Briar-Fresh?

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Fumus

Fumus

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Quick question gentlemen and ladies: Has anyone tried Decatur Briar-Fresh Airway cleaner, and if so, what did you think about it? Would dabbing a bit of it on a piece of paper towel and swabbing out the bowl as well, be good idea for occasional cleaning? :afro:
 
I normally just use a little rum on my pipe cleaners to swab out the airway and sweeten up the bowl.   It's much cheaper than Decatur Briar Fresh:

Bacardi 750ml rum = $10  (about $.40 per oz)

Just be careful around the rim of the bowl as alcohol can remove the finish.
 
This ^

I use a small hobo-sized bottle of Bacardi 151 that I periodically fill from a larger bottle (easier to dip a pipe cleaner into it when it gets low). Works like a charm and yes, it's much less per ounce than any of the pipe-specific cleaners. If you don't like the rum, any neutral grain spirit will work just fine.
 
White liquor.  Rum, vodka, shine, whatever you might have... Well except Gin. Do not use Gin unless you like smoking Christmas trees. Don't ask how I know.
 
Personally I don't waste time or money on any of that fancy shamcy stuff, just use iso alcohol and never had a problem or after taste.........of course I don't load it up right after cleaning and set a match to it either. ;)
 
puros_bran":qto4c1kc said:
White liquor.  Rum, vodka, shine, whatever you might have... Well except Gin. Do not use Gin unless you like smoking Christmas trees. Don't ask how I know.
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:lol!: :lol!:
 
I use bourbon. It leaves the pipe clean and makes the smoke a little sweeter for a short while. :)

AJ
 
puros_bran":ce8s1zu3 said:
White liquor.  Rum, vodka, shine, whatever you might have... Well except Gin. Do not use Gin unless you like smoking Christmas trees. Don't ask how I know.
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PB, back when I was a youngster, I smoked dried pine needles out of a calumet, back before I could get access to premium tobacco. I'll bet Gin tastes more like green pine needles than brown ones though.

Probably nothing compares to a fresh cone though.
 
Just use booze. I don't trust isopropyl alcohol not to have bad stuff in it, even though it probably evaporates eventually. There is something quite bitter in it, and its soaking into briar seems a questionable practice. Probably OK for plastic stems, but why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol? Plus you can take a swig once in a while to help your focus on the job at hand.
 
Richard Burley":99podf0u said:
Just use booze. I don't trust isopropyl alcohol not to have bad stuff in it, even though it probably evaporates eventually. There is something quite bitter in it, and its soaking into briar seems a questionable practice. Probably OK for plastic stems, but why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol? Plus you can take a swig once in a while to help your focus on the job at hand.
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Richard, It evaporates much too quickly to foul anything unless someone would to soak a dang pipe in it.
And the reason I use it cause I'm a recovering alcoholic, we don't even need booze in the house much less my pipe. Thankfully I also live in a dry town ;)
 
Cartaphilus":6iqx8w2b said:
Richard Burley":6iqx8w2b said:
Just use booze. I don't trust isopropyl alcohol not to have bad stuff in it, even though it probably evaporates eventually. There is something quite bitter in it, and its soaking into briar seems a questionable practice. Probably OK for plastic stems, but why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol? Plus you can take a swig once in a while to help your focus on the job at hand.
Click to expand...
Richard, It evaporates much too quickly to foul anything unless someone would to soak a dang pipe in it.
And the reason I use it cause I'm a recovering alcoholic, we don't even need booze in the house much less my pipe. Thankfully I also live in a dry town ;)
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Works fine for me also Ron.
 
I've used Pipemaster's CLEAN & CURE for almost as long as I've been smoking. A 2 ounce bottle will last me around a year. I just use a fluffy clnr dipped in the bottle after I've done my monthly reaming the bowl and scrubbing the airway with a wire airway brush and clnr. Swab the bowl and give the airway a pass with it on the clnr then set to dry bowl up in its rack. At around $2.50 a year for a bottle, I'm not going broke using it !! It's worked for me !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
Richard Burley":g6p6rn6i said:
...why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol?
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My mistake. Wood alcohol is methanol. Apparently isopropyl has no residual demons once it evaporates.
 
Richard Burley":zp3qkupk said:
Richard Burley":zp3qkupk said:
...why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol?
Click to expand...
My mistake. Wood alcohol is methanol. Apparently isopropyl has no residual demons once it evaporates.  
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I can't say that either really, it's just never bothered me nor anyone else I've restored a pipe for or sold a pipe to. ;)
Forgot to mention, I use 99% ISO any thing lesser has too much water in it as far as I'm concern and won't evaporate quickly. ;)
 
I used "atmos fresholator" in the 1980s which i imagine was like the Decatur product. Had a wintergreen scent. Nowadays i use white rum, the higher the proof the better. Bourbon works pretty good too.
 
Cartaphilus":kr1sebhy said:
Richard Burley":kr1sebhy said:
Just use booze. I don't trust isopropyl alcohol not to have bad stuff in it, even though it probably evaporates eventually. There is something quite bitter in it, and its soaking into briar seems a questionable practice. Probably OK for plastic stems, but why not just use some version of grain alcohol, rather than wood alcohol? Plus you can take a swig once in a while to help your focus on the job at hand.
Click to expand...
Richard, It evaporates much too quickly to foul anything unless someone would to soak a dang pipe in it.
And the reason I use it cause I'm a recovering alcoholic, we don't even need booze in the house much less my pipe. Thankfully I also live in a dry town ;)
Click to expand...
Iso is fine. I've actually soaked stummels in iso alcohol to leach out the stain and didn't even have a problem then.
 
Throwing my hat in the ring only to add that I prefer to use Scotch to clean my pipe. ;)
 
I've tried Everclear, rum, vodka, and a few other spirits, but now I just use iso. I've found that, contrary to some beliefs, it actually leaves less taste behind than the alternatives. I don't want to add any extra taste to a pipe, even if it's a taste that I like. I use 99% when I can get it (which isn't often) and 91% when I can't. The difference in the evaporation rate between the two seems almost negligible to me. I'd stay far away from the 71% iso though. That stuff is going to sit there a long time before it completely dries.
 
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