All about pipe maintenance

The smoking and care of the pipes

Here are good expert advice on how to keep your pipes in perfect condition, even after years of diligent use. It has been many years since something has been written about how to maintain your pipes yourself. We now remedy this article and a few more, in the following numbers of Piber & Tobacco. I will review the daily dealings with the pipe and the very big trip, which is scraped and polished according to all the rules of art. We also have to look at what repairs and arrangements you can handle yourself, with relatively simple means, and also which one stands by letting the pipe maker arrange. I also have to get into how to maintain a foam pipe. After all, it is a little more tender than the regular bruyere pipes at some points. Other, slightly more special pipes of porcelain, chalk (clay) and kalabas, I will also try to give a few words along the way. Most of you can probably a few fifth in advance, not least if you have read the acclaimed 'stop', or some of the old Olrik's other writings on the subject. But it has been, as I said, long since they have been written, and many new pipe smokers have come to the side, fortunately. And the rest of us probably don't hurt some continuing education. Well?

Pipe Maintenance in everyday life

I would venture the claim that there are two kinds of pipe smokers. Roughly speaking, maybe. Yet. One is a person with one, or at most a few pipes. He can't stand smoking a new pipe. "It tastes damn, the first many bags of tobacco". In fact, it is only when he can hardly get the little finger down in the chamber that it tastes right with pipe (sneaking)! See we are some who do not really understand. Once the pipe is in such a constitution, it doesn't matter what you stop in it. It all tastes the same. But that is perhaps just the charm. No, where the misery is located is probably in the choice of pipe, and not least tobacco. Those who swear to the good pipes have probably tried a 'block' for a 20s, at some point. But it's never really going to work. Not even with a good tobacco. The tree is usually of such poor quality that if it does not burn through fairly quickly, it will at least be sour. Already after a few stops. So a pipe of a certain quality is the prerequisite for the full enjoyment of the tobacco. What tobacco you want to smoke on the pipe, we should not get into here; Just I would say that the more oily tobacco, the longer the pipe should rest between each stop. It should preferably be completely dry at the bottom of the tobacco chamber before stopping again. So less than 4-6 pipes you can hardly have if you, for example. Smokes 6 stops a day. Pipe cleaners also unconditionally belong to the daily dealings with the pipe. Whether you use pipe cleaners during smoking, or just need to clean when you smoke a stop. In my opinion, it cannot pay to save on the cleanses. There are countless brands for sale, but many of them are not worth the money no matter how cheap they are. The pipe cleaner must first and foremost suck well. I think it was Jakob Groth who did a test of pipe cleaners a few years ago. The test he used was simple but very telling: Take one of your cleaners, bend it in an open spiral and place it on the surface of a cup of water. If it sucks effectively, it will sink to the bottom immediately. Summly cleaners will flow for 10 -15 seconds, while really bad copies will continue to flow. Think about what actually happens when you pull the pipe cleaner through the tip. If the cleaner does not suck properly, it will simply distribute sauce and tobacco residue in the channel. In addition, if the cleaner is a lot, it goes purely wrong. So if your pipe cleaners can't pass the test, in search of some who can do the job. Now that we are using the pipe cleaner, remember another few things. The tab (the part of the tip that enters the throat) must also be cleaned. Especially on the surface with the hole. Here you can easily gather some dirt, which helps to make the pipe angry. And of course, the smoke channel in the pipe head must also be cleaned. I usually take the tip off first (remember to wait until the pipe has gotten cold). Then I pull the cleaner through the tip, then I fold it twice on the lower 4 cm. Then the tab gets a walk and then the smoke channel. Remember to get well into the "hook" where the tap hole goes into the smoke channel. Depending on how dirty the cleaner becomes, you must use one or more. If you use this procedure, the pipe can stay fresh for a long time, without much other maintenance. If, on the other hand, you do not use pipe cleaners after each stop, the smoke channel will grow until eventually. The pull will get worse and the pipe begins to get mad. Already after 4 - 5 stops, more than a dry pipe cleaner is needed to clean the pipe again. I come back to that. Also remember to dry the tip and especially the bite off when you have smoked on the pipe. Then the tip can stay nice for a long time. If you do not want to use the shirt or shirt for it, you must start walking with a handkerchief. It can also be used for the nose in a tight turn. After all, there should preferably sit a nice head at both ends of the pipe. If you are very enthusiastic, you can invest in a special polish cloth. Dunhill and Savinelli make some who are quite excellent. They are Impregnated with wax or the like and can thus also keep e pipe head blank. But don't use them to the nose!

