Ozone Treatment for Odor

[woodsroad]

While perusing the Walker Pipe Repair site, I saw that he is offering pipe deodorizing, using an ozone generator. I've sent two pipes off to them for various repairs, and for the ozone treatment. I'm really interested in how well this works.
Has anyone else sent a pipe to Walker Pipe Repair for ozoning?

Has anyone used an ozone generator for deodorizing pipes?
I've been looking around and ozone plates are pretty inexpensive. An hour or so and some surplus stuff that I already own and I could make an ozone chamber.
But will it deodorize a pipe?

 

[jservant98]

I know this is off point a little bit but....We used to use ozone treatment in cars to remove cigarette odor and it worked very well, just thought i would add that to the thread lol.

 

[plateauguy]

Just got my Digby back today. I had an ozone treatment to clean the bowl and deodorize it.
The pipe is remarkably clean, but still has an odor - not sure what was smoked in in, but it was strong! So tonight I'm doing a salt and alchol treatment. I'm not ready to give up, it's a beautiful pipe, especially with its new stem - pictures tomorrow.

 

[woodsroad]

@rothnh, I'm having Mike do a full restore on two pipes. I fully understand that the cleaner the pipe, the better job the ozone can do. Why try to deodorize crud, right?
@plateauguy, Salt &alcohol treatment: What exactly is it? I've heard it mentioned numerous times. I've done the alcohol retort, and that works like a charm for cleaning.
Does anybody have experience on building an ozone chamber from scratch?

 

[woodsroad]

The pipe should be cleaned prior to ozone. Not restored, cleaned. Get the muck and crud out so that the ozone gets to the briar.

 

[sablebrush52]

Since you've used the hot alcohol retort, the SA treatment will be pretty simple.
After a thorough cleaning, you take off the stem and wedge cleaners in the airway, fill up the bowl with kosher salt, prop the pipe upright and drip alcohol into the chamber until it covers the salt. Let the pipe sit for a day or so, and let the alcohol and salt leech impurities out of the wood.
When the salt turns dark and crusty on top, empty it out. With a really foul bowl, you may have to repeat the SA treatment. I usually turn to the retort if the SA treatment fails to do the job.
Some people substitute cotton balls for the salt because of the possibility of cracking the briar. I've not had that happen, but others say they have.

 

[ssjones]

My Astleys Rhodesian has a pretty strong ghost. I've done the salt/alcohol and even retorted it twice. Will the ozone be able to do something those two techniques hasn't accomplished?

 

[woodsroad]

Thanks, Sablebrush