How much moisture do you need when it is a small unseen flaw? It sounds like you're describing a flaw the size of a grain of sand. You don't need a river to fill up a mud puddle.
Anthony: Sure, a larger quantity of water flows though the airway with a flush, but a much more prolonged exposure happens while smoking, and it's at a much higher temperature. So, it's not just the quantity of water flowing by, but the length of time the briar is subjected to moisture as well as the temperature of the moisture. That's what I meant by stress.
I thought I had done that already, hence me using the good old tried and true alcohol technique. It's a fact that it's been serving pipe smokers well for quite some time. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I ruffled your feathers. Sorry if I did. Seriously, like I said before, if you feel comfortable cleaning your pipes this way, then by all means do so. I personally, still, think it's folly and won't risk it.
He makes a good point :mrgreen:
Absolutely. I run a very small stream through the pipe at a rate that doesn't overflow.
Fair enough, but you won't know it's folly until you've tried it. As I wrote earlier, I waited about a year before giving it a try with a few inexpensive pipes, because I too thought that it might be folly, and was very pleased with the result. That said, I have some very set limits on the practice.
Nor does explaining its absorbency. The xylem an phloem are for conveying liquid and nutrients. Wipe a wet finger around the inside of a bare uncoated pipe chamber. Your finger will come back dry.
I just tried that. I wet my finger under the faucet, and dripping, wiped it on an uncut block of briar. Dry as a bone, lickety split. Interesting. It's like it soaked the water from my finger like a sponge. Interesting.