Main cleaning of bruyers pipes

No matter how carefully you fit your pipe in everyday life, it will inevitably need a larger overhaul once in a while. Even the finest rod tip will inevitably become matte or greenish over time. And the coke stroke in the tobacco chamber will be too thick. Let's start with the tip: First, the smoke channel and the tab must be cleaned properly. For this, use a cleaning fluid that can dissolve it that daily cleaning does not get. There are several options here. The finest that exists is called 2211. This Fluidum was invented by pipe maker Gert Holbek in 1967. It is, in his own statement, a non -toxic (in 1967) mix with pleasant scent that dissolves all the waste materials that are deposited in the throat and tip. Finally, it impregnates against bacteria. It's also an excellent lacquer remover, I can add, so don't waste it on the table. Tight cases - but formidable to clean the pipes. Plain alcohol can also do it, or even spirits. But 2211 is clearly the best. Dip the outermost of a pipe cleaner in the cleaning fluid and pass it through the tip. One is astonished at how much shit it gets with, despite the daily cleansing. So a cleaner is probably not enough. When the result is satisfactory, you end with a dry cleaner. The tab is also cleaned with the cleaning fluid. Either with a pipe cleaner, or with the napkin moistened with the liquid. Then we come to the exterior inspection. Is the tip just a little matte or has it got a greenish color? In the first case, it should only have once wax. Not any kind of wax, but carnauba wax. This can be acquired by most, larger pipe stores. Carnauba wax is a hard wax. So with a relatively high melting point. It makes it a little cumbersome to work with, but then a polishing in turn lasts for a long time. The wax can be applied manually or by machine. For manual application you can use the previously mentioned polish cloth, which is impregnated in advance, or rub a piece of washing skin (real) with adult, until the skin is blank with wax. Then you rub the tip strongly with the skin. The tap may also have a ride. Then it slides more easily in the tap hole. You end up polishing the tip in a soft cloth. For mechanical application, use a lambskin pad for the drill. The usual size that fits a 13 cm rubber barn part is excellent. It just doesn't have to be smaller. The pillow is set in good speed and the adult is held in an instant, with a fixed pressure. The tip can now be polished on the pillow. This is done easiest while the tip sits on the pipe. But hold on tight to the pipe so it doesn't fly from you. If the tip is very matte, some pressure is needed at first so that the wax can melt and penetrate the pores. But then the tip should be "brushed" by the pillow. The easier the pressure, the blanker pipe. However, be careful not to get too much wax on. If it gets too much wax, it will become matte again as soon as you take it. It is worthwhile to be careful here. A perfect wax polishing can last for many months, even with diligent use of the pipe. So what do we do if the tip has become completely green? After all, it doesn't look pretty. Here are in principle the same options as with adults, but if you have more than 5 -10 pipes, you must probably invest in drilling with accessories, or leave it to others; eg. The pipe maker. There are several pipe polish sets in the trade and old households such as pumice and Vienna lime can be used, but it takes m e t l a n g time. If you are set to polish peaks often (before they get too bad), or have only a few pipes, you try with a polish set. However, my experience says that patience usually escapes before the desired result is achieved. But maybe it's because I'm constantly thinking about the 100 other pipes that also need a lap? Rate yourself! I swear to my good old hand drill. I even do not own a holder, but am referred to the edge of the kitchen sink. It can be done though it is a part. But what do not do to get great, blank pipes? To polish discolored Ebonite tips need to use a good, solid metabolism. At least 15 cm. in diameter. If you have a holder for the drill, or a real polisher, you can safely go higher up. Just the machine should be able to pull the disc and the speed be appropriate. A polish disc must not run too fast. To polish with you need a polish pulp. It is available in blocks of different sizes and with different grain size / abrasive degree. Here you are probably best by talking to a pipe maker or repairer. Here you can probably buy a small piece, or get advice on type and dealer. But remember that if you have to buy a block of a kg, you have enough for the next 3-400 years, unless you start polishing pipes for all the city's pipe smokers. The same goes for the adult. I even bought a small block of reddish-brown polish and a small block carnauba wax 10-15 years ago. I haven't used half yet. You can then call it an investment! Well - back to the green tip. You put the metabolism in turns; Not too many; And keeps the polish on. Then you keep the tip of the disc. Also, make sure to hold on tight. It pulls well. And be careful not to get near the drill cartridge or shaft. It gives some bad scratches. Whether it's the fingers or pipe that gets in touch. A part must be polished if the tip is well discolored. When you believe that all coatings are polished away, you wipe the tip in a cloth and examine it thoroughly at good light. There are usually some places that need a little extra. But be careful not to polish on the pipe neck. The color goes off immediately! Also stamps at the tip like overload. Try to go around. And make sure to get well into the edge at the bite. It is usually the worst place. Once the tip has become nice black again, it must be cleaned for grinding mass. Here, too, the edge of the bite is important. Use if necessary. a toothpick or similar. here. When the tip is clean, you give it a trip with an adult as described above. Then it should be at least as nice as new.

