Pipe Liquid. Useful or Gimmick?

[anotherbob]

I always heard it was a bad idea to introduce water into the shank, because it could swell the briar and make the tenon not fit properly, while alcohol evaporates before it can do any damage. Made sense to me, but am I wrong?

According to many members here water isn't the bane of pipes we've been told it is. And the thing is even if there is a reason to avoid pipes and water they've clearly demonstrated that the situation is no where near as dire as we've been presented with. I have to wonder when this became a thing with pipes and water. Some possibilities to my mind would be.
Started with higher demand for briar meaning some pipes were made with lower quality root and that briar would be more damaged by water (not sure how that works but, this is a brain storm).
Maybe it's a holdover to when Meers where the main type of pipe people smoked. Those and water do not mix.
Could go back to the war when alternatives to briar had to be found including things like mountain laurel which supposedly smokes like briar but doesn't have interesting grain. Mayb water will mess up one of those pipes.

 

[jpmcwjr]

According to many members here water isn't the bane of pipes we've been told it is. And the thing is even if there is a reason to avoid pipes and water they've clearly demonstrated that the situation is no where near as dire as we've been presented with. I have to wonder when this became a thing with pipes and water. Some possibilities to my mind would be.
<< Snipped bits out >>

It's due to manufacturers and retailers who had a financial interest in selling their own potions. For well over 100 years.

Then it became 'gospel', repeated through the generations. And it makes no sense when one considers how much heat and steam are generated merely by combustion.

 

[jpmcwjr]

the image we have of most places is just not accurate. Why because places are more complicated than that. Well except Gary Indiana that place really is where hell and earth meet or so I've heard.

I think most folks who've been to a place or studied it have a pretty accurate idea of what it's like. But that leaves out hundreds of thousands of places where we are guessing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I always heard it was a bad idea to introduce water into the shank, because it could swell the briar and make the tenon not fit properly, while alcohol evaporates before it can do any damage. Made sense to me, but am I wrong?

On a pipe that's way overly dried out, it's possible but not likely. But if it's been smoked there is already moisture in the mortise.
And I don't disassemble the pipe unless it's a deeper cleaning. Further, leaving the tenon out of the mortise for any length of time can cause a problem of fit.

 

[anotherbob]

It's due to manufacturers and retailers who had a financial interest in selling their own potions. For well over 100 years.

Then it became 'gospel', repeated through the generations. And it makes no sense when one considers how much heat and steam are generated merely by combustion.

that's what you think and you maybe 100 percent correct. But I feel like the water thing came first. And it just doesn't feel like total nonsense to me, it just feels like one of those things that has some speck of real truth in it but... Kind of like old people at work will not charge modern batteries until they are drained. And they think it's bad to do that. The thing is with old batteries it is each session of charging them shorted the life span of the battery. The current crop it is total charge time that eats the life charging it for an hour solid or broken up is just as good or bad.
But either way that isn't so necessary to use anything like this stuff.

 

[anotherbob]

I think most folks who've been to a place or studied it have a pretty accurate idea of what it's like. But that leaves out hundreds of thousands of places where we are guessing.

well of course.

 

[elessar]

Flaming shots? I am one of those idiots, but I never set myself on fire.?only the rum.

Good old 151. I used to take a big mouthful and spray it out if my mouth past a Zippo. Made a great fireball. It's a wonder I never set myself on fire. Wonder if I have any 151 laying around, it's starting to get cold around here...

 

[SourShank]

I recently cleaned 3 estates from 3 separate sellers, all smoked to hell and back judging by the amount of pipe cleaners the shanks demanded. I used Pipemaster's Clean&Cure being the novice I am believing for a truly clean pipe I must use liquids made FOR pipes.

Though the pipes were sufficiently cleaned it left such a strong ghost even after a week of drying. I hated it so much I decided to read the forum posts more and ventured out to the liquor store for Everclear. Now the sweet ghost is gone and I just taste the briar and tobacco. I think I will stick with Everclear from here on out.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Hot water will remove tars and oils, whether or not they are dissolved.

And in addition to the flavor hit mentioned, alcohol removes some of the minerals that make briar so impervious to fire.

Really?

Does alcohol dissolve minerals more efficiently than water?
Can you cite any credible sources for this claim?

lf so, how could passing a pipe cleaner of alcohol have much real impact?
I am actually curious and not being a SA.

I've stripped pipes by submerging them in alcohol. So far none of them has caught fire or burned out. That being said, is it true alcohol removes minerals? It may be true but I'm not going to worry about it. Sometimes I use the water rinse method, other times I use alcohol to clean the inside of pipes.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Not worrying about it is the right path for many of us!

 

[SourShank]

Not worrying about it is the right path for many of us!

I like this. This is the general conclusion I've come to in regards to all things pipes related. Just fill it, and just light it. Enjoy.

 

[mingc]

That being said, is it true alcohol removes minerals?

Or resident biochemist karam said no earlier in this thread.

 

[sleepy57]

It is expensive but it does work and it imparts a clean scent to your pipe. Next time try EVERCLEAR, it is a high % alcohol that will dissolve tobacco tar and has no scent or taste. Works Great and in the long run much cheaper!

 

[sleepy57]

Really?

Does alcohol dissolve minerals more efficiently than water?
Can you cite any credible sources for this claim?

lf so, how could passing a pipe cleaner of alcohol have much real impact?
I am actually curious and not being a SA.

Alcohol based cleaners will act somewhat like a solvent on oil based tars and assist in dissolving the tar build up where as water does not dissolve oil based buildup unless it is heated or applied as a steam. basic science.
Don't believe me next time you clean your pipe take a little of the oil based tar you remove and place in in a small cup of alcohol and another bit of tar and place it into a small cup of water...see which will dissolve the tar better.
(Karam, I always thought Gasoline was oil based. they add alcohol to to it and it does dissolve in to the gasoline.)

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hot water works so well because it's not relying solely on dissolving one thing into another; hot water removes tar and oils.

It's especially neat to take a pipe you've just had the last puff from and flush it under a stream of hot tap water, then rack up for tomorrow. .