Pipe Cleaning Solvents

Pipe Cleaning Solvents - How to scrape your pipe, How often to clean your pipe

We receive many emails asking what is the best solvent to use for cleaning a pipe. The word best is very subjective but I'll answer the question here to the best of my ability. Once you've smoked your pipe more than 5 times it is generally time to run pipe cleaners through the stem and shank with some type of solvent.

This will keep the pipe fresh and prevent the briar from absorbing the foul tasting and smelling moisture that is generated by smoking. There are a few properties that a good cleaning solvent should have. It should have the ability to break down tobacco tar and resins, have the ability to sterilize, be fast drying, high in alcohol content, non toxic, impart minimal taste and be gentle on the briar, stem material and pipe finish.

That's a tall order but not impossible. Here are the common solvents we hear folks using with a bit of commentary to help you make up your mind as to which is right for you.

Rubbing Alcohol: cleans very well and has excellent sterilization properties. Can over dry the briar which could in extreme case crack the shank.

Consumable Spirits: Wine is out. Vodka is an excellent choice in the 90+ proof, non flavored variety. Dark spirits such as whiskey and scotch work well but tend to leave a distinct flavor behind. If you happen to like the taste that might be a plus.

Water: Doesn't break down pipe gunk all that well and will swell the briar.

Thinners and such: Under no circumstances should you use paint thinner, naptha, zippo lighter fluid or any such toxic liquids to clean your pipe.

Commercially Prepared Solvents: such as the one found on this page are formulated to have the properties listed above. Some are better than others. The one we sell is the best I've used. The downside? ... costs more per ounce than 100 proof vodka which works almost as well.

One last thing ... be very careful with any of the solvents listed above. Some are flammable and all can strip the finish from your pipe if you are not careful.

The Right Pipe Cleaner For The Job

There are many things in life that are "one size fits all". Unfortunately pipe cleaners are not one of those things. Pipe cleaners come in many sizes and styles. There are "regular", extra fluffy or absorbent, tapered, bristle and so called "churchwarden" pipe cleaners named for the extra long length.

Regular pipe cleaners have been the bread and butter cleaner for a very long time. They are easy to find, fit just about any size pipe and do a very good job. Some pipe smokers use them exclusively. While they work well in most cases I wanted to take the time to expand your pipe cleaner horizons.

Each of the other styles serve a more specific purpose which I'll cover briefly for your reading pleasure. Fluffy pipe cleaners are great for pipes with larger airways and passages. You should use them when you notice that a regular size pipe cleaner just isn't snug enough to do a thorough cleaning job.

Don't force them down a stem if it feels too tight ... we've recovered many a broken off fluffy cleaner in folks prized pipes. Fluffy cleaners also work great in the airway of the briar bowl itself which tends to be drilled larger than the stem. Tapered pipe cleaners work well on pipe that have a lot of bend to them. They will normally glide down the stems of even the most sharply bent pipes.

I know each of us has a pipe or two that might not take a regular pipe cleaner all the way from the button on the stem to the bottom of the bowl without separating the pipe ... perfect time to use the tapered cleaner. The bristle pipe cleaner is essentially a regular size pipe cleaner that has nylon bristle embedded along it's length. These are my favorites. They do a superb job of cleaning even the cruddiest of pipes while still maintaining good absorbency.

Using bristle cleaners will allow you to go longer between through cleaning of your pipe and when you have to it'll be less of challenging job.

Churchwarden or extra long pipe cleaners are the only way to go for your long stemmed pipes. They can also be economical for your regular length pipes because you can cut them in halve or even thirds. What ever you do, you owe it to yourself and your pipe smoking enjoyment to not skimp on pipe cleaners, don't use the ones that you find in arts and craft store and experiment with different types.