Main renovation of Bruyere pipes

Since this is a head cleaning, we must not forget the pipe head. First, the cooking stroke must be removed or reduced. An old rule of thumb says max 1 -1½ m.m. Cooky. If it is thicker, it must at least be milled off. Otherwise, you risk the pipe head staining. There are many cutters on the market, but the good old old man cutter is good and cheap. It is a light tapered metal cutter with 7 inserts and a cross stick at the end. It is available in several sizes. 17 and 19 m.m. Make most pipes, but you'll find out. Measure any. The new pipe and see which one fits. There are also adjustable cutters, but they are a bit more expensive if the quality is to be in order. It is also an advantage to have a cutter that is 2 m.m. Less than the smallest pipe. It facilitates the work if the coke stroke has become abundantly thick. When scraping the pipe of pipe, it is a good idea to put a newspaper out on the table. The coal dust is very black and pigs quite terrible. If you've tried driving with coal -fired steam locomotive you know what I'm talking about. When you cut, there are several things to pay attention to. Don't go too hard. Take a little at a time and look down the chamber on a regular basis. The cutter should be kept right in the chamber. Otherwise, you risk getting into the tree, either at the top or at the bottom. The bottom of the chamber is usually the hardest. You need to see the smoke channel aligning with the bottom and is not down in the coke stroke. It may be necessary, too, to take a smaller cutter to get the last of the bottom scraped out. But be careful that it all gets even and smooth in the end. When you finish the cutter, you can clean the chamber with a pipe cleaner. Like with a little cleaning fluid on. Coal dust doesn't taste very good either! When you still sit and look down into the chamber, look right at the top of the pipe head as well. Some pipe smokers find charm by having an entire lunar landscape here. If you belong to this group, then let it sit, but it doesn't have to be. If the top is completely grown, there is actually only one cure that works. Namely, to grind it off. But it goes undeniably beyond the finish of the pipe. If it was polished in advance, you do not avoid the color going off too. If it is not expensive pipe pipe, I have sometimes practiced to color the top black, with narvsværte, after the grinding. After all, it's nicer. Otherwise, get a repairman to color it again. But it is better to prevent. If you simply clean the top with a napkin moistened with water, at regular intervals, you always have a nice top on the pipe head. In fact, it also works on sandblasted pipes. But it has to be taken in time, otherwise it will grow firmly. A little fif I learned from an older brother in the pipe smoke, you must also get along. After cleaning the top of a smooth -polished pipe with water, you can simply polish the surface of a piece of plain copy paper on a countertop. The result is amazing. Shiny glossy. Should the rest of the head, on the smooth pipe, have been cuddled by fingerprints or a stay in your pocket, it can also be cleaned with water on a cloth or napkin. If it just gets wax afterwards, it's glossy and nice again. Now that we are at the outside - silver and brass rings are mighty popular on pipe necks these years. There are special polish pulp for silver, which is absolutely formidable to work with, but if you cannot get this, they can be polished just with plain Silvo, Brasso or whatever else you usually use for the three -towered one. Also remember to give the metal marks at the forefront. It's incredible as it decorates. But here too, the rest of the pipe should just have once wax afterwards if a pole box has arrived on the