Petroleum/Diesel Smell in New(ish) Vauen Pipe ??

[Hillcrest]

I recently bought a Vauen Olaf bent egg (estate pipe unsmoked SP.eu) on Father's Day about a month ago. When I started smoking it I noticed a slight petroleum or diesel smell from the pipe. I attributed this to the Dr. Perl 9mm filters with which i was unfamiliar. I have used the pipe a great deal and decided to clean it yesterday using the salt/alcohol method. The petroleum/diesel smell is emanating from inside the bowl and shank not outside and is more distinct after cleaning.
I use the same tobaccos in all my pipes any the others don't smell of diesel.

Has anyone experienced this before on a new Vauen pipe or other pipe ?
Any suggestions other than hot soaks and repeated cleaning ? (I did hot water, pipe cleaners , then salt/alcohol, then rinse and wipe down.)

If worse comes to worse I may run some 110 proof Wild Turkey through it which should kill it.

I have read the following thread but it relates to Dunhill pipe polish on the outside of the bowl whereas mine is on the inside ! : Dunhill Pipe Bowl Polish and Pipe Ghosting / Bad Smell :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/dunhill-pipe-bowl-polish-and-pipe-ghosting-bad-smell.88393/

I suppose its possible Smoking Pipe.eu used this but ... on the inside of a new pipe ? Doesn't seem probable.

It does smell like Diesel oil from a diesel truck engine or exhaust. Could it be the factory bowl coating ?

Thanks for any suggestions or productive comments. All the best !

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Maybe SP.eu were a little too generous with the polish (Dunhill's or other) let's be honest here its all the same stuff, some call it shit, others shite.
I'd probably just follow the advise from the guys in the link you posted, some very experianced guys with some good advice. What've ya got to lose? Hope it works out.

 

[Hillcrest]

T

Maybe SP.eu were a little too generous with the polish (Dunhill's or other) let's be honest here its all the same stuff, some call it shit, others shite.
I'd probably just follow the advise from the guys in the link you posted, some very experianced guys with some good advice. What've ya got to lose? Hope it works out.

Thanks. I have done all of that already except the baking for 24 hours. If it is still there after the pipes dry out from cleaning I may just sand the bowl coating out like i had to do on a 1970's Peterson to remove the stinky bowl coating. I remembered that after I posted. I am still curious if anyone else has experienced this on a new pipe though.

 

[Peter Turbo]

No issue with my Vauen

 

[Hillcrest]

Update: I was impatient so I took some emory paper and sanded the inside of the bowl taking down the coating a few microns; its still black but I took quite a bit out and then kept wiping it out with wet paper towel until the towels came out clean. It seems to now smell like a pipe and not burning diesel so I believe it was the bowl coating. It seemed definitely oil based as I had to use a lot of soap and a nail brush to get some of the dust residue off my hands afterwards ... unlike normal charcoal residue from reaming a pipe. Its drying/airing now and I believe most of it should be gone now. Its possible something was done before I got the pipe.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Update: I was impatient so I took some emory paper and sanded the inside of the bowl taking down the coating a few microns; its still black but I took quite a bit out and then kept wiping it out with wet paper towel until the towels came out clean. It seems to now smell like a pipe and not burning diesel so I believe it was the bowl coating. It seemed definitely oil based as I had to use a lot of soap and a nail brush to get some of the dust residue off my hands afterwards ... unlike normal charcoal residue from reaming a pipe. Its drying/airing now and I believe most of it should be gone now. Its possible something was done before I got the pipe.

View attachment 157784

Hoping you fixed the problem, bud. ?

 

[OzPiper]

Glad that problem is dissipating.
I stuff cotton balls into the bowls and soak with a clear fruit brandy for 24-48 hours

Worst tasting bowl coating I've ever experienced was in a high-end Tom Eltang.
Tasted like a bowlful of fermenting fish
Thankfully 15 mins with sandpaper followed by an alcohol soak, then smoking a couple of bowls has gotten rid of most of the foul taste.

Lots have been said about bowl coatings, including the much-maligned Petersons, but honestly, I've not had issues with coatings causing a foul taste like that Eltang.

 

[Hillcrest]

Glad that problem is dissipating.
I stuff cotton balls into the bowls and soak with a clear fruit brandy for 24-48 hours

Worst tasting bowl coating I've ever experienced was in a high-end Tom Eltang.
Tasted like a bowlful of fermenting fish
Thankfully 15 mins with sandpaper followed by an alcohol soak, then smoking a couple of bowls has gotten rid of most of the foul taste.

Lots have been said about bowl coatings, including the much-maligned Petersons, but honestly, I've not had issues with coatings causing a foul taste like that Eltang.

The good thing about the 112 Proof Wild Turkey is that you could also light it and burn off the coating !
Just kidding ... I wouldn't waste it like that !

I've only had two issues with bowl coating ... the Peterson and this Olaf ... usually a couple of bowls takes care of any issues but this persisted ... I'm deciding now whether to do a brandy/alcohol wipe in it or not. I may go with American Honey ... a bourbon based honey licqour.

