Using spirits to clean a pipe

[Wet Dottle]

Seems like a waste of liquor. I just use 91% isopropyl.

Same here. Actually, I think isopropyl is the best cleaning fluid I've ever tried, even better than Everclear.

 

[Anonymous]

rum! everclear! bourbon! damn, you guys are making pipe cleaning sound fun!

"what are you doing, honey? just cleaning my pipes, dear..." hiccup! :drunken:

Then.................. release the KRAKEN!
FYI, spelling corrected this time! :lol:

 

[bluedigital]

rum! everclear! bourbon! damn, you guys are making pipe cleaning sound fun!

"what are you doing, honey? just cleaning my pipes, dear..." hiccup! :drunken:

Then.................. release the KRAKEN!
FYI, spelling corrected this time! :lol:

:lol!: Spot on this time!

 

[LL]

Seems like a waste of liquor. I just use 91% isopropyl. It evaporates guickly enough that nothing on the MSDS scares me.

On the other hand, don't using "rubbing", "denatured", or methyl alcohol of any type. The first will leave a nasty scent/taste in your pipe. "Denatured" means methyl has been added. Methyl alcohol is rather toxic.

Buddy

Sort of.

So-called rubbing alcohol contains a lot of water, scents, and sometimes emollients. DON'T use it on pipes.

Denatured alcohol is made from wood, and though toxic to ingest it's quite pure and evaporates 100%. Nothing is left behind. (Test it yourself---put some on a piece of clean, shiny, flat glass, allow to evaporate, and inspect for residue. There isn't any.) It is completely safe to clean pipes with. Just be sure it has entirely evaporated before smoking.

Grain alcohol can be ingested safely (in small amounts, of course.) Everclear is the most redily available OTC form. It is also safe to clean pipes with. At appx. $100 per gallon vs. $12/gal. for denatured it makes little sense, though.

 

[Anonymous]

LL, Was going to Pm you bro.

I have been using denatured Alcohol @ 91% for some years now, especially when old really abused pipes come into the workshop for refirb and repair. What would your take be on this. I do understand that it is toxic but also figured that it evaporates 100% leaving nothing behind.
I have also cleaned my pipes with it from time to time.
I have been wondering of late if this is really such a good idea on my pipes. The stuff is potent and cleans real well. I am worried that it might destroy the seasoning of the pipe.
What do you think the long term effect would be on the wood if pipes are "spring cleaned" with denatured alcohol repeatedly on the same pipe for example?
Pipes that come in for refirb need a good cleaning so I suppose with some being offered as estates the seasoning process must be started from scratch!
Your thoughts SIR?

 

[Harlock999]

I used the Brebbia pipe sweetener once, and it left a funky menthol flavor in the pipe. Has this ever happened to anyone?

 

[LL]

LL, Was going to Pm you bro.

I have been using denatured Alcohol @ 91% for some years now, especially when old really abused pipes come into the workshop for refirb and repair. What would your take be on this. I do understand that it is toxic but also figured that it evaporates 100% leaving nothing behind.
I have also cleaned my pipes with it from time to time.
I have been wondering of late if this is really such a good idea on my pipes. The stuff is potent and cleans real well. I am worried that it might destroy the seasoning of the pipe.
What do you think the long term effect would be on the wood if pipes are "spring cleaned" with denatured alcohol repeatedly on the same pipe for example?
Pipes that come in for refirb need a good cleaning so I suppose with some being offered as estates the seasoning process must be started from scratch!
Your thoughts SIR?

I guarantee that pipes bought new have already seen plenty of denatured alcohol in and on them. It is the carrier for the industry's standard stains, used when creating contrast finishes, used as a universal cleaner in the factory, and so forth.

To "destroy the seasoning" of wood is physically impossible, but I know what you mean. (No substance can put sap components back into the wood.) Don't worry about alcohol doing that. Other scented and weird crap CAN be put into it, though, which is why rubbing alcohol should be avoided, as should oils, greases, etc. Even if unscented at the time of application, many of those things can turn rancid.

As for damage from over cleaning, again no worries. It IS possible to damage a pipe from too much heavy handed cleaning, but only in the physical sense not a chemical one. Such as constantly jack hammering a cleaner into the bowl wall opposite the airhole, eventually drilling through it. (Yes, it happens) But from a too-frequent use of alcohol as a solvent/cleaner? Nope. Can't happen.

 

[Smokin' Blues]

I used the Brebbia pipe sweetener once, and it left a funky menthol flavor in the pipe. Has this ever happened to anyone?