tip or neck. It also includes the wax layer. And just check the taphole afterwards. There is almost always a little polter box down between the tip and the neck, and it certainly does not taste good. If you use machine to grow the pipe head with, the same rules apply as for the tip. So not too much wax and the pillow should only just touch the tree. That Gives the most beautiful result. An untreated pipe head can actually polish so much wax in that it "sweats" the wax out again when it gets hot. And just one more warning. Never use the previously mentioned polish for the tip of the pipe head, unless you plan to make a new finish on the pipe. As I said, it takes the surface color right away, and is otherwise quite unsuitable for polishing wood. Remember it! But we are still missing the most important thing in cleaning the pipe head. Namely the smoke channel and the tap hole. If the pipe has been in use for a while, you need a so -called socket drill. It is available from any hardware or construction market. It looked like a screwdriver, but the cut has the same width as the blade and is sharp. Most bruyere pipes have a 4 m.m. Smoke channel, so this is this width of the socket. The blade should have at least the same length as the smoke duct in your longest pipe. It can be difficult to find in these goals. If you can't find a stitch drill that is long enough, any metal blade can be in 4 mm. used in a tight turn. They are found inside some pipe stoppers. But the socket drill is almost indispensable. Hear why. In most bruyere pipes, the tap hole goes into the smoke duct via one, most often, perpendicular edge. At this edge, over time a "porridge" is gathered of inhumiticism. It is almost impossible to remove with a pipe cleaner. But with the socket drill it can conveniently be scraped out. In addition, the smoke duct itself will inevitably "grow to" with time. This is done, again, neat with the plug drill. But be careful! Look at the time into the tobacco chamber during surgery. The drill is sharp and the smoke channel should preferably not continue out through the other wall of the chamber. On curved pipes, it may be impossible to do this cleaning of the smoke duct, due to their construction. Then you just have to clean as well as possible with pipe cleaners. Of course, pipe cleaners and cleaning fluid must also be used on the straight pipe R after the drilling. Fold the cleaner double and continue with fresh until they are only slightly light brown. The first will give be completely black. After this trip, you can enjoy a clean and fresh pipe with good features. The tobacco will again taste as it should. In most bruyere pipes, the tap hole goes into the smoke duct via one, most often, perpendicular edge. At this edge, over time a "porridge" is gathered of inhumiticism. It is almost impossible to remove with a pipe cleaner. But with the socket drill it can conveniently be scraped out. Furthermore, even the E smoking channel will inevitably "grow to" with time. This is done again, again with the plug drill. But be careful! Look at the time into the tobacco chamber during surgery. The drill is sharp and the smoke channel should preferably not continue out through the other wall of the chamber. On curved pipes, it may be impossible to do this cleaning of the smoke duct, due to their construction. Then you just have to clean as well as possible with pipe cleaners. Of course, pipe cleaners and cleaning fluid must also be used on the straight pipes for out the bore. Fold the cleaner double and continue with fresh until they are only slightly light brown. The first will give be completely black. After this trip, you can enjoy a clean and fresh pipe with good features. The tobacco will again taste as it should.

