Pipe Cleaner Question

[captainsousie]

Hi all,
Well, the search function outsmarted me tonight so I'll just ask. I am almost out of soft pipe cleaners and, to my surprise, every smoke shop in town only carries bristle pipe cleaners.

I need to clean/restore about a dozen estate pipes and I was wondering if I should wait until I can order some or just use the bristle ones. Alternately, will craft store cleaners work for now?
Thanks,

Sou

 

[taerin]

Bristle ones work fine, they are just more abrasive, but they do the same thing.

 

[clyde]

I am assuming you are referring to cleaning the draught hole in stem and shank. Bristle cleaners will do a better job than the daily use soft cleaners. IMHO.

 

[kabong30]

Last time I was at the shop they had bristled or the long churchwarden cleaners. So, I bought two packs of the long ones and I snip them in half with some small dikes.

 

[rigmedic1]

You will prolly get 50 different answers, lol. I use the bristle cleaners initially to get the heavy gunk out, then use the soft cleaners until they come back relatively clean. I also use a dab of everclear or vodka every time. After the soft ones come back clean, I run a dry soft pipe cleaner through to get any excess moisture left behind.

I have used the soft cleaners from the craft store, but they are usually dyed and don't absorb well. Next time you order some tobacco by mail, be sure to get cleaners too so that the shipping wont kill you. BTW, you can get pipe cleaners through Amazon as well, if you buy anything from them, tack on a pack.

 

[tokerpipes]

The only caution I would have on using the bristle cleaners is in the stem. If the stem walls are already thin constant use of bristle cleaners can wear away the wall especially on the bent stems.

 

[papipeguy]

You can also check Hobby and toy shops. They often carry pipe cleaners for art projects. They may be a mixed bag of colors but they work just the same.

 

[captainbob]

I only use soft pipe cleaners. But, I run a cleaner through each and every pipe after I smoke it. I rotate a few dozen pipes, so I never have to do a major cleaning. I also ream each pipe after smoked with a dull pipe knife. So, I don't have a major cake problem, either. I have done this for decades with no necessity of a major ream and clean. I also dedicate pipes to specific blends. That, in itself, has great rewards!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________