Removing Cake gone wrong

[Roach1]

While removing the cake build up im my Jirsa I used the wrong size reamer and made a small well beneath the draft hole. What sgould I do if anything. Thanks guys.

 

[Sig]

Pipe mud will fix it.
Ive got pipe mud repairs from 25 years ago that are still perfect.
Pipe, cigarette, or preferably cigar ash mixed with enough water to make a paste. It needs to be very fine gray ash. Fill the hole, smooth it out, let dry, and smoke until a new cake forms. It will become hard enough that you can ream the pipe LIGHTLY in the future.

 

[Roach1]

Thanks

 

[Sigmund]

That works perfect.

BTW, if you happen to have a pellet stove the ash from those makes some serious mud. Its crazy complete combustion and makes a really hard mud. I once got a couple of estate cheapo pipes that someone had gone too deep with. Like Sig says, it will again be perfect. You can raise the floor and then stick in a pipe cleaner through to make sure the airway is clear and that its not too high...basically reshape the bottom. Easy as can be. I go just a tad high to account for shrinkage.

I dont use reamers. I have a small sharp pocket knife that has just the right curve to the blade. I carefully scrape it out...that said, there isnt much buildup in my pipes. Its just too easy to go wrong with a reamer. Ive seen some lovely pipes just wrecked by them...especially on the rim area.

I know you can do damage with a knife too but I think people feel reamers are safe and just go wild with them. I sit down under a light with my knife and never have I damaged one. YMMV.

 

[orlandofurioso]

As Sigmund says.
For what it's worth; I make my pipe cement ( not -mud ) from fine, sieved wood ash and demineralized water. it dries rock hard. For this purpose I utilise a pipe tamper, it works perfect.
A wooden dowel,correct size, works fine too.
Have not yet tried to mix the ash with sodium silicate, wich seems worth a trial and error.
Actually a little "well" is not that bad. On the contrary; it is a moisture trap ( a little dottle is only good ) and imho does not affect the smoking.
Not meaning you should ream the bottom till almost through of course.
If it makes you feel safe layer it up

 

[Roach1]

That works perfect.

BTW, if you happen to have a pellet stove the ash from those makes some serious mud. Its crazy complete combustion and makes a really hard mud. I once got a couple of estate cheapo pipes that someone had gone too deep with. Like Sig says, it will again be perfect. You can raise the floor and then stick in a pipe cleaner through to make sure the airway is clear and that its not too high...basically reshape the bottom. Easy as can be. I go just a tad high to account for shrinkage.

I dont use reamers. I have a small sharp pocket knife that has just the right curve to the blade. I carefully scrape it out...that said, there isnt much buildup in my pipes. Its just too easy to go wrong with a reamer. Ive seen some lovely pipes just wrecked by them...especially on the rim area.

I know you can do damage with a knife too but I think people feel reamers are safe and just go wild with them. I sit down under a light with my knife and never have I damaged one. YMMV.

Plenty of pellet ash here. We have a central pellet heating.

 

[huntertrw]

Removing Cake gone wrong​

The individual on the left is thinking, "Garden hose?"

 

[Briar Lee]

I own buckets and buckets of used pipes and if they were well used, the odds are previous owners formed a cake, which was the universal advice of the pipe makers for maybe a century, and may still be.

I have all kinds of reamers and I gave up on them years ago.

A reamer has no conscience. It will remove cake and briar all alike.

It takes a little practice, but the rounded “flesh blade” of a cheap pocket knife held at 90 degrees makes a perfect scraper to take off all the cake down to bare briar.




After the carbon cake is all gone, I keep it gone by frequent use of a twisted paper towel soaked in Everclear.

If you smoke outside in the wind, cake protects some against burn out. And for a novice the cake sort of filters and softens the smoke and I like lots of nicotine and hearty flavors, now my tongue is like a piece of leather.

But cake stops the taste of the fine briar you paid for and it slows down the natural coloring process of a fine briar pipe.

I’ve found a slight, black, oily film in the chamber is the best. Just barely enough cake to say there’s a trace.

 

[Roach1]

I reamed many pipes before but didn't pay attention to what I was doing today. I going to smoke my workhorse pipes in normal rotation and abuse my cobs for in between smokes. I have an old cob I sanded out a little cake and a brand new Legend laying around. The new Legend was also sanded because MM got carried away when putting on the finish whatever that is.

 

[The Benedictine]

Pipe mud works wonders. I had a crack in my cob on the outside and filled it up with mud and you can't even tell.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But cake stops the taste of the fine briar you paid for and it slows down the natural coloring process of a fine briar pipe.

It does neither. A fully broken in pipe will be devoid of briar taste and heat from smoking darkens the wood.

 

[Briar Lee]

It does neither. A fully broken in pipe will be devoid of briar taste and heat from smoking darkens the wood.

View attachment 394638View attachment 394639

Stops is a bad word. Too much cake slows down coloring.

This is I think the only New York City made Marxman I own marked Algerian Briar. Post Mastercraft sale?

I received it all caked up and nasty looking but still tannish on the outside, and now it’s progressively coloring as they all will if the cake is kept to a minimum.



Here’s a another, same story.



That oxblood color is very thin. If they were made of meerschaum we’d say it came from the smoke. Or it might be resins inside seeping out (they will sweat at first from the heat) or it could be magical little mojos inside that find their way out. I just know they color quicker if I baby them and keep that cake down.

All I know, is when I can’t smoke them anymore the next man is getting some mighty fine smokers.

You don’t own a fine briar pipe, any more than you own any other of life’s finer trophies.

You are the guardian of them during your time.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I wouldn't do anything. Smoke dryer tobacco so it will mostly smoke to the bottom of the bowl. Don't over light when you're near the end of the bowl so you don't over heat that area. 20 to 30 bowls, it should fill in.

 

[dottlejockey]

+1 on the pipe cement with wood ash.

 

[jakesmokes]

I agree with Hoosier. I would just smoke it. I doubt you’ll notice any difference, it should fill in quickly.

 

[karam]

I wonder if you didn't do anything other than basically removing some but not all cake from the pipe, and that's the well you see. Briar is hard AF, you'd know if you were hitting wood. I've forcefully reamed pipes - I often do in fact - and if I really go for it there may be a miniscule amount of briar dust coming out. I know because briar dust is red while cake is black, certainly haven't ever gouged wood out of a pipe.

 

[Roach1]

I mixed a little mud and used a pipe nail to fill it in. I smoked a bowl in it today and it seemed to gurgle a bit. That's probably my fault not drying the tobacco enough. I see how it goes and report back.

 

[FLDRD]

I was looking at an estate pipe of mine last night and saw something similar, thanks for fixing my confusion as to what it was. I already place it in my "repair / fix" area but didn't know what I should do next.

Now, it looked like it had a shiny / sheen look to it, not what I would think from pipe mud.

If I suspect it was someone that "repaired" their "divot" with perhaps super glue, what would you guys do?
Try and remove it?
Make sure you don't smoke to the bottom?
I'm not too keen on the idea of heated superglue fumes........

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

I wonder if you didn't do anything other than basically removing some but not all cake from the pipe, and that's the well you see. Briar is hard AF, you'd know if you were hitting wood. I've forcefully reamed pipes - I often do in fact - and if I really go for it there may be a miniscule amount of briar dust coming out. I know because briar dust is red while cake is black, certainly haven't ever gouged wood out of a pipe.

This. That's a piece of cake that's come out. Can't see briar would come out like this.

 

[Roach1]

Thanks for all the help and tips.