Maintenance of Silver Pipering

We have now looked at how to keep your bruyere pipes in good condition. But we don't stop here. There are many other types of pipe that require special treatment and what about the new pipe? Maybe we could make it work a little better. As with shoes and clothes, the best item is adapted to the user, and here there are actually some you can do to get the best benefit from the new pipe. I will return to that. But first you just need another small but very valuable trick along the way. It was one I read in Rökringar, the club magazine from the Svenska Pip Club, recently. These are the polishing of silver rings. Actually, I've never broken about polishing them in Silvo or the like, as it always gives a taste of the pipe for a while after it has been used. But I have found it necessary when the silver has been completely black. It doesn't have to be that way. This is simply a miracle cure that works even better than plaster cream, and there are no disadvantages to it at all. The method is the following - you take a napkin or a piece of kitchen towel; Moisten a small piece and dip it in pure ash so that there is a little hanging on. Pipe ash can be used, but cigar ash may be a little cleaner to work with. Now you just polish the silver ring with the ashes and vupti is as nice as new. It's almost a miracle! I have not found out why Ash is so eminent for silver, but there is probably a chemical reaction of a kind. Astonishing is it anyway.

Maintenance of the new pipe

Should it also be necessary to do something about a sparkling new pipe, than to stop and turn it on? Yes, it is actually a good idea to look it a little more closely before it is used, or especially if you do not think it works optimally, after the first few stops. First checkpoint is the bite height. Here there is a big difference between how the bite is made on different pipes, but certainly also on which bite height suits the individual. Dentists who fix teeth operate with a concept they call the jaw's resting position. This is where the jaw muscles are in a resting position. All of the Å when you do not use the power to bite together, or open your mouth. It is very important if you have to keep the pipe in your mouth for just a few minutes. It can cause both muscle pain and headaches if the bite height does not fit your resting position. For most people, we talk about 2.5 - 4 mm average is probably about 3 mm, but it is astonishing so many new pipes that measure between 4 and 5 mm, or even more. It suits few, but of course it is better that they are too high than too low. It's easier to adjust them that way. If you are unsure what is optimal for you, then take a few of your favorite pipes that you feel good about running around in your mouth all day and measuring the bite height with a slider. You will find out that they are quite the same. However, the optimal bite height may vary slightly, depending on how heavy and long the pipe is. But the heavier and longer pipes, the more important it is with the right height. It goes without saying. The cure is easy, but it must be admitted that it takes some overcoming to start with file and sandpaper on a sparkling new tobacco pipe. If you don't want it yourself, do yourself the favor of getting the business or pipe maker to fix it. It is an incredibly important element in making the pipe work well in everyday life. So, file the bite down with a regular delete file until it has (almost) desired height. Be sure to take the over and forth sides equally, otherwise the smoke duct will be too close to the surface and you risk biting the tip through. With a little care you can remove the worst file marks with the file itself. After the file comes sandpaper, and eventually water grinding paper in grain 400, until all grinding marks are gone. Finally, you give the tip a trip on the polish disc with polish pulp, until also the grinding tracks after the last paper are gone and finish with a good time wax. It's actually not that difficult, but it's probably a good idea to practice a little first on an old tip that may still be replaced. What else can you do with a n y pipe? Yes, another significant factor for good smoking characteristics is the smoke through the smoke channel and tip. First of all, there must be good drag in the pipe. It starts with a smoke channel of approx. 4 mm. If it is less than 3.5 mm, it must at least be made larger. You can also do that yourself, with a long 4 mm drill, but unless you are very practiced, it does in your hand. A drill should not run many seconds until there are ugly holes in the pipe in the wrong places, and it certainly does not promote the smoking characteristics! Again, just as when cleaning the smoke duct, aware that curved pipes can be very difficult, or impossible to drill into the smoke duct, because of their construction. The next place the smoke reaches, on its way to the mouth, where it rightly belongs, is the tip of the tip. So the piece of the tip that goes into the pipe neck. Here is a good flow important as otherwise turbulence is easily formed in the tap hole, and it helps to form condensation water here. Many pipe factories and pipe makers have found that it helps to make a conical hole down the tap. You can easily make it yourself. You just take a small recesses and drill material away until the opening is almost as large as the diameter of the tapping. This is not a problem on ebonite tips, but you have to be a little careful with acrylic and special artist tips. They are harder and more crispy in the material so that pieces can be skipped if you are not careful. But if you avoid machinery here and just drill with the drill in your hand, you have a good feeling with it. Try this cure for a pair of smoked pipes first and notice how the pull gets better and they "sauce" less. It's quite effective. One last thing that can affect the smoking characteristics is where the smoke leaves the tip, namely the slit. Here it is about having as wide and smooth a slot as possible. Then the pipe lets the smoke better and the smoke does not burn so easily on the tongue. This may be a little cumbersome to change yourself, but it requires a few small needle files and some patience. But it can be a good investment, especially if the slit is very narrow, or sloppy. Maybe not the most important thing to get done, but when we have to have it all with ... Check just the tip, inside you put the new pipe in your mouth. If the pipe has been in a window for several years, it safely penetrates to once polishing, or at least for wax. Ebonite tips get an ugly taste and can almost stick to the lips if they have been lying long in bright light.

