microwaves for pipe cleaning.

How bad an idea that would be with silver bands and other metal shank adornments ...

What posessed you man? You really need to get a safer hobby. LOL

be a scientist, try it out ;)

to be honest, I do not think it hurts the pipe that much ( a pipe without the metal parts), just heating up the tar within it. what might be hurtful is a to rapid expansion of liquid in to short of a time... so turn down the effect if you got a microwave from monster garage

I've read somewhere that people screwed their pipes while trying to speed up drying. That I wouldn't do, putting freshly smoked pipe into a microwave. If not for breaks one can expect some deformations and, as a result, poor stem fitting. On the other hand, a few seconds might be on the safe side.

I see stochastic processes are quite efficient. I did not sleep normally for a few days and I don't even want to smoke not to mention to play with a pipe and the microwave. Maybe I should try your way. I have Skorokhod's book somewhere, I even tried to read it long time ago.

Just heating up the tar a bit.

The amount of liquid in it is very small, the energy needed is quite low.

For the record, the pipe was cool and well cleaned with pipe cleaners before the microwaving.

I was sitting outside on break this morning when I read the original post in this thread ... its the first time since I've been here on MPC that the guffaw would not (no, Could Not) be withheld ... I just about blew a gasket laughing when I read what you did Henrik ... man ... we really need to get you a safer hobby.

Now, for a serious second or two ... get a drill bit that is just under the size of the air passage and use it to clean out the tar. That's how the Senior Reamer works. Inside the knurled handle is a drill bit (universal size) and I've used it with much success many times. Ok, enough seriousness.

"snap crackle and pop" ... ROTFLMAO ... man, I needed that!

principal behind this. Heat softens the tars and allows them to be extracted. Just as alcohol dissolves the tars. I can see both methods working. My preference is a drill bit the same size as the bore in the shank and to let the flutes cut it out. Once the bulk is removed an alcohol soaked bristle pipe cleaner to finish the job. To me it is as close as I can get to a freshly drilled airway without actually expanding the airway.

...the dark ages as I still run a pipe cleaner through my pipe after EVERY single smoke without fail. I can't imagine a need to resort to anything else after years of smoking these same pipes!

I go through at least three cleaners per bowl. That is down from my earlier average of five per bowl. At the end of the evening, the pipe is taken apart and thoroughly scrubbed. This is after a cleaner has been inserted after the bowl is completed to absorb the moisture right after the smoke. I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Exactly! I could easily buy a new microwave oven for all that has been spent on pipe cleaners. I buy about 5000 pipe cleaners per year and buy them by the five-hundreds. I run the cleaner through immediately after every smoke. I don't often remove a stem, especially when hot. I won't buy a pipe if a pipe cleaner will not pass unabated from stem through shank to the bowl bottom.

It's only natural that we agree. After all, both pilots and pipe smokers. We probably both even enjoy sex (with the opposite sex, that is)!

I use alot of pipe cleaners, one as I smoke, an one or two afterwards.

Somehow there seem to be a build up anyway.

One of the things guilty for the build up is lint from the cleaners, even after I draw the cleaner between my fingers.

Generally I use the tool that is within the handle of the senior pipe reamer, it is good enough, I also use vodka and pipe cleaners...

I dunno, I am usually not in any hurry, but 7 - 8 seconds in the microwave is hard to beat ;)

... blow through the stem before cleaning and also after cleaning to remove lint. I also rarely smoke the same pipe in succession.

this was an experiment, and the results was quite nice, and it least humoured rick ;)

Applying old technology in new ways is one thing that defines an engineer. that perhaps that is why rick blew a gasket laughing :)

I guess I'm pre-amoeba or something. I use a pipe cleaner when something is blocking the airway :)

My smokes are usually quite dry, unless I switch to a rested pipe or a blend I haven't smoked in quite a while.

As far as cleaning the shank goes, I use some good old 22-11 ( http://www.ff-pipes.... ) - best damn cleaning fluid there is. So far I haven't dabbled in salt treatments or anything similarly exotic (to me), but the microwave thing sounds like something I'd do. I guess my Danish common sense is being trampled by the Swedish influences of momentary insanity ... but it actually sounds interesting.

Oh, and I found myself an excellent reamer. A simple cylindrical wooden tamper. Basically just a rod of quarter-inch pine cut to length. Scrape up and down with the edge of the tamper and presto, a well reamed pipe. I love simple solutions ... On to the microwave.

I wonder...speaking of cake...what would microwaving do to cake...I mean I guess we'll have to see if stieltje can report of anything like flaking cake...or if the pipe smokes a bit wetter...

Plus...I imagine that enclosed sand pits in the briar might cause that sparking that stieltje saw...and that can cause fire and possibly hurt the finish of the pipe...neither a possibility I really want to tempt fate with...

Cheers,

Josh

Arh, come on Josh .. Live a little .. Join the dark side .. *snap* *crackle* *pop*

I have a little experience with estates and not once I've seen it when the cleaners soaked in alcohol come out of the shank clean but you can still feel the dirty taste (I am not talking about ghosts). The trick I used before was I stuffed a bit of tobacco, smoked the pipe for 15 minutes, just to make it warm and cleaned the pipe immediately afterwards. Always cleaning a lot of extra stuff could be removed after this.

I have this recently acquired Stanwell (decided to give it one more shot after all those hails). It's Canadian, so redrilling, while would be useful to open the channel a bit, is out of the questions. I did not pick up anything right after I get it but the taste was awful. Cleaned it thoroughly (now it was more effective). The taste is still off. Cleaned it thoroughly again. Yesterday evening put it into the microwave for 10 seconds. Yep, five more cleaners picked some stuff. Later today I'll try to smoke it again.

with Tim West about the same thing, he told me he tried it once. He had the same result. Popping, cracking and smoke. He cut the piece of briar open and found the inside was burnt. A microwave cooks from the inside out.
I hope that wasn't one of your good pipes.

I've tried it with a bunch of my pipes recently out of curiosity. No problems to report.