Pipe smell

[FriendlyFire]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to pipes so please full me in on this. I'v learned that I need to get a build up on the pipes so I understand washing the pipes is a no no, So how do you keep the pipe from smelling stale? or is that the norm? if you keep it in those cloth sleeves? I realy dont like that smell.

[Bruce]

I clean my pipes after each smoking. Dip a pipe cleaner in Everclear, run it down the stem and shank, then fold it in half and swab the inside of the bowl.
This keeps the smell down, and the pipe fresh and ready to smoke.

I keep my pipes in nice boxes that trap stink and keeps them from little hands. They smell but once you load them up and put flame to them any bad smell is replaced.

[Cheeto]

Having your pipes out in a well circulated, open air room will dissipate that stale smell which can accumulate in your pipes. It's also important to keep them well cleaned. If you keep them in a closed environment like a box you may notice the smell. I keep all my pipes on a book shelf in a well circulated room and have never had any problems with a stale smell.

[DubintheDam]

Cotton buds for the bowl and inside of shank, and pipe cleaners for stem and drill hole...I dip them in Rum (very sparingly)...adds a nice sweet taste...I find once every 6 or 7 smokes is enough.

[billhud]

Smoking stinks. Especially to non-smokers. That's just the fact of the matter. You can minimize the stink, but you'll just need to accept the fact that you can't be totally rid of the smell if you choose to smoke.

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by FriendlyFire

Hi,

I'm pretty new to pipes so please full me in on this. I'v learned that I need to get a build up on the pipes so I understand washing the pipes is a no no, So how do you keep the pipe from smelling stale? or is that the norm? if you keep it in those cloth sleeves? I realy dont like that smell.

Welcome to the pipe world! First thing, washing a pipe is a no-no. Water bad, most liquids also bad but see details below. Second, don't store pipes in the "sock", they are to be used if you are packing the pipe away (vacation etc).

After each smoke (after dumping the ash), run a pipe cleaner through from the mouthpiece till it pokes out in the bowl. Some pipes, especially bent stems, may take some wiggling/spinning to make this work. Repeat with both ends, and use multiple pipe cleaners till they come out clean. Leave the pipe OUT, vertically with the bowl down, where air can dry it (not outdoors, but on a desktop, shelf etc), never in a drawer or other enclosed space. The moisture has to evaporate, that gets rid of the sour smell. Try to give the pipe time to dry between smokes, or extra time afterwards.

About every 10 bowls or so (depending on your baccy choice and smoking style), you should give it a thorough cleaning and sweetening. With a COLD pipe ONLY, unscrew and remove the stem (mouthpiece part) CLOCKWISE always even if it does not have a threading. Rubbing alcohol (or unflavored 150 proof drinking kind) or a pipe sweetner product can be used, wet the end of a pipe cleaner and run it through the stem and pull out the other side. Repeat until the wet part of the pipe cleaner comes out clean. Run a dry pipe cleaner through the mouthpiece through and through and repeat till all the liquid is gone. The shank and airhole (bottom of the pipe bowl) can be cleaned with either a alcohol/sweetner moistened Q-tip or folded over pipe cleaner. Go easy on this, don't allow any drips inside the bowl OR ON THE OUTSIDE, it will strip the finish. Use dry Q-tip/cleaner and make sure you get all the moisture. Yes, it takes a lot of pipe cleaners - but someone pointed out in another thread "pipe cleaners are cheap, new pipes are NOT".

Then reassemble the pipe, again screwing the mouthpiece CLOCKWISE (yes, the same direction as you pulled it out). Put the pipe away to dry for at least a day, or more if you have other pipes to smoke.

[FriendlyFire]

Thank you so much, so to the point, acctualy I did keep them in the pipe sock in a plastic shopping bag, So I guess thats where its coming from, I should find a place for it to dry out, instead of hiding it from every body

All so one of them is a medeco pipe, and it has a filter maybe its time to change that as well, both of my pipes are curved stem.

Originally Posted by RJpuffs

Welcome to the pipe world! First thing, washing a pipe is a no-no. Water bad, most liquids also bad but see details below. Second, don't store pipes in the "sock", they are to be used if you are packing the pipe away (vacation etc).

After each smoke (after dumping the ash), run a pipe cleaner through from the mouthpiece till it pokes out in the bowl. Some pipes, especially bent stems, may take some wiggling/spinning to make this work. Repeat with both ends, and use multiple pipe cleaners till they come out clean. Leave the pipe OUT, vertically with the bowl down, where air can dry it (not outdoors, but on a desktop, shelf etc), never in a drawer or other enclosed space. The moisture has to evaporate, that gets rid of the sour smell. Try to give the pipe time to dry between smokes, or extra time afterwards.

About every 10 bowls or so (depending on your baccy choice and smoking style), you should give it a thorough cleaning and sweetening. With a COLD pipe ONLY, unscrew and remove the stem (mouthpiece part) CLOCKWISE always even if it does not have a threading. Rubbing alcohol (or unflavored 150 proof drinking kind) or a pipe sweetner product can be used, wet the end of a pipe cleaner and run it through the stem and pull out the other side. Repeat until the wet part of the pipe cleaner comes out clean. Run a dry pipe cleaner through the mouthpiece through and through and repeat till all the liquid is gone. The shank and airhole (bottom of the pipe bowl) can be cleaned with either a alcohol/sweetner moistened Q-tip or folded over pipe cleaner. Go easy on this, don't allow any drips inside the bowl OR ON THE OUTSIDE, it will strip the finish. Use dry Q-tip/cleaner and make sure you get all the moisture. Yes, it takes a lot of pipe cleaners - but someone pointed out in another thread "pipe cleaners are cheap, new pipes are NOT".

