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Junkie
Location: Some place windy
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I'm not a pipe expert, but I would be hesitant to soak my pipe in alcohol. The alcohol might damage it. I would try the directions below:
For regular cleaning:
http://www.pipes.org/asp_FAQ.html#2.8
Quote:
2.8 HOW SHOULD I CLEAN MY PIPE?
Your pipe should be cleaned after each smoke. To do this, first
let the pipe cool and then scoop or dump out any ash and "dottle"
(unburned tobacco that sometimes remains in the bottom of the bowl).
Do not bang the pipe against a hard surface, as this may result in
a cracked shank or broken stem. If you must, hold the bowl of the
pipe in one hand and strike the top of the bowl against the open
palm of the opposite hand. Once the bowl is empty, run a pipe
cleaner through the stem until it just enters the bowl and remove
it. Repeat with additional cleaners until they come out clean (many
people, myself included, will use both ends of a pipe cleaner before
switching to a new one). Finally, take one of the used cleaners,
bend it into a "U" shape, and wipe out the ash clinging to the
sides of the bowl. [NOTE: Some people prefer to leave the ash in the
bowl, believing that it promotes a good cake. If you like, try both
ways and see what works best for you.] Set the pipe aside to dry
completely. *Ideally*, the pipe should be allowed to "rest"
for around 48 hours before smoking it again, but you might have to
forgo this luxury until you have enough pipes to do so.
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For periodic "heavy duty" cleaning
http://www.smokingpipes.com/informat...o/cleaning.cfm
Quote:
Periodically:
You will want to, on occasion, give your pipes a more thorough cleaning than just swabbing out the stem after smoking. Most smokers do this fairly regularly, some going so far as to do so after all of their pipes have been smoked once, thus providing themselves with a fresh, clean rotation of pipes. You will have to experiment a bit with how often you do this clenaing to find what works best for you. To start this cleaning, carefully remove the stem of the pipe from the bowl and lay the two pieces on a paper towel. Dip a regular pipe cleaner in alcohol and run it through the stem, from the tenon to the mouthpiece, pulling it through. It will most likely come out with a bit of black or brown gunk on it. Follow this pipe cleaner with a dry one, and repeat until the moist pipe cleaner comes out the same color it was when it went in. Push one final dry pipe cleaner through to remove any moisture and set the stem aside. Using bristle pipe cleaners, moistened with alcohol, vigorously swab out the airhole of the pipe, alternating with dry, regular pipe cleaners. Don't be afraid to use a lot of pipe cleaners doing this. Pipe cleaners are cheap, new pipes aren't. If the airhole of your pipe is large enough in diameter that there is little resistance when you do this, you may want to fold the cleaner in half in order to scrub the sides of the airhole properly. Once your dry pipe cleaner comes out of the airhole the same color it was when it went in, run one more dry cleaner through the airhole to absorb any residual moisture. Using a cotton swab or shank brush, clean out the tenon, the portion of the pipe where the stem attaches to the bowl. a doubled over regular pipe cleaner will do in a pinch. If your stem or bowl has a band, now is the time to polish it, using a good silver, or other metal, polish, depending on what your band is made of. Carefully reinsert the stem into the bowl, and give the pipe a good wipe with a soft cloth, perhaps impregnated with a compound such as Briar Pipe Wipe. Cleaning over, allow your pipe to sit for a day or so before smoking it, to allow the alcohol to completely evaporate. If you have cleaned most or all of your briar pipes at once, now is a good time to smoke your meerschaums and corncobs you have been neglecting.
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Both sites above are for serious pipe smokers. If you're smoking something other than tobacco, you might not care much about your pipe. Regardless, I would use alcohol sparingly. Also, only remove the stem after your pipe has cooled completely. Repeatedly removing the stem from a hot pipe could damage your pipe. |