In need of some HELP: a question about sour pipes

[jallen49]

Lately I have experiencing a problem...
One of my main pipes is a Savinelli dublin shaped. Within the last month or so, every time I get to the bottom third or fourth of the pipe bowl, I experience the most dreadful problem, the tobacco turns SOUR!
When I say sour, what I really mean is bitter. I have recently re-dedicated this pipe to virginia and VaPer blends, but before I did that, It was an english blend pipe.
When I rededicated it, I thoroughly cleaned it, complete with a salt & alcohol treatment.
Does anyone have an idea as to what might be causing this or what I could do to fix it?
Any help/advice would be much appreciated, thank you in advance!

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Did you clean out the shank/mortise area as well as a good pipe cleaner/alcohol scrubbing?
Sometimes when doing a S/A treatment, the residuals will settle in the shank, so make sure it's cleaned out as well. Also, after the S/A treatment, take a paper towel with alcohol on it and wipe out the bowl all the way down.

 

[ace57]

+1

 

[pstlpkr]

I've had pipes that went sour after/during a bowl... and like bootleg suggests the problem isn't in the bowl but the shank.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Very rarely is the bowl the culprit to a sour pipe.

 

[jallen49]

sounds like I have a good place to start...

I shall retrieve my q-tips and my bottle of Everclear and see what happens!
Thanks for the help guys!

 

[pstlpkr]

No problem....

Make sure it's good and dry before you reassemble and smoke it...

Just to be on the safe side...

It may take more than one cleaning.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Agreed. I've had a couple that I swore they were clean and after dry, some more residual settled in.

Quite welcome, good luck!

 

[unclearthur]

One of Romeowood's retorts is the way to go!