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jpmcwjr

Lifer
May 12, 2015
26,281
30,318
Carmel Valley, CA
Do you still have the stinky stem? If so, I'd suggest an experiment. Wash the inside and out with hot water and dish detergent. Scrub the airway with bristle pipe cleaners. Scrub the outside with a scouring pad. Rinse, dry and coat stem with very light application of mineral oil. Then see if it stinks no more!
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,980
117,596
Yes - it happened on the stem of my Nording freehand. Pipe tasted like bitter chemical fire, so after sitting on my shelf for 14 years, I finally sent it to Boswells and they made a new stem from Lucite. Pipe is now great.
I've removed it from the airways by coating a wet bristled pipe cleaners with a powdered cleanser and scrubbed the airway until a pipe cleaner came out clean.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,980
117,596
Do you still have the stinky stem? If so, I'd suggest an experiment. Wash the inside and out with hot water and dish detergent. Scrub the airway with bristle pipe cleaners. Scrub the outside with a scouring pad. Rinse, dry and coat stem with very light application of mineral oil. Then see if it stinks no more!
Lemon juice is good for the inside of the stem too. Breaks down the build up, and can make even clear perspex stems clean.
 
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jpmcwjr

Lifer
May 12, 2015
26,281
30,318
Carmel Valley, CA
Yep, good stuff. You'll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!

In my experience, the airway can be fine, with the stink coming from the outside of the stem- but that's an easy clean up.
 
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oldguyoldpipes

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 20, 2019
265
628
I like the history of old pipes and some I clean up to revive them and some I leave as is because I just appreciate the years they have on them. Newer pipes are nice, but they don't seem to have the same character as my estate pipes. I have too many to really smoke each equally and I find myself going to about 10-20 "regulars".
I do have my Christmas pipes that really only get smoked in December and treated a bit more like a finicky race horse while my garage pipes are my quarter horses.
 
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