Pipe Mold or Pipe Bloom?

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agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi
So years ago I bought this beat up Sea Jacopo coral dot that was grossly over reamed. I patched the inside of the bowl with some fireplace repair mortar and it came out pretty good. I coated it with rum and lit it up to set it. I've been smoking for years, but if I leave it alone for about 4-5 months, it seems to grow some kind of white stuff just on the sides. I clean it our and keep on smoking it with no ill effects, but it keeps coming back and I can't figure why. I really doesn't look like mold as it's kind of glittery and sparkly. Is it the mortar or the rum, or the tobacco I smoke in it, which is seldom the same thing. These pics aren't the best because they don't really show the sparkly white crystals, but if It's mold it doesn't seem to be very fuzzy. I have no idea what this is, but when I clean it our with a cloth dampened with 91% alcohol it seems just fine and smokes great with no funny taste. Thoughts?

DSCF0039.jpegDSCF0043.jpegDSCF0045.jpeg
 

AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
4,489
24,341
Florida - Space Coast
There was the guy from Costa Rica that lived up in the mountains where it was like humid every day all day and he had no air conditioning or anything and his pipes used to get moldy.

Are you in the Costa Rican mountains? Is it just this pipe. Other than that i will leave it to others.
 

peteguy

Lifer
Jan 19, 2012
1,530
906
My guess would be your mortar patch is not happy with its conditions. I do not have a remedy for you. Sorry.
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
8,932
37,916
RTP, NC. USA
Last picture looks like it's not mold. Maybe ream out that fireplace mortar and try pipe mud? Or build cake on the bare wood?
 

agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi
I'm puzzled, how do I fit into this Duane?

To the OP, what do you mean by " I coated it with rum and lit it up to set it"? Are you saying you painted on some rum then set it afire? If so, what did you hope to achieve by so doing? Seems like a waste of rum to me.

Regards,

Jay.
I have no idea why I did it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time, and I had plenty of rum and felt I could spare some. I didn't feel like wasting any bourbon though. 😜
 
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agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi