For pipes that have gone sour I always reamed the bowl down to the briar
and then coated with a then mixture of honey cut with alcohol, then lightly
charred the bowl. Have you ever tried this? It seems to work quite well
for me on all types of briar pipes.
"JLucas ILS" wrote in message
...
Max,
If it were a truly expensive pipe ($220 and up), you would have been
asking
this question long ago. The inside you do not clean. never ever. Use use a
cleaning tool that scrapes the char out. If you use this tool correctly,
you do
not remove much each time. If you are too aggressive you will pull clumps
out,
leaving no char in that little area and that will allow that spot to burn
through.
On outside, if it is real yucky, you can scrub with toothbrush and very
mild
solution of water and murphys oil and wipe clean. When doen, use your noce
oil
to add protection. SOmeone already mentioned this. It works and works
well. Rub
on your nose and use your fingers to loveingly rub it in. A $200 plus pipe
will
retain in value, and smoke well. ANd dont smoke one pipe all the time. It
needs
a rest.
None of these rules apply to meerschaum.