Pipe Cleaning and Maintenance

[Uncle Bill]

As somebody relatively new to smoking a pipe, I'd be interested to hear what you old hands would consider to be a good general, day-to-day (bowl-to-bowl) maintenance routine for a pipe.

How often do you run a pipe cleaner through the stem? After every bowl? End of the day? Do you wait for the pipe to cool down before removing the stem, or is that being over cautious?

How about the inside of the bowl? I usually bend a pipe cleaner into a u-shape and lightly run it around the inside. Is that sufficient to keep things in good order?

Also, the outside of the pipe? Anything worth doing on a regular basis to keep the exterior in good condition?

Thanks in advance for your input.

---------

PS: Couldn't see an introduction page, so just to say I'm new to the forum, been smoking a pipe for a few months and look forward to meeting you all.

 

[Brad H]

Salutations.
Damn glad you’re here!

In regards to pipe cleaning, personally I clean stem and bowl after each smoke. Pipe cleaners are cheap. I let the pipe rest a bit and cool off before cleaning. I take a paper towel and wad it up and jam it in the bowl, give it a twist and clean the bowl. Never had to really ream out a bowl.
As far as the outside of the pipe, I never give them any attention. Maybe clean the bit every once in a while.

 

[warren]

If the draw gets tighter than I like, I run a cleaner as needed. Otherwise I clean pipes on Sunday afternoon as required. I keep my pipes functional, not beautiful. For me, simple is best. Others like more immersion. Dome here I think turn pipe smoking and maintenance in a nearly full time job.

 

[xrundog]

I let the pipe cool and run a cleaner through stem and shank. I’ll wipe off the bite area to prevent saliva deposits. I’ll wipe the rim and exterior bowl a bit. Soft rags for all that. I do swab out the bowl lightly. I’m not preventing cake, but I don’t need the ash and tobacco bits left in there.

 

[OzPiper]

One or two pipecleaners after each and every bowl through the stem into the bowl.
Then pipecleaner is folded over to scrub out the chamber.
If the pipe does not pass a cleaner, I dissemble the pipe after it has cooled down to clean not the shank and mortise

If the 2nd pipe cleaner comes out dirty, then it's time to clean out the shank and mortise with some alcohol-dipped cleaners
Or a warm water flush

Bowl gets a rub with a microfibre cloth

Occasionally a dab of Obsidian Oil on a vulcanite stem.

Reaming is seldom necessary with the above routine

 

[Waning Embers]

I disassemble them immediately after smoking. I run a pipe cleaner through the stem and draft, double the pipe cleaner and wipe out the mortise, wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, then reassemble.

 

[Briarcutter]

I rarely do anything other than ream it when needed and pipe cleaners.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I disassemble them immediately after smoking. I run a pipe cleaner through the stem and draft, double the pipe cleaner and wipe out the mortise, wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, then reassemble.

This - and no doubt got the notion a few years ago from yourself!

 

[Waning Embers]

This - and no doubt got the notion a few years ago from yourself!

All of the gunk is just easier to clean out while it's still warm.

 

[OzPiper]

I disassemble them immediately after smoking.

I have old pipes with fragile amber stems and ones with bone tenons.
I disassemble them only if absolutely necessary.

 

[Waning Embers]

I have old pipes with fragile amber stems and ones with bone tenons.

Same

 

[K.E. Powell]

I disassemble them immediately after smoking. I run a pipe cleaner through the stem and draft, double the pipe cleaner and wipe out the mortise, wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, then reassemble.

This is also more or less my method. I've enough pipes in my rotation, and smoke only 1-3 days daily at the most, that a deep cleaning for my pipes is typically only required once yearly. As long as I clean my pipes after use, I find they smoke well. I will sometimes polish the nickel/silver of my mounted pipes regardless, just because I like the look.

 

[dogparkpiper]

Pipe cleaner after every smoke. Once in a long while, I use everclear or whiskey to wet the pipe cleaner and I run it through until it’s mostly clean coming out. If my pinky finger won’t fit in the bowl, then I ream it with a knife carefully.

 

[Morbius]

Everyone does it slightly differently. From the looks of some of the estate pipes out there there are some people who never do it at all. If you follow the good advice above, you'll be fine.
My bit of extra advice is to make sure you smell the bowl and stem and shank. Your nose will tell you when you are ready for a deeper clean.

 

[Briar Lee]

As somebody relatively new to smoking a pipe, I'd be interested to hear what you old hands would consider to be a good general, day-to-day (bowl-to-bowl) maintenance routine for a pipe.

How often do you run a pipe cleaner through the stem? After every bowl? End of the day? Do you wait for the pipe to cool down before removing the stem, or is that being over cautious?

How about the inside of the bowl? I usually bend a pipe cleaner into a u-shape and lightly run it around the inside. Is that sufficient to keep things in good order?

Also, the outside of the pipe? Anything worth doing on a regular basis to keep the exterior in good condition?

