The "Salt Method" of Exorcism

tomatobodhi

Last night I smoked a new-to-me estate pipe for the first time and even though it had been cleaned up, I immediately knew what the previous owner had enjoyed in it. This pipe was haunted! I used the "salt method" to exorcise the ghost, and thought I'd share what that is...

Take off the stem. Fill the bowl with kosher salt. (This estate was a canadian, so I also used a small funnel to fill the shank.) Pour a little alcohol over the salt in the bowl - just enough to wet the salt. Leave it for a few hours or overnight. The salt will turn brown. Gently scoop the salt out and clean the pipe as you normally would.

judandhispipe

This is an old standby that doesn't need to be used that often, but is good to know.

tomatobodhi

It is one of the nuclear options, for sure. I pour the alcohol with a funnel to keep it from damaging the finish, but I know some people use pipettes to drop the alcohol onto the salt.

Woodsman

I've done it and it works well, once or twice I've had the stem loosen up a little, I guess the salt melted tars from the stem area. Heating the stem tenon usually got it right again.

pipeman83

I've done that on several of my pipes, I always do it on any pipe I buy on ebay because most of them are "as is", it's always worked well for me.

judandhispipe

"once or twice I've had the stem loosen up a little, I guess the salt
melted tars from the stem area. Heating the stem tenon usually got it
right again."

I just read a suggestion on putting a pipe in the freezer for 15 minutes to loosen an overly tight stem. I tried it on one of  mine,and it worked like a charm.

Penzance

The salt and alcohol method works great.....don't use iodized salt though. I use Everclear and kosher salt.

Deadpool57

What types of alcohol are you guys using?  Everclear, bottom shelf vodka, a whiskey (which sounds like more of a burn than a taste)?

xDutchx

@Deadpool57, I always use bourbon on all my pipes, even my meers and clays.

I know a guy who said he made the mistake of using gin once, and afterwards he said his pipes had a predominate pine flavor. I decided I was willing to take his word for it, and stick with a good bourbon.

If using the Kosher salt treatment, I might be inclined to use some PGA for it's added strength, but generally I don't like using it for standard pipe cleaning, due to a shorter working time.

Deadpool57

Thanks for the heads up @xDutchx .   I personally don't like having to buy high value vodkas (a) because I'm not going to drink them and (b) bourbons taste better to me. I used the vodka treatment before but the cheaper the vodka the worse it would clean the pipe.  

PappyJoe

Everclear. And I remove the stem and plug the shank with a small cork. I use a straw like a pipette to make sure none of the alcohol gets on the finish.

Deadpool57

@Pappyjoe do you still use the salt or straight everclear>>>?

PappyJoe

@deadpool57 - Morton's rock salt and Everclear. I personally like to set this up later in the day and let it sit overnight. Some guys I know won't let it set for more than 4 or 5 hours and say they get good results.

Another trick I learned and tried is instead of salt and alcohol, use used coffee grounds that are still damp. I have one of those Keurig coffee makers and will just take a cup out of the machine and use the grounds from it. Plain coffee though none of the flavored blends. Again, just let it sit overnight, dump the grounds and then rinse the bowl under tap water. 

I know that sounds strange to some, but more than a few old timers told me that it won't hurt briar (don't do it with meerschaum) because you aren't soaking the wood in water, just rinsing it out and to let it air dry for a day before smoking. The coffee ground method doesn't damage the finish on the bowl like grain alcohol will either.

Deadpool57

So last night, I actually cleaned 2 pipes with salt and a couple alcohols; one with Old Crow Bourbon and the other with the remaining Everclear (from the wife's stash). After allowing to sit, overnight, I've found that the Everclear, with salt, cleans better overall and made cleaning the shank way easier.  

The bourbon cleaned well but definitely brought a pleasant smell and small taste as well. The shank was still a little tarred from my oily aromatic tobaccos.  For both pipes I smoked some Bourkum Riff which someone asked me to try.  I used this in both cleaned pipes.  

For taste: I would definitely do the bourbon method of cleaning.  For a cleaner smoke, I would use the Everclear. There is a small difference but nothing that would deter me from using either method again.  Who knows though, not everyone's palate is the same and maybe I'm just more sensitive to bourbon.  

Incase anyone wondered I used both of my bulldog briar pipes for the experiment.

I'll try the coffee grounds tonight, I sadly don't have any meerschaum pipes to clean :-/  Also I learned how to clean brylon..... I sold it someone else. All clean.    

xDutchx

@PappyJoe, I have also heard that coffee grounds work well for cleaning a smooth rim, but I have not personally tried that one.

Wolf41035

 I have tried all the above methods, here is my personal opinion, take it or leave it because it is just a personal opinion and everyone has different ideas and everyone's taste buds are different.
 
I have tried the Bourbon and it was OK but doesn't clean as good as I wanted.
 
The coffee method even after rinsing left a bitter coffee taste and I am not one that drinks coffee everyday so it wasn't for me.
 
Everclear or equivalent  with Kosher Salt is the method I like best for getting a pipe real clean.
 
