How To Clean A Churchwarden Pipe

Country Bladesmith

Are you using regular length pipe cleaners? They make churchwarden pipe cleaners. They're longer, obviously.

Bristle churchwarden cleaners.

Country Bladesmith

When you lose Rock Paper Scissors...

Country Bladesmith

I have full length pipe cleaners but right now I can't get a bristle brush through. It hits a particular spot from either end and stops like there's a pipe of tobacco dried and stuck to the inside of the stem. I'm wondering if an overnight soak in water might help softer up whatever it is.

Can't hurt. Do you have an air compressor? You could blast a little air through the stem.

Get a tuba player from the local marching band and get him/her/(insert pronoun of your choice) to blow as hard as they can through it. If they're in college, they'll do it for a beer or 3, if they're younger, for a video of them blowing out the clog for their Instagram feed.

If it doesn't work, at least you will have had some fun...

I have full length pipe cleaners but right now I can't get a bristle brush through. It hits a particular spot from either end and stops like there's a pipe of tobacco dried and stuck to the inside of the stem. I'm wondering if an overnight soak in water might help softer up whatever it is.

Lemon juice will break down nicotine and tar when soaked overnight.

Stems are by far the #1 source of restrictions and usually by their design rather than a blockage. Drilling a mouthpiece is usually at least a three step process. The largest drill is used until the mouthpiece thins to the point where a smaller bit is required. Finally, from the button, the airway is widened to fan out the smoke. Since it's unseen, this is an area that is an easy place to cut corners. Sometimes you end up with a too narrow airway the whole way. Other times, an abrupt change in diameter causes moisture, tar, and especially pipe cleaner fluff to collect.

If there is actually debris in there, I would suggest removing the stem from the pipe. Start at the button with a narrow pipe cleaner, like a Diil's. Run the pipe cleaner through your fingers first to remove any fluff. Give a healthy blow through the stem. Repeat. Now, do the same from the other end. You can also try this with a Dill's bristle cleaner. Ideally, you'd finish with a long churchwarden cleaner, always from from button end. Going from the other direction risks having fluff collect where the drilling narrows, which on many pipes can be quite abrupt -- to the point where your pipe cleaner wire hangs up on the ridge.

Best of luck!

Country Bladesmith

Get a tuba player from the local marching band and get him/her/(insert pronoun of your choice) to blow as hard as they can through it. If they're in college, they'll do it for a beer or 3, if they're younger, for a video of them blowing out the clog for their Instagram feed.

If it doesn't work, at least you will have had some fun...

You could probably also tempt the tuba player with a double cheeseburger. I'm just saying, have you ever seen a skinny tuba player?

I have had luck with this exact issue by soaking the stem and then taking a long pipe cleaner and chucking it up in a variable speed hand drill and spinning the pipe cleaner through the stem. I only did it once but it worked a treat I say.