Pipe cleaning, is it really that straight forward?

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Heads up! I clean a pipe more than some and less than others. Some guys are scouring out stems after every smoke with an alcohol soaked pipecleaner. Some clean out a pipe when it tastes rotten. Some guys worry about trimming cake to perfection and, others... well...



As far as cleaning a stem and bowl I suppose I don't do anything special. After it's smoked and cool I tap (or dig) out the ash (or dottle), run a fluffy thru the stem and into the chamber, spin it around a few times and remove it; if it looks grungy I get another pipecleaner and repeat. After that, I like to loop the clean end of one of the spent ones and lightly rub out the bowl of leftover ash and whatever.

If the pipe ever tastes off, I'll swab out the stem with an alky-soaked bristle pipecleaner and that's that.

If the pipe is getting major shift in what it smokes I might treat the bowl with alcohol but, basically lazy, I'll probably try to smoke out a ghost with a few bowls first.

That ashy-shakey thing isn't going to change anything much, one way or the other. I don't prefer spent ash in my pipes and some people think it's a great idea to build cake - I have no idea why, though. Cake, my friends, happens in the same way that an unwatched pot boils. Smoke the pipe.

forgettabowdit

Great information man, much appreciated.