Pipe rim cleaning

[eklektos44]

Does anyone know of a good solvent to get darkening off the rim of a pipe without taking off the finish ? (Other than spit.)

 

[Fr_Tom]

I am in a distinct minority because I tend to view rim cake as a sign of use and since I habitually overfill, it is on anything I smoke with any regularity. I have never tried to remove it. Instead of cleaning the rim, I just load another bowl and enjoy...

 

[Dutch]

eklektos, here's my strategy, and it works pretty well for me.

I simply don't load my bowls with tobacco all the way to the top. There is residue buildup that can take place, but the worst culprit is rim darkening from too much heat, which some refer to as rim scorching. To combat this, I use my pick on my pipe tool, (a nail will work just as well,) and I center punch a hole in the center of my tobacco when loading my pipes. This will direct the majority of the air flow to the center, creating a center burn, and keep the majority of the heat away from the rim of the pipe. I find this technique works best with ribbon cut tobacco. There is usually no need to do this with flake tobacco, since it is fairly easy to direct your flame to the center, and get a center burn. This is one reason some folks don't like flake tobacco, because they have a hard time getting the entire top to ignite evenly. I avoid this however, as I want my tobacco barely smouldering, which gives better results in flavor delivery to the palate.

By using the center punch method, all I get on the rims of my pipes are smoke residue, which is very easily cleaned. Once I finish a bowl and rake out the dottle, I use a Q-Tip to rake out all the remaining ash from the sides of the bowl. Then leaving the ash residue around the rim, I take a paper napkin or paper towel, and lay it on the rim of the pipe, and twist the pipe back and forth. The ash will serve to polish the wax back to a shine, and the smoke residue will end up on the paper napkin instead of the pipe rim. As for rusticated or sandblasted pipes, I am extra careful with those to load the pipe with tobacco only 3/4 full or less, since they are much harder to clean.

If you have a pipe with a scorched rim from too much heat exposure, you will probably need to restore it by stripping down the pipe and restaining it. However if it is scorched too badly, it may need to be topped before staining.

To determine of you have a heat scorched rim or simply a rim with smoke residue, you can use some distilled spirit and a Q-Tip to clean it, but you will strip some or all of the wax off during the process. If the rim is still dark after alcohol cleaning, chances are you are dealing with a scorched rim.

With a little practice, you will learn how to avoid scorching the rim entirely, and cleaning the smoke residue after each smoke will be a simple part of the after smoke cleaning process. I like to do a partial cleaning with the stem intact right after smoking, while the pipe is still warm. This allows the rim residue to be completely removed much easier, and my fluffy pipe cleaner to do a much better job absorbing any internal moisture from the stem and shank.

 

[mgtarheel]

Read an article somewhere in the last six months that black coffee was good for cleaning rims. For what its worth

 

[eklektos44]

Read an article somewhere in the last six months that black coffee was good for cleaning rims.  For what its worth

Thanks, I'll have to give it a try. I was asking more to clean up estates than for pipes I already have, as I keep those pretty clean.

 

[Richard Burley]

I am in a distinct minority because I tend to view rim cake as a sign of use and since I habitually overfill, it is on anything I smoke with any regularity. I have never tried to remove it. Instead of cleaning the rim, I just load another bowl and enjoy...

Yeah, me too. But I can understand wanting to remove it if it's an estate. I like my own "patina," thank you. Removing it on a pipe you smoke, I think, is what separates the smokers from the collectors. I am a pipe smoker, not a collector, nor do I wish to be regarded as one.

 

[kaitlyn3837]

Depending on the thickness of the cake there are different methods. If it's a very light cake, q-tips with vodka will take it off and usually leave the stain. If it's a bit thicker, you can use a dremel with a buffer pad on it (the buffers usually come in all sorts of attachment kits, they are cheap at Walmart). And if it's too thick for the first two, I use sanding lightly with 500, 1000, or 1200 grit. Usually if you do it lightly, you can save the stain, sometimes the stain is already taken off by the cake itself and not the removal of the cake. Depending on the color of the bowl you can stain it back with sharpies (brown, red, orange) or if it is closer to natural color, a quick buff with carnuba wax can bring it back to color without staining.

