So I've been smoking cobs regularly for a few months now, and I recently decided to step up my game so I bought a briar pipe. Its a Brigham, since they're easy to find in Canada, and they're in my price range. I got it home, and it was one of the best smokes I've ever had, but when I was cleaning up afterwards I noticed that when swabbing around the rim some of the stain came off onto my q-tip. I tested an area near the bottom of the pipe and the same thing happened. I'm only using my saliva, as they say you should to remove the tar from the rim. Is this normal for a new pipe? And if not, how can i fix it? I love the pipe, but the last thing I want is it losing its colour.
Stain Coming Off
- Thread starter eolverine
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I'll take an educated guess and say it's a Voyageur series.
There have been a few of us complaining about the Voyageur and the red stain that comes off of a cleaning from it. It seems to be an issue with that series.
Sooner or later the residual stain stops coming off, and you're good to go.
Do a search in the forums search bar, and you'll come up with a lot of different solutions to this issue.
Shutterbug
There have been a few of us complaining about the Voyageur and the red stain that comes off of a cleaning from it. It seems to be an issue with that series.
Sooner or later the residual stain stops coming off, and you're good to go.
Do a search in the forums search bar, and you'll come up with a lot of different solutions to this issue.
Shutterbug
I've had this problem with a few of my pipes as well. A Savinelli Morino is one that immediately comes to mind. Some suggestions I've seen are:
-use some "nose oil" to rub it on the rim. Take your finger and get the oil where your nose meets your cheek/upper lip area and rub it on the rim.
-wet the rim with saliva before lighting to prevent burning the rim while lighting.
-don't fill up your pipe all the way to the brim. Tobacco expands when lit and a piece might leave some tar on the rim.
-the saliva and q-tip method is a good way to clean the rim. Do it while the bowl is still hot/warm (immediately after smoking, if you can), and don't scrub too hard.
That being said, unless you're OCD or a clean freak, why not just leave it? It's a good way to add character to the pipe. Just a thought
-use some "nose oil" to rub it on the rim. Take your finger and get the oil where your nose meets your cheek/upper lip area and rub it on the rim.
-wet the rim with saliva before lighting to prevent burning the rim while lighting.
-don't fill up your pipe all the way to the brim. Tobacco expands when lit and a piece might leave some tar on the rim.
-the saliva and q-tip method is a good way to clean the rim. Do it while the bowl is still hot/warm (immediately after smoking, if you can), and don't scrub too hard.
That being said, unless you're OCD or a clean freak, why not just leave it? It's a good way to add character to the pipe. Just a thought
After every smoke, after scooping, wiping out the bowl, and using a pipe cleaner, I like to give the bowl,
shank, stem and bit, a good wipe-down. With all fifty some pipes, I've not had stain come off, but if there
is any slight residual, I do like to wipe it down and shine it up, hoping the effect will help over time. I don't
think it's a good characteristic for a brand. Isn't Brigham now made in Italy, or am I mistaken? In any case,
if I were at the Brigham shop I'd be concerned about this and look at the finish and process to make sure this
ends. For your particular pipe, keep wiping it down as part of cleaning it, and I think the finish will dry out
and wear off, so this will not continue. I have a Parker that kept leaving the inner bowl treatment on the
pipe cleaner. Apparently the inside-the-bowl finish was over-applied and left residue in the shank, but it
subsided over time. This kind of thing shouldn't happen. Pipe makers should court pipe people and keep
them pleased with the product. We're a relatively small group and are in touch with each other!
The Parker pipes are made at the Dunhill shop. They should be especially finicky.
shank, stem and bit, a good wipe-down. With all fifty some pipes, I've not had stain come off, but if there
is any slight residual, I do like to wipe it down and shine it up, hoping the effect will help over time. I don't
think it's a good characteristic for a brand. Isn't Brigham now made in Italy, or am I mistaken? In any case,
if I were at the Brigham shop I'd be concerned about this and look at the finish and process to make sure this
ends. For your particular pipe, keep wiping it down as part of cleaning it, and I think the finish will dry out
and wear off, so this will not continue. I have a Parker that kept leaving the inner bowl treatment on the
pipe cleaner. Apparently the inside-the-bowl finish was over-applied and left residue in the shank, but it
subsided over time. This kind of thing shouldn't happen. Pipe makers should court pipe people and keep
them pleased with the product. We're a relatively small group and are in touch with each other!
The Parker pipes are made at the Dunhill shop. They should be especially finicky.
It is not bad to gradually lose the stain. It probably is good. Stains affect the taste of a pipe, usually somewhat badly. The pipe will color itself gradually from smoking. Once this starts to happen most pipes taste better without the stain. Don't restain.
You may find that following some of the YouTube videos on cleaning a pipe that the demonstrator often says something like "I'm still getting grunge on my pipe cleaner" when what is coming off is the stain that is in the shank. Most of my pipes are no longer (or were not when I bought them) new so I rarely see this effect. Give it some time. Obviously, this may relate to the price point of the pipe - one would doubt that you would get this from a Bo Nordh or Dunhill pipe...
brudnod: You do get a bit of crap from the chamber lining at the bowl end of the shank in the newer Dunhills, the ones labeled White Spot. It behooves them to fix this problem which was apparently caused by a shortcut in the manufacturing process. It is something new with Dunhills in the last two years.
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