Now since I like Aromatic Blends I will double rinse my pipes after cleaning them, if I am going to smoke some Aromatic that I think will blend good with Bourbon I will do a quick Bourbon cleaning on that pipe after it has been cleaned by above method, I think this enhances the taste of some Aromatics.
 
So there you have it, they way I clean my pipes and in my Personal Opinion the best way to do it.  
 

PappyJoe

@wolf41035 - Bitter coffee taste? I probably didn't notice because I am a coffee drinker, either that or the coffee notes paired well with the pipe tobacco I smoked the day after the cleaning.  

I have been known to dip a pipe cleaner in bourbon or rum and run it through the stem and shank a few times for added sweetening. Sort of like this old timer I knew who would dip the unlit end of his cigar in Cognac while smoking it. He claimed it improved the flavor. 

Wolf41035

@PappyJoe Yeah when I do drink Coffee I use flavored creamer and sweetener, used to use sugar but can't now.  Now if I could clean with flavored coffee I would be OK but that wouldn't be good for the pipe....LOL  Got to watch sugar and/or other sweeteners in a pipe, don't want to gum it up. 
Bourbon and Rum are good flavors to pair with pipes and cigars, I have some Fuentes that pair well with both but I personally prefer pairing them with Woodford reserve. 
I have seen people dip their cigars in alcohol but if you drink as you smoke it does about the same thing.  I could see where Cognac could make a difference on some cigars.

I have often wondered what one of them sonic cleaners would do to a pipe, I am sure it would kill the finish and ruin the wood but what about other types of pipes? HUM....LOL   I am not going to try it but if someone else gets the urge to chance it let the rest of us know how bad it destroyed your pipe and I sure hope your smart enough to use a cheap one! 

PappyJoe

@wolf41035 - When I went to boot camp in 1972, I learned to drink my coffee black, no sugar and that was some cheap government coffee. I learned the secret was cleaning the pots good on a daily basis and that made a big difference. When you have a clean pot, there is no build-up of oils that can turn coffee bitter. The next six years I was stationed in and around Seattle and learned that over roasted beans were more bitter than well roasted beans. When they beans have been roasted too long, in my opinion, they have an aroma and taste that reminds me of burning tires (all of Starbucks coffee reminds me of this). 

Personally, I prefer a good medium roasted 100% Colombian coffee but I also never turn down a good Jamaican or Kona bean coffee. These days I use one of those Keurig coffee makers so I don't have to worry about washing out the pot.

PappyJoe

@wolf41035 - I have a friend who makes his own bourbon infused cigars. He has one of those tall jars with a bail that will hold about 6 cigars. He puts a shot glass with some bourbon or rum into the jar and then he will dip the head of each cigar in the booze and place them foot down around the shot glass. Closes the jar and puts it on the shelf for at least a month. He does this with relatively inexpensive cigars (around $5 each) and they are enjoyable smokes.

Of course, you can buy them already done at a good cigar shop. Mine carries some that are done with Maker's Mark and comes in glass tubes with the same red wax seal that the bottles have.

Wolf41035

@PappyJoe I know a guy in Louisville that makes Bourbon Infused Cigars by the barrels and sells them in his shop, he always has extra's at the end of the process and sells them in 5 packs to a few of us, they are GREAT Cigars.   I have often thought about infusing some myself, maybe 5 at a time and with different things including smoke.   They make infusing kits you can buy to do 5-10 cigars at a time, thought I would just make my own kit and do what I want.  
I have had them Makers Mark Cigars, they are good but for the price I would rather smoke a great Cigar or make my own. 
I have a couple red wax Makers Mark Cigars and some blue wax U of K Makers Mark Cigars and One Gold Wax Makers Mark Cigar, they will just sit in my Humidor for now.  lol
 

Wolf41035

@PaaayJoe Yeah I never drank Coffee in Boot camp or any time while I was serving, honestly I have never needed coffee, when I do drink it I just drink it to warm up when out in the cold.  lol   I don't drink  much of anything with caffeine. 

Woodsman

I only use the salt method to de-ghost an estate pipe, I'm looking forward to the coffee ground method to try out. 

Deadpool57

Coffee method is working surprisingly well, I do have to agree with that.

Deadpool57

How are you guys cleaning your stems?  Soaking? I'm having an issue with a few of the latakia blends in my pipes that I attempted to clean out.  

Wolf41035

Best thing I have found is a long deep dish and let them soak, use one of the rough pipe cleaners and soak again, repeat until clean, wipe down, rinse, wipe dry let air out and all good.

Woodsman

On stubborn estate pipes that just wont clean I soak a pipe cleaner in Ever Clear and leave it in the pipe overnight, this softens the deposits. Pull it out  and run a couple of cleaners through. This usually cleans them out.

Londy3

I just cleaned all of mine today with bourbon and of course, had some for myself. The bad news is that I don't have a pipe to smoke tonight. 

PappyJoe

Off Topic -
Has anyone heard from Deadpool57 lately?