Would You Smoke a Used Pipe?

[caudio51]

What do you guys use to clean the pipe?

 

[Doofus]

I have smoked a "Used" pipe. I inhereted it from my grandfather and cherish it.

 

[Wasch_24]

I haven't personally cleaned a used pipe but I hear rubbing alchohol or high proffed liqour works for disinfecting them.

 

[Moglman]

Absolutely. I have no problem smoking an estate pipe once I am satisfied it is cleaned to my satisfaction. Remember that cleaning will also improve the smoking experience by not tasting a previous owners tobacco residue. I use pipe cleaner or everclear for the stem (inside and out). Soft Scrub w/o bleach for the outside of the stem works well too. For serious stem oxidization, a short soak in 50/50 bleach/water solution (it'll look bad when removed), followed by buffing and polishing on a wheel will make it look new. For the bowl, reaming with a good quality reamer, leaving a little cake if possible, followed by salt/alcohol will remove all oils and taste left over from the previous owner. Only use 15 to 20 drops of alcohol once the bowl has been filled with salt, and let the oils leach out of the cake for 8 to 12 hours. Repeat until the salt remains white.

 

[jcgoldner]

I have smoked a "Used" pipe. I inhereted it from my grandfather and cherish it.

I wish I had a few of my Grandfather's pipes! He brought them with him when he came over from Ireland.

 

[sigguy]

Would you use someone else's toothbrush or underwear ?:scratchhe

NOT I!

 

[caudio51]

Would you use someone else's toothbrush or underwear ?:scratchhe

NOT I!

Apples & Oranges IMO

 

[Wasch_24]

Hardly the same thing. :hysterica

 

[gui_tarzan]

I have my great-grandfather's pipe. He's been gone for nine years and it was a mess when I got it. I still say there's nothing to worry about if it's sterilized.

 

[sgresso]

I have bough estate pipes at a show and smoked them right away.

but thats me

 

[sgresso]

You figure that smoking a pipe even once tends to drops the value in 1/2
for the most part.

SO my thoughts ar that I can get a better pipe value then buing a new pipe for high end pipes.

I have many estate pipes and they smoke as good as new.
Stephen

 

[IHT]

What do you guys use to clean the pipe?

there's always the salt/alcohol method. put a pipe cleaner in the pipe, fill the bowl with salt, add about 10 eye dropper drops of "everclear" or something with very high alcohol content, let it sit for 24 hours, remove excess salt (it will be brown), give the pipe a few days rest, and you should be good to go.
that is the last step, after you do the scraping of excess cake, cleaning the bit, etc.

there's also the "boiling" method most professionals use, with a "retort". they place a cotton ball in the top of the bowl.. put some alcohol in the retort (a glass test tube like thing), connect it to the stem of the pipe, heat the alcohol to boiling, it goes up the stem and into the bowl, remove from heat, the alcohol comes back into the retort (a little dirtier), repeat about 10 times... supposedly is the best way to clean a pipe. i just had 2 of them done like this by my local B&M, waiting to get them back (a mastro de paja and a da vinci).

 

[caudio51]

there's also the "boiling" method most professionals use, with a "retort". they place a cotton ball in the top of the bowl.. put some alcohol in the retort (a glass test tube like thing), connect it to the stem of the pipe, heat the alcohol to boiling, it goes up the stem and into the bowl, remove from heat, the alcohol comes back into the retort (a little dirtier), repeat about 10 times... supposedly is the best way to clean a pipe. i just had 2 of them done like this by my local B&M, waiting to get them back (a mastro de paja and a da vinci).

That sounds intense

 

[IHT]

That sounds intense

there's a link somewhere around that i've read where they demonstrate how to do it.
it's what most poeple use to professionally "refurbish/sweeten" their pipes.

matter of fact, i just won my "retort" on ebay a few days back, can't wait to get it. i'll see if i can find that link.

edit:
here's the link http://www.seattlepipeclub.org/sherlock/restore/PipeRestoration.html

 

[ClockworkDragonfly]

Wow... thank you so much for that link.
I have access to a number of beautiful estate pipes that belonged to one of my roomates' grandfather. A few of them would definitely require professional restoration, but many of them I feel far more confident handling myself.

 

[caudio51]

Thanks for the link!

 

[IHT]

btw - i got my pipes back from the B&M. the mastro de paja had been taken hostage by my POS 17 yr old step-son... i found it in his glovebox smelling of "mary jane". so, had to get it cleaned.

i can't taste or smell any hints of "wacky tobacky"... i can see in the near future, that in July, when the dumbass turns 18, i'll have his luggage packed for him. :waving:

 

[caudio51]

Oh boy, good luck with that Greg...

 

[C-Dub]

I'm looking to make the leap into smoking pipes. I tried in college but could never keep it lit so gave up; but, with the tips I have seen on this page I am ready to try again. I think I am interested in an estate pipe because of the history and character of an older pipe like this. I have seen the comments about cleaning and sterilizing the pipes, but is there a company that professionally cleans the pipes and gets them in ready-to-smoke condition? Is that something like a local Tinderbox would do?

Thanks for all your help

 

[vperlman]

There are some companies that do it, but right now I can't remember who. You might look at the listings for used or "estate" pipes on ebay and read the descriptions carefully. Some of the vendors also provide cleaning services.