Then reassemble the pipe, again screwing the mouthpiece CLOCKWISE (yes, the same direction as you pulled it out). Put the pipe away to dry for at least a day, or more if you have other pipes to smoke.

Originally Posted by FriendlyFire

Thank you so much, so to the point, acctualy I did keep them in the pipe sock in a plastic shopping bag, So I guess thats where its coming from, I should find a place for it to dry out, instead of hiding it from every body

All so one of them is a medeco pipe, and it has a filter maybe its time to change that as well, both of my pipes are curved stem.

The pipe sock is fine to keep them in though the plastic shopping bag is a bit much and yes ditch the filter, those things are made to hold stink.

[DubintheDam]

can be cleaned with either a alcohol/sweetner moistened Q-tip or folded over pipe cleaner. Go easy on this, don't allow any drips inside the bowl OR ON THE OUTSIDE, it will strip the finish.

It would be good if I get some confirmation on this...Why shouldn't I allow alcohol on the INSIDE of the bowl? I find it keeps the cake nice and tidy and the pipe tasting sweet. I can understand the importance of not letting it get on the outside, but why not lightly swab out the inside of bowls with alcohol? I do and find it works well. In all the research I've done on the web it always only mentions the stem and shank.

[fireman43]

Originally Posted by DubintheDam

It would be good if I get some confirmation on this...Why shouldn't I allow alcohol on the INSIDE of the bowl? I find it keeps the cake nice and tidy and the pipe tasting sweet. I can understand the importance of not letting it get on the outside, but why not lightly swab out the inside of bowls with alcohol? I do and find it works well. In all the research I've done on the web it always only mentions the stem and shank.

I dunno about anyone else Dub, but I personally stuff a few cotton balls in the bowl and pour in whatever good proof alcohol I have on hand in there and let it soak for a bit. I do it about once a month or so when I break my pipes down and give them the deep cleaning. Tends to get alot of the gunk out that would be an issue to remove otherwise. Also tends to leave a clean tasting, clean smelling pipe. The pipe faq 101 thread has some info on it... http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showpos...5&postcount=15 Edited to add....With this method it will take a few days to get the pipe smokable again/ give it time to dry out.

[DubintheDam]

Originally Posted by fireman43

I dunno about anyone else Dub, but I personally stuff a few cotton balls in the bowl and pour in whatever good proof alcohol I have on hand in there and let it soak for a bit. I do it about once a month or so when I break my pipes down and give them the deep cleaning. Tends to get alot of the gunk out that would be an issue to remove otherwise. Also tends to leave a clean tasting, clean smelling pipe. The pipe faq 101 thread has some info on it... http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showpos...5&postcount=15 Edited to add....With this method it will take a few days to get the pipe smokable again/ give it time to dry out.

Thanks for the reply Fireman, the: "do you clean the inside of the bowl with alcohol" question eludes me somewhat, I use a Q-tip, lightly dipped in Rum, and then wipe off with the dry end of Q-tip. I only do this after the pipe has a good cake build up. The cotton balls method seems like a good one to do every few months, a mini salt alcohol treatment without the hassle of the salt...makes sense to me...thanks for the link too.

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by DubintheDam

It would be good if I get some confirmation on this...Why shouldn't I allow alcohol on the INSIDE of the bowl? I find it keeps the cake nice and tidy and the pipe tasting sweet. I can understand the importance of not letting it get on the outside, but why not lightly swab out the inside of bowls with alcohol? I do and find it works well. In all the research I've done on the web it always only mentions the stem and shank.

Probably me (the slob), I find drips inside the bowl soak up any leftover ash and re-drip elsewhere, making a separate mess.

For really-really-really stinky bowls, I read (somewhere on CS no doubt) about filling the bowl with rock salt then adding a few drops of alcohol. After a day, the salt gets gooey and the smell goes away. I haven't reached that level of slob'ery yet

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by FriendlyFire

Thank you so much, so to the point, acctualy I did keep them in the pipe sock in a plastic shopping bag, So I guess thats where its coming from, I should find a place for it to dry out, instead of hiding it from every body

All so one of them is a medeco pipe, and it has a filter maybe its time to change that as well, both of my pipes are curved stem.

An add on part I forgot before, periodically use a shank brush to get out crud from the shank/airhole. This is a cute little brush, kinda like a baby bottle nipple-cleaning-brush.

http://www.cupojoes.com/cgi-bin/spgm...DD&item=brush6

I stockpile these little beauties, they're a pain to order because the shipping cost is more than what they cost. PM me, I'll send ya one.

And lose the filter, it is pointless. If the Medeco is an acrylic pipe, you may not get a cake. I started pipe smoking with one of those, never caked on me.

[Arizona]

Yes, putting your pipe(s) in an open rack is best - never in a sealed container as this will never let it dry properly and it'll get funky for sure. Keeping your pipes in the open air allows them to "dry out" until your next smoke.

I always toss that paper filter, all it ends up being is a sponge full of icky tar and beyond the first use it adds a bad taste and smell. Toss it. The pipe smokes fine without it.