Pipe Restoring Tips

[wallbright]

Haha very nice. I know we should start a private area where we post what we are bidding on. A finders keepers where we respect each other. If someone really wants it where the other person would back off or something haha. And geeze $300, my girlfriend is pissed about my $120 in purchases this past week. You can see them in my new thread if you want. I also bought a Savinelli which is on its way but that was through a website not ebay. (I figured that into the $120 though).

 

[pstlpkr]

Yours is very nice. I would say that you made a great score.

Mine smokes very well, and is quite tough.

 

[wallbright]

Thanks. I am very new to pipe smoking and don't really know what to look for besides if I like what it looks like. Though, I hear that is all that really matters.

 

[chuckw]

This is what we do here at my house. I've restored over 200 pipe using these methods and haven't had a problem yet.

Seperate the stem form the stummel, then clean it with alcohol to remove any wax and surface soil. Suspend it in 100% straight bleach using a pipe cleaner inserted through it to keep the tenon out of the solution. You don't want to change the dimensions there.

Ream the bowl back to the wood and insert a pipe cleaner in the smoke hole. Fill the bowl with kosher or sea salt (not iodized table salt) and saturate the salt with grain alcohol. We use an eye dropper. Cotten balls will work too. Lawerence's Ezra Brooks or any other burbon, rum, gin or other adult beverage will work only if you are cleaning a pipe that has already been sterilized. The adult beverage needs to be at least 150 proof to kill any left over germs. Keep the salt damp with the alcohol until it isn't pulling any more color. If you think you need to replace the salt, do so.

Once the tobacco chamber is done you can start on the morticeand smoke hole. Alcohol soaked Q-tips and pipe cleaners, both regular and bristle are required. Clean the mortice and smoke hole until no color comes back.
You should periodically check the stem. It will be ready for restoration when it appears flat black. When it does, remove it from the bleach and rinse it well in cold water. Any logos should be protetred with a dab of petroleum jelly. Reassemble the pipe and you can now buff the stem and bowl with any of the afore mentioned products until you are satisfied with the luster/shine.

Here is a tip I got from Tim West. If you restore enough pipes, you will eventually come across one that has that old musty smell that the S/A treatment won't get rid of. That is mold and you do not want to smoke a moldy pipe.

Pour about a half thimble full of alcohol into the bowl. Cover the bowl and mortice with thumb and finger. Shake the bowl around to coat all the surfaces then set fire to in. Allow the fire to burn out. If the interior is still wet, do it again. When you are done, the mold spores will be dead and gone and you will have a fresh smelling pipe. DO NOT do this with the stem attached.

The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

 

[chlogeo3]

Does this mean I Can use Isopropyl alcohol 50% to clean my shanks and stems?

 

[kcvet67]

Most Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is 70%. Larger drug stores usually have 90% as well, you just have to look a little harder for it. It's often on the bottom shelf since most people buy the 70% type.

 

[chlogeo3]

Thanks, but you Mates are not helping this Newbee. Question is,"Can I use it to clean my shanks and stems?"

A simple Yes or No would be appreciated. (-:

 

[bubbadreier]

Yes you can use it on your stems... The inside of your shank can be cleaned with alcohol and q-tips. Don't let the alcohol touch the outside of your pipe, it will ruin the finish of the pipe.

 

[pstlpkr]

Bump.

 

[chuckw]

I'm sorry but it isn't as simple as yes or no. Yes you can use it inside your stems. No you cannot use it inside your shanks.

 

[chlogeo3]

What then is the Best liquid cleaner for shank and stem?

 

[bytor]

I say yes to the use of isopropyl...stems and shanks (innards only of course, unless you want to remove the finish).
On a few restorations, I've removed the stem, stuffed cork in the bowl and filled the pipe up with isopropyl using a dropper (pipe standing up on the front of the bowl). I've let the pipe sit for a few days (topping up as needed) then flushed it out with water (and a good scrubbing with pipe cleaners) and let the pipe dry out for a few days. Make sure the pipe is fully dried before trying to reinsert the stem, or when it does finally dry, your stem will be loose.

 

[chuckw]

Chlogeo, I owe you an apology. I assumed (we all know where that leads) you were still refering to rubbing alcohol. Grain alcohol will work very well in the interior of a pipe. I know one pipe repairman that uses denatured alcohol. I would avoid rubbing alcohol unless it is scent free and at least 90%. Anything below that will require excessive drying time because of the water that has soaked into the wood. I removed the cherry ghost from a pipe one time with vinagar and cotten balls. Drying time for that pipe was one week in the summer in the mid Atlantic.
Again, I apologize for reading between the lines when there was nothing to read.

 

[wallbright]

So I soaked my stems in bleach and when I took them out and rinsed them off they all started to turn a whitish color. Anyone have any ideas? They were only in there for about 30 - 45 minutes.

 

[wallbright]

Also if some of the alcohol spilt on the outside of the bowl what should I do? Is the finish ruined?

 

[chlogeo3]

No prob Chuck.

 

[juozapas]

This might sound crazy....but, has anybody ever considered using "mouth-wash" (the alcohol type) with cleaning a pipe ?? Has anybody ever tried it, or, heard of anybody trying to use this ??

Just a thought....(one of too many...ha,ha,ha,....)

 

[bubbadreier]

Juozpas, what ever you use to clean you pipe is going to flavor it. If you don't mind a wintergreen/mint flavor for you next couple smokes then go right ahead, I personally would stay far away from the mouthwash

 

[juozapas]

Ok...thanks...I'll stick to good'ol alcohol....(your point I can definetly see now)..I will try maybe Rum or Whiskey or Burbon...ok...thanks !!!

 

[wallbright]

So I have been putting cotton balls in the bowl and then using an eye dropper to put 91% rubbing alcohol in them. I also insert a rolled up paper towel in the shank wetting it with alcohol (making sure to not get any on the sides)and then soak the stems in 50/50 solution for an hour and then rinse them off thoroughly under cold water. I clean everything with bristle pipe cleaners until they don't come out black anymore. Does this sound about right?
Also, the new Comoy that I purchased smells, as my girlfriend puts it, "like an old man or a nursing home". Is this the musky mold smell you are referring to? Or is this just the smell of some kind of polish or wax on the outside?
Another question too (sorry) if one of my new pipes has small "cracks" at the bottom of the bowl is it okay to still restore it with alcohol? It is a very thick bowl and I believe if I am careful I may be able to build a decent cake back to protect it. Or is all hope lost? Here is a picture.

(The cracks are on the bottom right)