Three Cheers for Coffee Grounds!
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MikeThompson,I am so glad that my coffee grounds suggestion from your other thread about your ghosted pipes is working for you and the others. I use wet grounds left over from my morning coffee. 
I like reuse of the k-cups idea pappymac suggested also!
The other day I was refurbishing an old pipe I found at an estate sale that smelled very nasty of musty mildew combined with old tobacco residue funk.
I did the usual of reaming down the bowls cake then did the salt/alcohol treatment to no avail. still smelled bad.
So I packed the pipe with some leftover espresso grounds and let them sit in there till they dried out.
Next I added alcohol to the dry grounds and let that sit for a few hours. Now the pipe has no odor at all! :D
Also the use of A bristle pipe cleaner in the stem with the wet grounds will scrub out the old funk left in there too.
then rinse out with water or alcohol.
I like reuse of the k-cups idea pappymac suggested also!
The other day I was refurbishing an old pipe I found at an estate sale that smelled very nasty of musty mildew combined with old tobacco residue funk.
I did the usual of reaming down the bowls cake then did the salt/alcohol treatment to no avail. still smelled bad.
So I packed the pipe with some leftover espresso grounds and let them sit in there till they dried out.
Next I added alcohol to the dry grounds and let that sit for a few hours. Now the pipe has no odor at all! :D
Also the use of A bristle pipe cleaner in the stem with the wet grounds will scrub out the old funk left in there too.
then rinse out with water or alcohol.
Jeffro, this is my new go-to method for de-ghosting pipes! Works like a dream. I'm spreading the word to any who ask.
I tried the method on a few pipes and it works great. Did something a little different today, I used some finer grounds from a batch of cold brewed coffee. I will report back if anything unexpected happens. I use wet coffee and let the pipe rest over a few days until everything is dry.
bouwser I'd love to take the credit for it, but jeffro turned me on to it. I love simple ideas that work.
homewaters let us know what happens, maybe the different size grind affects the wicking effectivness?
homewaters let us know what happens, maybe the different size grind affects the wicking effectivness?
I just tried this and it did help a bit. I left the moist grounds in the pipe for about 26 hours. I packed the, loosely, the next morning they had gone from filling the bowl to only about half full. After I re,over the grounds I rinsed for a about 10 seconds under hot water. I will smoke the pipe tonight and see how it goes.
I was just cleaning up an old estate pipe that smelled like urine. It was awful! I remember reading a bit of this thread, and being impatient, decided to combine the water-rinse method with the coffee method, just to see what would happen. So, I poured some strong cold-brewed (liquid) coffee into the bowl, let a bit run out the stem, and them angled the pipe so it soaked for about a minute full of cold coffee. I poured it out, gave it a water rinse, and the smell was completely gone. Dont know how, but maybe some others might want to test it out to get some more feedback? Perhaps a long wait and / or grounds might not be necessary. Just thought if post this here for experimentation’s sake.
Now, this is interesting, because at the Lehigh Valley Pipe Club last night, a member was telling a very funny story about being drunk in a bar, smoking a brand new Savinelli while using the urinal. Someone called his name, he opened his mouth to say hello and the pipe fell in with a splash. He didn't have the stomach to fish it out, so he just left it and walked away.
Now we know where it ended up!
In addition to de-ghosting a bowl, I've discovered another valuable use for coffee grounds. While watching one of Briar Blues' YouTube video reviews of Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake, Mike Glukler starts by saying how tired he is after spending three hours cleaning pipe rims, then ticks off a few things restorers use, including " a damp cloth, coffee grinds, and various instruments of destruction".
As it happened, I was trying to figure out the best way to remove the lava (as opposed to simply tar) all around the rim of my recently acquired 1927 Dunhill Shell billiard. I didn't want to get it too wet, since the stain used for these pipes seems to be water-soluble. Hearing Mike's brief mention of coffee grinds sounded like it could be just the ticket.
