WARNING: PIPE RUINED BY ISO ALC. !

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Yak":dt9pa0r7 said:
That's what I meant to imply, BC.  Sorry for the ambiguity.

:face: 
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I figured so Yak I just wanted to make sure he didn't assume that was the only definition
 
Has anyone ever tried naphtha to clean a rim?  I know it's commonly used to clean without damaging lacquer finishes on furniture and guitars.
 
actually a lil dab of dish soap, just enough to make it soapy in bowl of warm water works well.

I take a soft cloth dip it into the  soapywater and dampen the cloth, not soaking wet and then rub it might take a couple times but it will come off and you wont damage the finish, then after I use alochol in the bowl so as to help evaporate any water which may have seeped into the bowl
 
+1 for spit on the rim :) 

On a similar note. Don't soak MM plastic stems in alcohol. It swells and warps them.
 
I'm going to believe you that some people use Naptha to clean furniture and such, but WOW is that a horrible idea.

It is inflammable, and HIGHLY volatile. So much so that you can literally watch a small puddle of it evaporate, in seconds. The bigger problem is that as a gas, it is *significantly* denser than air, and will sit in a cloud on the ground until dissipated by a good breeze. That cloud is explosively flammable. Even a small electrical spark can set it off. You can pour some in a fire pit, wait a minute or so, and toss a match in. The gas will have spread out along the ground, and a big fireball is created.

I'd strongly recommend against using it as anything but fuel (which is it's largest commercial intended use). It is used as a cleaning solvent in industry, where they have adequate safety measures in place.
 
Actually naphtha is probably the most common cleaning solvent used for real trouble spots on vintage lacquer finished guitars, and I've used it as such plenty. You just use a tiny dab of it on a cloth, it's not like you drown the surface in naphtha.
 
I used acetone working in a violin shop. A lot of it. While smoking cigarettes. One after another. It's one of the really good de-greasers out there. (NOT recommended for pipes unless you really know what you're doing with it).

I've been around people in other shops who did the freak out two-step about it being a carcinogen, flamable & the rest of it. I used to laugh sometimes when they did that. This royally annoyed them.

I'm still here, 30 years later. 8) 

:face:
 
the problem with using solvents on a pipe is that the stain is usually alcohol based, and sometimes shellac is used which is also alcohol based so an alcohol/solvent can deteriorate both finishes and it does a number on a caranuba finsh as well
 
Yak":20vigpyr said:
I'm still here, 30 years later. 8) 

:face:
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You're also a tenacious ess-oh-bee... :tongue: :lol: :heart: ...the secret ingredient.
 
BigCasino":sspbk1yv said:
the problem with using solvents on a pipe is that the stain is usually alcohol based, and sometimes shellac is used which is also alcohol based so an alcohol/solvent can deteriorate both finishes and it does a number on a caranuba finsh as well
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Well, naphtha definitely will dissolve the wax, no doubt, which is one of it's most common uses in furniture and guitar restoration -- to remove build ups of waxy polishes. But it doesn't dissolve most wood finishes.
 
I wouldn't use any solvent without testing it and being able to estimate the results. Buy a few cheap old banged up estate pipes from eBay to go after and destroy first.
 
Hereward":b4xtpnd0 said:
I wouldn't use any solvent without testing it and being able to estimate the results. Buy a few cheap old banged up estate pipes from eBay to go after and destroy first.
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Not only is this a good idea but I have found I rather enjoy making old pipes look there best again. I think "pipe restoration" is a fun hobby that doesn't require very many tools and can be done on a small budget.
 
if your pipe is lacquered or shellacked or whatever, it would do you well to sand it off and stain and wax the sucker. i've only done it for one pipe (i avoid lacquer and shellac) but the thing smoked better afterwards. if you have a buffing wheel it's not that hard. also if you sand it to a virgin finish and wax it you can watch the pipe color.
 
somedumbjerk":4yb9ghxg said:
if your pipe is lacquered or shellacked or whatever, it would do you well to sand it off and stain and wax the sucker. i've only done it for one pipe (i avoid lacquer and shellac) but the thing smoked better afterwards. if you have a buffing wheel it's not that hard. also if you sand it to a virgin finish and wax it you can watch the pipe color.
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Just remember, stain and laquer can hide fills quite well. Take 'em off and they can become more noticeable  :twisted: :twisted: And fills DON"T color as you smoke, but a "Sharpey" is your friend here :twisted: 
 
NorthernLights":mg4pz52c said:
Dave: Thanks for the info. Will try to work through it with saliva in future. However, the sources in the forum and other sites *specifically stated* using the 99% iso alc to clean the rim. And indeed, the first pipe I cleaned with it, which I believe is just waxed, reacted extremely well. Cleaned it off easily, and looks great.

The second pipe (stated above), it dissolved and removed the finish very quickly. I believe that some posters here are correct, and that it was lacquered, but I can not be sure.
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I've heard people say they use ISO to clean the rim of there pipe off and I have also on a few occasions but, what they failed to say was you've got to know what type of finish your pipe is done in. Most higher grade pipes accept a few Italians have a waxed finish but, there are some that have a lacquer or shellac finish that will be affected by ISO. As mentioned earlier it can be simply rectified by re-staining if needed and waxing it.
 
PGA - pure grain alcohol - is that isopropyl alcohol 99% ?? - for meerschaums ??

bought new meerschaums - have not smoked them yet but will want to clean them after about 20 smokes.

everclear not available in toronto canada - i use bacardi 151 for my briars.

can i use bacardi 151 for meerschaums ?? or only the PGA pure grain alcohol whatever that is .

thanks

 
SMOKERSPICKUP":cb5mh7fn said:
PGA - pure grain alcohol - is that isopropyl alcohol 99% ?? - for meerschaums ??

bought new meerschaums - have not smoked them yet but will want to clean them after about  20 smokes.

everclear not available in toronto canada - i use bacardi 151 for my briars.

can i use bacardi 151 for meerschaums ?? or only the PGA pure grain alcohol whatever that is .

thanks
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Look, no alcohol is safe for meerschaums.  A little bit, a few drops, to clean out a bowl, maybe.

As for that maybe cleaning a meer after 20 smokes, hmm, no again.  Like all pipes, meerschaums should be cleaned after every smoke.

Standard cleaning, you know the drill -- stem and shank with pipe cleaners until they come out clean, carefully scraping the bowl with a dull pipe knife of pipe tool spoon, followed by "reaming" the bowl with a paper towel.  

Remember -- on a meer, you want zero cake.  None.  

I use Everclear but sure, you most certainly can use Bacardi 151.  As long as it's a high %/high proof alcohol, that's fine.  I prefer potable alcohol, but TBH, most professional restorers use 90%-99% isopropyl alcohol (not 70% rubbing alcohol) -- available at  your local pharmacy and it's a lot cheaper.  

The reason we use high proof alcohol is for three reasons -- it cleans better, it evaporates much faster and therefore won't be absorbed by the wood/sepiolite.

Again, be cautious using alcohol with a meerchaum.  Meerschaum is porous, so alcohol can work its way through to the surface of the finish, showing up in ugly brown blotches or worse, alcohol can dissolve the sepiolite, neither of which are a good thing.
 
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