The Lakeland Ghost

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I recently purchased an estate pipe that has a Lakeland ghost. I have reamed it as close to bare wood that I'm comfortable with, thoroughly scrubbed out the shank, and treated it with ozone using my air purifier. The ghost still lingers. Any recommendations? Will it fade if I keep smoking it? Is Walker's ozone treatment an option that works. Does the activated charcoal thing work? Grandma's perfume really isn't my thing and I need to get rid of it.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Have you tried grain alcohol, with a retort, or soaking using salt or cotton balls? That would be my best guess for ridding these pipes of the remnants of any aromatic added to the tobacco, since most flavorings are alcohol-soluble. Since ozone is a strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, I would expected it would work well for funky pipes and not so great for removing aromatic ghosts.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Have you tried grain alcohol, with a retort, or soaking using salt or cotton balls?

I'm currently trying the alcohol and cotton ball method. We'll see how it works? I've never done a retort, but will try it next if the current method fails. Thanks for your response.

 

[jaytex1969]

I had two estates that required salt & alcohol twice, followed by moist coffee grounds twice, followed by a week of burley bombs to finally overcome the spirits. Mine was some cherry something, not granny.
May the Force be with you....

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

followed by moist coffee grounds twice

Jay, can you explain the coffee grounds method. Do you just put used moist coffee grounds in the chamber and let them dry out?

 

[onestrangeone]

I have an old Comoy’s that had a bad ‘Lakeland’ ghost, I did salt & alcohol several times, sanded it to bare wood, alcohol and cotton a couple of times, activated charcoal in the oven , all this and it was still pretty strong, finally did the coffee grounds a couple of times and tamed the beast! I still get a hint of Lakeland once in a while but it’s faint and I at least have hope that it will eventually smoke out. I used damp used grounds and packed the shank and the bowl let it dry completely, scrubbed everything with a bore brush and repeated it again.

 

[jaytex1969]

Yes.
HERE's the initial posting of my epic battle against the ghosts of estates past.

 

[npod]

The Lakeland "essence" ghost is tough to exorcise in my experience. Just keep at your methods above and then smoke the heck out of it and the ghost will fade in time. Try G&H Bob's Chocolate Flake in it. The essence is very very mild in that blend and it might help round out the spirits of smokes past.

 

[saltedplug]

Why not just be done with it and torch it with a flamethrower?

 

[thomasw]

I had a lakeland ghost haunting an ebay estate purchase. I reamed, salt/alcohol treated (3x), retorted (5x) and still had a faint phantom in the pipe. I tried smoking about 3,5oz of burley through it, too. No joy, still had a haunted chapel. Eventually I gave the pipe to a friend who likes lakelands. Depending on the sensitivity of your taste to that essence, you may never be satisfied with it. The lakeland ghost is nasty and resilient and requires much prayer and fasting to exorcise.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I'm not giving up on this pipe. I'm yet to smoke it since the alcohol cotton ball method, but the coffee grounds method is next, followed by a pouch of Carter Hall. I'll get it out one way or another. I like this pipe too much to give up, which is rare for me. I usually let pipes go if they don't work for me regardless of the reason. I wish I could come around to Lakelands. This would be the easiest solution, but I just don't know how someone enjoys a perfume tasting tobacco. Floral snuff I can at times enjoy, but floral pipe tobacco? I don't know? It's no bueno to me. More power to those who enjoy them, but a pipe should be marked somehow after it's had Lakelands smoked in it. Warning! Lakelands have been in here.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Pretty sure there's essential oils or something in those blends that makes the essence so persistent. Coffee grounds sound promising, Carter Hall might be too light, something more rough around the edges like 5 Brothers should strong arm it out. Got a few tainted pipes but it's on purpose and I have no plan to sell them.

 

[hawky454]

White vinegar did the trick for me. Soak a cotton ball in it and let it sit in the chamber overnight and then let your pipe rest for a good 48 hours. This worked for me and I was dealing with a strong and nasty ghost, it would make what ever I smoked taste like the ghost, I had never experienced anything like it but the vinegar definitely worked. I also dipped a pipe cleaner in the vinegar and let it sit in the airway overnight as well. I could still pick up on the ghost very slightly after this treatment but I was then able to easily smoke out the residual taste. Good luck!
Alcohol is great for cleaning but it doesn’t do squat to nuetralize residual flavors, that’s where the white vinegar comes in handy.

 

[cigrmaster]

I recently had 6 pipes ozoned 2-3 times each by Walker and I can still taste fucking mother fucking cock sucking lakeland ghosts. I am going to get rid of all the pipes as I will not suffer trying to smoke a lakeland ghost out of a pipe. It is a shame as these are some fucking nice pipes ruined by maggots who smoke lakeland blends.
I think from now on anyone who sells a fucking pipe that they smoke lakelands in needs to declare it just like they would the type of stem material the pipe has.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Vinegar, cool, I would have never thought of it. Coffee sounds like it has possibilities too. I once had to soak the whole stummel of a beautiful Hilson topper in acetone for three days to leach every bit of oil or aroma out of it to exorcise the lakeland ghost from that one. I was just heartbeats away from just crushing the pipe. But, the acetone worked, and it is one of my favorite smokers now. It didn't kill the stain either. I just hit it with some wax and was ready for the road.
But, I would try the vinegar before reaching for the acetone, although it was in one of Rick Newcombes books about the acetone. I think he mentioned that he runs every new estate pipe through a jar of acetone.

 

[perdurabo]

I like Lakelands. Send the pipes to me, I'll smoke them out for you.

 

[mso489]

Is the pipe worth the trouble? If not, maybe you could smoke it only when you want a Lakeland ghost, unless you really can't stand it. Eventually it might fade. It's not an attractive product, aromatic blends that modify the flavor of pipes for years. Sort of hostile. Of course, estate pipe sellers should have to list that about a pipe -- never will.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We tend to fret over lakeland ghosts the most, but a nasty cherry aromatic ghost is right up there next to a lakeland, IMO. Cherry or peach or vanilla sounds all nice and comfy and childlike, but it leaves a rancid nasty ghost behind. I've had a few pipes that made me want to kick an aro smoker right in the vagina. ::

 

[spartan99]

Hit it with some Haunted Bookshop. *rimshot* :P

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Cosmic, I never thought nobody else than me would use a pure 100% farmacy acetone to rub the chamber,was there any residue left after this your shock' treatment?

White Vinegar?Is this the ordinary standard strong vinegar often used in preserving pickles or so called white-vine Vinegar?