Pipe Smell
OutdoorsSmoke_21191
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in Pipes
What do you people do with your pipe after a smoking session? Another way to put it…how do you keep your house from smelling while storing your used pipes? Not that I don’t mind the aromatic smell in the air, BUT, trying not to sink the boat with the wife so to speak. I will beat you comedians to the punch…no I can’t replace her…cheaper to keep her 🤣🤣.
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
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Comments
Clean the pipe after smoking it and have a way of disposing of the used pipe cleaner that avoids it becoming an Airwick scant diffuser. Wipe out the bowl with a paper towel. Have a decent rotation of pipes, two smokes max, to prevent the accumulation of tars and moisture. Store the pipes that are resting somewhere other than where the wife is.
Daily cleaning is as Edward describes above. I use enough pipe cleaners so that they come out fairly clean from the stem and I fold the pipe cleaner into a U shape to clean the bowl. For Vulcanite (rubber) stems, you may want to wipe the stem regularly with Obsidian oil or some other oil to prevent oxidation. It also shines up the stem.
Periodically you can use cleaners dipped in alcohol to clean the stem and airway into the shank of the pipe. Don't get alcohol on the outside of the pipe or it can ruin the finish. Some people use pipe sweetener or their favorite high proof spirits. A shank brush can help remove stubborn buildups.
You can do a salt treatment or even use ground coffee in the bowl, plugging the shank, and adding alcohol to remove stubborn ghosts or clean up an estate pipe that you purchased from others. You can also use a reamer to remove cake too.
I mostly do just the first method, rarely even removing the stem from the shank during cleaning except for system pipes or pipes where I know there's a buildup of moisture between the tenon and the shank.
Cleaning a Peterson System Pipe is a bit more involved because there is a well to catch moisture below the inlet hole into the bowl and usually a p-lip stem that doesn't easily pass a cleaner both ways. I usually twist up a paper towel to mop up the moisture out of the well and make sure to pass the cleaner through to the bowl with the stem off. I also bend up a cleaner and give the well a scrub. Cleaning the p-lip stem, I'll run a cleaner from the wider tenon up to the mouthpiece and clean the inside, then I'll run a cleaner through the opening on the top of the p-lip stem down the other way. I tapered pipe cleaner can help to clean the wider part of the stem near the tenon.
Used pipe cleaners get thrown away in the garage or outside and cigar butts are closed inside of Pringle cans or a canning jar in the garage to minimize stink.
So what cleaning solution do you guys recommend. I just bought three inexpensive pipes (Brigham, Morgan, Molina…there were two really nice ones [Gepetto & Tsuge] that caught my eye but alas I held my composure). I believe they are all briar.
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
I like to use Gin. Don't get it on a vulcanite stem. I keep several pipes inside. They don't stink up the room. Sorta like walking past a scented candle.
I usually use 91% Isopropyl alcohol since I can't buy Everclear in Calif. Sometimes a 151 proof rum.
For cobs, they occasionally benefit from a sun bath. Take their stems out and leave them in the sun to help freshen them up. Don't leave them out overnight or get them wet.
Everclear. As neutral as it gets. I use the 120 proof stuff just fine. If it's deep cleaning day, high octane iso.
Nolite Oblivisci Peniculus Dentes
A friend of mine made I mean found some moonshine, works great. Everclear is my next choice.
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