I have decided that the shitty tasting chlorine filled water of Florida will never touch my pipes, I'd rather piss on them.
Water Flush Cleaning Technique
- Thread starter hoosierpipeguy
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
If I were You with a relatively brand new pipe, I'd rather smoking it several times(5-10) prior to waterflush, some seasoning with tobacco tars first might be beneficial
I've tried it on other parts of the pipe and don't think I'll expose my briar to water anytime soon. Did nothing for the gunk on the rest of the pipe.
How does water clean tobacco tars and gunk? I can't imagine that it's anything more than a fantastic placebo effect and that's fine but water, no matter how hot you get it or how long you soak tobacco tars in it, will not remove anything but ashes from a pipe. It's like trying to remove pine tar with water.
How does water clean tobacco tars and gunk? I can't imagine that it's anything more than a fantastic placebo effect and that's fine but water, no matter how hot you get it or how long you soak tobacco tars in it, will not remove anything but ashes from a pipe. It's like trying to remove pine tar with water.
It works better than the credit you’re giving it. True, nonpolar substances are not dissolved by water, but it’s not all about solvation. If the water is hot, it will still lift a lot of gunk off, without ever dissolving anything. If you use some gentle agitation from a soft brush or a finger, it will lift off even more. It’s not a placebo, as you can literally see brown stuff coming off of the chamber walls. FWIW, I’ve gotten cosmoline out of rifles with hot water. All but a thin film. This is basically what is going on in the pipe chamber, too. I have one that I’ve done this to from the get-go. It would’ve normally developed a cake by now, but it hasn’t. To each their own, I wouldn’t tell you what to do with your own pipes, but it does get more than ashes out.
I'm with DAR.
We're ten pages in, and no one's convinced me to drown my pipes.
We're ten pages in, and no one's convinced me to drown my pipes.
I'm in the camp that I don't feel obligated to convince others to do what I do. It works for me to rinse with water, but if you don't want to, it doesn't bother me at all.
I am a believer now, started doing this and my pipes taste better. I don't get any of the gross juice in my mouth anymore either. It has also saved me many a pipe cleaner.
I put my pipes in our new air fryer we just got. Has anyone else tried this?
It bothers me that you're not bothered by it.
I don't care what folks do to their pipes, even sticking them in places where they ought not go....
But I do care about accuracy and truth. A fair reporting of one's experience, if you will.
But I do care about accuracy and truth. A fair reporting of one's experience, if you will.
Mine are always clean as hell. I have some very nice high end pipes, and they stay perfectly clean, no odors, no gunky build ups...
...but, if you're asking this forum not to lie, bah ha ha ha ha ha, NO one has ever gotten an imperfect Peterson. No one has ever gotten a Dunhill that smoked well. EVERYONE's tobacco magically transforms into nut-bursting Nirvana after a few years in the cellar, and corn cob pipes are the epitome of how a pipe should smoke. John, you missed the part about this forum when you signed up that said that you had to pick a lie and stick to it till your dying days.
Some people have a philosophy, and they will lie their ass up one side of a tree and back down the other to prevent anyone from pushing them off the wrong headed philosophy. You're just going to have to face it, some people just have no concept of truth verses fiction. These guys like to spend a lot of time commenting at the bottom of every article posted online by a news organization.
Water flushing works great on my Kirsten pipes. I don't see dramatic results with my briar pipes, but that's probably because I already clean them the normal way every smoke until the pipe cleaners come out clean, so there's probably not a lot of buildup to clear out in the first place.
That’s the spirit! Well done!Mine are always clean as hell. I have some very nice high end pipes, and they stay perfectly clean, no odors, no gunky build ups...
...but, if you're asking this forum not to lie, bah ha ha ha ha ha, NO one has ever gotten an imperfect Peterson. No one has ever gotten a Dunhill that smoked well. EVERYONE's tobacco magically transforms into nut-bursting Nirvana after a few years in the cellar, and corn cob pipes are the epitome of how a pipe should smoke. John, you missed the part about this forum when you signed up that said that you had to pick a lie and stick to it till your dying days.
Some people have a philosophy, and they will lie their ass up one side of a tree and back down the other to prevent anyone from pushing them off the wrong headed philosophy. You're just going to have to face it, some people just have no concept of truth verses fiction. These guys like to spend a lot of time commenting at the bottom of every article posted online by a news organization.
So here’s an observation after a month or so of flushins:
I still mop up with a cleaner once and a while, and the cleaners come out pretty filthy still...so the water flush alone doesn’t seem to get things 100% clean. Maybe I’m not flushin long or hot enough.
BUT
I’ve found that as long as I flush the pipe out pretty quickly after a smoke, while all the tar and juices and shit are still a bit loose and gooey, I get a really fresh tasting and completely dry-smoking pipe after the pipe has dried out.
With using pipe cleaners alone, I found myself doing an alcohol scrub every two weeks or so to get the sourness out of a pipe.
I don’t have a large rotation so my pipes get run through their paces and until I tried this flush method, and despite a good cleaning routine with dry cleaners after each smoke, they would gunk up eventually and start tasting like baked asshole necessitating a good scrub with alcohol. Hasn’t happened this month.
Im a +1 for water flushing.
Also, I scrub my cast iron skillets with soap. Been doing it for years. They’re fine.
I still mop up with a cleaner once and a while, and the cleaners come out pretty filthy still...so the water flush alone doesn’t seem to get things 100% clean. Maybe I’m not flushin long or hot enough.
BUT
I’ve found that as long as I flush the pipe out pretty quickly after a smoke, while all the tar and juices and shit are still a bit loose and gooey, I get a really fresh tasting and completely dry-smoking pipe after the pipe has dried out.
With using pipe cleaners alone, I found myself doing an alcohol scrub every two weeks or so to get the sourness out of a pipe.
I don’t have a large rotation so my pipes get run through their paces and until I tried this flush method, and despite a good cleaning routine with dry cleaners after each smoke, they would gunk up eventually and start tasting like baked asshole necessitating a good scrub with alcohol. Hasn’t happened this month.
Im a +1 for water flushing.
Also, I scrub my cast iron skillets with soap. Been doing it for years. They’re fine.
I have always used a pipecleaner. I also use a rolled up paper towel to ream out the bowl.
When I get a new (to me) skillet to refurbish, I will use a sandblaster, and even then... it's hard to remove the patina. People when they get something in their head will not let go of it even when shown how absurd it is.
That is the #1 biggest myth in the world. I couldn't tell you how many people keep cooking in a nasty cast iron skillet, because someone has conned them into thinking that you can wash off the patina. Asa metalsmith, I can assure you that not a single person on this forum has enough elbow grease, umph, or get up and go to actually scrub off the patina built up on a cast iron skillet. Neither will a dishwasher that merely sprays the dishes ever remove the patina.
When I get a new (to me) skillet to refurbish, I will use a sandblaster, and even then... it's hard to remove the patina. People when they get something in their head will not let go of it even when shown how absurd it is.
Precisely why I brought it up! Only extra thing I do to my skillets is heat them up to smoking and rub some oil on them.
I don’t own a pipe that hasn’t been dropped in a river/lake. That’s why I decided to give the flushing a try, and it’s been just fine for me.
Just a note: I completely stripped the wax/finish (I don’t really know which) on a 1968 Dunhill Tanshell after just one hot water flush. Be careful with certain pipes. I now flush with cold water.
Well, now I'm convinced that the water treatment does indeed work.
How can I doubt such insightful conversation?! .
- Status