Puff Cigar Discussion Forums

caskwith · 02-06-2007, 05:54 PM

This is sort of an offshoot thread to my basic care thread but it concerns meerschaums specificaly.

Cleaning the inside of the bowl:

Keep cake down to nearly nothing, cake can cause thin walled meers to crack when hot. Wiping the bowl with a peice of kitchen paper after smoking is the easiest way to clean the bowl. If cake does start to form use a small square of sandpaper on your finger and gently sand out the cake, finally use a lightly dampened peice of cloth to wipe out any dust.

Cleaning the outside of the bowl:

Wipe after every smoke with a soft cloth to keep dirt to a minimum, it is also useful to wash your hands before smoking to keep dirt off the bowl. if the bowl does become excessivly caked it can be cleaned using a very soft bristled brush (artists oil brush is more suitable than a toothbrush) and some washing up liquid. Allow the meer to dry in a warm palce for a few days before smoking if you have washed it.

Cleaning the Stem/shank:

The shank should be cleaned using bristle pipe cleaners, alcohol should not be used in all but dire circumstances, some tar deposits are so tough you may be forced to use alcohol, either that or the pipe will be unsmokable due to these deposits, be warned tho, keep it to a minimum, do not saturate the pipe. The stem can be cleaned as per usual with pipe cleaners and alcohol, just like you would with your briars stem.

Dealing with scratches (will only work on a smooth bowl, not carved):

if you have a damaged rim or scratches on the outside then they can be dealt with. Get yourself some #1000 grit sandpaper. Using a light circular motion gently sand the surface, you will the meer is very soft and sand easily so be careful not to go too far or create flat surfaces on the bowl. When you are happy with the finish take a peice of ordinary printing paper and cut off a small peice, wrap this around a folded cloth to create a soft pad, use this to buff the areas you have sanded, you will find the paper makes a good job of bringing up a shine on the meer.

Waxing a meer:

Most meers are waxed with beeswax, you may wish to add more if the pipe is becoming dull or if you have followed some of the above steps (cleaning or re-sanding). To do this get yourself a block or pure beeswax (it should smell of honey, if it doesnt then it has been processed) Get yourself a hot air gun or a hair dryer, gently warm the meer and after a few seconds rub the block of wax onto the pipe, it should melt onto it, if not heat some more, do this all over and then heat gently until all the wax has been absorbed.

Hope this is helpful to some new meer smokers out there.