Peeps, it’s the weekend again, time to quit work and enjoy life slowly! One of the most restful things I love to do over weekends is sitting on my balcony with my favorite pipe filled with tobacco and reading as I smoke. The joy that comes with smoking a pipe cannot be compared to any other; however, looking after Briar pipes is also very vital. Today, I will share with you some of the tips that have worked for me over the years from cleaning Briar pipes.
Everyone knows that regular cleaning is necessary for keeping their pipes in good condition. The easiest and also highly effective way of cleaning them which I found requires two items only which are quality cleaners and a pipe brush. After every smoke, I use the brush to gently rub off any build-up cake inside it then put it in an air-tight pouch. Once a week, I will do a thorough clean just so that it remains like new for long.
This helps preserve the taste of each smoke like new by not only making my pipes cleaner but also removing residue thereby preventing a bitter taste. Each puff seems like my first try at smoking. In my process of cleaning you can follow step by step Such that you always know what you are doing easily as it’s very direct and simple. Let’s look at the specific cleaning Briar pipe steps
Why should you clean a briar pipe after each use?
I understand that you might not want to clean your tobacco pipe, but trust me when I say it is important. Leftover tar, moisture, and even soot can ruin the smoking experience of a pipe. In addition, with time the acidic tar may penetrate into the bowl’s interior and cause a bad smell. Notably so for vented pipes such as cigarette holders or the bottom of bowls where there are more pores. This dirt will accumulate quickly, seriously hindering air circulation and affecting the smoking experience of the pipe.
All this gunk will build up like crazy in places like the shank and bottom of the bowl which absolutely restrict airflow making every smoke feel like choking to death. So do yourself a favor and give it 15 minutes for a thorough scrub down. Your pipe will thank you with smooth, tasty puffs!
But beyond that Excessive cake buildup is also not good. It does help absorb moisture and mellow out smoke, but don’t let it get too thick. Thinner than a dime if possible! Allow it to become too dense while smoking…this could potentially crack your pipe too! In addition, improper use of briar pipes can also cause damage to the pipe. You can read our blog on how to properly use briar pipes to avoid this problem.
How often should you clean a briar pipe?
But we all want to know – how often do we really need to clean them? I’ve met some pipe veterans with rigorous monthly deep-cleaning rituals. But for most of us hobbyists, that may be overkill.
I think we should make a habit of using a pipe cleaner immediately after smoking to remove new tar and ash buildup. At minimum, do a full deep clean weekly with alcohol or pipe cleaner fluid to fully wash out the shank. Prompt removal prevents buildup over time.
Now as my pipe collection grows, I’ve found that rotation is another great way to extend cleaning cycles. For example, smoking 7 different pipes weekly reduces the usage frequency of each, needing less frequent scrubbing. In my experience, resting pipes at least 7 days between uses, with alcohol deep clean every 5-7 bowls, keeps them fresh and dry.
Steps to Cleaning a Briar Pipe
As with my smoking habits, I like to keep my pipe clean at all times. So I always like to keep some pipe cleaner on the side. After finishing a bowl I’ll run one through the stem always for moisture and crumbs. A minute hardly goes by but this will make a difference in keeping away gunk.
For an even deeper clean, I soak the whole pipe in high-proven isopropyl alcohol in order to break down tars and oils much better. The alcohol can do its work if you leave it for at least three hours but the longer it takes the better, especially for stubborn grime. While it soaks, twist a cleaner lightly down through the shank and into the bowl just to loosen any bits. Gunk becomes soft with alcohol over time.
Next, rinse under hot water while scraping inside with a tube opener to remove all dirt from within. If there are still some stubborn stains sticking around, simply brush slightly back and forth using a soft brush without scratching your pipe.
Cleaning the pipe bowl
Now let’s deal with the bowl – don’t scrape too hard! First carefully scrape out any cake buildup, then put some salt inside and immerse it in alcohol overnight thus dissolving away oils and tar. Dump out the salt the next day, and use an alcohol-dampened pipe cleaner to meticulously wipe the bowl clean.
How do you clean the stem and shank of a pipe?
But the most easily overlooked pipe mortise also needs our careful cleaning. Take a pipe cleaner soaked in alcohol, wrap it around a straightened paperclip, and clean off stubborn dirt. After that pass through some thin wires which are used to clean up the residue left in the shank using brushes with different diameters. Next, take a gently wetted pipe cleaner with alcohol damped on it, then make insertion into vulcanite stems so as to get rid of any gunk. Of course, you can also click on our blog on how to clean pipe stems to learn more about how to clean pipe stems
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