The clogged pipe conundrum

[gervasio]

So I wanted to clean my clogged pipe with a toothpick, and the toothpick got stuck inside the pipe.

Now the pipe is clogged both by the smoked tobacco and by the toothpick.

I tried to push the toothpick away but it seems to resist to all my efforts.

An alcohol bath didn't solve the problem. Nor did trying to remove the tobacco with an iron wire.

I am running out of tricks. Do you have any advice?

 

[numbersix]

Welcome to the forums gervasio.

Do you have any advice?

Don't use a toothpick.
Just teasing you
One idea is to put the pipe in the freezer for a while. This may help both the pipe and the toothpick to lose excess humidity and reduce in size just enough for you to pull it out. Good luck.

 

[eaglerico]

If you want brute force use an awl.
However, my suggestion would be to

1) Soak with alcohol over night

2) Poke and prod with pipe cleaners

3) Hand crank a really small drill bit
Usually works for me. The last time I did this was on an estate pipe that had been sitting clogged for a couple of decades.

 

[shutterbug]

I have a few suggestions:

i) Use a compressed air canister; put the plastic straw in as much as possible and fire off a few bursts followed by a long one. Don't worry about it getting stuck because the straw is long and you can always pull it out without fear of it breaking/snapping. The first few blasts will loosen the tobacco, and the last long blast will hopefully dislodge the tobacco.

ii) Using a Senior pipe reamer, remove the 'drill bit' from the back end of it and gently start prodding into the stem until you feel resistance. Start turning the bit until it either snags the toothpick, or pushes it through to the bowl.
Depending on the size of the shank (if it's a long one like a Canadian, you're in trouble), the compressed air canister should do the trick, and the toothpick should fall out by gravity once the tobacco has cleared.
Shutterbug

 

[ciderguy]

Do you have a Czech tool? There is a pokey part of the tool that may be the answer to your problem, and will make unclogging easier in the future.