Yes, I read somewhere that it contains a small ammount of wintergreen oil that is supposed to "sweeten" the pipe. Made my virginias taste like virginia slims! :lol!:

 

[Anonymous]

Hey LL,
Thanks so much man!!!!
What I mean by seasoning is that if a pipe is dedicated to a blend, some of the oils etc from the baccy will draw into the wood, even in the shank. Using denatured alcohol repeatedly, will it cause the smoke not to be as flavorfull as you are removing the some of the oils from the wood which may enhance the flavor, bowl excluded of course?....... this may be crap, I may be wrong?????
I am a freak in this regard........... my pipes are super clean always!!!

Thanks for your input bro....... btw a pipe cleaner damaging the bowl opposite the draft hole I know too well, this I see often when some pipes come in for repair!!! Sad!

 

[Buddy Springman]

Denatured alcohol is made from wood, and though toxic to ingest it's quite pure and evaporates 100%. Nothing is left behind. (Test it yourself---put some on a piece of clean, shiny, flat glass, allow to evaporate, and inspect for residue. There isn't any.) It is completely safe to clean pipes with. Just be sure it has entirely evaporated before smoking.

Interpretation of toxicity is sort of a personal thing. I just prefer not to push the methyl alcohol envelope. toxicity But I could probably get away with it since I don't smoke a given pipe more than once a week.

Buddy

 

[Wet Dottle]

Interpretation of toxicity is sort of a personal thing. I just prefer not to push the methyl alcohol envelope. toxicity But I could probably get away with it since I don't smoke a given pipe more than once a week.

Buddy

Well, Buddy, the toxicity of some of the products of the combustion of tobacco is quite high, some much higher than methyl alcohol... Are you sure pipe smoking is for you?

 

[bruins]

okay, here's the part where someone tells me i'm a *******. inspired by this thread, i cleaned the rim top of one of my pipes with some jim beam. cleaned the crap right off. also took some of the finish with it. i'm a little bummed, but maybe learned a lesson here. (now someone tell me why this happened and how i missed that part of the thread warning me not to use bourbon and how i should read more carefully, etc...) be gentle. i cry easily.

 

[Wet Dottle]

Pipe stains are alcohol based. That means that they are soluble in alcohol. Sorry, Bruins... :|

 

[Greenleaf]

Whoa, say what? Maybe it's just my Czech pipes, but I've always found good old Jim to be pipe friendly.

Isopropyl, that scares me a bit.

 

[Skip48]

Just call me stupid or what ever, but I wish I still had the bowl sweetener that use to come in the little yellow bottles. Not for the outside, but in the bowl. I picked up my pipes a few months ago and started smoking them after 30 years of them just sitting around and when I would pick one up and draw air through it I could still taste the nice sweet taste of that stuff. I don't notice that it hurts my smoke either and maybe that is just my uneducated pallet, but works for me except have not see if for sale.

I guess no one sells it any more huh?

Skip

 

[bruins]

Whoa, say what? Maybe it's just my Czech pipes, but I've always found good old Jim to be pipe friendly.

Isopropyl, that scares me a bit.

maybe it's just this pipe, but it definitely dulled the finish. (actually i have another black rustic that i think the finish is too glossy on. i put the jim beam to that to see if it would dull it, nothing happened.)

 

[Skip48]

Someone that knows better may tell you this that I am about to say it not what you want to do, but if our body oils are getting on our pipes anyway I don't see why you could just say late in the day when you forehead may be a bit oily you could just take you finger and wipe you forehead with it and then rub the top of you pipe so make it shine again. Don't know that I would do that to the entire pipe, but don't know if that would be a no no or not, but it would shine?

I mean again, we all know out body oils get on our pipes anyway somewhat??

Skip

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Skip, I'll rub the bowl of my pipe against my nose now and then (very efficient--it's a big nose). Body "oil" is chemically more like a wax.

 

[Greenleaf]

For decency's sake, I'd just use the same olive oil for the bowl as I do for my stems when they're getting oxidized.

Maybe I'm just being a ninny, but "it all mixes up in your stomach anyway" also translates to "it's cool to eat your own vomit."

 

[Buddy Springman]

Skip, I'll rub the bowl of my pipe against my nose now and then (very efficient--it's a big nose). Body "oil" is chemically more like a wax.

This does work for appearances, but nose oil "rots", to put it crudely. I don't recommend it.

Buddy