How to ...meer...
- Thread starter timm2
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You don't need, or even want cake on a meerschaum. Just pack it and smoke it! After smoking you should even wipe the inside of the bowl out with paper towel, a cloth or even soft pipe cleaners to prevent any cake from building. Cake actually inhibits the way Meerschaum works.
I just clean mine with a plain pipe cleaner. If it will pass a cleaner through the stem all the way into the bowl then you don't need to take it off. I use an old rag to wipe out the inside of the bowl and a cotton t-shirt to wipe finger prints and excess dirt off the outside of the pipe. It really sounds more complicated than it is.
If you do have to take off the stem, and if it's a push/pull type, pull gently while rotating the stem counter-clockwise. Reason for that is the push-pull mortises are threaded into the shank so that if you twist clockwise, you may unscrew the mortise from the shank and doing that over and over puts unnecessary wear on the pipe.
If for some reason it gets so dirty that you need to clean it with alcohol, use only a little on a pipe cleaner or soft cloth and don't soak the pipe in alcohol.
If you do have to take off the stem, and if it's a push/pull type, pull gently while rotating the stem counter-clockwise. Reason for that is the push-pull mortises are threaded into the shank so that if you twist clockwise, you may unscrew the mortise from the shank and doing that over and over puts unnecessary wear on the pipe.
If for some reason it gets so dirty that you need to clean it with alcohol, use only a little on a pipe cleaner or soft cloth and don't soak the pipe in alcohol.
WOW, great information here! I hope to own a meer someday (hopefully soon) and I had no idea that this needed to be done. Thanks.
I agree with the other pipers here when it comes to meerschaums.
I have 6 of them, and after every smoke, I let them sit on a soft towel to cool down. Don't put them on hard surfaces, the beeswax coating when warm can develop small marks or smudges. I always wash my hands before enjoying a smoke in one of my meers, since when they are warm, they will absorb any oils or dirt that might be on your hands or fingertips. Once they cool down, I use a pipe pick to gently clean out all the dottle, wipe out the bowl with a clean washcloth. I have several washcloths I use only for my pipes. I then gently remove the stem and clean with pipe cleaners, clean the shank, then rewipe the bowl out. If the pipe is an estate, and already has a cake, I carefully scrape it out using a small knife and the sharp end of my pipe tamper. I work at it until the bowl inside is smooth to the touch, and no rough carbon that I can feel. Wiping the bowl out after every smoke will help keep them like that. Remember that meerschaum works by absorbing smoke and tobacco oils, when its covered in carbon, it cannot do that. The care of your meerschaum is part of owning one, its something to take pleasure in, keep your meers clean, inside and out.
I have 6 of them, and after every smoke, I let them sit on a soft towel to cool down. Don't put them on hard surfaces, the beeswax coating when warm can develop small marks or smudges. I always wash my hands before enjoying a smoke in one of my meers, since when they are warm, they will absorb any oils or dirt that might be on your hands or fingertips. Once they cool down, I use a pipe pick to gently clean out all the dottle, wipe out the bowl with a clean washcloth. I have several washcloths I use only for my pipes. I then gently remove the stem and clean with pipe cleaners, clean the shank, then rewipe the bowl out. If the pipe is an estate, and already has a cake, I carefully scrape it out using a small knife and the sharp end of my pipe tamper. I work at it until the bowl inside is smooth to the touch, and no rough carbon that I can feel. Wiping the bowl out after every smoke will help keep them like that. Remember that meerschaum works by absorbing smoke and tobacco oils, when its covered in carbon, it cannot do that. The care of your meerschaum is part of owning one, its something to take pleasure in, keep your meers clean, inside and out.
You get used to it as part of the ritual. Like I said, it sounds more troublesome than it is, especially if you are starting with a new meer.
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