Pipe Question

Ray98362

I have a Barling pipe I picked up as an estate pipe years ago.

It's a great smoker, but it's tough to pass a pipe cleaner through. It will usually go through after a few tries. It's not that it's overly tight or anything, more like it's not perfectly lined up.

Not sure how common this is, but is there an easy or relatively easy fix to this?

xDutchx

Ray, that's a great looking Barling's! Personally, I would recommend sending a quality pipe such as yours, to a reputable restoration expert for porting and polishing. There are quite a few available, that can give your pipe the TLC it needs to perform to it's optimum potential. Here are a few links to get you going in the right direction.

http://www.jhlowe.com/

http://walkerpiperepair.com/

http://amsmoke.com/

http://www.briarville.com/

motie2

https://rebornpipes.com/ is an interesting site about pipe restoration

Ray98362

@xDutchx Thanks for the list of places. I've actually used Walker Briar Works in the past, although I didn't remember their name. Do you have any idea what such a repair would cost?

@motie2 Thanks for the link. It was pretty amazing watching some of the restorations he did, some on pipes I would have thought were trashed.

xDutchx

Ray, these guys who port and polish pipes will have different range pricing, based on how in depth you want them to go. They can create artisan grade stems, which create very little turbulence in the smoke stream, but they can be pricey because they are so labor intensive.

If there was ever a vintage pipe that I felt would deserve such an investment, it would probably be a Barling's.

Ray98362

Dutch, thank you for the advice. I'll save my pennied and get it done right.

xDutchx

Ray, here is another link to a fellow named George Dibos who does fantastic work, and has a great reputation for duplicating original stems.

http://precisionpiperepair.com/about.php

daveinlax

I don't think George is taking on new work but you can always ask.

pipeman83

Tim West in Columbus,Ohio is great, I sent 3 pipes to him on Monday, he got them on Wednesday, and their on the way back to me.

Philip

Mr. Daveinlax,

I tried to find out if Mr. Dibos is, in fact, still in business. The website seems to be a little buggy (as in full of bugs, not horse drawn). I was unable to contact him to determine if he does take in any work. It might just be a website issue.

We'll get an answer.

rickhorn3

I've used Ric Fallon at Briarville several times, and can recommend him: he does excellent quality work at a fair price. Turnaround time might be slow, he usually stays pretty busy.

motie2

Does anyone know anything about Chambersburg Pipe Works, in Chambersburg PA? 

He does business online through ETSY at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChamersburgPipe

An uninformed perusal of all his offerings at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChamersburgPipe/items appears to show nice pipes at nice prices.....

motie2

OK, I need someone to answer this one: For decades, I've used 91% isopropyl alcohol as a good around the house solvent and disinfectant. In both of my pipe lives (late 1960's though mid 1980's) I've carefully used a pipe cleaner dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean my pipes' stems and stummels, of course letting them dry for at least a day before smoking them. 

Yet, in discussions I've read, here and elsewhere, about pipe cleaning, they always specify ethyl alcohol or vodka. One even specifies, "....NOT isopropyl.

I've casually tried to understand this and done a modest bit of research -- and I know the difference between ethyl and isopropyl alcohol -- but I can't understand the difference in a pipe cleaning context.

So, question: Anybody know the answer? 

PappyJoe

You are not supposed to ingest isopropyl alcohol. It's poisonous.

motie2

I know that, Pappy. That's why I let the pipes dry for 24 hours after using isopropyl. 

Woodsman

I over used isopropyl  on a ghosted pipe, I let it dry for a week and tried it, there was a strong bitter taste. The  Pipe is Meerschaum lined and I think so much exposure to Alcohol had melted the glue(?) holding it in. I don't know for sure but now I use "Espiritu Vodka" From a Polish Liquor Store, and don't oversoak.

thebadgerpiper

I used to use isopropyl alcohol for cleaning my pipes, but switched to everclear after hearing that it was poisonous. I use an old isopropyl bottle with everclear in it though, as the bottles are better for dipping pipe cleaners in.

motie2

I thank you all for your thoughtful responses.

Perhaps I'll switch to vodka.

Has anyone used brown spirits as a cleaner? Say, rum, or bourbon?

drac2485

@motie2  I use ever clear, personally, but I know some that use whiskey or bourbon to clean their pipes and they say it imparts a sweet flavor when smoked after a cleaning.  Personally, I would rather have no flavor so that's why I use ever clear.

motie2

@drac2485 and @thebadgerpiper -- Ah, well, I'm into 92 proof black spiced rum and I smoke a rum flavored blend, Sutliff Private Stock Barbados Plantation. So, no problem for me. Thank you for your response. It's sometimes the little things that you don't know that hold you back. I've used use rum for a thorough cleaning/exorcism of a pipe, but it never occurred to me to use it with a pipe cleaner for routine cleaning. Thanks again.

One remaining concern: Everclear is a higher proof and a stronger solvent than vodka. Is it therefore more hazardous to the pipe kind of like @Woodsman describes above with the isopropyl?

PappyJoe

As a lowly professor ( ) I have used Everclear for cleaning pipes but I've never had a problem with it like Woodsman describes. But, I don't do salt and alcohol treatment on Meerschaums bowls.

pipeman83

I can't get ever clear in Ohio, I've been using rubbing alcohol but hearing that I'm going to use something else.

ghostsofpompeii

In an early Matches860 he suggested mouth wash like Scope. I use either some form of booze or Decatur Briar-Fresh Airway Cleaner - that seems to work the best. It cheap enough that every time I put in an order for tobacco at P&C I always include two or three bottles of Briar-Fresh to any tobacco order as it's only $1.99. I stopped using rubbing alcohol because the smallest amount on a vulcanized stem can discolor it. And I've always head it can take the finish off a pipe if it gets on the briar. 

motie2

Woodsman

@motie2 Everclear seems to be unavailable here but Espiritu Vodka is well over 150 proof.

Woodsman

@motie2 In your case you might pickup one of those small "Airline" bottles of 151 Rum which should leave a great ghost for your Aromatics.

pipeman83

@ghostsofpompeii, I also use briar fresh, that and the Decatur pipe cleaners work great.

motie2

@Woodsman -- What a fantastic idea! I've seen 'em at Total Wine. Why didn't I think of that? The 151 is no good for drinking -- unless you're an older Caribbean gentleman or a person with a problem -- but it would be excellent for routine pipe cleaning. The obvious answer is often right in front of us, but we don't see it. In my case, because I'm a little loose in the head these days. Back in the day, I was just obtuse.

buflosab

This might sound weird but I use Listerine mint mouth wash,stem goes through easily when saturated.

motie2

@buflosab -- If you don't mind any residual taste/smell (if any) that Listerine sounds like a good idea. I used isopropyl until folks started telling me that it's poisonous (I knew that but I'm not drinking it, and I let the pipe/stem thoroughly dry.....), so I switched to vodka (for pipe cleaning; I drink rum).

PappyJoe

@buflosab do you saturate a pipe cleaner with water and run it through the stem after using the Listerine? 

I hate the taste of Listerine.