Does alcohol oxydize vulcanite?

[Megaluddite]

I've been trying to keep my pipes' innards nice and clean. I use pipe cleaners regularly during smoking. And every so often I dip a pipe cleaner in 151 alcohol and run it through both the bit and the shank to clean out the gunk. However, I've had a couple of vulcanite stems that turn almost white on the outside if they get alcohol on them during this process, sometimes in the form of fingerprits. (My hands are clean when I start cleaning.) :shock: I then have to get out the Barkeepers Friend to scrub off the bit to make it nice and black again.

This does not happen on all my vulcanite stems. It seems particularly bad on certain older pipes (30 years or better).

Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone have a better liquid to clean bits with?

All suggestions welcome.
Bill

 

[Kyle Weiss]

It's usually oxygen that oxidizes things seeking its long lost lover, the free radical...chemicals can act as a catalyst or create all-new ugly chemical reactions with vulcanite. Regardless, it can be a problem.


Are you using sopping wet pipe cleaners with your alcohol of choice? Scale back on that a little, I use barely moist cleaners myself. Also, being an outside smoker, I use unscented/unflavored chapstick with sun protection factor (SPF) that, when applied thinly to the vulcanite stem, not only helps protect against the UV exposure damage, it gives a slight added protection to the stem when cleaning.

 

[williamcharles]

No, but it will bring to the surface oxidization that is already there and it can expose other substances on the stem.