I think I have to retire my pipe.

**Pyrite** · 02-09-2021, 18:43

It's a Savinelli and has always been my favorite. Always the mellowest, easiest drawing, just generally great smoke.

However, after I'd guess 7 years of favoring it, it started going bitter and harsh with same tobacco as always and same as smokes well in my OTHER pipes.
I've cleaned it. Pretty regularly. Just tried scraping coke and soaking the bowl in rum for an hour or so combined with a cleaning using a dottle scoop, wire reinforced pipe cleaners and soft pipe cleaners.
Dried it out good an lit up again.
Same story.

Have I forgotten anything? I mean PIPE related forgot.

I will miss the old thing.

**Simon G** · 02-09-2021, 18:55

Only '1' hour soak of rum? Well, there's your problem right there. I soak cotton wool buds in woods's navy rum & leave them packed tight in the bowl for 2-3 days. Never a problem after that.

**oldpipe** · 02-09-2021, 18:56

Originally Posted by Pyrite

It's a Savinelli and has always been my favorite. Always the mellowest, easiest drawing, just generally great smoke.

However, after I'd guess 7 years of favoring it, it started going bitter and harsh with same tobacco as always and same as smokes well in my OTHER pipes.
I've cleaned it. Pretty regularly. Just tried scraping coke and soaking the bowl in rum for an hour or so combined with a cleaning using a dottle scoop, wire reinforced pipe cleaners and soft pipe cleaners.
Dried it out good an lit up again.
Same story.

Have I forgotten anything? I mean PIPE related forgot.

I will miss the old thing.

It will smoke better in a new home port

**Pyrite** · 02-09-2021, 21:50

Originally Posted by Simon G

Only '1' hour soak of rum? Well, there's your problem right there. I soak cotton wool buds in woods's navy rum & leave them packed tight in the bowl for 2-3 days. Never a problem after that.

Urk. I used CHEAPO rum. My go-to is Jamesons.

**Pyrite** · 02-09-2021, 22:28

Do you have to replenish the rum? Also how do you get the cotton balls out? Or do you just smoke them?

**dmcmtk** · 02-09-2021, 22:41

Did you thoroughly clean tha mortise? A lot of tars can build up inside the mortise and effect the way the pipe "tastes". Get some isopropyl alcohol, wet a twisted up piece of paper towel, insert tightly into the mortise, let sit for 20~30 minutes, and see what you get.

**p120d16y** · 02-14-2021, 03:08

As Dave said, do make sure to clean out the mortise (where the stem attaches in the shank) and the entire internal shank area. It's notorious for pockets of hard to see and reach moisture build up, and also I recommend cleaning pipes with pure grain alcohol. Either 95% Everclear, or 100% Extractohol grain alcohol. Using 40-50% alcohol by volume solutions is not very effective when you're just using half water at that point. Everclear does a very good job at cleaning pipes and leaving only a neutral clean taste. Also key is that pure alcohol is not soaking into the wood and it evaporates very quickly.

Isopropyl is fine as well but can leave a taste and also should be over 90%. The typical 70% although it can work, it does a really poor job comparatively.