Pipe cleaning-The Retort Method

[MrMotoyoshi]

Let's just get this out of the way...

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A salt and alcohol treatment is one of my go to methods on an estate pipe. It's a cheap and effective method to clean estates or pipes that have gone sour. All you really need is a place to lay your pipes, some salt and time. Some negatives are that it does take time and doesn't do much for the shank and stem of a pipe. Some of you may have experience with the retort method, but I thought I would share my experience with those who have not.

I got this retort kit off of Yahoo Auctions Japan for 8 dollars shipped. There are some sellers on eBay that carry this product if you are interested. Essentially you are connecting a tiny test tube via a heat resistant tube to the mouth piece of your pipe and filling it with a little bit of alcohol. You then heat that tube up and the hot alcohol shoots into up into the pipe and the hot alcohol helps remove resins, tars, gunk etc. This process can be repeated a few times till the alcohol that runs back into the tube is relatively cleaner.

Typically you will need:


Denatured alcohol. The higher the percentage means less water and lower boiling points.
Heat source -Heat lamps are usually recommended but aren't the easiest to come by.
Retort Kit-It's importatnt to make sure that the test tube is heat tempered and designed for this.
Cotton balls-These are put into the bowl to keep the hot alcohol from shooting out. They also absorb tars and gunk.

The pipes I used were a GBD with a Perspex stem and an estate Angelo Rovera pipe.

I ended up using 70% denatured alcohol. Instead of putting a cotton ball (they don't sell the big ones we can get in the states here) I stuffed some paper towels in the bowl. I think cotton balls would be better as they're less absorbent. I think this would be ideal because after the first shot into the bowl, you won't lose as much alcohol which would allow for additional cleanings of a single test tube's amount of alcohol. There are ways to make your own alcohol lamps, but who needs that? I have a dollar store candle :o



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No matter how many pipe cleaners I passed through this stem, it always retained this brown tint. Part of the reason I wanted to use this pipe to see if the changes were empirical.


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Paper towel inserted, about an inches worth of alcohol in the tube and we're ready to either achieve sweet pipe smoking goodness or try to explain to everyone I am no longer able to grow eyebrows because I wanted to clean a tobacco pipe. I admit the following only because I consider you my "friends". I was scared when the alcohol started popping and jumping inside the tube.


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Huh, maybe this thing actually does work.....

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[MrMotoyoshi]

2nd shot- Funny, never tasted that before when I was smoking....I thought they said pipe smoking was healthier

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So by the third squirt this had come out

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Also, the paper towel had absorbed a ton of resin. The hot alcohol makes it really malleable and I swirled the paper towel around a couple of times and it really smoothed out the cake inside the bowl and there is a nice even and low layer of cake inside my billiard.

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The focus was off but the inside of the stem is much cleaner.

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This is all the gunk that came out of the two pipes. As I write this up, I realize I never took pictures of the Angelo Rovera pipe. When I put the pipe cleaner in that one after the treatment, a ton of gunk came out. You can see that one on the bottom left underneath the filthiest paper towel.

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All in all I would say this was a success. Very easy to use and for 8 dollars (plus the price of the alcohol) I have this to clean my current and future pipes. I do think that cotton balls would have made it a little easier instead of refilling the alcohol continually. Even if the hot alcohol doesn't pull it all back into the test tube, it's very easy to remove the cake when it's heated up and dissipated by the alcohol. I am happy with this investment.

Comparing that S/A and the retort really isn't fair as they are two different monsters. Sure the retort gets some of the gunk out of the bowl but the S/A really removes more . When you're doing a S/A there is some residue removed from the shank but the retort is more effective. I'm glad that I can do both for my pipes.

[Tobias Lutz]

Excellent post. I wonder if getting some isopropyl to about 190* and using bristle cleaners could accomplish so of the same results if you didn't have a kit?

[Horsefeathers]

Just started working on my first set of estate pipes about a week ago. I'll defiantly be looking to pick one of these up. Thanks!

[Mister Moo]

Excellent post. I wonder if getting some isopropyl to about 190* and using bristle cleaners could accomplish so of the same results if you didn't have a kit?

The flashpoint of isopropyl 91% (or 190proof Everclear) is incredibly low at 12*C; also, it burns with a flame that is practically invisible. And if it ever flashes in your face or spills... Just saying it's really easy to create an alcohol fire.

[Tobias Lutz]

The flashpoint of isopropyl 91% (or 190proof Everclear) is incredibly low; also, it burns with a flame that is practically invisible. And if it ever flashes in your face or spills... Just saying it's really easy to create an alcohol fire.

duly noted. I'll try to keep my eyebrows :)

[JustTroItIn]

I really need to make one of these. Thanks for the info!

[Branzig]

duly noted. I'll try to keep my eyebrows :)

Sweet, I anxiously await your version of Mark's "Crockpot Aging" thread! :p

I have considered picking up a retort quite a few times...it seems a lot easier to use the retort than go through pipe cleaner after pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol. Plus the mortise and shank are always the hardest part (to me) of the pipe to clean.

Great Thread Andrew!

[Tobias Lutz]

Sweet, I anxiously await your version of Mark's "Crockpot Aging" thread! :p


Per a PM conversation with Mr. Moo, I'm thinking better of my idea :)

[Emperor Zurg]

Per a PM conversation with Mr. Moo, I'm thinking better of my idea :)

Why not just get a 10 dollar retort kit?
actually, I think it could even be improved by adding an injection syringe so as to make it easier to add a bit of alcohol if you boil away too much... but I haven't seen one like that

[Bruck]

duly noted. I'll try to keep my eyebrows :)

Put masking tape over them, just to be safe :)

[NeverBend]

Excellent post. I wonder if getting some isopropyl to about 190* and using bristle cleaners could accomplish so of the same results if you didn't have a kit?

Andrew,

Thanks for taking the time to make a great post about a very useful technique. I paid $20 for my kit but the profits went to Wounded Warriors so glad to do it.

Tobias,

Isopropyl alcohol isn't meant for human consumption along with the potential burn hazard. You can use spirits but the higher the proof the more effective it will be (and it will boil more easily).

Couple of points to add:

Get a stiff shank brush. P&C sells a five (5) pack for $4.99 (on the page with their pipe cleaners). Use Oxyclean (thanks Brandon) and wash them well to clean. Pipe cleaners smear the tars too much for my liking so I use them after the brush. Use lots of Q-tips but only quality ones where the heads won't fall off and get into the mortise for stubborn tar and buildup.

Quickly clean any alcohol that comes into contact with the surface or rim of the pipe. It will remove stain, That's what the cotton balls/paper towel are there to prevent.

You may be tempted to ream while the cake is soft. Don't. You should ream it before retorting the pipe. Andrew's comment about using the paper towel to smooth the cake is right on but use care (as above) to not have alcohol contact the exterior of the pipe. If you ream when the bowl is hot and cake wet you stand a good chance of nicking or gouging the briar or chipping the cake.

I retort 5-10 pipes at a time including my regular rotation. I do it once or twice a year and one shot is usually sufficient if you've maintained them. As long as you're getting dark residue in the alcohol you're being effective. Give the pipe a couple of days and, with Grey Goose Vodka, there's little remaining taste and you're pretty much good to go. I only use spirits that my daughters ex left (he left 5 bottles). He still asks if I found his stash....duh no!

It's not hard to do and you know that you did it correctly when you hear the 'pop' and see the dark returning alcohol.