New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fart

So anything with out a plain black stem kind of gets my attention these days. I almost picked up an estate pipe with a clear acrylic stem. Has anyone seen any odd things happen using the salt/alcohol treatments with acrylic or lucite? Lucite I figure is no big deal but it would kind of suck to melt or cloud a clear acrylic stem.

On a side note how do you guys get rid of the burnt rubber vulcanite skank smell? Seems no matter what I do it keeps a funk.

Oh and howdy it has been awhile =D

Chris