Possibility of Cracking Old Briar

[lithicus]

All of my pipes to date have been estates. I don't have as many as most here, but feel very comfortable with deep cleaning to my own standards now. My process is certainly my own. But, it was created from posts on this forum. So, I don't think I'm doing anything out of the ordinary. None of my estates, so far, have been very old. Maybe the 70's / 80's at the oldest. I've never had any concern cleaning/restoring these.

However, I recently read that very old briar can crack with a salt/alcohol treatment and also has the possibility of cracking on the first smoke. It seems the consensus is that this is because the briar is very dry from not having been smoked for possibly decades or half a century or more. I have my first "old" estate pipe coming my way in the mail. It is a late 30's early 40's Peterson. It appears to have been heavily smoked, but I don't know when the last time it had tobacco in it.

I was wondering how members here might treat an older pipe differently when cleaning it up versus a newer pipe. I wonder if maybe doing a few (2-4?) hot water rinses a day or two apart might help "rehydrate" the briar and allow me to perform a salt and alcohol treatment safely without risk of cracking? I've never done a hot water rinse before, but I'm not opposed. And, I think it makes sense in this specific context of attempting to "rehydrate" old briar to prevent cracking. I also wonder if these hot water rinses might help prevent the pipe from cracking on the first smoke as well as it will be (at least partially?) rehydrated.

Thoughts? Ideas? Am I over thinking things? Just proceed as normal? Are extra precautions necessary?

Much appreciated everyone!!

 

[Sigmund]

I dont use salt. Most pipes are not ghosted to where its necessary IMHO. Clean, sanitize, smoke. No worries.

 

[lithicus]

I dont use salt. Most pipes are not ghosted to where its necessary IMHO. Clean, sanitize, smoke. No worries.

That's fair! I have heard of the coffee grounds trick as well. So, that might be preferable if ghosting makes it necessary.

But, it still seems there is the possibility of cracking very old briar on the first smoke (and when doing salt alcohol treatment, but we can ignore that for now). Maybe mine isn't considered old enough to be a worry. But, I am still curious if a few hot water rinses spread over a week or so would rehydrate the briar enough to alleviate the concerns of cracking?

 

[Sigmund]

Im sure people feel differently but unless its lakeland you can smoke out most ghosts. I had one lakeland ghost and I smoked it with lat to get them out. Then I backed off to vapers etc...

 

[bullet08]

Guess why they crack. Sudden introduction to moisture when they are bone dry. I don't think hot water bath is a good idea. Ream out gently, dry swab to clean inside surfaces, alcohol swab that's been wrung out to clean inside only. Don't use alcohol outside. Smoke very short time at first. Gradually increase the smoking time each session. After the pipe can handle full bowl of smoke, I would think it's safe for warm water bath, if you are into that cleaning method.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I have LOADS of century+ old pipes. The possibility of cracking is just part and parcel to the hobby. If you want smoke old pipes, just do so knowing that there is a possibility of damage. If it’s something that really worries you, rehydrate the briar with a few applications of mineral oil before smoking it. A pipe that’s smoked often should be absorbing the moisture produced by combustion and shouldn’t need hydration.

 

[lithicus]

Guess why they crack. Sudden introduction to moisture when they are bone dry. I don't think hot water bath is a good idea. Ream out gently, dry swab to clean inside surfaces, alcohol swab that's been wrung out to clean inside only. Don't use alcohol outside. Smoke very short time at first. Gradually increase the smoking time each session. After the pipe can handle full bowl of smoke, I would think it's safe for warm water bath, if you are into that cleaning method.

Thank you very much for this advice! I wouldn't have thought hot water would be enough to cause a crack, but your train of thought makes sense! And, it almost seems too obvious that I'll need to really take it slow with this pipe at first if I want to avoid potential cracking. Thanks for this reminder as well!!

I have LOADS of century+ old pipes. The possibility of cracking is just part and parcel to the hobby. If you want smoke old pipes, just do so knowing that there is a possibility of damage. If it’s something that really worries you, rehydrate the briar with a few applications of mineral oil before smoking it. A pipe that’s smoked often should be absorbing the moisture produced by combustion and shouldn’t need hydration.

This being my first "old" pipe, I definitely need to get used to this possibility of damage. The mineral oil seems like sound advice! Thank you very much!!

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I smoke pipes from the 20s and 30s, thought not as often as my newer pipes. After an initial deep clean (usually the seller or gifter has done this already) I smoke as normal. If I start noticing any sourness or flavor I don't enjoy, I use the coffee ground method and a good shank cleaning.

 

[lithicus]

I smoke pipes from the 20s and 30s, thought not as often as my newer pipes. After an initial deep clean (usually the seller or gifter has done this already) I smoke as normal. If I start noticing any sourness or flavor I don't enjoy, I use the coffee ground method and a good shank cleaning.

Yea, I think I'm definitely going to avoid the salt and alcohol treatment and even the hot water rinse. Some great advice in this thread so far and I greatly appreciate your input as well!

 

[Briar Lee]

Here’s a fascinating read on the moisture levels of wood.

Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood - Moisture Content

Learn about acceptable moisture levels in wood & how to measure them with a moisture meter. Get expert tips on removing moisture from wood & kiln drying.

www.wagnermeters.com

Why salt would crack a pipe is, the pipe eventually assumes the moisture level of the environment it’s stored in.

Salt is extremely hydroscopic, which in hillbilly terms it “draws a whole lotta moisture”.