Hope this helps! If you need help, suggestions, or just want someone else to do it, PM me!

 

[KevinM]

Fold a paper towel and wet a spot on it slightlly larger than the rim of your pipe's bowl. Put just a week dab of dishwashing dtergent on the wet spot, spreading it out a bit. Then improvise a way that allows you to invert the pipe's bowl on aforementioned wet spot, the stained rim resting in the wet. Build a pile of quarters, use a book --whatever -- to elevate the stem so that the pipe can sit there, stain soaking, for about fifteen minutes. Then wipe off the offending stain. If necessary, repeat. Voila!

 

[RDPipes]

John, Use a Q-tip and spit, yes sir spit. Spit on the Q-tip, don't try to aim for the rim cause you won't hit it. It works the best without harming the finish.
Might take a few Q-tips but in the end you'll have it back like new unless the rim has been scorch.
That's what I did to the pipes you sent me. The only time I use anything else is if they been scorch and then I'll buff them with white rouge. If that doesn't take the scorch/ burn off it's time to top the bowl with 400 grit and then 600 to 1000 and re-stain and wax. Easy Peasey, Japanesey

 

[huffelpuff]

Yup, spit does wonders. Enzymes and all that. I don't get too worried about the rim and will frequently use everclear on a Q-tip as well. Just depends on my mood really, and the finish on the pipe. After all a lacquer finish will hold up to booze quite well.

Jim

 

[monbla256]

As the others have said, the time tested SPIT does wonders. Takes a bit of effort but it WORKS !! :twisted: :twisted: No phone apps for this one :twisted: :twisted:

 

[juanmedusa]

I've used Simple Green mixed with a little water to some good results.

 

[SpeedyPete]

I am in a distinct minority because I tend to view rim cake as a sign of use and since I habitually overfill, it is on anything I smoke with any regularity. I have never tried to remove it. Instead of cleaning the rim, I just load another bowl and enjoy...

Thank you!! I thought I was the only one who "neglect" my pipes. :cheers:

 

[riff raff]

Lately, I've been using a worn sheet of 8000 or 12000 grade micromesh. It removes the build-up and doesn't remove the stain. Here's a rim cleaned recently.

 

[Jevverrett]

I use spit if it gets nasty enough, and it seems to work pretty well. I have one pipe I do like to keep the rim clean on, as it is green. A 2014 st Patrick's day Peterson. I Amy have to try and find some of that micro mesh stuff though.

 

[denholrl]

I still use ethyl alcohol (e.g., vodka) to clean my rims. Yes, they're a little dull immediately afterward, but a little nose oil and smoking a bowl returns them nicely to their original state.

RobD

 

[Zeno Marx]

Everclear. Rubbing alcohol. Goop (the lanolin will break down carbon and whatnot). WD-40 (I know. I know. I don't go nuts with the stuff, but it is a great cleaner and can be super handy for attacking carbon). I've used all without issue, but all very carefully, too. It doesn't really happen with my smoking, so I only need to employ it with estate purchases, and I'm probably going to do some cleaning and refurbishing in those cases anyway.

 

[denholrl]

Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) is fatally toxic is you ingest too much of it. I would not use it on my pipes.

RobD

 

[Zeno Marx]

Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) is fatally toxic is you ingest too much of it.  I would not use it on my pipes.

RobD

I don't drink it.  I clean the rim with it.  It evaporates.  And then I wax it.  I'm going to venture to guess that by the time I smoke that pipe, I ingest 0 picolitres of the alcohol.

Some people use 91% isopropyl + cotton balls to clean and sanitize bowl chambers.  In that method, a couple hours after removing the cotton balls, I'd also venture to guess 0 picolitres are exposed to the body.

 

[fishfly]

I've had good luck with Murphy's Oil Soap. I use a paper "Shop Rag"--sort of like an extra-strong paper towel--or an old toothbrush on the tough ones. On extremely bad cases, I sometimes start with small brass wire brush until I get it down to a manageable layer and then switch to a toothbrush.