I took a damp section of paper towel, folded over several times and placed it in a tiny, shallow, flat-bottomed bowl. On top of that paper towel, I placed a 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep layer of tamped grounds, damp from the brewer. The object was to provide a layer of damp grounds which remained in contact with the rim, but not much more, as I wanted to minimize the wet grounds contacting the sides of the bowl. I then placed the pipe bowl, rim down, onto the grounds, pressed down with modest pressure, and scrubbed the rim with the damp coffee. I scrubbed for a few minutes, periodically lifting the pipe to clear the grounds which crept into the bowl and rotating the pipe in my hand to ensure that I was scrubbing the rim evenly. This seemed to remove the bulk of the lava. I then grabbed a stiff toothbrush and gently scrubbed with a dry brush for a couple more minutes.
The rim now looks practically brand-new, with every nook and cranny cleared of lava. The stain was unaffected and it took very little effort. I'll be interested to try this method on a plateau or smooth rim. Next time, I might swap the paper towel for a thin cellulose sponge, as the paper started to tear toward the end of my scrubbing.
As it happened, I was trying to figure out the best way to remove the lava (as opposed to simply tar) all around the rim of my recently acquired 1927 Dunhill Shell billiard. I didn't want to get it too wet, since the stain used for these pipes seems to be water-soluble. Hearing Mike's brief mention of coffee grinds sounded like it could be just the ticket.
I took a damp section of paper towel, folded over several times and placed it in a tiny, shallow, flat-bottomed bowl. On top of that paper towel, I placed a 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep layer of tamped grounds, damp from the brewer. The object was to provide a layer of damp grounds which remained in contact with the rim, but not much more, as I wanted to minimize the wet grounds contacting the sides of the bowl. I then placed the pipe bowl, rim down, onto the grounds, pressed down with modest pressure, and scrubbed the rim with the damp coffee. I scrubbed for a few minutes, periodically lifting the pipe to clear the grounds which crept into the bowl and rotating the pipe in my hand to ensure that I was scrubbing the rim evenly. This seemed to remove the bulk of the lava. I then grabbed a stiff toothbrush and gently scrubbed with a dry brush for a couple more minutes.
The rim now looks practically brand-new, with every nook and cranny cleared of lava. The stain was unaffected and it took very little effort. I'll be interested to try this method on a plateau or smooth rim. Next time, I might swap the paper towel for a thin cellulose sponge, as the paper started to tear toward the end of my scrubbing.
I tried the coffee grounds method on an old Peterson 309 System Premier smooth. It worked pretty well, but seemed less than miraculous. It did nothing for the scorches. ;-) I'm going to have to top the bowl, which is no big deal for this particular pipe.
I'll post before and after photos later in the day.
I'll post before and after photos later in the day.
I tried the coffee grounds method on an old Peterson 309 System Premier smooth. It worked pretty well, but seemed less than miraculous. It did nothing for the scorches. ;-) I'm going to have to top the bowl, which is no big deal for this particular pipe.
I'll post before and after photos later in the day.
I'll post before and after photos later in the day.
One issue folks in more humid areas may encounter using this wet coffee grounds method is introducing mold. Grounds moistened with just water is the perfect breeding ground for spores. Either use alcohol or put the pipe in an area where it will dry out quickly. Moldy pipes are tough to rid of that flavor and can be downright dangerous depending on if you just grew a colony of common household mold or black mold in your bowl. I'd say if it doesn't completely dry in a day or two, dump it out and get that pipe dried out.
I bought a pipe off ebay once that was moldy in the heel. Mold spores can lie dormant in wood for years. I had a heck of a time getting rid of it, resorting to sanding, then a vinegar/salt treatment then alcohol/salt treatment before the taste was neutralized. And, lucky for us, mold spores are not going to survive fire. So, several shallow bowls of a hot and fast burning virginia shag finally cured the pipe. My torched tongue took a bit longer to cure.
I bought a pipe off ebay once that was moldy in the heel. Mold spores can lie dormant in wood for years. I had a heck of a time getting rid of it, resorting to sanding, then a vinegar/salt treatment then alcohol/salt treatment before the taste was neutralized. And, lucky for us, mold spores are not going to survive fire. So, several shallow bowls of a hot and fast burning virginia shag finally cured the pipe. My torched tongue took a bit longer to cure.
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