The salt sucks out the moisture from the inner part of the briar and the dad blasted thing is liable to crack from the sudden change.

Or that’s my theory anyhow.

 

[lithicus]

Here’s a fascinating read on the moisture levels of wood.

Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood - Moisture Content

Learn about acceptable moisture levels in wood & how to measure them with a moisture meter. Get expert tips on removing moisture from wood & kiln drying.

www.wagnermeters.com

Why salt would crack a pipe is, the pipe eventually assumes the moisture level of the environment it’s stored in.

Salt is extremely hydroscopic, which in hillbilly terms it “draws a whole lotta moisture”.

The salt sucks out the moisture from the inner part of the briar and the dad blasted thing is liable to crack from the sudden change.

Or that’s my theory anyhow.

Very interesting read! And, an interesting theory about the salt as well!!

I read somewhere on here that one person prefers cotton balls as opposed to salt, as salt can cause cracking. Not sure about the validity behind that claim. But, interesting nevertheless.

 

[sablebrush52]

You can reduce the potential for cracking by also applying a silicate coating to the chamber walls. George Dibos has a video on how to do this on youtube.

 

[lithicus]

You can reduce the potential for cracking by also applying a silicate coating to the chamber walls. George Dibos has a video on how to do this on youtube.

I've heard of honey and activated charcoal and all sorts of other things, but never the silicate! Looked it up and it makes sense. Thanks for sharing!

 

[sablebrush52]

The deal here is that it provides a little bit of insulation, over which you build a bit of cake. The other part of the process courtesy of George, is super slow smoking the first dozen or so bowls to add some cake with minimal heat. I've done this with several ancient delicate pipes and have been very happy with the results.

 

[kcghost]

I've bought a number of estates in my time and have never experienced any problems. But I haven't dealt with any really old pipes (say earlier than the 50's),

 

[OzPiper]

An unfortunate but very real risk
Cleaned up a 1921 Loewe army mount bent billiard.
Loaded it and lighted up.
Few puffs in, loud crack.
Heart sank.
An inch long split along the top of the shank
Thankfully it had a silver acorn
I have smoked it on several occasions since with no mishaps

I have a lot of estates.
Only occasion that has ever happened

 

[lithicus]

The deal here is that it provides a little bit of insulation, over which you build a bit of cake. The other part of the process courtesy of George, is super slow smoking the first dozen or so bowls to add some cake with minimal heat. I've done this with several ancient delicate pipes and have been very happy with the results.

I've never had to truly break a pipe in, as all of my pipes are estates. I also haven't done any sort of coating on an estate since my very first pipe ever. Bear in mind, all of my estates to this point were of recent manufacture. And while I have always loaded a full bowl in my estates for their first smoke, I do tend to smoke C&D HB or OJK until a thin cake is built. I've heard (and experienced) that Va's, VaPer's, and Aromatics burn hot. So, I figured something like HB/OJK was probably the best "neutral" thing I had on hand for this task. I'll definitely think about picking up some of that silicate. Or, at the very least, doing something similar (honey/charcoal) to provide that little bit of insulation you mention.

I've bought a number of estates in my time and have never experienced any problems. But I haven't dealt with any really old pipes (say earlier than the 50's),

It does seem quite rare. And, from what I've heard, it most frequently happens on near century old unsmoked pipes. Either way, it seems unusual but worth taking precautions.

An unfortunate but very real risk
Cleaned up a 1921 Loewe army mount bent billiard.
Loaded it and lighted up.
Few puffs in, loud crack.
Heart sank.
An inch long split along the top of the shank
Thankfully it had a silver acorn
I have smoked it on several occasions since with no mishaps

I have a lot of estates.
Only occasion that has ever happened

Oh no... I'm so sorry! Hopefully, it is a first as well as a last. I'd only come across this information about old pipes cracking by chance. I'm glad I did. If anything, I'm better educated because of it.

 

[Briar Lee]

I’ve read about old pipes cracking and have had exactly one crack, out of hundreds.

My son and his friends wanted to see me smoke an Oom Paul and I dug my “Real Briar” Oom Paul out of a bucket and it cracked on the rim down about a half inch. It only hurts my pride, and smokes just fine. The heat seems to close the crack.

I’ve had a few more English made pipes with thin shanks get tiny cracks around the tenon and mortise joint, but they don’t seem to hurt anything.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hon

I'll definitely think about picking up some of that silicate. Or, at the very least, doing something similar (honey/charcoal) to provide that little bit of insulation you mention.

Honey and charcoal is not a substitute for a silicate coating. Just keep the bowl as cool as possible. Burleys might be a better choice than Virginias under the circumstances. Go very slow. A century old briar is not the same animal as a new pipe.

 

[OzPiper]

It does seem quite rare. And, from what I've heard, it most frequently happens on near century old unsmoked pipes. Either way, it seems unusual but worth taking precautions.


Oh no..... I'm so sorry! Hopefully, it is a first as well as a last. I'd only come across this information about old pipes cracking by chance. I'm glad I did. If anything, I'm better educated because of it.

This was a particularly well-loved pipe by its previous owner(s).
And took a lot of cleaning.
The chamber responded well to reaming and alcohol + cotton ball treatment
The shank and mortise needed a lot of alcohol + pipe cleaners

I'd wondered in hindsight if I'd been too hasty in not allowing enough time for the alcohol in the shank to dissipate completely before loading and firing it up.

These days I allow at least 1 week dry time before firing up a deep-cleansed estate

Thankfully it has not happened again