zeus36
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 392
- Location
- Ventura, California
Visit Pipes.org for lots of info on cleaning estate pipes and stems. I use boiling 99% ethyl alcohol and some high school chem lab equipment to flush them out.
Glassware brushes take care of the residue in the tenon and bit area, and a nice vintage adjustable bowl scraper cuts the cake down to size. I usually remove the cake completely due to the drugstore aromatics that most folks smoke. These remind me of burnt syrup, so I stick to traditional English tobaccos.
Seems that regular bleach (strong alkaline) will get the oxidation off the stems. This oxidation is caused by the sulfur content in the hard rubber (vulcanization) reacting with ozone, UV, saliva, etc...
I have a buffer and rouge for plastic that gets them nice and black again. You need a large wheel and a low RPM motor for buffing. Don't just throw a buffing wheel on your grinder motor or you'll ruin the stem.
A good pipe shop should be able to buff your pipe for free on the spot, but these are getting tougher to find. I usually go to Gus' Pipe shop on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks, CA for estate pipes and a free buffing. They have a website as well.
Stick with house blends if the owner knows what he's talking about. They will let you fill your bowl for free and try different tobaccos.
You can also check out Tobacco Reviews.com with ratings on the brands. There are LOTS of them! I'm currently playing with some blends by G.L. Pease and a very old company named L.J. Peretti. Peretti's will sell you sampler packs and I ordered their top seven rated blends by Tobacco Reviews.com right over the phone.
Back in the days when I used to go to the library, I found several books on pipes and tobacco (or requested them). Tons of info on a seemingly simple pleasure!
One good book for starters is called The Ultimate Pipe Book by Richard Carlton Hacker.
Enjoy
Glassware brushes take care of the residue in the tenon and bit area, and a nice vintage adjustable bowl scraper cuts the cake down to size. I usually remove the cake completely due to the drugstore aromatics that most folks smoke. These remind me of burnt syrup, so I stick to traditional English tobaccos.
Seems that regular bleach (strong alkaline) will get the oxidation off the stems. This oxidation is caused by the sulfur content in the hard rubber (vulcanization) reacting with ozone, UV, saliva, etc...
I have a buffer and rouge for plastic that gets them nice and black again. You need a large wheel and a low RPM motor for buffing. Don't just throw a buffing wheel on your grinder motor or you'll ruin the stem.
A good pipe shop should be able to buff your pipe for free on the spot, but these are getting tougher to find. I usually go to Gus' Pipe shop on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks, CA for estate pipes and a free buffing. They have a website as well.
Stick with house blends if the owner knows what he's talking about. They will let you fill your bowl for free and try different tobaccos.
You can also check out Tobacco Reviews.com with ratings on the brands. There are LOTS of them! I'm currently playing with some blends by G.L. Pease and a very old company named L.J. Peretti. Peretti's will sell you sampler packs and I ordered their top seven rated blends by Tobacco Reviews.com right over the phone.
Back in the days when I used to go to the library, I found several books on pipes and tobacco (or requested them). Tons of info on a seemingly simple pleasure!
One good book for starters is called The Ultimate Pipe Book by Richard Carlton Hacker.
Enjoy