Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem

Subject: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:17 pm

Has anyone had any experience and success with cleaning a Persplex stem on the inside? I'm considering a GBD Rock Root and the stem may need a going over.

Thanks, Dan
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:04 pm

Is Persplex a different material other than vulcanite, acrylic, lucite, etc.?
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:32 pm

JP, I guessing its a form of lucite. I'll do a little more research...
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:36 pm

A transparent, thermoplastic polymer—similar to Plexiglas—used in the production of scanner drums. Also known—primarily in England—as perspex
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:14 pm

I've heard that prolonged contact with alchohol will cause the interior surface of the stems airway to develop a crackled look to it. I believe it was Mike Hagley (?) who posted something somewhere about having success cleaning perspex stems.
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:40 pm

Thanks P,

I'll keep looking.
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Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:06 am

MB....Get some pure, unflavored Witch Hazel (not the kind with 14% alcohol). Cut it 50% with distilled H2O. Clean the Perspex. Then rinse it with distilled H2O. If you can't find the pure Witch Hazel; just use water on your pipe cleaners. But no alcohol. PD is correct; it'll make your clear stem look "cracked" and yellow after a while. Works for me (after I messed up a Perspex-stemmed GBD about 30 years ago!). FTRPLT

Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:52 pm

http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd193/DockJPerry/?action=view&current=IMG_3158.jpg

Danny,
As you can see, I love these old GBD w/ perspex stems.I've used alcohol and shank cleaning brushes to clean mine and have had no noticeable problems.No matter what you use I'm pretty sure you'll never get all of the yellow stains out of the stems.I clean them as well as I can and just leave them alone.I've learned that too aggresive a cleaning job on anything usually backfires Laughing

Best,
Dock

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I've gotten them quite clean using a bristle pipe cleaner on a cordless drill, and using rough tripoli. I put the cleaner into the drill chuck, then rotate it on the tripoli to pick some up on the cleaner, and run it through the stem at a fairly low speed. Works like a charm for me.

Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:21 pm

So the opaque stems like are on the GBD's are perspex?

Learn something new everyday around this bunch!
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"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."

Mark Twain

Subject: Re: Cleaning a GBD Persplex stem Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:46 pm

Thanks for the info guys, If the pipe comes home to me I'll give the suggestions a try.
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