Tag Archives: Bowl – internals

My choices in Pipe Reamers – a review

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Blog by Steve Laug

In the process of refurbishing estate pipes, a thing that I enjoy doing, I use two pipe reamers almost every time I begin the work. Both of them have different strengths or advantages that I have come to count on in the process of using them. They work on the thickest and hardest cake that I have found in these old work horse pipes. I have written of the advantages and weaknesses of both in the review that follows.  

The first of these is readily available on EBay as Kleen Reem pipe reamers. There is also a similar reamer available going under the label of the Senior Reamer which can be purchased at most of the online pipe vendors. The reamer I have is pictured below. It is an adjustable three blade hardened steel reamer. The top is the adjustment knob and as it is turned it opens the blades wider or narrower. The utility of this reamer is that it is able to be adjusted to multiple bowl sizes. The blades remain vertical so that the bowl does not taper. It works very well for cylindrical shaped bowls. The hardened steel does a great job cutting back the carbon of the cake and can be adjusted to allow for different cake depths. The one draw back of this reamer is that it does not do a great job on the heel of the bowl in rounded or U shaped bowls. It is perfect for the conical bowl or V shaped bowl that tapers to a point. In the U shaped bowls I have to finish the reaming by using the second tool below or a piece of sand paper wrapped on a dowel.

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The case that the reamer came in is functional and strong. In the bottom edge of the case there is a banded group of cut pipe cleaners.

A brilliant part of this tool is found under the adjustment knob on the top. The knob can be turned to unscrew it from the main unit. Once it is removed it reveals a drill bit attached to the knob that is designed to clean out the airway in the shank. It can be twisted into the shank to reopened clogged and restricted airways without damaging the pipe. I use the drill bit by itself the first few times through the shank to remove the grime and tars. I then follow up with the pipe cleaners inserted and wrapped up the bit then dipped in alcohol to remove the loosened grime from the shank of the pipe. I have replaced the original ones that came with the kit many times with cut pieces of regular or fluffy pipe cleaners. The diagram below shows the bit inserted in the shank. It also shows the winding of the pipe cleaners on the drill bit that I referred to above.

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The picture below shows the reamer as diagrammed with the instruction manual that came with the Kleen Reem kit. The numerals on the diagram are explained in the instructions on the right side of the picture. I use the reamer as a regular part of the cleaning routine I have established for working on estate pipes.

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I would recommend either the Senior Reamer or the Kleen Reem Reamer for all those who clean and work on their own pipe and those who do refurbishing of estate pipes. When you purchase it know that you will need another tool or have to use sandpaper and dowel to maintain the heel of the bowl.

The second reamer that is in my refurbishing tool kit is called a Pipnet Reamer. I found this reamer when the one above left me with work to do at the bottom of the bowl. I was searching for a tool that did a better job in that part of the bowl. This reamer has also been packaged and sold in North America under the Castleford name. From my experience while these two versions of the reamer look the same, the Castleford set is not as well made as the Pipnet set. I will comment on that later in this article. Both sets come in a cardboard storage case and include a foam insert with cut spaces for the “T” handle and four heads of different diameters. To use the reamer the heads (tenons) are inserted into a square slot (mortise) on the bottom of the handle and then can be turned into the bowls for a thorough reaming. The picture below shows the Pipnet set that I have. I have reboxed it in an old wooden box that my kids had around. I found that it is a perfect fit and keeps the parts together.

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The greatest asset of this tool in my opinion is that the interchangeable heads make it possible to work with a variety of bowl sizes and with various cake thicknesses. On older heavily caked bowls the reaming can be done in stages until it is the cake thickness matches the desired depth chosen by the refurbisher. This also makes it very easy to ream the cake all the way back to the wood or to leave any amount of cake you chooses. The size and shape of the combined handle and heads make it easy to keep the tool vertical in the bowl and avoid over reaming or ruining the roundness of the bowl by reaming at an angle.

Often when I am refurbishing older pipes I use both reamers mentioned in this article to complete the reaming to my satisfaction. I start reaming with the Pipnet and end with the KleenReem or the reverse depending on the bowl shape. I find that the design of the tool allows me to have a good grip on the handle as I turn the blades to cut the cake. I begin with the smallest head and work my way up to the size that brings the bowl to a place where I then use the KleenReem to finish the work.

Each cutting head of the Pipnet tool has four blades inserted into a hard plastic head. They are basically hardened steel “U” shapes that meet at the bottom of the head and go up the length of the head. The cutting head, though obviously designed for “U” shaped bowls, also can be used in conical bowls. Again the reaming process should begin with the smallest head that fits into the bottom of the bowl and then working up the varying sizes of heads until the bowl is completely reamed. The design and shape of the heads is visible in the picture of the Castleford Set below.

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In terms of durability I have used the Pipnet set for five years without any damage to the handle or heads. I was concerned when the tool arrived that the stress on the handle head connection (tenon/mortise) when turning it into the bowl would be problematic. When twisted or turned I can feel the give or strain in the plastic junction. In the 5 years I have used the Pipnet set I have not had any problems with this concern. Last year I was given a Castleford set to use as a backup. It looked like it was the same tool at a glance. I broke the handle mortise connection after the first couple of uses. In comparing the two sets I can see that the Pipnet set is made of a heavier/thicker plastic in the handle connection than the Castleford. That is probably the reason that it has outlasted the Castleford.