Maintenance of the used pipe

Here I do not think much about your own, smoked pipes, but more of pipes that you have acquired in a used state. Maybe you got them honored or bought them at auction or a flea market. Here are a few special things to take into account. The general renovation of the pipe we have been through earlier in this article, but when you have not smoked the pipe yourself, there are two things you need to be aware of: 1) Bite marks at the tip. If they cannot be sanded away when you still arrange the bite height, you are probably best at putting a new tip on. 2) The pipe tastes weird, even after many stops. Other people smoke other tobacco, and at least smoke differently on the pipe than you do. It is incredible as it can change the flavor of the pipe, even with the tobacco you usually smoke. I have a cure for that, though it is a bit cumbersome. First, make sure to scrape out the cook. Get as much as possible without cutting in the tree. Then you will find a place to put the pipe so that it is a little obliquely. Then fill up the tobacco hole with coarse kitchen salt and pour some isopropyl alcohol or clay fine. Do not fill the pipe, but just so the salt is well moist. Then you leave all the glory for a few days until the spray has evaporated. The spray has now dissolved some waste from the tree and pulled them out into the salt, which has become completely brown or black. The cure can possibly. Repeat if the taste is bad. Remember, before smoking on the pipe, to clean the tobacco hole again completely of salt and give it, and the smoke duct once with a pipe cleaner with 2211 or alcohol. A little bit of salt taste you don't get rid of the first few stops, but it goes quickly. As a rule, it's worthwhile.

