My Astas Meerschaum Progression

[condorlover1]

I am not going anywhere this ....

 

[gervais]

S

How would you or anyone know it’s not damaging any of SPC’s estate stems? You can only see the damage when it’s in clear acrylic which probably accounts for less than .0005% of their estate sales.

And to claim that you are 100% sure SPC uses zero discretion when it comes to retorting acrylic stems without any actual firsthand knowledge is probably not very accurate. It’s just as easy to retort a stummel with the stem off of it as to retort one with the stem on. So they can claim they retort 100% of their estate pipes, that doesn’t mean they retort 100% of the stems. Maybe they do, I don’t know. I have no first hand knowledge of their operations.

And yes, you are correct. My single (I do have more) example of an alcohol damaged stem is not prof positive that alcohol will damage every acrylic stem. But I’m also not implying that you should try and see at the risk of damaging your pipe.

so what's a safe alternative for acrylic? I've only ever used 99% iso on mine. Maybe I should be using something else.

 

[LeafErikson]

Live look at @Chasing Embers getting ready to cut into an acrylic stem on his most cherished pipe to prove his point

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

S

so what's a safe alternative for acrylic? I've only ever used 99% iso on mine. Maybe I should be using something else.

I’ve been using a little warm water and a few drops of dish soap. But by in large I keep my stems so clean there’s never any need to use and detergents or solvents in em. But if it’s an estate I’m cleaning up, I’ll run hot water through it and use some dish soap.

 

[Chasing Embers]

View attachment 274133
Live look at @Chasing Embers getting ready to cut into an acrylic stem on his most cherished pipe to prove his point

They wouldn't be most cherished if they had acrylic stems, those are mostly the beaters. I used a clear one above in the thread to illustrate.

 

[Chasing Embers]

S

so what's a safe alternative for acrylic? I've only ever used 99% iso on mine. Maybe I should be using something else.

If you fear damage, soap and water works fine. An overnight lemon juice soak really beaks down heavy buildup.

 

[condorlover1]

@Chasing Embers : Lemon juice has been recommended to me a few times over the years. I have always been a bit leery of putting the stuff near amber. That being said thanks for the reminder as I might give that a go on one of my acrylic stemmed pipes. Do you add anything to the lemon juice?

 

[TheWhale13]

If you fear damage, soap and water works fine. An overnight lemon juice soak really beaks down heavy buildup.

Yeah, soap works wonders on dirty stems. There is no better alternative.

 

[didimauw]

Didn't mean to interrupt the conversation with my pictures.