Tapered Pipe Cleaners

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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,392
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Accidentally bought tapered pipe cleaners and well it's a happy accident. The small side is great for sticking down the stem and draft hole (I think that's what it's called) and the wider end is just wonderful for swabing the mortise and folding over to semiscrub the chamber. From now on I am a tapered pipe cleaner guy. Well that and churchwarden cleaners which I thought I had another pack of so not going to smoke those two as much as I should want.
 
That's what I thought but they can do it. A pencil shanked pipe, looking at the telly whilst running a tapered cleaner (not so flimsy btw) back & forth resulting in a snapped stem...voila!
This is why I only buy BJ Longs. They are flimsy. Sometimes I can't even get them to go into a draft. But, i definitely don't use them vigorously like that. Just put them in, give them a small spin as I pull them out. I'm just wanting to absorb the moisture in the draft.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
With apologies, I'll file a dissenting report. A fellow lifer on Forums recommended them, so I felt obligated to try them when I got some by mistake. I've tried hard to make friends with them, and I do see the occasional benefit of having the wider end. But for daily pipe cleaning, I find myself trying to jam that wide end through the airway just for standard cleaning, and it just seems like in obstacle. Nothing terrible, just not what I want. Maybe I'll buy a good supply of regulars and keep the tapered for when they seem especially appropriate. I also have bristle and churchwardens pipe cleaners, both of which I find useful as appropriate.
 
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I'm not a fan of bristle cleaners, because they can scrape and bugger up the draft, possibly causing disturbances for condensation to form in there. Maybe, maybe not... but...

Anyways, I find it odd that the regular pipecleaners are so narrow, and you guys like that. I prefer the pipecleaner to make contact with the sides of the draft as I put it in. The narrow ones seem to me like trying to clean a room by just swinging a duster around in the center of the room. It never makes contact with the walls really.

I just remove the stem after rinsing with water, and if the draft on the stem side is too narrow for the fat end, I just insert the narrow end, up until I see it come out the button, and then spin it as I remove it. Then insert the fat end into the draft on the stummel. I've NEVER had a draft too narrow for the fat end on any of my pipes. Then roll up a paper towel and crank it into the chamber of the pipe to dry it. Then wipe down the pipe really well with a polishing cloth. Voila. Pristine pipe ready to be smoked again, or racked for latter.
 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I have used BJ Long pipe cleaners for over 20 years. I buy the Tapered Fluffy which come in a package with 100 cleaners. I also buy the BJ Long Tapered Bristle pipe cleaners that have 80 in the package. I have bought almost all of mine from PC as their prices are the best. I might also buy some from 4noggins when I also need Obidisian stem oil and PC could be out of it.
 
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dunnyboy

Lifer
Jul 6, 2018
2,412
29,243
New York
I've used every type of pipe cleaner available—thin, fluffy, tapered, Churchwarden and bristle—and they all have their uses. But there is one type of pipe cleaner that hasn't been mentioned and is worth a try, especially for tricky airways that tend to cause problems: the flexible pipe cleaner. Instead of a steel backbone, it has a flexible plastic one that allows the pipe cleaner to easily follow the curve of the stem without scraping the sides or getting stuck along the way. It's also more rigid when pushed through the airway and won't crimp the way steel-spine pipe cleaners can when they meet resistance.

The two brands I know of are Castello pipe cleaners and the White Elephant Super Flex. They're both great but the White Elephant is a bit longer and thicker. It's also more readily available in the U.S.
IMG_6229.jpegIMG_6231.jpeg
 
May 9, 2021
1,660
3,533
55
Geoje Island South Korea
I've used every type of pipe cleaner available—thin, fluffy, tapered, Churchwarden and bristle—and they all have their uses. But there is one type of pipe cleaner that hasn't been mentioned and is worth a try, especially for tricky airways that tend to cause problems: the flexible pipe cleaner. Instead of a steel backbone, it has a flexible plastic one that allows the pipe cleaner to easily follow the curve of the stem without scraping the sides or getting stuck along the way. It's also more rigid when pushed through the airway and won't crimp the way steel-spine pipe cleaners can when they meet resistance.

The two brands I know of are Castello pipe cleaners and the White Elephant Super Flex. They're both great but the White Elephant is a bit longer and thicker. It's also more readily available in the U.S.
View attachment 155263View attachment 155265
The Castello pipe cleaners are great!
Also used Peterson's tapered, which I also like.
 

grayjoe

Lurker
Sep 23, 2016
7
21
61
Columbia, MO
Could someone tell me how the tapered relate to the regular cleaners? In other words, is the fat end or thin end of the tapered the same diameter as the regular? Or is it somewhere in between. And where would the fluffy fall? I know, I could just buy a pack of all of them but aren't most of us looking for more posts to read anyway?

Thanks.

Joe
 

Alejo R.

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 13, 2020
832
1,643
48
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I use six different pipe cleaners. Thin Falcon (go right through old bone tenons) standard pipe cleaners. Fluffy pipe cleaners. Tapered pipe cleaners. Tapered bristle pipe cleaners and church warden pipe cleaners.

I’m an equal opportunity dirty pipe cleaner offender.
and those are all types of cleaners.

img.png
 

warren99

Lifer
Aug 16, 2010
1,943
23,277
California
I've used every type of pipe cleaner available—thin, fluffy, tapered, Churchwarden and bristle—and they all have their uses. But there is one type of pipe cleaner that hasn't been mentioned and is worth a try, especially for tricky airways that tend to cause problems: the flexible pipe cleaner. Instead of a steel backbone, it has a flexible plastic one that allows the pipe cleaner to easily follow the curve of the stem without scraping the sides or getting stuck along the way. It's also more rigid when pushed through the airway and won't crimp the way steel-spine pipe cleaners can when they meet resistance.

The two brands I know of are Castello pipe cleaners and the White Elephant Super Flex. They're both great but the White Elephant is a bit longer and thicker. It's also more readily available in the U.S.
View attachment 155263View attachment 155265
I second the recommendation of White Elephant tapered cleaners. Unlike most others, they don't shed and clog up the air hole.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,392
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Could someone tell me how the tapered relate to the regular cleaners? In other words, is the fat end or thin end of the tapered the same diameter as the regular? Or is it somewhere in between. And where would the fluffy fall? I know, I could just buy a pack of all of them but aren't most of us looking for more posts to read anyway?

Thanks.

Joe
the thin end is much smaller then regular cleaners, the fat end is great for draft holes but won't go the whole way through most stems or at least the ones I like.