Would Anyone Suggest this for After Smoke Cleaning?

[OzPiper]

Me either, it baffles my mind to see the lengths people go through to sanitize and sterilize their pipes after a smoke. That's like breaking in your pipe every time you light up another bowl.

If you see the muck that accumulates in the shank/mortise you'd be horrified. I'm not obsessive about cleaning - always a couple of pipe cleaners, then doubled over to scrub out the bowl.

Recently I took apart a pipe I'd owned for 40 years and was appalled at the state of the airway.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you see the muck that accumulates in the shank/mortise you'd be horrified. I'm not obsessive about cleaning - always a couple of pipe cleaners, then doubled over to scrub out the bowl.

Recently I took apart a pipe I'd owned for 40 years and was appalled at the state of the airway.

I clean out the mortise and draft with Q-tips after each smoke.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

If those are the kind of scrubbers I’m thinking of, they are not as abrasive as they look. I don’t know whether they’d be enough to damage anything or not. ?‍

 

[MARC52]

If you see the muck that accumulates in the shank/mortise you'd be horrified. I'm not obsessive about cleaning - always a couple of pipe cleaners, then doubled over to scrub out the bowl.

Recently I took apart a pipe I'd owned for 40 years and was appalled at the state of the airway.

No muck in my pipe shank/mortise they are wiped out on a regular basis with a folded over pipe cleaner or Q-tips. I don't use any high octane alcohol to clean my pipes, especially the shank/mortise. That defeats the purpose of breaking in and seasoning a pipe. Call me old school.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Mortise cleaning: Once every 40 years is too infrequent; after every smoke, too anal.

 

[craig61a]

Mortise cleaning: Once every 40 years is too infrequent; after every smoke, too anal.

About the only mortises I clean after each smoke are well pipe mortises. And they’re designed to be taken apart frequently. Otherwise I’ll thoroughly clean about every 50-60 uses. I just use a pipe cleaner down the draft after smoking, and wipe the ash with folded over cleaner.

And Kirstens get thoroughly cleaned after each smoke…

Hasn’t failed me for over 30 years.

 

[anotherbob]

personally I wipe out the mortise every smoke. I find the pipe stays sweet much longer and then doesn't require a deep clean latter. And as far as how tight the stems stay I only have one pipe with a semi loose stem. That pipe is over 20 years old and has had the stem stay in almost the whole time I've owned it. Only been cleaning the mortise every smoke for about a year, but find the pipes stays cleaner and sweeter so much longer.

 

[Iaido]

I have been using shotgun chamber brushes, after every smoke, very soft brass 20 and 12 cover my pipes.
not the regular cleaning brushes for barre

 

[mikebjrtx]

I recommend swabbing everything with a pipe cleaner dipped in everclear, a quick rinse with warm water, then drying as best you can and letting it sit to dry the rest of the way. If you have a couple of vanilla beans you can cut them up and drop them in the everclear. If you like the smell of vanilla.

 

[mikebjrtx]

Pipe Soap

 

[sablebrush52]

Mortise cleaning is reserved for after a day's use, since I frequently smoke the same pipe multiple times in the course of a day. I just don't have the time, nor the patience, to clean 5 to 6 pipes daily.