How to look after your pipe

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			How to look after your pipe You can find a good pipe, learn the secrets of blending tobacco, and enjoy it in pleasant company. But you won’t be able to repeat the pleasure, if you don’t learn the most important thing – how to look after your pipe. The famous connoisseur of pipe-smoking, Vladimir Grechukhin, a famous Russian pipe master, had this advice to offer: “Keep your head cool, your feet warm, and your pipe dry!” And he knew a thing or two about pipes! And when you’ve read this, you’ll know a thing or two about them too. When the pipe is hot After you’ve finished smoking, you should mix the ash with the remains of the tobacco and tap out the contents of the pipe. To smooth out the carbon deposits on the walls of the bowl and remove the remains of the unburned tobacco from the sides of the bowl, it is best to use a reamer of the type manufactured by the British company, Buttner [1-2], which due to its two movable cutting edges is suitable for use on bowls of any diameter. But the blade of the more conventional pipe tool [3] will also do. After smoking, the pipe should be allowed to cool for an hour to an hour and a half. Then it can be taken apart. Once the pipe is cool Before cleaning, it is essential to remove the mouth-piece [4]. The mouth-piece should be taken out and inserted by twisting it in one and the same direction – only to the right, for example. If the pipe has a filter, this should be removed before cleaning, since the moisture collected in the filter can easily be released back into the pipe [5]. If a pipe is never cleaned, its taste will change and it could go sour. The tobacco bowl When the pipe has been cleaned with a reamer of the Buttner type, no additional cleaning is usually necessary. If a thick carbon deposit has formed, it can be cut away with an ordinary reamer [6-7]. Additionally it can be cleaned with a tissue [8] or a bent pipe cleaner [9-10]. In the case of meerschaum pipes, carbon deposits should not be allowed to build up, and the Buttner type reamer is the best for removing them. The carbon can also be removed from the meerschaum, while the pipe is being smoked. In this case, it is essential to force the hard edge of the tamper against the sides of the bowl while tamping down the tobacco. The stem A soft paper tissue [11] folded into a roll may be used, or a bent brush or pipe cleaner. If the smoke channel is badly clogged, a drill-bit on the reamer or the awl on the pipe-tool [12-13] should be used. The smoke channel should be cleaned, until the pipe cleaner comes out dirt-free at the far end [14]. Whether or not to use spirit-based cleaners for cleaning the smoke channel is a debatable point. In Vladimir Grechukhin’s opinion (and that of the writer), spirits can cause harm to the wood by forcing the dirt into its pores with the result that the pipe is slowly damaged. But there are people, who favour this method of cleaning. The mouthpiece The mouthpiece should be cleaned with a pipe cleaner pushed in from the mouth end [15]. Spirit-based cleaners can be used. Great care should be taken with ebonite mouthpieces, as spirit leaves stains on ebonite. But it does not affect acrylic mouthpieces. Stains and marks may be removed from the mouthpiece with a special paste [16-17]. A small amount should be dabbed on to the mouthpiece, and then the pipe should be polished with a soft rag [18]. Acrylic mouthpieces do not require polishing. If the mouthpiece cannot be fitted easily or squeaks, rub it with a special graphite compound [19] or the lead of a soft pencil. If the mouthpiece (in the case of pipes without filters) starts to get loose, you can do the following. Get a set of small drills that differ in size by the smallest possible amount. Pick the one whose stock fits exactly into the mouthpiece at the tenon end. Then take the drill that is one size larger. Heat the tenon on a closed source, such as a hotplate. (To make sure it heats slowly withou melting, make a support in the form of a cone from cardboard or any other suitable material. Make an opening in the upper part and push the tenon of the mouthpiece through it, and then wait until it softens slightly.) Then push the stock of the drill you’ve chosen into the opening. When the mouthpiece has cooled, pull the drill out carefully. The diameter of the tenon will have increased, and the mouthpiece will be held firmly. The bowl Carbon deposits on the ring round the tobacco chamber is best removed with spittle [20]. Some people prefer to use spirit, but then you run the risk of spoiling the finish on the briar. The outside of the bowl should be polished with a special pipe-cleaning wax [21-22]. A briar pipe can be washed when hot as well as when cold. Meerschaum pipes should be wiped with a soft rag, moistened in warm water. Spirit should never be used for cleaning meerschaum. The Master Class is given by ALEXEY SHEKHOVTSOV, the President of the St. Petersburg Pipe Club