Maintenance of the Merskumpbiben

This beautiful pipe, causes some trouble and is the subject of many myths and misunderstandings, especially when it comes to maintenance. And there is probably not without reason, because it is a marvelous and a little mysterious thing. And fragile. Not least when new. It takes almost nothing to break the neck of a whole new pipe if you are a little too violent when the tip is going off or on. It is very forbidden to make D one while the pipe is hot. It goes wrong, sooner or later. What most people dream of when investing in a new, virgin, white pipe is to see it taking color every time you smoke it until it changes in beautiful bright and dark brown colors. Realities often turn out different. Either you give up the pipe after a few months, either because it does not take color at all, or because it is completely impossible to smoke, or it becomes a pipe you take up every week's intervals, most of the duty, but some success b liver it never. I think many have experienced this. What goes wrong? There may be many reasons for this, but there are a few rules to observe when we talk about foam. First problem is often the smoking characteristics. Most of the foam pipes, no matter how beautiful and artistic they look, are not made by people who understand pipes. It often results in pipes with bad traits and other flaws. So always look for the pipe thoroughly for the basic things that are important to a pipe. The smoke channel must culminate in the middle of the chamber and flush with the bottom. The chamber must not be very tapered. There must be proper traits in the pipe - often the biggest problem. Try any. another. There is often a big difference. If you have fallen in love with a particular pipe, but it suffers from one of the above flaws, you may be able to get it drilled up, put another tip on or similar. Eg. at Arne in the Merskum Gallery. He understands of treating these pipes. But if the smoke channel is not drilled properly, then forget it. The pipe is never going to work. Let another poor man get the "pleasure". Why doesn't the pipe take color? Again, there may be more explanations. The one that is often the reason is that the quality of merskum varies greatly. Something is very absorbent, other is so close that it takes a very long time before something happens. " You can actually look at it. The foam that takes color fastest is what you call "cloudy". If you look closely, you can look far down in the material and it is intersected by almost transparent stripes or clouds. Such a pipe, which is otherwise treated in the right way from the manufacturer, actually takes color from the first stop. After 10 -20 stops, it has started to turn light brown on the neck. Does that sound like a dream? It still takes a very long time before it gets really nice. This is just the case with mer foam. Closer foam just takes even longer to get color, and it doesn't matter that you only smoke on the pipe once a month. It must be kept going. At least a few stops a day if something is to happen. And then Merskum has the property that the way you smoke is determining how the color is distributed on the pipe. Easy? No! Exciting? Yes! How do we maintain the mum pipeline? Yes, pipe cleaners are a must. But let the pipe cool before separating it. And be careful when cleaning the smoke channel. It is a very good idea to use a folded pipe cleaner here, otherwise you risk getting "gnawed" hole in the pipe wall, opposite the smoke duct over time, with the steel wire in the pipe cleaner. The cooking stroke must also be kept down in the foam spipe. If you have a sharp cutter, it can be used with caution. Otherwise, it's a good idea with a piece of sandpaper on a finger. But be careful not to pig up on pipe heads, outside. What about the outside finish? Over time, a foam pipe is both cuddly and rid seen. There is advice too. If it has come to look a little dirty, you can always take a napkin or a clean cotton cloth moistened with a little water and dry your head clean with. It works fine. Worse is it with scratches that invariably come With time, no matter how careful one is. If it does not damper the pipe very much and it otherwise takes nicely color, then leave them. But if it's bad, they can be sanded away with fine water grinding paper. End with such fine grain you can get hold of. All scratches are seen in merskum when blank. But it is a serious decision to give yourself a grinding in a foam pipe, because it is inevitably beyond the color that the pipe has achieved, because it must have wax again. The procedure is as follows: The scratches are sanded away with fine grinding paper. Since the foam is a very soft material, it is plenty to start with grain 150 water grinding paper. Grind with grain 400 or preferably even finer. Finish off with good, worn paper. It is very difficult to see grinding marks in the wet foam, so be careful. Let the pipe head dry again. It takes approx. A few days, since foam is very porous. The pipe has probably become whole white now unless it had taken a lot of color before. As the grinding has removed all the surface wax, the pipe must have added new wax. This is the most delicate part of the process. There are more problems in this. First, a suitable wax type must be used. It must not be too hard, but not too soft. It must also be added to the right quantity. This is crucial to how the pipe takes color again when you start smoking on it again. Canaubavok is too hard (too high melting point) and beeswax is too soft (too low melting point). A 50/50 mix of the two is close to the right one. They can be mixed by melting in the water bath without having to add solvents. However, in some places it is suggested that you add a little French turpentine, which also facilitates the mixture and application, but it has an ugly taste of fresh pine needles. Application of adult requires heating the pipe head. Otherwise, you will inevitably make new scratches in the foam. You can, gently heat your head (without tip) in the oven, but it is a bit dangerous as too quick temperature change can cause the foam to stain, so a cautious heating but a hair dryer is the best solution I know. The best way to apply the adult the warm pipe head is to rub well with wax into a piece of real washing skin. It is then rubbed the pipe head. The procedure must be repeated sometimes, giving the foam the opportunity to suck enough wax. When it has had enough is seen on the color. When the foam is heated, the color pulls out into the surface and when cooled again, it is seen that the color disappears. So enough, when the pipe has only a little color when cooled, but the color starts to step forward again when you have smoked a few stops on it again. If it has got too much wax, it will start to run off when you smoke on the pipe and it can pull colored stripes on the surface. Of course, it all depends on how much color the pipe had been given before starting E on the process. As you can probably understand, this is not easy and the pipe may look completely different than when you started, but it all smooths over time when you've smoked on the pipe for a while. So it is not a process you have to throw in unless the pipe is very scratched and ugly. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions here. Most, with an understanding of merge, will probably suggest not grinding and waxing, unless one agrees to write off the pipe anyway, but it can now be quite an exciting process.

