Thread: Question For Tobacco Pipe Smokers

Years ago I read somewhere that it was a good idea to leave a pipe cleaner in the freshly smoked pipe overnight. So I began to do that, but I generally left it until the next time I smoked it. This could have been days, weeks, months. I did this for 20 years or better.

Now I make sure to pull the cleaner out within a day or so and discard it. I got to thinking that, while the pipe cleaner is absorbing moisture, a good thing, it is also constricting the flow of fresh air through the bowl/shank, and that probably isn't so good.

So to whom it may concern, what is your routine with pipe cleaners ?

I leave it in for a day maybe two tops. If one is going into long term storage there is no need for a pipe cleaner to be left in it IMO. For the ones I will be using in the next day or two it really makes a difference to leave it soaking up all the yuk.

I am the newest pipe smoker here that I am aware of. I do not have the luxury of smoking in the house period. And that is not a real issue with me. Our backyard and deck are perfect for smoking and the garage is just fine, especially if I am tuning up some razors.

My practice, because of my pipes in the house, is when I am finished with the pipe(s) of the day I let them cool and then begin cleaning process. Pipe cleaners dipped in everclear, followed by a Q tip in alcohol to swap out the bowl. The this routine repeated with pipe sweetener and then pipes back in the house to their racks.

I realize this is off the topic but I wanted to ask the pipe pro's here whether I am overdoing this to the point that I may dmage a pipe?

Some of my maintenance practices with pipes early on included running a couple of pipe cleaners and then leaving one in. I did this for some time the length varied depending when that pipe might come up again in my rotation. I have only about a dozen pipes and of course I have favorites and some I ignore almost all together, kind of like my razors actually. So one day I decided to smoke a pipe that I haven't smoked maybe in about 3 maybe 4 days. I pulled the pipe cleaner out and quickly found that it was quite wet and tarry, this didn't sit well with me and I started wondering if the practice of leaving the pipe cleaner in was hampering the drying process. Sure enough I realized that moisture wasn't coming out fast enough and I was getting a progressively wet smoke as a result. I tried something a little different and so far I am pleased with the results.
After the smoke I do the usual 3 or 4 passes with the pipe cleaners to get it reasonable clean then leave one in just overnight. I feel this draws some of the remaining moisture and gunk out of the briar then take it out run one more clean one through the stem, take a few tugs of fresh air into it and set it on the rack for a few more days. I feel I have been getting a better smoke this way and I'm sure some of these steps can be omitted with similar results. Tough to know whats best really. The pipe community has as many methods as variety of pipes out there. Experience I find is the best teacher.

Originally Posted by lz6

I am the newest pipe smoker here that I am aware of. I do not have the luxury of smoking in the house period. And that is not a real issue with me. Our backyard and deck are perfect for smoking and the garage is just fine, especially if I am tuning up some razors.

My practice, because of my pipes in the house, is when I am finished with the pipe(s) of the day I let them cool and then begin cleaning process. Pipe cleaners dipped in everclear, followed by a Q tip in alcohol to swap out the bowl. The this routine repeated with pipe sweetener and then pipes back in the house to their racks.

I realize this is off the topic but I wanted to ask the pipe pro's here whether I am overdoing this to the point that I may dmage a pipe?

I'm certainly not a pro at this either but using alcohol after every smoke is probably not a good thing. I read that after such a treatment your pipe should rest even a bit longer. I don't think and its just my opinion that daily solvent cleaning is necessary and over time could be harmful. depending how often you use the pipe I wouldn't do that more than once or twice a month. Nice topic for some research though.

Originally Posted by lz6

I realize this is off the topic but I wanted to ask the pipe pro's here whether I am overdoing this to the point that I may dmage a pipe?

Not off topic at all. Early on Jim Beard, a pipe smoker who was my 'guru' on a pipe forum years ago, recommended smoking the bowl down to the bottom and then, with thumb over the bowl, shake the ash to where it sticks on the sides of the bowl. Put the pipe in the rack. This will form cake relatively quickly.

I don't recall what Jim said about pipe cleaners, but for the past month, or whatever, I've been pulling the cleaners out after a day, and TBH I don't notice an appreciable difference, but I'm making that my new routine.

TBH I rarely if ever clean my pipes. I used to do the alcohol on a pipe cleaner in the stem, mortise and shank. Never the bowl. I have a lot of pipes. I don't even clean the ones I smoke in a regular rotation, and I smoke all the time ...... except when eating or sleeping. Sex ain't been an issue for some years, but I get to smoke in the house so it is a fair trade.