Plowing Wet Areas

[mayfair70]

Brad, flooding and all?

I thought this was his thread as well. Yes, one of our esteemed and kindly forum members lives in Louisiana, I believe, and they have had 30 inches or so this week. Especially bothersome since they just had major rain and flooding a few weeks back. I haven't seen any of his posts lately. I hope he is OK.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I usually use a pipe cleaner and twist a paper towel into the chamber immediately after a smoke. Sometimes, when I'm feeling lazy, I might get around to it a bit later. But that's rare.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Nothing at all wrong in removing the stem immediately after the bowl is finished just so long as it is done with care. I have never damaged a pipe whilst doing this though I have read that others have so I guess they just wrenched it out without due care and attention.
Unlike John above, I like to leave the stem detached for a while to let the shank dry out and have never experienced any ill fitting stems through so doing. To each his own of course ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Mai oui! But how long is your 'while'? My fear may be tied only to a couple of instances where the stem didn't fit after leaving it out overnight.
But I wonder: Do most folks apply a twist in removing stems? I guess I was shown that was the "proper way" in 1965 and have been doing it that way ever since.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Only been on the pipe a year this month so I suppose early days. However I tend to leave the stem out only a few hours, never overnight.
Applying a twist whilst removing a stem is the only way surely?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[pappymac]

I carry pipe cleaners in my pipe bag. With most of my pipes, I insert a cleaner through the stem and into the bowl AFTER smoking. With some I don't.

I guess it's a mood thing.

 

[aldecaker]

@Puffndave- Those little metal ferrules on the MMs are frustrating, especially when they roll under the refrigerator! Part of my "new MM SOP" now involves using a dab of superglue to make those things more secure. I think they're there for decoration only; if they hold any tension to prevent a shank split, it's negligible at best, since they fall off at the drop of a hat.
@jpm- I always twist counter-clockwise to remove, and clockwise to install. Why? I'm not really sure, except to say sometimes pulling straight out seems to offer more resistance than twisting. The direction thing is probably habit; being in a mechanical trade, righty-tighty and all that. I also rub a little beeswax on the tenon every deep clean, on the theory that it will reduce wear from the twisting friction.

 

[huntertrw]

"Plowing" "wet areas" is always preferable (and more comfortable) to dry ones...

 

[carver]

"Plowing" "wet areas" is always preferable (and more comfortable) to dry ones...

+1
I know I am the one asking here. But personally, I've never thought of carrying pipe cleaners. They're in a bag in a drawer in my office. I take them out, when I decide to clean the last 3-4 pipes I've used.

However I will often/always use some tissue/paper towel to clean the chamber, systematically. If the stem doesn't resist my twisting it off the shank, I will also use some paper towel to clean the shank. I'll blow hard in the mouth piece to push out some undesirable spit. I'll then put the stem back in the shank.
That's how I do it. If I am home, and smoking and I get a gurgling pipe, then I'll use a pipe cleaner to remove the excess moisture.

I guess using pipe cleaner more systematically will keep the pipes in a better shape longer.

 

[tinsel]

I keep each of my vehicles readily stocked with:
Pipe Cleaners

Pipe Nail

spare Bic lighters

A jar of some blend that's always acceptable to the palette, LNF, Anniversary Kake, or OGS are the usual suspects for this job.
Having each vehicle stocked this way means no matter which vehicle I decide to take on an outing, and no matter what I remember or forget to bring with me, I always have the items I need with me for a smoke.

 

[dottiewarden]

Having each vehicle stocked this way means no matter which vehicle I decide to take on an outing, and no matter what I remember or forget to bring with me, I always have the items I need with me for a smoke.

Good policy. I always think that if stuck somewhere, such as a road blocked by a land slide or an accident, having a pipe and some tobacco could make the time spent somewhat enjoyable.

 

[carver]

Back to the "kinda" OP. Is it actually important to clean your pipe right after a smoke? Can it be done in the evening ? Can it be done several days later ?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yes, you can clean at any time, but right after smoking is when you'll get it the cleanest without alcohol. The goop is still moist from the steam in the smoke. I clean mine immediately after smoking. Some people don't. Everyone is right. Everyone is wrong. What is the sound of one hand clapping?

 

[mikestanley]

I always run at least one pipe cleaner through a pipe after I've smoked it. Mostly because I may want to smoke again, like on my drive to and from work. As for whether or not its important to do so straight away, I always believed that not doing so gives the shank in particular, time to absorb juices and such that I don't want it to.
As for removing a stem from a warm pipe to clean it. I liken it to an order from an online shop or an eBay transaction. The vast majority of the time it will cause no problem, and may well never. But when it does go bad, its bad...unless you don't mind having a silver band added to the pipe.
Mike S.

 

[carver]

Thanks Michael (x2) for the clear and neat responses!

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Others wondered about foxes, they made a song out of it. Ideas? :nana:

 

[puffndave]

aldecaker:

@Puffndave- Those little metal ferrules on the MMs are frustrating, especially when they roll under the refrigerator! Part of my "new MM SOP" now involves using a dab of superglue to make those things more secure. I think they're there for decoration only; if they hold any tension to prevent a shank split, it's negligible at best, since they fall off at the drop of a hat.

Metal? My MMs have this crappy black plastic donut glued to the end of the shaft, and it does more to cheapen the overall look, not decorative.
Superglue? When I tried that with Gorilla Glue, I ended up throwing that cob out. I was sure that every smoke from that point on tasted toxic, as if that glue was breaking down when heated, although I know that's hard to reason. If I had used the same wood glue used at the MM plant it may have fallen off again, but I would at least know that there's nothing evil about that sort of glue.

 

[aldecaker]

I guess I've been lucky. All my cobs have the metal rings. God, I don't even want to think about dealing with a plastic one; I'd be tempted to just throw the ring away.

 

[mso489]

I don't tote my pipes much except for travel. Definitely take pipe cleaners along. On rare occasions, use them mid-smoke, for gurgles or airway obstacles, but they usually clear things up quickly. Use pipe cleaners after every smoke or sequence of smokes in the same pipe at the same time. I'm not a cake builder, so I wipe out the bowl with a paper napkin, towel, or tissue, leaving just the thin layer of carbon. This keeps pipes clear over years, decades; there is a small but devoted coterie of Forums members who take this approach. The erstwhile member roth followed this regimen, he of the many thousands of posts.

 

[puffndave]

aldecaker:

I guess I've been lucky. All my cobs have the metal rings. God, I don't even want to think about dealing with a plastic one; I'd be tempted to just throw the ring away.

It's really more like a bushing that I'm dealing with, as if to make up for the shaft fitting too poorly for MM's own stems - when it falls off, without it the bowl will fall right off the stem and onto the floor when you clench! MM stems are so similar to the Military style that it just makes you think of how they should be made, which would be tapered to adjust for shank shrinking/swelling. If MM stems were tapered, then they could drop that stupid bushing! It just has me shaking my head.

 

[deathmetal]

Do you carry pipe cleaners with you to clean your pipes immediately after smoking?

Yes, because a dry pipe is more pleasant. I put them in a ziploc bag. Elegant, I know.