Reamer Questions

[mso489]

A Forums member recently posted three excellent links on cleaning pipes, one of

them including a video on reaming pipes. I was fascinated because, despite years

of owning and smoking pipes, I have never owned or used a reamer. Seeing them in

use on cleaning up estate pipes was great, both the senior pipe reamer and the

Buckner pipe reamer. The mystery to me is, why I never accumulate the cake that

woud make a reamer useful. I would say, even in my oldest pipes, like 35 plus years

old, I don't have a dime's thickness of cake. I am very regular in wiping out the bowls

after smoking with a tissue or paper towel, after scooping out the bowl with a pipe

nail. Then the usual pipe cleaner and blowing the residue out. Now I am considering

buying a reamer, fascinated with the process, but I don't believe I need one. Maybe,

if it ain't broke, don't fix it? I am a moderate smoker, and I have quite a few pipes,

talking dozens here. Maybe just buy and use a reamer when needed?

 

[shutterbug]

I agree as well... I have yet to ream any of my pipes because of excess cake. I did ream a pipe because I thought the bowl was a bit uneven, but not because of the traditional 'cake'. I think that the reamers are really to 'clear house' of all the cake build up of years of neglected pipes. I have a feeling that if we didn't clean our pipes, and just dumped and filled all of our future bowls, then I'm sure a reamer would be required soo enough. The old timers that never cleaned their pipes...well, you can just imagine how the cake is formed bowl after bowl after bowl.

I would imagine that it would be quite therapeutic reaming out a disgustingly thick bowl...watching all of that carbon flake off...
Shutterbug

 

[ciderguy]

I don't seem to accumulate cake either. I have no idea how pipes end up in that kind of condition. If I ever felt like one of my own pipes needed reaming, I'd send them off to someone I knew I could trust. I've heard that its easy to ruin a pipe with a reamer.

 

[andrew]

I had to ream my kaywoodie recently, I only had the other type reamer, not a senior reamer. I ended up with half a reamed pipe and had to use a butterknife to get the bottom part. It ended up working quite well actually, the butterknife had a perfect curve to get the bottom out, but I couldn't even fit my tamper down the pipe. It was a free kaywoodie my brother gave me, and it was actually quite easy. Haven't used a senior reamer before but there's these ones that look idiot proof I'd like to get a set of.

These are the idiot proof ones I'm talking about

It just looks easy and goes to the bottom with no problems it looks like

 

[pruss]

Hey Andrew.
I have that set, the Castleford reamer, and use it for my work on estates.
The only caution I'd throw out is to start with the smallest blade and work up to the widest and to pay really close attention to blade depth and the angle of approach. The vagaries of how different pipe manufacturers and carvers drill their bowls means that it's very easy to over ream or to take the bowl out of round, especially when trying to clean cake out of the bottom part of the bowl.
To my dismay, I've occasionally moved too quickly to a wider blade, or not been cautious about the angle of the blade, and suffered the gouge/nick/over-ream as a result.
Cheers,
-- Pat

 

[hfearly]

Andrew, Pruss +1
I want to emphasize: YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!
Picking up a reamer for the first time, throw it in and rigorously carving out the cake, I can guarantee you that you are about to screw up the inside of the bowl. By all means practice on a cheap throw away test pipe before you take it to something of worth. You have to carefully work up the scale from smallest to largest blade, and always check that you are reaming evenly in a perfect circle, Otherwise you will get cracks or an ellipsoid out of whack bowl!

 

[shaintiques]

If you maintain your pipes well you probably won't ever need one, the pipes that generally need reaming have had the crap smoked out of them and not only has the cake not been managed but the stems have never seen a pipe cleaner. In fact I have reamed some estates that have been smoked so much and the cake is so thick that you couldn't get a pencil in the hole. And it is my hope that as we raise up this generation of pipe smokers and educate them on pipe maintenance that we won't have that kind of pipe abuse. I of course smoke my pipes regularly and they have their own age marks, but they get love. Treat your pipes like an old friend and they will treat you right. Abuse them and they won't last.