Maintenance of other types of pipe

What do we have left? Yes, there are a few "hybrids". So pipes made of different materials. Eg. The KalabAPIBER. After all, it has a cup of foam, a tip of ebonite, acrylic or nylon, and the rest is made of a woody fruit sleeve. The foam cup is, on most pipes made of pressed foam. It is simply powdered foam, which is cast in blocks and tied together with a binder. It cannot be treated as ordinary foam. If, for example, If it puts it in water, you risk it simply dissolved. Most often, the cup will crack after a few years of use and must then be discarded. The only rescue is to get a new cup made from real foam. It can be a really good idea, but is not quite cheap. But you get a better pipe out of it and it will last for many years. The only maintenance needed on a Kalaba pipe may be to scrape out the inside of the cala with a dull knife, every year. Otherwise, only the tip should be kept as on other pipes and the coke stroke is kept down in the cup. The Kalabass is usually lacquered or polished and can be wiped off with a damp cloth if it has been cuddled exterior. Cretaceous pipes are a chapter in itself. The long ones of the kind are hard to keep clean in the smoke channel. It requires long pipe cleaners. These can, at intervals, are available in well -stocked pipe stores. If you see them and need them, buy a suitable quantity. The chalk pipe, which is made of porous, burnt clay, will also take color over time. It is usually said that a good brown chalk pipe should be discarded. However, there is a cure that can make it new. However, it requires that you have, or have access to a fireplace. In the still hot glow, the pipe is laid directly, well covered with glow. When the fireplace is cold the next day, remove the pipe and it will be completely white and clean again. All remnants of burnt tobacco will be burned and the pipe can only be rinsed well with water and dried. It sounds a little harsh, but try it sometime if you have the opportunity. And if things go wrong, a new one does not cost the world. If you have lacquered the outermost of the tip with (nails) lacquer, which is a really good idea, it must have a new round. Then you can try with a new color. It all decorates! Have we forgotten something? Pipes of other types of wood, such as olives, cherries etc. just have to be treated as bruyers. Lacquered pipes, there's not much to do about. If the varnish peels off, which unfortunately is not completely uncommon, there is only one cure against this, namely to grind the varnish off and make a new finish, but it is rarely worthwhile. There is a reason why they have got varnish. I am not going to come in antique pipes. If they have value for collectors, you generally have to refrain from doing anything about them. And it is rarely one to smoke on them, so the original accommodation is usually preferred, regardless of condition. Sure, porcelain pipes are probably still found all around. Eg. The legendary pipes from the royal. If you have to smoke on them and have jaw muscles to it, they must also be kept. It's quite easy now. You simply take off the tip and give the pipe head a trip under the faucet. Just grab! The whole coke stroke has to be off. Often, both scrap and scrub must be scrubbed, but they can become like new again. After all, they are glazed, unlike a chalk pipe. I can only think of one more pipe type that may require special treatment. It is even a bruyerepipe, but a special of the kind, namely Sea Coral from Savinelli. The special thing about these pipes, m.h.t. Maintenance is that they are rustic and otherwise completely untreated. This means that they are very susceptible to dirt and dirt. If such a pipe has become very dirty, it can simply be washed and scrubbed outside, under the faucet. A nail brush or a toothbrush is a usable one here. But let the pipe dry for a day or two, after this treatment, before smoking it. Since it is untreated, it will suck a lot of moisture. If it is not smoked so often it may become completely light again after The sink. I just can't, after personal experience, recommend getting the pipe in the washing machine with the cooking. It will probably be nice clean, but it took many stops before the taste of Ariel has subsided; But it happened by mistake now too!

Reproduced with permission from Ib Fagerlund, Nordic Tobacco College If Excellent website is worth a visit http://www.n-t.dk/

We have only very easily edited the original text!