Cleaning Glass Pipes & bongs

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blondeboy

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Instructions for Cleaning A Glass Pipe or a Bong


For smokers, glass pipes are the crown jewel of smoking accessories. For marijuana aficionados, they offer a clean smoke that doesn't detract from the flavor of the home grown weed. The problem is that they get dirty very easily. But with a little work, you can have your pipe glistening as good as new.

There are several commercially available cleaners (Formula 420, Orange Chronic, Dr. Green’s and Grunge Off to name a few) available from most tobacconists and smoke related products stores that will do an excellent job cleaning your glass pipe. A note of caution however; internally fumed pipes, typically referred to as inside out or double blown are susceptible to fume “wash out” when cleaned with a strong cleaner that includes solvents. Surface fume is melted into the glass and will not wash out, while internal fume cannot be adequately melted in due the inability to really get the flame inside the piece at a 90 degree angle for optimum melt. If the fume is washed out, the pipe will no longer color change. Check the label. Any alcohol based cleaner (more than 50% alcohol content), or cleaners that include petro-chemical based ingredients (gasoline, diesel fuel, lighter fluid to name a few) will probably wash out the internal fume.

If you are unable to find a commercially based cleaner, create your own. Mix 4 parts very warm, (yet, not hot) water with one part dish detergent and one part salt. Very hot (boiling) water will cause uneven thermal expansion and will probably break your piece. Submerge your piece in this home brew overnight. Rinse thoroughly in very warm water. This home brew will eliminate the majority (not all!) of the marijuana residue from your pipe. If you have a stubborn area that refuses to clean up, fill the pipe with home brew cleaner and add a teaspoon of coarse grind salt, then gently shake. The course salt will act as a gentle abrasive and help to clean the stubborn spots. Pipe cleaners, Buddy Systemz and small nylon brushes also help to eliminate observable residue.


Step by step instructions:

Solution: Materials needed:
Medium pot
Hot Water
Liquid Dish Detergent (Dawn)
Coarse Salt
Tongs/Large spoon
Small nylon brush/ paper clip/Q-tip




1) First take the pipe and turn it vertically so the mouthpiece is facing downward. Give it some light taps on the tops as you shake it. This will get ride of anything loose that might have settled into the pipe.

2) Next take a Q-tip, or a small nylon brushes and begin lightly scraping the inside of the piece. Scrape from both the mouthpiece as well as the pipe's bowl. Be sure to bend the paper clip periodically to reach hard to reach places

3) Once you have thoroughly scraped the inside of the pipe and discarded any resulting ash, fill a small pot with water.

4) Place the pot on the stove, and set the stove on high.

5) Once the pot is near boiling, turn off the flame & remove the pot from stove

6) Add solvents into pot with a light stir of mixtures: course salt acts real well as an abrasive and dish detergent acts good as a lubricant.

7) carefully place the pipe in the pot with a tong.

8) Periodically lift the pipe up carefully using the tongs and brush it with a small nylon brush. As you brush the burnt particles away, the soap will temporary lubricates the pipe to allow the residue to slip away with ease, without scratches. Afterwards, place the pipe back into the pot to soak for a final cleaning latter. Be sure and get warm water started again.

9) Repeat these steps until satisfactory. At the end, you should be left with a fully transparent pipe.

10) Cool the glass pipe at room temperature. Never cool the pipe rapidly with water because it will cause uneven thermal contraction and will probably break your piece.

11) Notice that your pipe is very slippery, so one last rinse is necessary to avoid dropping it from the excess soap.

12) Fill & smoke. The transformation will enhance the quality and vibrant taste that only a clean glass pipe can bring.


