Thread: Pipes- to clean or not to clean......

I have a pipe collection, but stopped smoking about a year ago, since Rad, HAD, and SAD have taken hold of me, I have decided to trade or sell these pipes to fund my Passion for razors.

as to my question, i have read about using salt and everclear to clean a pipe, I have never done this, and am wondering if there is any possibility of damaging them during this process, or should i just let them go the way they are?

Having bought and sold many a pipe on ebay I would suggest givng them a cleaning and a little polishing before you sell them. Presentation is important and a grungy pipe may be a great smoker but it won't bring as much as the same pipe looking spruced up. Mentioning in the description that the pipe is clean and ready to smoke is a + too.

The professor's pipe sweetening treatment is good and I have done it when I received a pipe that had an aroma I couldn't deal with but cracks in bowls have been reported. I never had any problems myself. Here is an article on it.

thanks for reply Jimmy, I had read that article before (found it doing a search in the forum), but as you pointed out, others mentioned cracking bowls, so i am a bit apprehensive in undertaking this procedure.

i firmly agree with you on presentation, after buying several razors here, i am always impressed when they arrive looking even better than they did in the photos

I have alrady polished them and cleaned then stems, and used a "pipe sweetener", but I have been nervous about the salting method, as two of them are Nordings from the late 70's, and they are great smokers so I wouldnt want to hurt them.

I was hoping someone has a method that provides a margin of safety, I typically have good skills with wood and metal, but briar is a little out of my realm of knowledge

If you are selling any Peterson Bull Dogs let me know.

Originally Posted by currentman

I have a pipe collection, but stopped smoking about a year ago, since Rad, HAD, and SAD have taken hold of me, I have decided to trade or sell these pipes to fund my Passion for razors.

as to my question, i have read about using salt and everclear to clean a pipe, I have never done this, and am wondering if there is any possibility of damaging them during this process, or should i just let them go the way they are?

What kind of pipes do you have? The salt treatment should be avoided. I have never found that it works well and ends up leaving a mess. Certainly use Everclear to clean the inside of the stem with a pipe cleaner and give the pipe a polish with a proper cloth and some pipe polish. You might ream the insides of the bowls, but when in doubt leave the pipes as they are. You can do damage to a pipe if you are not careful. I prefer to purchase a pipe that I can clean rather than end up with a pipe that has been cleaned improperly. I bought a Dunhill Rubybark on eBay recently and the previous owner must have used a strong non-pipe cleaner on the outside of the bowl as it bleached the smooth areas of the pipe causing a decrease in the value of the pipe (not to mention the sad look of those parts of the pipe). I would have rather cleaned the pipe myself. If you are concerned about getting top value, spend a little extra and have your pipes cleaned professionally.

Professor

thanks professor, your thoughts are exactly what I was thinking, I dont want to do anything that would damage them, and the salt idea made me nervous.

as to types, I have10 pipes, 4 are low end (a seville, Aldo Velani, Alpha Omega, and a Dr. Grabow)
the other 6 are better, a Comoy Christmas pipe 1995, Peterson system standard 312, Peterson July 4th 1999, and three Nordings, a straight hunter and two free hands

based on what I have, if there is anything other than everclear that I can do safely pleaselet me know, the closest "pipe professional" tome ia about an hour away, and they told me that they are responsible for any damage that may occur

short of any other proven methods, i think I will get as clean as I can, and then offer them up "as is"

thanks again for your help

Salt / alc treatment is for after you have reamed the pipe back to bare wood, to get rid of the taste that has impregnated the pipe. That's usually something the BUYER does if he dislikes the taste. No point in salt / alc ing the cake!

be careful and avoid getting any of the everclear on the outside of the bowl, I hear it works quite well at removing the finish.

I usually dip the pipe cleaner in some rum or scotch.. I suppose everclear does the same.
Works pretty well for me.

Originally Posted by currentman

thanks professor, your thoughts are exactly what I was thinking, I dont want to do anything that would damage them, and the salt idea made me nervous.

as to types, I have10 pipes, 4 are low end (a seville, Aldo Velani, Alpha Omega, and a Dr. Grabow)
the other 6 are better, a Comoy Christmas pipe 1995, Peterson system standard 312, Peterson July 4th 1999, and three Nordings, a straight hunter and two free hands

based on what I have, if there is anything other than everclear that I can do safely pleaselet me know, the closest "pipe professional" tome ia about an hour away, and they told me that they are responsible for any damage that may occur

short of any other proven methods, i think I will get as clean as I can, and then offer them up "as is"

thanks again for your help

Hello. I am glad that I could help in some way. And I am sorry that I have not been able to write again until this evening. If your pipes need serious attention, let me know and I can suggest someone that can restore the pipes. I also know someone that I deal with that sells pipes on commission, but you certainly should sell the 'lower end' pipes yourself. The gentleman that I deal with pays all fees (eBay and PayPal), takes the photos, as well, and packs and ships the pipes that he sells; he takes a flat 30%. This can be worth it as he has a large clientele. As for your cleaning your pipes yourself, dip a pipe cleaner in a bit of Everclear and put it through the stem repeating the process with new cleaners until the pipe cleaner comes out clean. You can ream the pipe (the inside of the bowl) if you know how being careful to leave some cake and avoiding any digging into the inside of the bowl. You can bend a pipe cleaner, dipped in Everclear, and swipe the inside of the bowl (avoiding all contact with the outside of the bowl); you can also do this on the inside of the shank. If you send the pipes to be restored and send them out to someone to sell, you certainly will lose too much money. The restorer is reasonable, however, and does great work. I know both of these gents from the 'net (not personally), but they are trustworthy. I restore myself (only for my own pipes), but usually send my pipes out for sale to avoid the fees, etcetera. And you should polish the stem and the bowl; I prefer a product called Briar Pipe Wipe (an excellent product that you can purchase for a reasonable cost--usually about US$10). Let me how how you go and good luck. Cheers!

Professor