how to clean charring around rim of pipes.

[ohin3]

I think I have asked this question before, but I have a memory like a sieve so I am asking again. I have a couple Savinellis that I want to get rid of because they are just too heavy for me and just don't fit my tastes any more. Only issue with either of them is a bit of charring on the rim. Anyone know a good way to take this charring away. I'm sure there is a tiny bit of wood charring that will never go away, but the majority seems to be soot on the surface. Any advice is much appreciated. Also, if any of you want to buy either of them as is let me know. Is it ok to advertise pipes for sale here like that Kevin?

 

[dd951]

Phil, I use A lot of spit and A piece of terry cloth, when it is all clean I polish with parogon wax

 

[wizbang]

I get fluffy Q-tips and moisten them with saliva. I like using them because you can see on the Q-tip how much you have cleaned off, much like a pipe cleaner.

 

[python]

Phil,
Spit will work wonders at removing rim tar/char. Cortez says that he uses lemon juice and gets the same results. I have not tried the lemon juice yet, so I can not comment on it, but I trust Cortez's opinion on it.
As far as putting up pipes for sale, go right ahead. Put them up in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum.

 

[hilojohnny]

Sometimes a Mr.Clean Eraser (moistened) is helpful with the more resistent soot.... :D

 

[ohin3]

Great advice all. I was hoping there was a faster way than spit and elbow grease, but alas, hard work and passion for ones hobby is what always seems to be the best way to approach these type of situations. Never thought of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...definately worth a try.
I will take and post a few photos of the Savinellis in the buy/sell/trade forum.

 

[ichbinmuede]

It occurs to me that a little Murphy's oil soap might do a good job. I've never used it on a pipe before but it has done wonders for the fingerboards on my guitars and if I can trust it on that why not?

 

[gecko13]

I find when all else failed, the bench grinder will get rid of the hard to remove charring, and then buff it with a the wire wheel. Like magic, the charring is gone. ::

 

[ohin3]

I'm going to stick with spit and elbow grease for now. If I can't get the results I want I will just post them as is.

 

[fred]

Rim char and rim scorch are best avoided by under filling the bowl's chamber.

These problems plague Meerschaums, possibly even more than Briar since the

Pipe is generally white. Everclear works well, if saliva on a clean white

cotton cloth isn't doing the job, but the Beeswax is easy to replace, unlike

the stain finish on most Briars. Using matches can help prevention, since the

flame is drawn into the bowl rather than directed into it. Rubbing Beeswax

on the char, using the heat of the Pipe to melt it, while smoking will make the

smoke stains more diffuse over time. Rim scorch generally requires more aggressive

measures. Since most people use Carnuba on Briar, maybe this same technique

will work, using a block of this wax...?

 

[wolfscout]

I've had to use the magic eraser before.. that works.

I've also had to get even more off and used steel wool... and had to refinish the rim.

I purchased one estate pipe recently that was so badly charred and had been banged on a very hard rough surface to spill out the ashes .. I thought it to be un-salvageable.

After I had put it on a belt sander and worked it down smooth. I gave it away.

 

[colorduke]

I had read on another forum they used babywipes and had good results.

 

[forsooth]

I have used Magic Eraser and it worked for me VERY well. In fact, I overdid it and the Magic Eraser took the stain off the rim of the pipe.
Unclearthur suggested leather dye to restain. I purchased light brown and it did the job. Now my $20 Ebay purchase looks great.
Magic Eraser is also known to remove oxidation from a stem, although I haven't tried this yet.
I picked up Magic Eraser at a "Dollar Store"-type of business.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I had been wondering the same thing for a while. Thanks a lot for the help guys. Used a baby wipe on the rim of the bowl and it came right off. Appreciate the tips.

 

[yoru]

Out of curiosity, does anyone actually -like- having darkened rims? I honestly prefer it on my pipes. Though that is just personal tastes.
Spit-shine is the mother of all cleaning methods though mate, since spit dissolves god knows how many thousands of different molecules with ease.

 

[unclearthur]

I prefer to keep my pipes clean on the rim. "New" estates either get a serious cleaning or I lightly top the bowl if it is actually burned.

 

[romeowood]

I've had great results with 100% lemon juice. I'd avoid murphy's oil soap only because of the petrochemicals.

 

[pstlpkr]

Spit-shine is the mother of all cleaning methods though mate,

Ain't it the truth Yoru... Just ask any kid that can talk.

Mom's spit can remove anything. :D

 

[unclearthur]

Awwwwwww C'mon Romeo. Modern living through chemistry! LOL I don't like most chemicals either.

 

[jimbo]

Rustic or blast rims I don't fool with. With smooth rims, after smoking I fold a Kleenex in half twice and touch it to my tongue, wetting about a quarter of it. I rotate the pipe with the rim against the wet tissue held in the other hand. I do it 2 or 3 times with clean sections of the tissue and this gets nearly all the tars that have set on the rim during a smoke.
Even with this, there remains some charring of the rim over time, but that can be expected.