It Passes A Pipe Cleaner Now I Get It

[anotherbob]

Never cared if it did until my last smoke a few days ago. The pipe started to gurgle which it almost never does, however it was a PG flavored blend Seven Seas Gold so not very dry and the humidity was insane outside. I didn't think my filter pipe would pass a clean however it did easily. But now at least I get why that could be a make or break for a pipe. Second point if you think it won't pass a cleaner gently twisting the cleaner while barely pushing it in works way better then it seems like it should.

 

[stokesdale]

Never cared if it did until my last smoke a few days ago. The pipe started to gurgle which it almost never does, however it was a PG flavored blend Seven Seas Gold so not very dry and the humidity was insane outside. I didn't think my filter pipe would pass a clean however it did easily. But now at least I get why that could be a make or break for a pipe. Second point if you think it won't pass a cleaner gently twisting the cleaner while barely pushing it in works way better then it seems like it should.

I know what you mean. I'm in the upper piedmont region of NC and the humidity must be 50% right now outside (95 degree heat index)...summer is here in the south!

 

[shanez]

For everyone who has a nice pipe that doesn't pass a cleaner:

Please send me pics and I'll make an offer. Of course you'll forgive me if I can't offer market pricing because, after all, it won't pass a cleaner...

 

[mso489]

I think all my straight or slightly bent pipes pass a pipe cleaner. About half my bent pipes do, and I greatly appreciate those that do, extra points for that. However, I do not expect a wire to do a "U-turn," though I try the bent tip and gentle pressure, which has worked once or twice. In general, with pipes that don't pass, I just pipe clean the stem, scoop out and wipe out the bowl, and clean them separately as needed, which, it turns out, is not often.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Passing a pipe cleaner is a deal breaker for me. I like an easy draw and smoke a lot of flake tobacco. If the airway gets a bit clogged, run the pipe cleaner through and back to perfect! So much easier than using the pipe tool to work the tobacco loose and clear the airway. And that doesn't always work. I don't really care much for 1/2, 3/4 or full bent pipes anyway. There's really no good reason for a quality pipe that is 1/4 bent or less to not easily pass a pipe cleaner.

 

[craiginthecorn]

The exceptions for me are Army mount pipes, Peterson System pipes, and pipes that are too beautiful to part with.

The other thing to consider beyond clearing a clog mid-smoke is that some say that a pipe that doesn’t cleanly pass a pipe cleaner is more likely to gurgle due to turbulence. That said, I have several bent Dunhills whose draft hole isn‘t close to being in-line with the stem and massive gaps between the tenon and the bottom of the mortise, yet they smoke well. They do require extra cleaning in the mortise, though, as it gets dirtier in there than in my other pipes.

 

[mikethompson]

I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure out what 'passed a pipe cleaner' meant. But I don't think i have ever had to run a pipe cleaner in a pipe while smoking, maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe I'm doing something wrong.

 

[cigrmaster]

My main reason for wanting a pipe cleaner to pass into the bowl is invariably a piece of tobacco will get stuck and a pipe cleaner is the only way to clear it. I would never break down the stem and try some other method. Once is great while something really gets jammed and then it might take 2-3 Bristle cleaners to do the job..

My pipes don't create excess moisture so I never have to use a cleaner to soak up moisture. I will never forget the first time I smoked my first Rad Davis pipe out on my lanai and the humidity was around 70%or higher. Not once did I need to use a pipe cleaner to soak up excess moisture. I was totally amazed and began my quest for more Rads.

Now I smoke exclusively in the house so humidity is not an issue. My 22 Rads never need a pipe cleaner too soak up excess moisture. I asked him one day how his pipes could do that he explained that shanks size, smoothing out interior of shank, stem design and smoothing inside of stem so that no turbulence is ever created.

 

[tabakpfeife]

I very rarely have to "pass a pipe cleaner" when smoking. Lucky I guess. I do have problems after the smoke, and am embarrassed I took the pipe apart when cooled and cleaned the mortice each time I smoked for years. This is not good for the pipes, although it hasn't seemed to hurt them much. I now try to pass the cleaner through my straight and slightly bent pipes and run it through the stem otherwise. I take them apart and clean with alcohol periodically.