On Using Wet or Dry Pipe Cleaners

[Briar Lee]

I got in the mail yesterday five Lee pipes from the same collection in magnificent, regularly smoked condition. All five were clean overall, but had cakes “the thickness of a dime” and bare briar in the bottom of the chamber, and carbon build up on the rims. These pipes gave a lot of pleasure, and didn’t sleep on a shelf.

I deep cleaned all five, using steel wool, grape seed oil, a reamer, a tiny file (to widen one pipe’s bit opening so a bristle pipe cleaner would pass) and re clocked one stem to line up with the shank. Then I used Everclear and a paper towel and alcohol soaked pipe cleaners to clean the pipes until the soaked pipe cleaners came through clean.

As I smoke these pipes, which are fresh and sweet, when I soak a bristle pipe cleaner and clean them the wet pipe cleaners come out dark black, then brown, and finally white again, and what’s happening is that the hot smoke and residual alcohol is loosening tars in the shank and stem that built up. The previous owner must have primarily used dry pipe cleaners.

When you read the older instructions on how to care for your pipe, they don’t mention soaking a pipe cleaner in Everclear to keep the air passage clean, and perhaps they’ll say occasionally use “pipe sweetener”. The practice I’ve learned here of using water in the sink, is certainly not mentioned.

I suspect the overwhelming majority of pipe smokers use a standard, dry, soft cotton pipe cleaner to clean their pipes, which does seem to work.

But I use a wet, bristle pipe cleaner soaked in Everclear, which I think raises up and removes virtually all the tars I don’t want to soak into the shank, or possibly get sour.

How many of you soak your pipe cleaners, or do you usually just use them dry?

I can’t say I can taste any difference by using wet pipe cleaners, but I’d rather imagine that airway sparkling clean, instead of with a hard coat of tars.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Old "technology."

Once the brain washing created by marketing men in companies who sold pipe sweeteners/cleaners/refreshers has dissipated, many folks have learned that a very hot water flush removes a huge amount of tars, oils, ash and gunk from the chamber and the airway.

Saves on pipe cleaners big time, though that's just a bonus.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I keep a small decanter of filtered water on the table next to where I smoke, and I always dip the pipe cleaner in the water.
Tried alcohol in the past, but for me it ruins a pipe taste wise.
I used the alcohol, and thought the pipe was clean, and then used water afterwards.
Then the gunk really started to come out.
Conclusion - water cleans better than alcohol.

 

[niblicck]

On the estate pipes I clean special attention is paid in shank as far as cleaning using a pick after the gunk is loosened up with everclear. As MJ noted with water, after the initial few smokes I switch from everclear to a lemon water mix to clean the shank and stem because I can pick up the everclear taste if used for daily cleaning. Mainly use q tips for shank and draft hole wetted with lemon water and stem with pipe cleaner wetted with same. I keep the lemon water in an eyedropper bottle and everclear in another bottle.

 

[Briar Lee]

When I got these pipes in, I was as happy as a little boy under the Christmas tree.

One of them, a big 7 point star Three Star Lovat, is the largest Lee pipe I own of a whole bunch of Lee pipes. It weighs 45 grams, yet it’s 5 1/2” long and fits in a suit pocket. That’s the only one I had competing bidders, and won at $42.

It had carbon all over the top, bare briar in the bottom, a cake about a dime’s thickness, and a very short stinger that was sort of clean. I had to smoke that one as it came.

And with a bowl of Virginia Gold Black and Gold it was just delicious, no musty taste, no ghost flavors, as good as when the last owner had put it away.

The seller claimed these five came from a collection of 122 that all looked well cared for but smoked. The other pipes were Custombuilts, Charatan, Comoy’s, Costello, Peterson, Savinelli, even some Dunhills. and lots of artisan pipes. This guy wasn’t smoking cheap pipes.

A dry pipe cleaner went through my big Lovat almost white, after I smoked it.

I was tempted to just leave these alone, but I had to shine up all those pretty gold stars to shine again, and while I was at it I cleaned off the carbon from the top rims (not lava, just carbon), and then I cleaned the slight patina from them, and alcohol soaked towels and grape seed oil made them look brand new. The owner didn’t hurt these, not even where he clenched.

