grain alcohol on them, since I only clean them about once every 5 or 6 smokes.

 

[redbeard]

I usually let the pipe cool after my smoke and empty the bowl, take off stem, and run a pipe cleaner through the stem with alcohol and then a dry one, and then a dry paper towel ream. Well this depleted my pipe cleaners fairly rapidly and finally ran out. I smoked the same pipe around 4 or so times without cleaning the stem till I noticed the taste... I happened t find a pipe cleaner laying around and ran it through dry to see tons of black build up in the stem. Not appealing, so now I will probably go with a dry cleaner after ever few bowls and alcohol treatment once or twice a month.
I was talking to my girlfriends grandma and she was shocked when I told her I cleaned my pipes, then she went on to tell me that she cleaned her "papas" pipes and got a swift kick in the butt. I could only imagine how she went about the cleaning though!! Did she use soap and water :rofl: