Tips, Tricks & Information
Pipes
A New Pipe's First Stage of Life
Building the "cake", means to create a layer of carbon on the chamber walls of the pipe from bottom to top.
The easiest way to build the cake is to start with very little tobacco, about a pinch worth, and progressively increase the quantity of tobacco with every smoke. This method typically takes 10-15 smokes to have an effective layer of cake.
How to Clean a Pipe
Cleaning Steps:
- Empty the ashes from the chamber.
- Let the pipe completely cool.
- Disassemble the stem.
- Clean/change the filter
~ Metal filters can be submerged in water to be cleaned, let them dry completely before reassembling the pipe.
~ Disposable filters should be changed every 3 uses.
- Clean the shank and stem with a pipe cleaner.
Pipe Anatomy
"Sour" Pipe:
What is it and how to fix it
A pipe may begin to taste bitter or "sour." Sometimes this is caused by not allowing the pipe sufficient time to "rest" between smokes. Other times this is caused by not maintaining a regular cleaning schedule.
Fixing a sour pipe is relatively simple:
Alcohol (rum, whiskey or vodka) makes a good solvent. Use a small handful of pipe cleaners, dampen them and go to town detailing the whole pipe. Bowl, stem, mortise, bit.
Mind any finish on the outside as it can strip the finish away.
If that doesn't work, the "salt bath" method should do the trick:
Fill up the bowl with non-iodized salt. Dribble a little alcohol in the bowl and allow it to dry for 24 hours. Scrape it out and repeat untill the salt is clean.