What's your Go-to Process for Estate Pipes?

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Keitha

Might Stick Around
Jun 23, 2020
69
191
Costa Mesa, CA
I've used the salt/alcohol technique and the pipe came out incredibly clean. Pack the bowl full of salt, then pour in some rubbing alcohol or clear grain spirits. Let it sit overnight or longer. The salt will turn a nice shade of brown as it pulls the carbon and staining out of the bowl. The bowl will look near new.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,471
Do a general cleaning and inspection and then decide. Once you get into the airway, you'll see if a pipe is clean, or as clean as it looks. For acrylic stems, a long soaking in dish detergent and pipe cleaner cleaning repeatedly should do most of them. Don't be afraid to flush out briar or Meerschaum chambers and shanks; they are all immersed in the process of carving and finishing anyway. SP does a respectable job of sanitizing, but I'd put any pipe through a general cleaning and inspection, and proceed as needed. Beginners should go easy with reamers; a lot of damage can be done with those. Likewise go easy with buffers, which can remove stamping and finish.
 
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