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How to Refurbishing The Old Pipes

If the stem has been oxidized over time or the bowl gives off an unpleasant odor and unpleasant smoke, it is time for a good cleaning. I use a multi-step process; cleaning the inner, outer and between parts of the pipe. The steps are:

1. Reaming out your pipe: Carefully ream out your pipe, removing all the old gunk that has been building up on the inner walls. Take extra care not to damage the inside of the bowl. Use a pipe reamer to clean the bowl. Pipe reamers can be purchased at most tobacco shops. Warning: NEVER use a pocket knife to clean a pipe bowl;

2. Bleaching the stem: If needed, the stem can be put into a jar of bleach. Allow badly oxidized stems to sit in a bleach bath for an hour. Don't leave the stem in the bleach bath too long, the bleach will turm the stem white. This process will save on labor and time when restoring a stem. Clean out the inside of the stem with 150 proof alcohol and pipe cleaners;

2a. Sanding the stem: If the stem is really bad or has any metal parts, such as a metal shaft protruding from the tenon or metallic nomenclature, it may be necessary to carefully sand the stem using a combination of fine grit wet/dry sand paper and water. Bleach will corrode the metal. Use 320, 400, 500, then a very fine 600 paper. Remember always sand in one direction, along the LENGTH of the stem. The stem will end up looking worse than before you started, but after step 3, you'll see a big difference!

2b. Removing oxidation from the stem: Sanding and bleaching can involve a lot of work and the bleach even can be dangerous to use. Another method for removing oxidation from a vulcanite stem that works very well is using "polishing" or "rubbing" compound, such as those by the brand name Turtle Wax or Simoniz. Apply it to the stem in the same way you'd apply it to a car. Use a damp cloth and polish. DO NOT use wax. This will do nothing to remove the oxidation. Rubbing compound is gritter and will cut the oxidation faster. Use caution around logos.

3. Polishing the stem: I use of two different buffing compounds that will make the stem look new. The first buffing wheel is devoted to orange tripoli, a buffing compound that works well to scrub off any residue from the stem. Careful precision is required in order not to remove the valuable nomenclature, or buff down the mouthpiece. The tripoli wheel is used until a moderate shine is achieved. Next, carnauba wax is carefully added to seperate wheel and polished onto the stem. The stem is complete.....now on to the bowl.

4. Salt-treatment (non-iodized salt): The salt treatment is a process of plugging the shank with a small piece of twisted cloth or paper towel, filling the bowl with non-iodized salt, and saturating the salt with 150 proof alcohol. If you can't find a 150 proof alcohol, use any high alcohol "spirit" that is available, such as Gin, Vodka or Jack Daniel's. Leave the salt treatment in for 4 to 5 hours before scraping out the bowl and cleaning it thoroughly with pipe cleaners. This process will remove all the tar and gunk that has built up, leaving the pipe clean and as good as new. Do Not leave the salt treatment in the pipe any longer than a few hours. If the salt is left beyond this amount of time, it may damage the briar or crack the shank. If necessary, you can repeat the salt treatment several times for those really dirty pipes.

5. Polishing the bowl: Polishing the bowl is a simple procedure, but caution is required. Careful precision is required in order not to remove any nomenclature. First carefully buff the bowl with a buffing wheel charged with orange tripoli (a buffing compound). When the bowl begins to show a nice shine, switch to carnauba wax. I have two different buffing wheels, one for tripoli and one for carnauba.

Make sure the buffing wheel being used is running between 1600 and 2700 rpm's, when using a 6" buffing wheel. Motor speed is VERY important, if it's too fast it will melt the wax. If it's too slow, buffing pressure will slow the wheel too mcuh and not buff properly. Don't use the standard work bench "grinder" motors. They run at 3400 rpm's and could send your pipe or stem across the room.

If you feel the least bit uncomfortable in doing any of these procedures on your pipes and stems, it might be best if you took them to a qualified pipe maker for cleaning. Most quality tobacco shops offer repair and cleaning services for pipes and stems. In many cases they don't perform this work themselves, rather they contract out these services with pipe makers like Clarence Mickels or Mark Tinsky.

More articles about the pipes:

• Caring for Your Pipe
• Tools for Pipe Smoking
• Types of Clay Pipe
• Why Choose Clay Pipe?
• Clay Pipes and its history
• How to clean your meerschaum pipe