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Hey guys! I've been sorely neglecting most of my pipes for the past couple years. They are getting overgrown with cobwebs and dust. How do you guys clean your pipes? After all this time, I'm assuming they're going to need a little more than just a wipedown.
Well what I do is take a draw thru a pipe I'm thinking of smoking. If it tastes ok on the cold draw I load a bowl and go for it. Then just run a pipe cleaner thru the stem and wipe out the bowl afterwards like I'd normally do. If it tastes nasty on the cold draw I'll clean it out good with some rum or everclear or something. Rum's not as potent a solvent as everclear but I sure like the slight rum ghost it leaves behind.
If it's just dust and cobwebs, then a good wipedown and a pipe cleaner thru the stem should suffice. If the bowl is gunked up with crud, you might look into the salt method, which I use in such situations. If you're not familiar, you can google it - saves me the trouble of writing it down here :)
Similar to what some of the others have said, I take the stem off and dip a bristle pipe cleaner in some Golden Grain, Everclear or some rum. I clean the stem first and then use the same wet pipe cleaner in the shank. I like to repeat the process until the pipe cleaner stops getting discolored or close to it. Then I follow up with a regular pipe cleaner. Be careful not to let the alcohol that you are using run out on the outside of the bowl! It may damage the finish or remove wax from the finish. If necessary, carefully ream the bowl. If the pipe is particularly fouled, you may want to use the salt/alcohol technique: https://rebornpipes.com/2013/02/08/t...hol-treatment/.
Thanks guys! I only have one pipe that's really fouled up. I bought it at an antique shop and have not used it yet because it needs a deep cleaning. Once my show is installed (and I can take a breather) I'll take an afternoon and sit down with a bottle of rum and drink my pipes. Ummm...I mean...clean my pipes. LOL