Tsss Ah, Push it

....push it real good?

No, not this



I'm talking about pipe cleaners and how far you run them into your pipe.


My typical post smoke ritual is; 1. Lightly scrape the dottle out from he bottom of the bowl and lightly knock it out on a cork or by tapping the bottom of the bowl when it's upside down (holding it buy the shank, not the stem). 2. Run a pipe cleaner from the mouthpiece to the inside of the bowl. 3. Fold the cleaner in half and "dry ream" the bowl of the pipe.

Now, I don't get all the dottle out until I dry ream the bowl in the third step. So there's still a bit of ash at the bottom of the bowl when I'm running the pipe cleaner through to get all the moisture in the stem and shank. Up until now I've pushed the pipe cleaner all the way until it actually enters the bowl and never thought anything of it. But the other day I realized how much dirtier the tip of the pipe cleaner becomes once it hits all that dottle. Potentially bringing more tars, juice and ash into the shank/mouth piece.

So it got me thinking...Is there anyone who only pushes the pipe cleaner to just before entering the bowl?


I realize I could just be more diligent in removing the dottle in step 1 and that I am probably over thinking this. I saw a video with the Milan tobacconist owner saying that the young pipe smokers nowadays are very obsessive about the minutia of the hobby. This is no exception.

Just looking forward to what others have to say about this. Domo ne.

Senshi said:

So it got me thinking...Is there anyone who only pushes the pipe cleaner to just before entering the bowl?

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I do, even if I've already removed all the dottle...there's still going to be some ash and dottle that I couldn't remove, and there may be cake, and whatever else. If I want a more thorough cleaning I remove the stem, then I feel free to get down and dirty. Anyway I can often get the last bit of the draft hole from the bowl side.

Also:

My cleaning routine = tap out dottle, dry q-tip to brush out loose ash, q-tip dipped in everclear to wash the bowl and another dry q-tip to dry the bowl. Bristle pipe cleaner dipped in everclear in the shank (till I can see it in the bowl) and stem and finish with a soft pipe cleaner in both the shank and stem.

It sounds like a lot, but I have it down to a science and can do it in a minute or less. I have enough pipes to allow them to rest for weeks so they have plenty of time to dry between smokes.

I gently scrape out dottle, and lightly tap to knock out anything that'll come loose (I've been known to just bang my cob on the side of the truck door while driving. The wonders of a beater truck and a cheap pipe. I'm much more gentle with my other pipes).

I'd be lying if I said I run a pipe cleaner after every bowl (I suppose I should be?), but maybe after every second or third bowl, I'll run a pipe cleaner in until I can see "just the tip" in the bottom of the bowl. If it comes out terrifyingly filthy, I'll run a second the same way.

Winchester38 said:

I've been known to just bang my cob on the side of the truck door while driving. The wonders of a beater truck and a cheap pipe.

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I discovered a few days ago that a cob or MM Ozark nestles securely into the gap between my mirror, its bracket, and the door on my car, with the bowl opening facing forward. I figure 15 minutes of 65mph wind is a pretty nice way to clean it.

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I just empty the pipe by knocking the rim against the bottom of my shoe, then blowing down through the stem and calling it a day. Occasionally this process happens after the dottle has sat in the pipe, for a unknown number of days although those occurrences usually involve a pipe cleaner in some capacity.

In my opinion, Salt - n - Pepa references = Ban. That is all.

My routine is the same as yours, Andrew, except my step 2 has a two parts.. I run the pipe cleaner all the way into the bowl, then I'll run the clean end in about half way through, just to clear anything I may drug toward the button from the first pass.

Commander Quan said:

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I just empty the pipe by knocking the rim against the bottom of my shoe, then blowing down through the stem and calling it a day. Occasionally this process happens after the dottle has sat in the pipe, for a unknown number of days although those occurrences usually involve a pipe cleaner in some capacity.

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I've been known to do the same, but instead of a shoe I'll use my palm or the cork knocker in my ashtray.

Bshow said:

In my opinion, Salt - n - Pepa references = Ban. That is all.

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^ Pushing it real good.

cursethis said:

I've been known to do the same, but instead of a shoe I'll use my palm or the cork knocker in my ashtray.

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+1 - I'll use a dry pipe cleaner through the stem of a cold pipe if I'm noticing issues getting it to draw or am just bored. I

f I want a project I'll use an alcohol soaked pipe cleaner on all of my pipes or even the whole alcohol and salt cleaning routine, but that's pretty rare. At those times I'll use whatever whiskey or vodka I have on hand rather than Everclear just because, well, it's what I have on hand.

Senshi said:

....push it real good?

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Bshow said:

In my opinion, Salt - n - Pepa references = Ban. That is all.

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Whatta man...

Winchester38 said:

Whatta man...

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Is it safe to say that Bshow isn't down with what's popular these days, dare I say non En Vogue?

Winchester38 said:

Whatta man...

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whatta mighty goooood mannnnn

but this whole pus to far, i'm not that OCD, i just knock the pipe on the palm of my hand or a cork knocker, push it all the way to the bowl, bend in half give a couple of swipes...

Commander Quan said:

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I just empty the pipe by knocking the rim against the bottom of my shoe, then blowing down through the stem and calling it a day. Occasionally this process happens after the dottle has sat in the pipe, for a unknown number of days although those occurrences usually involve a pipe cleaner in some capacity.

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That's pretty much my routine too. When I first started smoking, I was pretty religious with the pipe cleaners and alcohol, but after a while I noticed my briars weren't building any cake (they still don't; I smoke too fast), so I quit swabbing the bowls, thinking that might help. And once you take that step, it so easy to just skip the pipe cleaner altogether. If my pipes star to smell funky, or I find the draw getting restricted, I give them a good going over with pipe cleaners and alcohol. Otherwise, I don't bother anymore.

Senshi said:

Is it safe to say that Bshow isn't down with what's popular these days, dare I say non En Vogue?

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You can guess age range by reactions to these jokes in this thread. Guys too young or too old are never gonna get it.

captaincaveman said:

You can guess age range by reactions to these jokes in this thread. Guys too young or too old are never gonna get it.

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I know I want it...

The title of this thread is great. Love the En Vouge girls. Wonder what they look like now.

I tried to think of an SWV joke, but everything seemed a bit... Weak.

In the book, The Pipe by Georges Herment, there is a diagram of pulling the pipe cleaner out from the bowl after pushing it there through the stem. Odd, but I guess it's effective.

Since I had asked something about pipe cleaning a couple months back, I now just run a pipe cleaner through, reverse it and run it one more time. I used to use Everclear on a pipe cleaner after every bowl, and you fine gents convinced me I was too anal about it.