Removing Ghosts

[jpmcwjr]

I was not having success with just the coffee grounds and alcohol treatment which is why I will try the charcoal next. I also did a little sanding but probably not enough to make a difference.

Didja clean the mortise real good? Didja flush it all well?

 

[RonB]

Didja clean the mortise real good? Didja flush it all well?

I thought I did. Quite a lot of time with the little brush and alcohol and then pipe cleaners and alcohol after a long soak with coffee grounds and alcohol. May I didn’t get the coffee grounds down in there sufficiently.

 

[Pipke]

Again, a great thread. A few of my father's old pipes ranged from a little sour to just nasty bitter. Old Master Craft and a GBD pot needed a cleaning, and I went with the salt and alcohol method. Glad to know I can wash that salt out with hot water.

I have a Pioneer meer that I use a lot. It tends to form a gummy cake. I'll be washing that out with hot water. Can I use scent-free Dawn and/or alcohol for the insoluble stuff?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, but hot water applied for a minute or so should tackle a lot of it.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I should have included in my first post about using a tube brush, Dawn, and warm running water...that in preparation for the wash, I cut the cake like normal, which isn't quite sanding, but it's nearly bare wood. and then use a Scotch scrub pad to wash the inside of the bowl while I'm tube brushing the airway. The Scotch pad and Dawn will take it down to bare wood. Again, not harming the wood that I've found.

 

[GardenStateoftheArtBriar]

Good 2 Hear

 

[Sigmund]

I sanded down to bare wood because one of the pipes had dead bodies…not just ghosts. Ive no idea what blend did that but it was so bad I dumped my first bowl after two minutes. Typically I dont treat my pipe bowls on estates very much but this one was frightening. Whatever the case the problem is solved and the pipe is happy enough. Its the Kai bulldog I post on WAYS occasionally.

 

[Choatecav]

Not as weird as when you tell them what you're using it for. I generally refrain from telling mere civilians that I smoke second or third-hand pipes.

Boy, you got this one right. I remember telling a friend of mine that I love buying old Estate pipes. They asked me to define what that meant. After I did, there was silence. He then asked do you like using other peoples old toothbrushes, too?

I told him I could tell that I was "casting my pearls before swine...."

 

[Roach1]

Tried coffee grounds treatment. Bowl is now drying out. Will post the results

 

[RonB]

Didja clean the mortise real good? Didja flush it all well?

I had two pipes with ghosts that did not respond to salt and alcohol, wet coffee grounds, white vinegar, cleaning the mortise with brush and alcohol etc. I had almost given up. I then cleaned the mortise again with brush and oxyclean a few times. Rinsed very well and followed by alcohol. Then I used the granular charcoal and alcohol and let it sit for a couple days. Now the pipes no longer have the ghosting. I’m not sure if the mortise cleaning with oxyclean or the charcoal pellets did it.

 

[instymp]

Most of the time I load a ghosted pipe up with what I smoke and smoke it till the ghost is gone.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Tried coffee grounds treatment. Bowl is now drying out. Will post the results

It's dry by not! So.......

 

[Sigmund]

Most of the time I load a ghosted pipe up with what I smoke and smoke it till the ghost is gone.

Ive done that. The only issue is that if you scrape or ream the bowl later the ghosts come back. If they are annoying ghosts it just makes me not want to reach for that pipe. Ive one on the rack right now that is like this. When I get to it Im going to ream it well and hit it with the coffee.