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Post by trailboss on May 9, 2016 10:19:30 GMT -5
On a recent installment of Brian Levine's podcast, he interviewed the head honcho of L.J. Peretti's in Boston, at the end of the show he offered a tip for dealing with a sour pipe.
After your morning coffee, put the wet grounds in your pipe bowl and leave for 4-5 days, as the grounds dry out it works like a salve that draws the sourness out.
I tried it on a pot pipe that had soured, and it worked, the thing that I do like about using the kosher salt/ Everclear method is that with the white salt, it is visually more obvious how much you leach out.
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Post by papipeguy on May 9, 2016 11:03:07 GMT -5
That's an interesting tip but I like the salt & Everclear treatment too. It's also quicker. Usually overnight in my experience.
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Post by trailboss on May 9, 2016 13:05:02 GMT -5
With coffee, Just make sure after it dries out you don't mistake it for a prepacked pipe....  |
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Post by crapgame on May 9, 2016 18:22:29 GMT -5
that would really be a strange take on infused tobacco
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Post by sparks on May 9, 2016 21:20:18 GMT -5
that would really be a strange take on infused tobacco Um... excuse me... was that blend approved by the FDA? Try finding a Substantial Equivalent for that one... |
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pruss
New Member
Posts: 9 
Favorite Pipe: Blasted Alden Rhodesian
Favorite Tobacco: HU Director's Cut
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Post by pruss on May 11, 2016 12:16:35 GMT -5
It should probably be said that using coffee grinds won't leach tars and resins from your pipe like a salt and alcohol treatment will. While coffee grinds will help absorb odours they will not clean or sanitize your pipe the way S&A will.
-- Pat
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Post by stvalentine on May 11, 2016 15:55:12 GMT -5
Of course you can fool around with plenty of things to get the ghost/sourness from you pipe and ground coffee might even work. Unfortunatly this only deals with the symptoms and I would only recommend a few shots with a retort. In the old and heavily smoked estate pipes I cleaned with that you don´t even smell the tobacco any longer. YMMV of course....
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Post by Plainsman on Oct 24, 2020 18:00:02 GMT -5
How does one perform the “salt & alcohol” treatment?
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Post by trailboss on Oct 24, 2020 18:08:08 GMT -5
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Post by lizardonarock on Oct 24, 2020 18:11:35 GMT -5
I like Kosher salt as in big grains . Remove the stem and set the pipe on a wash cloth the wife will not miss. You can stuff a cotton ball in the stem end if you wish. Fill the pipe with salt and add your favorite alcohol and let it sit until it draws the tars out of the pipe. DO NOT LET IT DRY IT WILL TURN INTO A ROCK. Of note be very careful adding the alcohol as it can ruin the pipe finish. After a day or two or three clean the salt from the pipe. Some folks have just as good results with cotton balls. Pay extra attention the mortice area where the stem bottoms out Qtips are cheap.
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Post by Plainsman on Oct 24, 2020 18:21:48 GMT -5
Thanks, gents.
