Pipe Cleaner Blocks Airway

[Dolomitico]

I have just found an old estate pipe. (I mean very very old). Unfortunately, when i arrive home, i have seen that the airway in the shank is completely blocked. İ guess there is a pipe cleaner inside. I tried to remove it by wetting it with few drop of alcohol. Nevertheless, it did not work. İt seems that almost everything in it cemented altogether. Nothing moves & no liquid flows down the shank.a complete blockage. İt is very sad since i love the shape of this pipe which i cannot smoke Can anyone suggest me a solution for this problem considering the old age of this pipe?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'd fill it alcohol and leave it for 24 hours.

 

[condorlover1]

Yep. That sounds about right. In these situations you have two options. Fill it with alcohol and hope that will soften or dissolve the 'crud' that has cemented in the pipe cleaner or you could try approach (B). This involves using your wife's hair dryer to warm the stem up with, since the stem will expand when gently warmed whatever is gluing the pipe cleaner into the stem should become looser. Do not use a flame gun under any circumstances. Wives are a very handy source of pipe tools. Once you have warmed the stem you should then use her eye brow tweezers to grip the end of the broken pipe cleaner and very slowly pull it out making sure to avoid contact with the threads in the meerschaum shank. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[Cracklin' Tobaccy]

Remove the stem and set it aside, put your oven on the lowest setting and put the bowl in the oven for 10-15 minutes. That should get everything to soften and you can gain purchase on removing the obstruction.

 

[OzPiper]

Is that a crack at the end of the shank ?
if it is, I’d be very careful inserting something into the mortise to avoid breaking a piece off

 

[condorlover1]

@OzPiper : I was wondering about that myself.

 

[crashthegrey]

That also appears to be Meerschaum. Be very careful soaking that in alcohol. I would recommend not doing that. It looks like a delicate job for dental tools and patience.

 

[condorlover1]

You might consider sending it to Briarville as they might be able to sort out the issue for you. Is that a swan neck pipe I wonder?

 

[BingBong]

Couple drops of 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene would shift that no problem.

 

[jhowell]

That also appears to be Meerschaum. Be very careful soaking that in alcohol. I would recommend not doing that. It looks like a delicate job for dental tools and patience.

I soaked a meer stummel in 90% iso for a month - no damage...

 

[Dolomitico]

Yep. That sounds about right. In these situations you have two options. Fill it with alcohol and hope that will soften or dissolve the 'crud' that has cemented in the pipe cleaner or you could try approach (B). This involves using your wife's hair dryer to warm the stem up with, since the stem will expand when gently warmed whatever is gluing the pipe cleaner into the stem should become looser. Do not use a flame gun under any circumstances. Wives are a very handy source of pipe tools. Once you have warmed the stem you should then use her eye brow tweezers to grip the end of the broken pipe cleaner and very slowly pull it out making sure to avoid contact with the threads in the meerschaum shank. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Than you for all suggestions.

Firstly, i tried to apply alcohol soaking for 24 hours. Then try to remove it. Unfortunately, it did not work. İ could not apply pressure since there is a hair like crack. Cementation in the shank is very strong. İ could not dissolve the accumulated material with alcohol.


Secondly, i applied heat trearment as suggested for 15 min. When it is still hot, i just managed to pull it out without applying any pressure. İt just came out easily. İt works like a charm.


Now i need to clean the nastiest shank i have ever seen. But, i am afraid of the cleaning process since the date on the casing is 1897 & there is a minor crack on the shank.


Thank you all for your valuable suggestions.

 

[Dolomitico]

You might consider sending it to Briarville as they might be able to sort out the issue for you. Is that a swan neck pipe I wonder?

İ guess it is called as a awan neck pipe. How can one drill that kind of a shank? İ could not figure it out myself interesting work...

 

[condorlover1]

Delighted it worked for you. The hair dryer is just a women's answer to duct tape!

 

[Chasing Embers]

That also appears to be Meerschaum. Be very careful soaking that in alcohol.

Doesn't hurt them at all. Yet another pipe myth.

Using Alcohol and Cotton Balls on Meerschaum :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance

To prevent polluting another thread with progress reports I'll start this one. Too much hearsay turns into the gospel and phobias among pipe smokers. In another thread a while back it was stated as fact that wiping a meerschaum down with alcohol would damage it. I did it to one and it neither...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[jpberg]

That’s a wicked pipe.

 

[condorlover1]

@Dolomitico : Alcohol should work to clean the shank. Your best bet is to warm the shank up again with the hair dryer and use soft long modeling pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol to gently clean the stem and shank. I have no idea where you are based but I use these pipe cleaners on all my ancient pipes and they are available on Amazon or any good hobby store. They are very soft, flexible and long so you minimize your risk of breaking fragile stems or cracked shanks. The other item you might consider acquiring/making is a set of 'Pipe Keys' which are assorted lengths of wire used in the cleaning process for gently probing and removing blockages and general crud. This set was made for me by @woodsroad but the general principle is easy enough to replicate. Good luck with your pipe.

 

[Searock Fan]

I'll admit I'm not the most responsible when it comes to cleaning my pipes. And, as a result, I sometimes end up with a clogged shank. Calabash shapes are my biggest problem. Recently I tried something new that seemed to work pretty well. I soaked the pipe in water for 24 hours and then used my water pick to blow out the residue. Repeated it a couple of times and then used a bristle pipe cleaner.

 

[Dolomitico]

@Dolomitico : Alcohol should work to clean the shank. Your best bet is to warm the shank up again with the hair dryer and use soft long modeling pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol to gently clean the stem and shank. I have no idea where you are based but I use these pipe cleaners on all my ancient pipes and they are available on Amazon or any good hobby store. They are very soft, flexible and long so you minimize your risk of breaking fragile stems or cracked shanks. The other item you might consider acquiring/making is a set of 'Pipe Keys' which are assorted lengths of wire used in the cleaning process for gently probing and removing blockages and general crud. This set was made for me by @woodsroad but the general principle is easy enough to replicate. Good luck with your pipe.

View attachment 321516

These are valuable suggestions for me. İ will follow your instructions. İ hope i can clean this beauty without damaaging its patina. Thank you qgain @condorlover1

 

[crashthegrey]

Doesn't hurt them at all. Yet another pipe myth.

Using Alcohol and Cotton Balls on Meerschaum :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance

To prevent polluting another thread with progress reports I'll start this one. Too much hearsay turns into the gospel and phobias among pipe smokers. In another thread a while back it was stated as fact that wiping a meerschaum down with alcohol would damage it. I did it to one and it neither...

pipesmagazine.com

I am not referring to the pipe myth. I am referring to the fact that I soak Meerschaum before I carve it. It soaks up the water and becomes less brittle and easier to shape. Alcohol can have the same effect. While it is still wet, it can be easy to reshape, scratch, etc. I would not recommend soaking it and messing about to someone with no Meerschaum experience, was my point.