Extreme pipe cleaning

[alandadp]

My dearly beloved is with her sister near Liverpool this week. As normal during her absences she leaves no list of things to do whilst she's away but just stares at things when she gets back with that 'so you didn't do that then' look on her face. It's a couple of days before she returns and I looked around and thought 'I'll do the ironing'.
Oh s**t, you have to have done the washing before you can do the ironing!
Everything that didn't move fast enough was scooped up and thrown in the machine, chemicals added, and set off.
After a few minutes I kept hearing this clunking noise of something hard hitting glass. I returned to the machine and stared at the glass door until, to my horror, I saw the definite outlined of a pipe going round and round!!
My machine allows you to open the door in mid cycle as long as there's not too much water in it. So waited 'til I could see the pipe again, opened the door and grabbed the pipe before any water started draining out of the saturated clothing. Problem- got the bowl but no stem . Couldn't risk opening the machine again so had to let it finish before I could rescue the stem!
The pipe, a Kaywoodie Standard 86B with 4 hole stinger and srew-in stem, looks fine, any polish/finish it had has gone and the stem shows signs of oxidation (suprise, suprise).
Here is the problem - how long should I leave it for the briar to dry out? Should I try and stop it drying out too quickly in case it cracks? The cake looks fine so should I just let it dry or should I remove it?
I know some will say 'it's only a Kaywoodie' but it is the only factory briar pipe I have made in the US (my other two Kaywoodie were made in England) and it has always been a great smoker.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

Adam

 

[Brewdude]

No idea myself Adam. I'd be inclined to just let it dry naturally for a week or so. But wtf do I know!

Someone with more experience will surely be along soon.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Zeno Marx]

This might sound funny, but I'd bury it in a big bowl of white rice. Right out of the bag. Dry. Not cooked. It'll slowly suck the moisture out of the briar. You can do this with cell phones sometimes when they fall in water or get wet. Check it after a few days, just to be sure the rice isn't damp. I'd leave it in there a couple weeks. This is what I would do anyway. It certainly can't hurt anything.

 

[Lakebound]

This might sound funny, but I'd bury it in a big bowl of white rice.  Right out of the bag.  Dry.  Not cooked.  It'll slowly suck the moisture out of the briar.  You can do this with cell phones sometimes when they fall in water or get wet.  Check it after a few days, just to be sure the rice isn't damp.  I'd leave it in there a couple weeks.  This is what I would do anyway.  It certainly can't hurt anything.

Excellent advice in my opinion.

 

[Corncobcon]

Uh, throw it in the dryer? :lol:

Yes, I would put it in a bowl of uncooked rice and let the rice pull out the wetness.

Or you could just let it dry out naturally. Either way would work.

And please, DON'T THROW IT IN THE DRYER. I was just joking!

 

[alandadp]

Thanks for the advice gents.
Went through the kitchen looking for rice but we only have the microwavable pouches
Pipe gently drying until my dearest returns having picked up some rice on the way home
Now on to the ironing

Adam

 

[KevinM]

Not only is Zeno’s idea unlikely to do any additional harm, it will likely work better than alternatives. Any perfumes or such in the detergent? Good luck. My father’s excellent advice on spousal management during absences is to clean up well enough that she won’t think hubby is an inconsiderate pig, but not so well that she suspects hubby would manage perfectly well without her.

 

[Stick]

Whoopsie, Adam.

If you must use household appliances to clean your pipes you'll probably get less clunking with a dishwasher.

Regarding the drying I would say slow is the order of the day.

I'm not sure how long it was submerged for but it's worth noting that a briar sometimes gets a good dunking during the manufactoring process. Briar is pretty tough so apart from the finish I think you'd have to go some to do any real damage.