Thanks in advance for your input.

---------

PS: Couldn't see an introduction page, so just to say I'm new to the forum, been smoking a pipe for a few months and look forward to meeting you all.

Welcome to the forum.

Everyone here is an expert in pipe maintence in their own minds.

Here’s my advice which is based on over fifty years of pipe smoking.

Dry pipe cleaners need soaked in booze, 190 proof Everclear preferred but any high proof booze will do.

Why?

It cleans better and evaporates quicker.

Now, that you own a bottle of booze, paper towels are your friend.

Why?

Twist them up and soak in booze and twist them in the bowl to clean out the gunk.

When your pipe gets caked (it will take a long time if you stay on top of carbon build up using a twisted booze soaked paper towel) then use the Spey blade of a pocket knife as a SCRAPER AND NOT A CUTTER to scrape away carbon build up.

Why?

Reamers have all the conscience of a scorned sweetheart. They will cut right into your briar, Pilgrim. You will stop scraping with a pocket knife held sideways when you see brown briar.

The last maintence tip I can offer is keep your pipe oiled with a extremely thin coat of olive oil, grapeseed oil, cocoanut oil, or mineral oil (butcher block grade preffered, or beeswax or carnauba wax,,,which is oil in a bar.

Your nose oil works as well as any oil, but people point, stare, and laugh at you behind your back.

Why?

Your beautful pipe is a dead chunk of wood. It needs moisturizing with oil.

Have fun.

Clean your pipe as needed.

 

[Morbius]

When I said everyone does it slightly differently, Briar Lee's comment is a perfect example of what I mean.

The pipe cleaning world seems to be split into two camps; those who have a 3 step process, and those who have a 2 step process.

3 Step process

Daily Cleaning - usually just using pipe cleaners to clean the bit and shank (with or without alcohol) and wiping out the bowl with bent pipe cleaners or paper towels (without alcohol)

Weekly Cleaning or Monthly: See Briar Lee's instructions.

Reaming: I agree with Briar Lee's opinion about reaming but only if you find a knife without a sharp point. N.B. Some people advocate for the use of a sandpaper covered dowel, but there seems to be a dispute about the grit to use. I haven't used that method.

The Two step process is what Briar Lee described. You do the same thing every day until you find you have to ream your pipe. Depending on how fastidious you are, you may not have to ream your pipe for years.

It's all up to you. One of the best things about our hobby is the ritual of it.
We each decide how we wish to smoke, what we wish to smoke, what equipment we wish to use, and how we wish to care for that equipment. It's all a personal choice. By and large nobody will ever laugh at you or tell you that you are doing it wrong. (With the possible exception of when they see you puffing like a locomotive - and even then they won't laugh - but they may tell you to slow it down- for your own sake).

Happy Piping!

 

[RPK]

I disassemble them immediately after smoking. I run a pipe cleaner through the stem and draft, double the pipe cleaner and wipe out the mortise, wipe out the chamber with a paper towel, then reassemble.

I do about the same but also wipe the stem with a water dampened paper towel to remove the saliva and use Obsidian oil if it was a vulcanite stem and I do not assemble it but leave it open for a while.

 

[Merton]

After every smoke: remove stem and flush with cold water, followed by pipe cleaner. Paper towel twisted into bowl and pipe cleaner into shank/mortise. Warm/hot water run through bowl followed by paper towel on finger and vigorously "ream" bowl. Reassemble and run final pipe cleaner through stem and into bowl. Sometimes pipe cleaner dipped into liquor and, once in a while a qtip dipped in alcohol into shank/mortise. Provides a clean smoke every time and means very thin cake with no reaming required.

 

[Uncle Bill]

The last maintence tip I can offer is keep your pipe oiled with a extremely thin coat of olive oil, grapeseed oil, cocoanut oil, or mineral oil (butcher block grade preffered, or beeswax or carnauba wax,,,which is oil in a bar.

Thanks, I was wondering whether it would benefit from a light oil every now and then. Given that it's going to experience fairly regular fluctuations in temperature, seems like a good idea.
I made a batch of neatsfoot oil/beeswax balm, good for most things, reckon I'll try that out.

 

[theTomTom]

After every smoke: remove stem and flush with cold water, followed by pipe cleaner. Paper towel twisted into bowl and pipe cleaner into shank/mortise. Warm/hot water run through bowl followed by paper towel on finger and vigorously "ream" bowl. Reassemble and run final pipe cleaner through stem and into bowl. Sometimes pipe cleaner dipped into liquor and, once in a while a qtip dipped in alcohol into shank/mortise. Provides a clean smoke every time and means very thin cake with no reaming required.

If you used the hottest tap water you can stand on your hand, and smoke aromatics like say mac baren blends.. you would never have a cake to worry about.

But no, i guess the two of use are in the "extreme" cleaning camp. Nothing nasty as a funky pipe. But I dont treat my peterson bowl like this.