 

[anotherbob]

Blame the chap or chapette that sold it to them.

 

[OzPiper]

The good thing about the 112 Proof Wild Turkey is that you could also light it and burn off the coating !
Just kidding ... I wouldn't waste it like that !

I've only had two issues with bowl coating ... the Peterson and this Olaf ... usually a couple of bowls takes care of any issues but this persisted ... I'm deciding now whether to do a brandy/alcohol wipe in it or not. I may go with American Honey ... a bourbon based honey licqour.

I prefer to use a spirit I can actually drink ?

 

[Honkytonk Man]

The good thing about the 112 Proof Wild Turkey is that you could also light it and burn off the coating !
Just kidding ... I wouldn't waste it like that !

I've only had two issues with bowl coating ... the Peterson and this Olaf ... usually a couple of bowls takes care of any issues but this persisted ... I'm deciding now whether to do a brandy/alcohol wipe in it or not. I may go with American Honey ... a bourbon based honey licqour.

Don't waste that 112 proof Turkey now, ya hear!
Good to know you're fixxing that issue.

 

[Hillcrest]

I

Don't waste that 112 proof Turkey now, ya hear!
Good to know you're fixxing that issue.

had to ream part of the bowl - there are two coatings on the bowl chamber under the carbon - one black and the one next to briar is light grey ??? hmmmm ...

 

[mso489]

Some misguided cleaning material used post-market on the pipe is my guess. I don't think any of the commercial pipe polishes, waxes, or oils are petroleum based. People make a lot of poor choices when cleaning pipes. It sounds like you have the problem under control. You don't want to be smoking diesel fuel or anything similar. I've bought many pipes with pre-coated chambers, though I prefer uncoated, and none of them smelled or tasted like that.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

The good thing about the 112 Proof Wild Turkey is that you could also light it and burn off the coating !
Just kidding ... I wouldn't waste it like that !

I've only had two issues with bowl coating ... the Peterson and this Olaf ... usually a couple of bowls takes care of any issues but this persisted ... I'm deciding now whether to do a brandy/alcohol wipe in it or not. I may go with American Honey ... a bourbon based honey licqour.

Nah man, you drink the Turkey and go buy some cheap Everclear (the good stuff if you can get it in your area, else the 150 proof will do).

You wont feel bad about using it to clean

 

[Hillcrest]

Final Update: It was definitely the two chamber coatings - The first coating next to the briar was like grey primer, the second one was the black carbonized coating. Maybe it was some kind of a glue to hold the pre-carbon coat on. I ended up sanding most of them off - about 80-90%. I washed the chamber; let it dry then re-coated it with a lightly flavored alcohol, let it dry. I then smoked a bowl of Country Squire Old Tobey and used the ash to re-coat the bowl. All smell and taste of diesel/petroleum seems gone now and the pipe smokes sweeter (for now). Thanks for the responses and suggestions; much appreciated ! ?

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Final Update: It was definitely the two chamber coatings - The first coating next to the briar was like grey primer, the second one was the black carbonized coating. Maybe it was some kind of a glue to hold the pre-carbon coat on. I ended up sanding most of them off - about 80-90%. I washed the chamber; let it dry then re-coated it with a lightly flavored alcohol, let it dry. I then smoked a bowl of Country Squire Old Tobey and used the ash to re-coat the bowl. All smell and taste of diesel/petroleum seems gone now and the pipe smokes sweeter (for now). Thanks for the responses and suggestions; much appreciated ! ?

Good job!
Happy for ya bud.

 

[nolan613]

Just one simple rule on my part, Never use any alcohol that I don't drink...

 

[woodrow]

Some misguided cleaning material used post-market on the pipe is my guess. I don't think any of the commercial pipe polishes, waxes, or oils are petroleum based. People make a lot of poor choices when cleaning pipes. It sounds like you have the problem under control. You don't want to be smoking diesel fuel or anything similar. I've bought many pipes with pre-coated chambers, though I prefer uncoated, and none of them smelled or tasted like that.

The above. Agree with mso489. Had a guy spray lemon pledge on a pipe and that did the nasty. Careful using anything petroleum on your pipe. Only natural non petrol based. overall one can give the pipe an alcohol bath, or leech with cotton balls and iso alcohol. I used to clean other brandy, but iso alcohol is far better.

 

[Hillcrest]

The above. Agree with mso489. Had a guy spray lemon pledge on a pipe and that did the nasty. Careful using anything petroleum on your pipe. Only natural non petrol based. overall one can give the pipe an alcohol bath, or leech with cotton balls and iso alcohol. I used to clean other brandy, but iso alcohol is far better.

The pipe was purchased as unsmoked estate from smokingpipes.eu. It was new so it hadn't been cleaned. It had two chamber coatings ... the top one black and the bottom one grey. The grey one had an oil base. Both are gone now and it smokes fine.

 

[crusader]

Well, Germans did invent the Diesel...... I'll see myself out now.