 

[4dotsasieni]

mso, I am so glad you started this thread, creating the opportunity to get the benefit of others' experiences.
I have been smoking pipes on and off for 50+ years, and I don't believe I have ever had to ream a pipe. I actually thought maybe I was doing something wrong. But, like you, I wipe the bowls after every smoke with both ends of a twisted paper towel, and thoroughly clean the stem, shank and the heel with pipe cleaners, using an average of three cleaners per smoke (straight pass through the stem, straight pass through the shank into the heel of the bowl, and a doubled-over cleaner in the shank); sometimes more.
The cake has never gotten anywhere near a dime's thickness, and my reamer remains safely stored away somewhere in the house. I've also only rarely used a "pipe sweetener" or similar product; I abhor the idea of introducing chemicals, even rum or other spirits, into my pipes.
So I guess we must be doing something right. :D

 

[cigrmaster]

I have a Senior reamer and do have to use it on occasion. After I smoke, I let the pipe cool over night and then take a pipe cleaner, double it and wipe inside the bowl. My cake builds fairly quickly and it gets very hard and probably once every couple of years the pipes that I smoke on a regular basis will need a reaming. I am extremely careful when I use my reamer taking very little off at a time. I have never used any other reamers besides the Senior so I am used to it. I have always been paranoid about over reaming so it has never happened to me.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I don't build up much cake, but when I do I don't use a reemer, as I know I will screw it up. I take some sand paper and use that very gently to reduce and even out the cake, using a piece of dowling to get to hard to reach areas. Works for me.

 

[instymp]

+1 Cigr, favorites cake

 

[cigrmaster]

peck, I can barely turn a screwdriver, so if I can use a senior anyone can. They really are fool proof as long as you don't try to take off too much at a time.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

peck, I can barely turn a screwdriver, so if I can use a senior anyone can. They really are fool proof as long as you don't try to take off too much at a time.

Yeah, but you're undoubtedly used to handling small stubby things. I'm not.

 

[cigrmaster]

lol, seriously peck, you should grab one, they really are a breeze.

 

[allan]

I have also wondered about reamers. I can't seem to build up a cake, other than a very thin film.
I clean after every smoke and once every 6 weeks or so do a more major cleaning with everclear.
So maybe it is our constant cleaning that obviates the need for a reamer.
(I just ordered one from CI figuring I 'should' have one...
Allan

 

[lovethebriar]

As far as reamers go, I always ream my pipes when needed with common house hold spoons, forks, knives, etc. use the end you hold. You can always find the sizes you need, small,medium, large, whatever the case. Most are rounded perfect for the bottom and just work your way up to the size of your bowl. Remember to soak the inside of the bowl a bit with some salt and alcohol to help loosen the cake a bit, then get after it. It's has always worked great for me. This is my opinion only, and it's what I do.

 

[lovethebriar]

I have never had a problem busting the most difficult cake from pipes, doing this technique.

 

[taerin]

I used a senior reamer on an 80+ year old pipe recently as the first pipe I've ever reamed, with very very very hard cake. I highly recommend it to complete beginners, it's very easy to use and does not damage the pipe if your taking it nice and slow, barely turning the reamer between attempts. When I could start to see the wood, I stopped, just before getting that final layer of carbon off, to not damage the wood. It resulted in a very nice and even ream. The screw tool that is built into the reamer was very very nice in clearing out the shank of the pipe, which was completely flooded with cake, someone smoked it until it could not be smoked anymore.
They are no better at getting rid of the bottom caking though, it was so hard, even a butter knife could not get to it. Since the draft hole was a bit above the bottom anyways, I figured, there was no point to reaming that part, thank God lol. I don't envy anyone who desires to get rid of that bottom cake, I am guessing a pencil and sandpaper for days might work, other than that I am clueless on how to even attempt it as I lack hand eye coordination and do not have a steady hand.

 

[lovethebriar]

If the draft hole is higher than the cake just let it build to your draft hole.

 

[taerin]

That's what I figured marines Let the cake do the work.