Everclear doesn't work any better than 99% iso-propyl alcohol for about $2 per bottle at Walmart.
Question About Using Everclear
- Thread starter futureman
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Use “inside the stem” , shank, mortise, and chamber is permitted. Be careful not to expose alcohol to the exterior of your briar…it will mess up the stain/varnish. Also, try not to expose outside of stem as well. ?
️
Just used some with coarse salt my workhorse for a cleaning. I've had the pipe for about a decade and have dine this type of cleaning with it twice.
+1 in beware of how it removes the finish
+1 in beware of how it removes the finish
Everclear? Make Limoncello instead! IMHO. Brandy is better for swabbing your pipes.
I prefer brandy or whiskey. Just for cleaning the wood. It leaves a nice after taste that clears up after one or two smokes. Everclear is neutral. But don't forget the most important step to which is to have at least a little for yourself. Not sure about the physics or chemistry but it is a key step.
It’s been almost fifty years since I bought my first bottle of “Pipe Sweetner” at a big drug store in Springfield. No doubt it was alcohol and water with some proprietary sweeteners and flavorings added.
Later I switched to cheap vodka and for the last ten or so years I’ve used straight 190 proof Everclear.
I could as easily use hot water, instead.
The fact is the residue left over from burning tobacco gets old, rank, and stinks if you don’t use a solvent of some kind to regularly keep it removed.
Which food grade solvent used I don’t think matters much.
I use 95% ethanol alcohol because it seems to work faster and it certainly evaporates quicker than water or lower proof booze. Alcohol has no adverse effect on stems or briar I’ve ever seen.
One consideration though, if you have teenaged kids or grandkids around they are going to help themselves to your Everclear, and due to their age and lack of judgement they can easily drink too much of it too quickly, with tragic results.
Some jurisdictions forbid the sale of booze over 150 proof, and there Everclear markets a complaint proof product.
I go out of town to buy about two fifths of Everclear a year to keep my pipes clean. It’s less than $20 a fifth.
The clerk gives me a sideways look, probably figuring that gray haired guy is making up an excuse to hit the really hard stuff, saying it’s for cleaning pipes.
BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE
Your typing skills are no worse than mine Jesse. I might be a marginally bitter proofreader though.
everclear and water works better then you'd think. It's a bit tricky. But seriously if you mix it right there are some flavors there that just don't seem like they should be.
S-so are all the rouges and polishes that are used to create the stem (and briar). You also wouldn't want to drink any of the stains used. What is your point?
The isopropyl will evaporate very quickly and you can then water rise to to remove any residue. They do make "food grade" iso for cleaning in breweries, etc. I moonlight at a brewery and we use it all the time.
Interesting. Never have seen food grade isopropyl. I wonder if it's as affordable as a handle of 190 proof grain alcohol.
Amazon has it for $40 a gallon
Okay. So I’m extremely curious here. How, why… do you get urine in your pipes?
?
Also cut a hole a watermelon then stick the bottle in the hole. Let sit for a while then eat the slices.
When I was in college we used to get large animal hypodermics from the vet school and inject the watermelons with 190 proof grain alcohol ( a BBQ meat injector also works) and then invite the sorority girls out for a picnic. A good time was had by all
Reagent grade is not food grade. Isopropyl alcohol is NOT for human consumption! It has a different chemical structure than ethanol. That being said you can clean your pipes or brewing equipment with it with it because it rapidly evaporates, leaves no trace and you can rinse with water to be sure
