I have an estate that i love. Its attractive, smokes like a champ, and has a sterling band. It tastes ok while smoking, but has more than an eighth of an inch of Cake built up. I tried to break it down for a thorough cleaning, but the stem is stuck. I tried to force one last week and broke it. Luckily that was a pipe i didn't care to much for. So for fear of ruining my pipe i ha just been running a pipe cleaner through it after i finish a bowl. Is it worth it to take a chance on breaking the stem off in the shaft? Is there a trick to safely removing a seemingly cemented stem? Thanks!