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.
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