Cleaning a Bong

Materials Needed:

4X4 medical gauze or fabric softener sheet.
Cotton ball
String
Clothes hanger wire
Dish detergent/ salt solution (previously mentioned)
Q-Tip

Step by step instructions:

1) Remove the resevoir from the bong and place it in a seperate container to soak in the warm detergent/salt solution.
2) Replace the resevoir with some gauze or a cotton ball to stop-up the hole.
3) Pour and fill the bong with the detergent/ salt solution. Carefully shack and remove any loose particles, then refill with fresh solution.
4) Reshape the clothes hanger to the desired legth of the bong. Thread a cotton ball though the botton of the wire. Place a 4x4 gauze ( fabric softener sheet) over the cotton ball and tie a knot over the bottom of the gauze with a string. Afterwards the clothes hanger should appear like a giant Q-Tip.
5) Reshape the bottom portion of the clothes hanger to provide a 45 degree angle so that you can reach the bulky portion of the bong
6) Stick the clothes hanger down the chimney and start washing the inside of the bong with the cotton ball.
7) Afterwards, clean the reservoir that has been soaking with a Q-Tip.
8) Repeat as necessary and afterwards allow the bong to dry at room tempature.
9) Toughly rince and get all of the soap off of it.
10) Pack yourself some fresh bud in the reservoir and smoke up!





 
I just boil mine in a throw away plastic container in the microwave til clean...I dont like using chemicals on my glass. Great post! also i didnt see this but never run cold water through a scalding pipe..
 
I've been soaking my pieces in isopropyl alcohol for 10 years. I have never had a color changing piece stop changing either. Cool post though. Will prob try.
 
I used 2 do that 2, but afterwards there was always be some residue left unclean. This mixture is better then just using warm water because it cleans in places where water won’t clean.
 
i put salt then the iso shake shake shake an rinse rinse rinse and then either clean it with windex or dish soap an rinse rinse rinse because yes alcohol does leave behind a residue..
i just cleaned my bong about 30 min ago an she looks as good as the day she came home about a year an a half ago....
 
{. A note of caution however; internally fumed pipes, typically referred to as inside out } Period , inside work is just that done inside the tubing ~


{or double blown }
Another ** Sales tatic. There is NO such thing as "Double Blown" ~




{are Surface fume is melted into the glass and will not wash out, while internal fume cannot be adequately melted in due the inability to really get the flame inside the piece at a 90 degree angle for optimum melt.}



Ahh, more granny tales here. Fumed wheter inside or outside is fully melted into the glass other wise I would be liable for your health ( gold or silver is toxic as fumes. ONLY, when trapped in glass does it become safe. If you can " smear" silver or gold on your piece find the glass blower and kick his azz for heavy metal contamination. ~


{ If the fume is washed out, the pipe will no longer color change. Check the label. Any alcohol based cleaner (more than 50% alcohol content), or cleaners that include petro-chemical based ingredients (gasoline, diesel fuel, lighter fluid to name a few) will probably wash out the internal fume.} wrong again as per description above.~

If you are unable to find a commercially based cleaner, create your own. Mix 4 parts very warm, (yet, not hot) water with one part dish detergent and one part salt. Very hot (boiling) water will cause uneven thermal expansion and will probably break your piece. Submerge your piece in this home brew overnight. Rinse thoroughly in very warm water. This home brew will eliminate the majority (not all!) of the tobacco particulate from your pipe. If you have a stubborn area that refuses to clean up, fill the pipe with home brew cleaner and add a teaspoon of coarse grind salt, then shake vigorously. The course salt will act as a gentle abrasive and help to clean the stubborn spots. Pipe cleaners, Buddy Systemz and small nylon brushes also help to eliminate observable residue.


Step by step instructions:

Materials needed:
Medium pot
Hot Water
Dish Detergent
Coarse Salt
Tongs/Large spoon
Small nylon brush/ paper clip


1) First take the pipe and turn it vertically so the mouthpiece is facing downward. Give it some light taps on the tops as you shake it. This will get ride of anything loose that might have settled into the pipe.

2) Next take a paper clip or a small nylon brushes and begin scraping the inside of the piece. Scrape from both the mouthpiece as well as the pipe's bowl. Be sure to bend the paper clip periodically to reach hard to reach places
{ Yup great choice using a metal object to scratch the glass on the inside which ceates "cracks" from stress}
3) Once you have thoroughly scraped the inside of the pipe and discarded any resulting ash, fill a small pot with water.

