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Problem cleaning an Oom Paul

I purchased a nice looking Oom Paul on ebay.  It draws well, so it is not clogged.  But, I cannot get a cleaner to make the bend.  I have bent the tip, and have also tried wire brushes with bent tip. 
Any suggestions?

Comments

  • @jsmassoc
    Maybe use a heatgun….slowly and carefully…straighten the stem, then use a small flexible file like what is available at Vermont Freehand, or carefully drill (I would suggest by hand with a pin-vise) the airway from the tenon side with a suitable tapered drill bit or a normal drill to slightly open the stem’s airway.  You could use a small bit and/or the flexible file from the button side some as well.  Once it passes a pipe cleaner to your satisfaction, insert a pipe cleaner fully in the stem’s airway heat up the stem with the airgun and re-bend the stem to your liking and hold it in the shape you want while it cools.
  • eeek! Good luck🤞
  • I will assume you are talking about the airway at the bottom of the bowl and not the stem. Oom Paul’s are basically fully bent pipes. When I smoke the one I have, I do a water rinse to flush out any particles and then put a bend in a pipe cleaner and insert it into the airway from the bowl side. 
  • edited April 2022
    @PappyJoe
    I did not think about that side. None of my Oom Paul’s have a problem passing a pipe cleaner through the shank to the bowl with the stem removed.  I don’t expect any bent pipe to fully pass a pipe cleaner with the stem in place either.  I have many that will, I just don’t expect it.
    I guess it would help if we knew where @jsmassoc was having the troubles?
  • I have a nice pipe, similar to what y'all are talking about. Nice to look at, but a pain to smoke. This is the first pipe I want to sell at the next pipe show.
  • I have a Savinelli 620 that has a hard bend in it, I put a mild bend about 40 degrees on the cleaner about 1.5" long so it fits in the mortice and just
    enters the entrance to the bowl, the mortice is 1 CM and just allows it to enter at the  correct angle. 
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