Are they ruined?

Subject: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 10:42 am

Long story very short. I discovered that I have a heater core leak in my car. My cds and pipe bag were on the passenger-side floor board. Upon discovery (tried to play a cd and noticed the entire backside of the holder was greasy) I noticed the outside of the nylon pipe carrying bad was greasy, too. I emptied it out and found this:

a white handkerchief badly discolored
business cards no longer white and stiff, but gray and soggy
label of Virginia Woods saturated and discolored
TOBACCO inside freshly "cased"! (I'm guessing it penetrated the plastic lid?!)

and the bad news
the Oom Paul I got from a brother here was inside, as well as
my only Dunhill, a shell briar billiard.

Everything in the bag is greasy to some extent or another. Are the pipes ruined? Is there any way possible that they are still smokable? I'm not sure automobile coolant is something I want coating my pipe!

Thoughts? Suggestions? Input?

Thanks,
showme
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Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 10:51 am

PM sent!

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:34 am

Wouldn't dropping em in a bag o salt over night pull all the Anti-freeze out?

Would boiling them do anything?

Probably going to have to have them refinished regardless.

Bro I think I'd call in a Pro.

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:53 am

Gary,

Contact George at Precision Pipe Repair... His link is below in my signature...

Best,
Dock

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Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:56 pm

Wow! I have never heard of anyone dealing with a pipe possibly soaked in anything other than an aromatic. Water can remove the stain in a finish. Has the finish discolored from the coolant that you can tell?

Will homeowners or auto insurance cover a loss like this?
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Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:09 pm

I just checked, Carlos. I've had the pipes sitting on a paper towel since this morning. There was no indication on the paper towel that anything came off. (The business cards left residue on their paper towel when I sorted.) The finish appears to be fine; at least nothing is showing.

Also, with clean hands I rubbed the pipes. I only found one spot on the Dunhill that seemed greasy to the touch; the backside of the oom paul had a place, too, but neither pipe appears as saturated as everything else in the bag.

This particular bag was not intended to be a pipe bag. I think it is a camera fanny-pack bag. It has two pockets on each side that look perfect to hold film canisters. I kept matches in there: four packs of matches completely soaked through. The pipes rested on the handkerchief. Hopefully that kept much of the coolant off the wood. I've always thought wood to be highly absorbant so I guessed it sucked stuff in like everything else in the bag. I'm now hoping against hope that isn't the case. I just don't know how to tell and am hesitant about firing it up.

Gary
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Joined : 29 Dec 2007 Posts : 379

Showme --

Set your oven on its lowest temp, wrap the pipes tightly with several layers of paper towels, and stuff the bowls with---I'm not kidding, it is insanely absorbent---the filling from a disposable diaper or a tampon.

Leave them in the oven overnight. The next morning, don't remove, just shut the oven off. Wait until everything's room temp again.

You will have to wait a week or so before the stems will fit the mortise---the wood will have shrunk. It WILL return to normal, though, so be patient. DO NOT attempt to force the issue, the shank will very likely crack.

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 3:38 pm

See. VaL never agrees with me. I say boil em with a bit of salt, he says bake em with tampons and diapers. Sheeeeeeesh....

I am assuming he ment new ones. YUCK!!!!!!!!!

Isn't PG the main component of the newer 'Non-Toxic' Anti-Freeze?

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:29 pm

LL, a sincere thank you for your advice. I will do just what you suggest. I just checked the oven and its lowest setting is 170.

Any chance that the stems absorbed anything, or would a regular old good cleaning inside and out take care of them?

Again, thank you.

Gary
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Joined : 29 Dec 2007 Posts : 379

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:40 pm

I started to bake my pipes last night and warned SWMBO that there might be a tobacco smell downstairs for a while. She said she didn't mind that too much but wondered if the smell might linger in the oven and, say, impart a delicate hint of stoved Virginia to our next cassarole. Does anyone know if this is a real possibility?

(PS: I will go the nondiaper route just to be safe.)
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Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:52 pm

LOL......Its a Chicken Cheese Stoved Va casserole. Try it, you may be onto the next great aromatic crave.

Latakia Lentils
Enchalada English
Burley Pot Pie
Oriental Orange Cake

Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm

Hey Show you can send me that dunnie and I will be more than happy to test it out for you if you are not sure about the pipe. I am always there to help a friend out.
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Subject: Re: Are they ruined? Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:10 pm

I baked the pipes today and after they cooled I unwrapped them. The oom paul wrapping was fine. No discoloration at all. The Dunhill had the slightest hint of discoloration on one edge of the top of the bowl and along one side of the stem. I asked my wife what the color was (I'm colorblind) and she said it was a pale yellow maybe with a hint of green. Does this sound like antifreeze residue?

So I guess that is that. The next step is to send them to Eggman for test smokes. If he lives I reckon the procedure was a success! (Seriously, would you all reckon these are safe to smoke?)

Thank you all for your input.

Gary
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Joined : 29 Dec 2007 Posts : 379

Showme --

I got to thinking what I'd do at this point if they were mine, and realized it wouldn't be easy for someone else to do. Which is run 'em though my purification process.

If you send them to me I'd be glad to add them to the next batch, however, complements of the management. Cool

If they're not fit to smoke after that plus what you've already done, then the score is Prestone 2, showme 0, I'm afraid... There's nothing more than can be done that I know of.