The cake was soft and dottle free. After a bit I used my Butner reamer and took them all down to where I like them, just enough cake to claim there’s a cake.

While I was at it, I tried alcohol soaked pipe cleaners, and on the first pass they didn’t seem very much in need of cleaning. After a smoke and a second pass with Everclear soaked bristle pipe cleaners they seem filthy.

Somehow, I feel like I’ve committed an offense, against the Great Pipe Gods. But I’ll get over it.


When my sun sets and my trophies at last, I lay down, the next owner will get these just a little better than I got them.


We do not have to be so persnickety about wet cleaning our pipes.

We do not have to cake them down all the way to the air hole.

We could, even leave the stingers alone on old pipes with removable stingers.

And by leaving a cake the thickness of a dime, we might save some money on tobacco, and protect our pipes if we smoked them in the wind.

I think we do obsessive maintenance mainly because we’ve learned how to.

And besides, ain’t a totally clean pipe a beautiful thing, to behold?

 

[Etipton]

My Pop always taught me to use a dry pipe cleaner, only ever used one with alcohol if it needed to be sanitized, in my experience if you get the pipe dry you’re good to go

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I always purchase wet pipe cleaners. Only $40 per dozen.

 

[OzPiper]

I dip my cleaners in a clear peach brandy, and also use it for bowl soaks. It leaves a very pleasant aroma, which dissipates after 1 smoke.
Vodka or gin will work as well.

 

[wayneteipen]

My Pop always taught me to use a dry pipe cleaner, only ever used one with alcohol if it needed to be sanitized, in my experience if you get the pipe dry you’re good to go

Same. If I use a pipe cleaner at all, I use a dry one for regular care & maintenance. On the rare occasion I deep clean a pipe, I use Everclear. The woodworker in me shudders at the thought of excessively combining water and wood. YMMV

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

It's pipe cleaning day in Alabama if I can only get the pressure washer started.

 

[kurtbob]

I have found that when I dip my pipe cleaner in any sort of alcohol, it burns when I urinate.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For me, the purpose of a pipecleaner is to remove the water from the stem as well as the ash that has been pulled through, so I always use dry ones.
But, if I am scrubbing the draft, as in a deep clean, I use one of these… https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-3-P...t=&hvlocphy=9012489&hvtargid=pla-870159151386

They can be used indefinitely, and mine are about 8 years old. I just dip them in alcohol and scrub till the come out clean.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I found a vintage pipe cleaner that belonged to C.S. Lewis. I felt $200 was a steal. It makes my pipes taste much better than those cheap new cleaners.

 

[Grangerous]

I insert one dry mid smoke and if it comes out damp I turn it around and repeat. A matter of temperature and mild condensation. Most often it’s dry.

That’s all that I do with pipe cleaners. Post smoke, same thing. Like Cos said, I use them to remove any moisture.

A Cleaning means a thorough water rinsing. Again, here I’d also use a pipe cleaner to speed up the drying time. I also fold them and use their double width to clear/dry the draft hole.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Just pressure washed the Chevalier. The pressure blew it out of my hand and into the brick. Well, if t was a good pipe once…lol!

 

[samuelgawith01]

Dry while smoking.
Dipped in distilled spirits when cleaning.So there.?

 

[Duck]

I dampen the leading half inch of the pipe cleaner to wipe the gunk. Then I turn it around and give it a good going over with the dry length.

 

[instymp]

I have found that when I dip my pipe cleaner in any sort of alcohol, it burns when I urinate.

Your aim is off friend.

 

[bullet08]

Thank gods I didn't have a mentor. On occasions, I would dip my cigarette filter in a drink. Never never used pipe cleaners with liquid. Usually, there's moisture after smoking in the draught. I guess alcohol drink would help, but I prefer to drink them.

 

[gatorhazard]

My cobs stay pretty dry while I smoke them. Typically I will switch off between two cobs on an evening of smoking. After I finish a pipe I run a dry cleaner in it to get the tar and goop while it’s warm. Then it rests while I smoke the other pipe. When it’s cleaning time I dip my tapered bristle cleaners in the green pipe cleaner stuff. Then I run dry ones through to sop anything else up. About every three months I give them a hot water flush.