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Post by taiguy66 on Oct 24, 2020 18:30:00 GMT -5
Thanks for this thread. Great information to store in my memory bank for future use. Cheers.....😁👊
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Post by trailboss on Oct 24, 2020 18:40:02 GMT -5
There is no substitute for cleaning your pipes on a regular basis, and sometimes the above measures just need to take place. If you do the above treatments and still have a ghosting issue though, you might want to send them off to Mike. Whenever I send a pipe to Mike for repairs, I add the option as it is dirt cheap and has always benefitted me. www.walkerpiperepair.com/html/ozone.html |
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Post by Darin on Oct 24, 2020 18:45:57 GMT -5
Wait … you guys CLEAN your pipes?? |
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Post by lizardonarock on Oct 24, 2020 20:23:36 GMT -5
Once every five years or so.  |
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Post by taiguy66 on Oct 24, 2020 20:44:51 GMT -5
trailboss Charlie, thanks for the heads up and link. Didn’t know pipes needed periodic cleaning from time to time. Thought I’d only needed to do it when the pipe went sour or ghosted... Dam, totally different from the cigar world when all I had to worry about was my humidification factor in my humidor, decent torch lighter and cutter. Thanks again... feel like a little kid soaking all this information in.👊😁
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Post by Stearmandriver on Oct 24, 2020 20:54:04 GMT -5
I would add that substituting cotton balls for salt also works very well. You can let the alcohol evaporate completely without worrying about a hard to remove solid lump of dirty salt in your pipe  . Salt does work great too, and some folks say it works better, but I guess I've not seen a pipe in bad enough shape that cotton balls and alcohol didn't sweeten it right up. Might be worth a try as an easier to clean up first attempt. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Oct 25, 2020 4:21:24 GMT -5
trailboss Charlie, thanks for the heads up and link. Didn’t know pipes needed periodic cleaning from time to time. Thought I’d only needed to do it when the pipe went sour or ghosted... Dam, totally different from the cigar world when all I had to worry about was my humidification factor in my humidor, decent torch lighter and cutter. Thanks again... feel like a little kid soaking all this information in.👊😁 I've only cleaned my pipes in this way if they come from ebay. Any other pipe I have gets a pipe cleaner run through them and the bowl wiped...no further cleaning has been needed, so far. However, I don't smoke my pipes that frequently. |
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Post by briarpipenyc on Oct 25, 2020 7:39:12 GMT -5
Jam, ram, shove, twist, force, a fat piece of fresh, juicy, oily, orange-peel into your cleaned pipe, and just leave it in the bowl until the peel naturally dehydrates, slightly. It might take a few days but at this point, the peel can be easily removed. Note: the stem of the pipe should also be scrubbed out with some pipe cleaners, to remove any rank or foul deposits, tars, etc.
That offensive pipe will now be "freshened" and wonderfully fragrant.... redolent of citrus and tobacco.... and will no longer smell rank, stale, or ashy. And vitamin C is good for humans, and prevents scurvy. Ask any Limey.
I've been doing this for years and it works. BTW and residual citrus oils that remain, will flash away when you smoke your pipe. The citrus oils and juice from the peel will soak into any built up cake, and allow it to be easily scraped away without using reamers, knives, etc....which can damage the bowl of a pipe if you're too heavy handed or rough.
Fresh, navel oranges have the best peels.....thick, juicy, and loaded with fragrant oils.
So....shove it, ram it or jam it!
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Post by pappyjoe on Oct 25, 2020 7:55:53 GMT -5
I've used used coffee grounds for cleaning pipes for years and it does work to remove ghosting. It also does soften the cake and helps removing the tar. What you have to remember is that coffee is acidic and that helps with the cleaning.
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Post by trailboss on Oct 25, 2020 10:23:12 GMT -5
trailboss Charlie, thanks for the heads up and link. Didn’t know pipes needed periodic cleaning from time to time. Thought I’d only needed to do it when the pipe went sour or ghosted... Dam, totally different from the cigar world when all I had to worry about was my humidification factor in my humidor, decent torch lighter and cutter. Thanks again... feel like a little kid soaking all this information in.👊😁 There really isn't much to it once you are up and running. If you follow Andre's (LegendLover) way of doing it that prevents most issues, the technique that I use is to dump the ash, and run a pipe cleaner down the stem. Blow all the loose stuff out, Fold the pipe cleaner over and rub the walls of the bowl and blow out through the stem. That is a good point, the shank of the pipe can act like cesspit, trapping all kinds of foulness. Periodic cleaning with Everclear acts a solvent to remove the gunk. Having said all of that, I do not clean my pipes as often as I should. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Oct 25, 2020 12:11:36 GMT -5
I haven't cleaned any pipes since the first of June. I still haven't found my pipe cleaners. I just smoke a pipe until it gets too nasty. I have enough pipes to keep going like this for a few years. But when it's time to pay the piper I will spend weeks cleaning pipes.
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Post by Gandalf on Oct 26, 2020 21:39:12 GMT -5
I tried the cotton ball and alcohol method on a couple of pipes I bought on Ebay.
Actually I used Cognac that was >90% alcohol.
Used it on pipe cleaners to clean the stem and shank, then stuffed the bowl with cotton balls and soaked them with Cognac - and kept them soaked for >24 hours.
