What is the Filthiest Pipe You Have EVER Had to Clean?

[telescopes]

My second Pipe by Lee, a two star pipe with some rudimentary rustication came in the mail a couple of days ago. I knew from the pictures that it was going to be nasty, but that was an understatement.

I don't believe the pipe was EVER cleaned. Although it was not heavily smoked judging from a lack of heavy cake buildup, it was a gooky tar filled mess.

It would not pass a pipe cleaner in either the stem or the bowl and the stem was severely oxicdized.

I went to work on the stem right away and used micro mesh pads, a flame, and obsidian oil on micro mesh to knock away the oxidation. It worked and I am left with a nice black stem with two inlaid gold stars that shine.

The inside of the stem and the pipe itself were another matter - or another matter.

I used nearly 30 pipe cleaners, working on the stem and opening up the mortise.

It took a paper clip to unblock the stem several times as each time I unblocked it, it blocked up again soon after. I am still not sure that I have removed all of the tar from inside the stem.

Right now, I am giving the bowl and the stem an alcohol and salt bath.

What a mess.

The outside of the bowl is a worn stain mess.

Still, the pipe has promise.

If I can retain the outside of the bowl, and should the pipe's chamber be removed of gook, this pipe may once again smoke like a champion, if it ever once did.

Who knows?

So, what pipes have you worked on to try an gain that reborn pipe experience?

 

[Chasing Embers]

This one.

It's airway had cake all the way to the mortise that I had to clear with a drill bit.

 

[OzPiper]

The majority of my pipes are estates.

I've received a few in pristine condition. In which case I am quick to contact the vendor to compliment and thank them.

Unfortunately I've had more than a few arrive in a similar state to your pipe above.

I've found a that a set of jewellers' screwdrivers or small drill bits indispensible to open up the shank. Also rigorous scrubbing with shank brushes, liquid soap and hot water. Sure saves on the pipe cleaners and alcohol.

Stems are a bit more problematic - bristle cleaners, liquid soap and hot water. Followed by more cleaners soaked in alcohol (sometimes left in overnight).

I spend a lot more time cleaning the shank, mortise and stem than I do the chamber and outside of the bowl. How clean you get the airways is the key to how good a smoke you get IMO.

Thankfully I've not encountered any badly ghosted chambers that alcohol soaks have not been able to exorcise.

 

[telescopes]

I agree with about the mortise. It really it the sewer hole of a pipe. Personally, I don’t beluga pipe can be fully reconditioned until it comes out clean. This current pipe will be a challenge and I am confident it will have to be sent out for a professional cleaning.

 

[anotherbob]

I am imagining from the way it was described that the 2 star by lee was smoked using one of those meerschaum coloring bowls. That would explain it's state.

 

[ashdigger]

 

[agnosticpipe]

Lovely old Dunhill...

 

[sablebrush52]

There are three that come to mind.

First, there is a Becker that I bought on eBay from a dealer who guaranteed his pipes to be thoroughly cleaned and restored, and ready to smoke. Nearly 200 bristle pipe cleaners later, it was. That and a s/a treatment as well as boiling alcohol retort. I have no idea what the previous owner had done to that pipe other than ever clean it even once. I complained to the Dealer and he said he's spent more time on cleaning it than the pipe was worth, including drilling out the chamber, which was nearly full of cake hardened like cement. In any event, the pipe grudgingly came clean. It's an OK smoker, not a brilliant one.

Second is the Dunhill pipe that I bought at Gus', that came out of the Alfred Hitchcock estate. The man could direct, but he was an absolutely a disgusting pig when it came to his pipes. No respect for them whatsoever. They were all about group 3 and were mostly Dublins. The chamber had never seen a reamer and was almost completely blocked up, and the airway was nearly as bad. It took me a significant amount of time to remove the chamber cake which a turned to cement. Eventually I did manage to restore the pipe to mint. It's a good, if not brilliant, smoker.

Third is an old Charatan from the 1920's, a prince, which had a horrible chamber filled with hardened cake that eventually was removed and the rest of the pipe scrubbed, given an S/A treatment followed by a boiling alcohol treatment to exorcise the ghosts. It's a pretty good smoker.

 

[jewman22]

This old Brigham Lovat.

I really should have taken before and after photos. The stem was bright green, the lumber was white, the bowl was so heavily caked that it would actually hold a cigarette tight. The rim had, I sh!t you not, since i measured it, 1/8" thick tar build up at the thickest point around it.

- I ended up having to drill the Hard Maple Distillator out of the stem, it was black and stuck, no amount of soaking loosened it up.
- Soaked the stem in Oxy-Clean over night, gave it the micro-mesh treatment followed by a buff.
- Ended up scrubbing down the stummel with some Dawn and a toothbrush.
- Had to chase the draft hole with a drill bit.
- Ended up starting to ream the chamber with a 1/4-20 tap, moving to 5/16-18 then 3/8-16 before I could start a proper reamer. It worked but was not fun. Ever try using a tap while pulling back?
- The rim was a little more delicate, lightly scraping away with a pen knife until I hit wood, there is still a little bit on the rim, i gave up.

All in All took about 2 weeks to clean it up. Still could use a bit more work, but I really couldn't be bothered to do it. Never needed a refinish though, I was kinda surprised.

 

[mikethompson]

Reading through these posts make me realize I have nothing to complain about. I guess I've been pretty lucky so far.

 

[ssjones]

One of the prize pipes in my GBD collection is this 1950 shape 9242. It took some effort.

 

[Zapasta]

The amount of cake was baffling. The opening was just large enough to fit a pencil through.

 

[jpmcwjr]

View attachment 104329View attachment 104330View attachment 104331View attachment 104332View attachment 104333View attachment 104335

I'd say this one takes the cake! Pun intended.

 

[scloyd]

I haven't cleaned many estates. This was probably the dirtiest.
Dusky Dulcet Before

After...still need to polish it.

 

[Rattray]

I buy all my pipes unsmoked. That avoids the issues.

 

[jpmcwjr]

No, not really! There can be vulcanite and other factory dust in the airway and chamber. A hot water flush takes care of that.

 

[Bwana Kiko]

A meerschaum-lined, pigskin-wrapped kiko.

So much cake the devil could have had a second helping -- forget fitting a pencil in the hole! I had to use a matchstick!

See the forum on "de-caking"

 

[gamzultovah]

This guy…

You will have to use your imagination as I have no before pictures. The chamber was so clogged with cake that a #2 pencil could not be inserted. The plateau rim was under so much lava that the plateau could not be seen. The stem was solid brown/tan and the Lakeland odor was rancid. How the person who owned it before me was able to smoke it to that point is a complete mystery. The outside of the bowl was water stained and covered with globs of sticky tar…the pipe looked like a complete loss; but I gambled and paid the $90 it took to own it. It took 4 hours to clean and then another 4 hours to restore the finish (to both stem and stummel). During the process, it looked as though I had destroyed the pipe, but in the end, all turned out well. It has been in my collection for about 20 years now. I’m smoking Doblone d’ Oro in it as I type this reply.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Well, it sure is a beauty now!