I purchased my Pipnet on EBay and continue to see sets show up there regularly. It is also available through various pipe and tobacco shops on the web. One or both of these reamers will serve the refurbisher well in the quest for a clean, restored pipe. Take into consideration the strengths and limitations of both and make your choices from an informed position. Enjoy your restoration work.

The Pleasure of Playing with the Mud

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One of my simple pleasures in an otherwise busy life is to refurbish pipes that I pick up on eBay and in different junk and thrift shops I frequent on my travels. As I refurbish and restore old pipes I enjoy a sense of fulfillment from not only bringing an old pipe back to life but in improving its smoke-ability. One of the tricks I have learned (I am sure I got it somewhere online) is that of raising the bottom of the bowl in a pipe that has been drilled too high. It is done with a concoction called pipe mud and given a bit of curing time can dry to a very hard surface that imparts no residual taste to my favourite tobaccos smoked in the “newly” reconditioned pipe.

Last weekend I had to mix up a batch of pipe mud to raise the floor on a pipe I was refurbishing. When I need to mix a batch of pipe mud it is a pleasure because it gives me an excuse to smoke a good cigar. Some of you don’t need an excuse to do so, but I do! My wife hates the smell of them and gives me grief over smoking them. She relegates me to the porch, which in the summer is a great place to relax and enjoy the parade of life that goes by on the sidewalk and street in front of my home. In the winter that is an altogether different matter as it is cold and damp here in Vancouver. So this excuse is a good one and works well for me. I look her straight in the eye and say, “I need to smoke it to make a batch of mud for my pipe”. Now, she likes the pipe (“likes” may be too strong a word to use but let’s just say she indulges me). So you can see the excuse works well.

I opened my humidor and looked through the cigars I have until one caught my fancy. This process is also part of the pleasure for me as I only smoke cigars that I like and none of the nasty ones that are so cheap here – Poms and Colts and the like. All of my cigars are Cubans (a perk of living in Canada and not having an embargo in place) so it is a process of finding one that I will be able to enjoy in the time I can stand being out in the cold on the porch. I picked out a nice little Romeo y Julietta and got out my punch, punched the end of the cigar and took an ash tray in which to collect the precious ash. I bundled up in my big coat, scarf and a toque (stocking cap for the non-Canadians among us) and went out on the front porch. I rolled the cigar under my nose and enjoyed the grassy smell of good tobacco. I double checked the punched hole in the end of the cigar to make sure it was perfect! Then I fired it up with my lighter. I rolled it as I lit it and drew the smoke into my mouth. I rolled it around to get the full taste of the tobacco. It had been awhile since I had a good cigar but this one quickly made me forget the damp cold of a rainy Wet Coast day in Vancouver. A good R&J cigar is a thing of wonder to me… the many dimensions to the flavour and the fullness of the taste that they deliver are excellent.

Throughout the smoke I collected the ash in my ashtray. I always make a bit of a game out of smoking my cigar and try to see how long I can keep the ash on the front before it falls off. I keep the ashtray in my lap just in case. I learned that from way to many ashes falling down the front of my coat or sweater. Besides I wanted to keep these ashes for their deeper and more “profound” purpose!

I sat and enjoyed a good cigar and the quiet afternoon with the steady drip of the rain and swish of cars going by on the street in front of the house. Too quickly the cigar was at its end and the time was over. What a great afternoon smoke and a restful break. Once the cigar was finished I use the remaining butt as food for my Rhododendrons. I crush it, break it up and sprinkle it on around the base with the remnants of coffee grounds that my Rhodies love. I carried the ash tray into the house and hung up my coat and scarf. The toque went back to its place in the secretary by the door. I kicked off my shoes and scooted into my slippers and carried the ash tray to my basement desk and work table.

I have a small cup of water at the desk and an ear syringe that gives me more control over the amount of water I add to the ashes. I want to add just enough to make a paste. I give it a few drops to start with and stir it up with a folded pipe cleaner. I continue to add water to the mixture until I get it to be the consistency that I want. One convenience of the mix is that if I add to much water I can leave it and the water will evaporate.

While the mix is sitting I prepare the pipe for the work. I remove the stem and insert a fluffy pipe cleaner into the shank with the end just extending into the bowl. I do not want to clog the airway with the mud when I put it in. This keeps that from happening. I folded a pipe cleaner in half to use as a brush to apply the mud to the bowl of the pipe. I usually put it into the bottom of the chamber and use a pipe nail to tamp it solidly in place. I fill the bottom until it is at the level I want. Tamping it down assures that I don’t get much shrinkage in the ash mixture as it dries out. I also apply the mud to the walls of the pipe where I see any cracks in the cake and around the air hole to make for a good clean entry way.

Once the mud has been applied the pipe goes into a stand to sit for two days. I want the mud to dry solidly and cure well. Once that is done I carefully load a bowl with a favourite tobacco and smoke it letting the heat do a final cure on the mud. When I am emptying the pipe I am careful. Generally I have found that after several smokes the mud is very solid and I can smoke it and clean the pipe as usual.

Hopefully by this point in this piece you can appreciate the pleasure of playing with pipe mud. I will talk with you later, right now I am going to go have a look on eBay and see if I can find a few more pipes to refurbish. In the lot of them I am sure that there will be at least one that needs a good application of pipe mud. Then I can enjoy another good cigar.