Peterson Bowl Cracked During Alcohol Cleaning

[Brig]

Was trying to pull the old tar and remnants from an Estate Peterson. Did a cotton ball and alcohol for two days and then switched to salt. When I dropped to the alcohol onto the salt I felt a leak and saw that the bowl had cracked.

While I'm sure this is beyond repair, I'm curious what may have caused the split?

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Did you scrape out as much of the existing cake (if any) as possible? If not, the fluid may have expanded the cake and cracked the pipe. The alcohol treatment is to remove old flavours and scents, not the cake itself.

The wood could have been very dry and the liquid was too a sudden change.

 

[The Benedictine]

Maybe the bowl was pitted and the expansion of the salt due to the alcohol ruptured it? Whatever happened its time to put it out to pasture.

 

[georged]

A flaw in the wood that was always there + made worse by burning + expansion pressure of salt/alcohol combination =

 

[NookersTheCat]

Oof, RIP sir... perhaps there was also a crack starting and the alcohol just finished the job

 

[craiginthecorn]

I wonder, too, if the alcohol dissolved the tars that may have been sealing the crack. You can always try adding a layer pipe "mud".

 

[NookersTheCat]

I wonder, too, if the alcohol dissolved the tars that may have been sealing the crack. You can always try adding a layer pipe "mud".

Was thinking the same on both counts. May not be too far gone yet..

 

[xrundog]

I wonder, too, if the alcohol dissolved the tars that may have been sealing the crack. You can always try adding a layer pipe "mud".

I vote for this. The alcohol didn’t cause the crack, it revealed it.

 

[Brig]

Did you scrape out as much of the existing cake (if any) as possible? If not, the fluid may have expanded the cake and cracked the pipe. The alcohol treatment is to remove old flavours and scents, not the cake itself.

The wood could have been very dry and the liquid was too a sudden change.

I had previously scraped, rinsed and dried for several days before introducing alcohol.

 

[Brig]

Was thinking the same on both counts. May not be too far gone yet..

I can see light through it. It's an estate pipe, never even got to smoke it. One of only 5 in the 200 pipe collection I was planning to keep for myself. Just my luck, I suppose

 

[Hillcrest]

I can see light through it. It's an estate pipe, never even got to smoke it. One of only 5 in the 200 pipe collection I was planning to keep for myself. Just my luck, I suppose

That's an interesting crack ... hard to tell from your picture but, from the top of crack, it looks like it is following a phyllum or capillary line which is about to veer left and up. You might want to send it to Peterson for their museum as an example of unseen flaws or porous briar. They might send you some tobacco or something as a thank you. Just a 2 cent thought ...

 

[Brig]

That's an interesting crack ... hard to tell from your picture but, from the top of crack, it looks like it is following a phyllum or capillary line which is about to veer left and up. You might want to send it to Peterson for their museum as an example of unseen flaws or porous briar. They might send you some tobacco or something as a thank you. Just a 2 cent thought ...

they have a museum on stuff like this?

 

[Hillcrest]

they have a museum on stuff like this?

museum may be the wrong word ... they have display cases of stuff from the past. I suspect they would at least probably pass it around the factory to analyze what went wrong and what to look out for in the future. At least I hope they would ...

 

[craiginthecorn]

I had previously scraped, rinsed and dried for several days before introducing alcohol.

It's common for some substances to be alcohol soluble and not water soluble. The alcohol still could have dissolved tars that water had no effect upon.

Actually, alcohol is less well absorbed by wood than water. That's why the ABV of whiskey rises when stored in oak barrels. The water evaporates through the wood, but the alcohol does not, or at least at a significantly slower pace.

If anything would have caused swelling and cracking, I would be apt to point to the water.

Just a theory.

By the way, in light of the crack, waterglass might be a more appropriate fix than pipe mud. A crack can allow in air, heating up the wood around the crack, resulting in a burnout. Waterglass could actually seal the crack. @georged created a video where he talks about applying it.

 

[Joe H]

I would be tempted to show that crack off since it's on the front of the bowl and has an interesting pattern. Google "Japanese gold glue" for some ideas.

 

[BingBong]

I would be tempted to show that crack off since it's on the front of the bowl and has an interesting pattern. Google "Japanese gold glue" for some ideas.
View attachment 390572

Kintsugi. That has given me ideas, sometimes a dangerous thing, but I have a large ceramic bowl that I dropped and this is the way forward. Thanks!

 

[Sigmund]

Good idea.
That may well be the type of crack that ought to be drilled on both ends. Its pretty severe and there may be a lot of residual stress. Then again maybe not...its impossible to know. But hiding it is pretty impossible unless you are a magician. Showing it off is as good as anything.

The area around that crack is quite dark. I get the feeling someone previously burnt the pipe out and thus the damage. If you want to make something fun seal it up on the inside and illustrate the crack.

 

[Brig]

I'll have to look up these sealant ideas, particularly the gold glue, to make sure heating it won't leach anything unsavory.

 

[Sig]

I'm with @georged
The pipe had most likely been cracked for awhile.
Ive watched cracks grow over several years until one day it has a blowout.

 

[Pypkė]

I vote for this. The alcohol didn’t cause the crack, it revealed it.

Agreed. And if it was a good smoker before the cleaning, it still may be a good smoker after cleaning.