Made a big difference. These 2 pipes definitely smoke better that those I haven't treated yet.
Now I need to do this to another dozen pipes.
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Post by Ronv69 on Oct 26, 2020 21:54:01 GMT -5
I tried the cotton ball and alcohol method on a couple of pipes I bought on Ebay. Actually I used Cognac that was >90% alcohol. Used it on pipe cleaners to clean the stem and shank, then stuffed the bowl with cotton balls and soaked them with Cognac - and kept them soaked for >24 hours. Made a big difference. These 2 pipes definitely smoke better that those I haven't treated yet. Now I need to do this to another dozen pipes. 90% or 90 proof? |
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Post by Gandalf on Oct 26, 2020 22:25:40 GMT -5
I tried the cotton ball and alcohol method on a couple of pipes I bought on Ebay. Actually I used Cognac that was >90% alcohol. Used it on pipe cleaners to clean the stem and shank, then stuffed the bowl with cotton balls and soaked them with Cognac - and kept them soaked for >24 hours. Made a big difference. These 2 pipes definitely smoke better that those I haven't treated yet. Now I need to do this to another dozen pipes. 90% or 90 proof? Ooops - I thought it was nearly 90% - but I just checked and it's 90 proof, and it's Brandy, not Cognac. Oh well, it worked. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Oct 26, 2020 22:34:46 GMT -5
Ooops - I thought it was nearly 90% - but I just checked and it's 90 proof, and it's Brandy, not Cognac. Oh well, it worked. It's perfect for what you are using it for. Nothing meant to be taken internally is more than 130 proof. The 151 rum is only for fruity cocktails. |
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Post by pappyjoe on Oct 27, 2020 7:47:36 GMT -5
Ooops - I thought it was nearly 90% - but I just checked and it's 90 proof, and it's Brandy, not Cognac. Oh well, it worked. It's perfect for what you are using it for. Nothing meant to be taken internally is more than 130 proof. The 151 rum is only for fruity cocktails. Everclear is 190 Proof (95% ABV). It is sold for drinking purposes but I wouldn't recommend drinking it straight. Speaking of fruity cocktails, I had a friend who would make a party punch using one bottle of Everclear to 5 gallons of assorted fruit juices. The dangerous part is you couldn't taste the alcohol. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Oct 27, 2020 9:01:19 GMT -5
It's perfect for what you are using it for. Nothing meant to be taken internally is more than 130 proof. The 151 rum is only for fruity cocktails. Everclear is 190 Proof (95% ABV). It is sold for drinking purposes but I wouldn't recommend drinking it straight. Speaking of fruity cocktails, I had a friend who would make a party punch using one bottle of Everclear to 5 gallons of assorted fruit juices. The dangerous part is you couldn't taste the alcohol. Ahh, the good old days when we were young and foolish and were going to live forever. |
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Post by pappyjoe on Oct 27, 2020 12:53:42 GMT -5
Everclear is 190 Proof (95% ABV). It is sold for drinking purposes but I wouldn't recommend drinking it straight. Speaking of fruity cocktails, I had a friend who would make a party punch using one bottle of Everclear to 5 gallons of assorted fruit juices. The dangerous part is you couldn't taste the alcohol. Ahh, the good old days when we were young and foolish and were going to live forever. Surprisingly, I actually remember a couple of parties while on active duty where we had on 10 gallon Igloo marked adults only and kept where the kids couldn't accidentally get to it. One of the guy's wife was a non-drinker and had never had alcohol in her life. During a softball game, she picked up a cup and drank it. Then she had several more. Then her husband picked her up off the bench and carried her to his truck. |
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Post by adui on Oct 27, 2020 21:47:50 GMT -5
It's perfect for what you are using it for. Nothing meant to be taken internally is more than 130 proof. The 151 rum is only for fruity cocktails. Everclear is 190 Proof (95% ABV). It is sold for drinking purposes but I wouldn't recommend drinking it straight. Speaking of fruity cocktails, I had a friend who would make a party punch using one bottle of Everclear to 5 gallons of assorted fruit juices. The dangerous part is you couldn't taste the alcohol. Ahh yes, yet another version of Grandma's giggle punch!! and I got to have than as a young boy of about 14  |
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