4) Place the pot on the stove, and set the stove on high.{ Here comes that stress}

5) Once the pot is near boiling, turn off the flam & remove the pot from stove

6) Add solvents into pot with a light stir of mixtures: course salt and dish detergent.

7) carefully place the pipe in the pot with a tong.

8) Periodically lift the pipe up using the tongs and brush it with a small nylon brushes and place it back into the pot to soak. Be sure to try to get warm water flowing through the pipe to push out any debris.

9) Cool the glass pipe at room temperature. Never cool the pipe rapidly with water because it will cause uneven thermal contraction and will probably break your piece. { Wrong , unless youre getting it over 750* which is boro's thermal shock point`}

10) Repeat these steps until satisfactory. At the end, you should be left with a fully transparent pipe.

11) Fill & smoke. The transformation will enhance the quality and vibrant taste that only a clean glass pipe can bring.


[/quote]


Some basic answer above dont fly like an ostrich~
IF you are using 90* alcohol there should be very little residue left IF any after a good washing with dish soap after using Iso Alcohol and rock salt.
I'm a glass blower of 14 plus years and if you follow this kind of "wisdom" I have some land for sale down south....
 
Oh, as a side note my torch is probaly worth more than youre car "blondeboy". Take some classes before expounding youre wisdom on a subject youre obviously under qualified for. I posted a couple new pendants today and you "Blondeboy" where's youre work ? Just sayin ~
 
I never cleaned a piece before and I just cleaned my bowl using blondeboy method besides the paper clip thing I used q-tips and it worked great!

I'm up for any other ideas on how to clean that works good for glass bowls? Thing with alcohol and me I feel kinda weird cleaning my bowl with rubbing alcohol and then smoking it down the road I feel like that can't be good, correct me if I am wrong please.
 
Newspaper works good for cleaning each useage in the bowl. The "Old skool " way was to "soak" youre pc in some hot azz water with dish machine "tablets" as they cut thru alot of the tars etc,. Leave it over nite and next morning repeat if necessary.
Cleaning the bowl sect. is the most important as it contributes tars, resins, stc to the next "nuggage". Thus changing its flavor / aroma's when smoked in a dirty bowl. Use of metal is strictly a no no . Metal scratches the glass and these scratches become the stress points of where its most likely tp break. Wooden skewers avail at any grocery stores work best ffor that purpose.~
 
I posted that you can boil it. in plastic. I have never broken a piece in 12 years ;) no chemicals.
 
2Dog said:
I posted that you can boil it. in plastic. I have never broken a piece in 12 years ;) no chemicals.

Dont know how you get youre glass in plastic ? when boiling....No chemicals ~ No problems. The use of any any alcohol of atleast 50% is non toxic ( to my knowledge). Youre average beer is only 3.2 per volume.
Iso alcohol, i wouldnt drink. But cleaning glass like my 2' double stack of trees with diffused downstem bong. IMO I wouldnt use anything else. Its fast , simple and cheap.


Ps :I ve tried other ways , even rice and alcohol (iso). Its workable but a bitzchel for trying to get that rice all swollen up back out of the tree's or cut/diffused down stem.
 
oh I was just letting sampson know he doesnt have to use chemicals..I just place the pipe or bong bowl into the tupperware and cover it with water and heat it. for a giant bong I pour hot water into it let it sit swish and rinse. sometimes I add salt for this. I havent had great luck with rice unelss I am just cleaning like a dirt vase. for resin it doesnt work for me. I think all our ways will get it clean tho..hehe I just go to a lot of trouble to grow organicly and then to use chemicals to clean my stuff seems counter productive KWIM? ;)
 
KWIM ? ??? Thats why i reponded on the alcohol. Its safe for all purposes, just like beer or whine ( Not that i would waste either for cleaning ) :0)
 
KWIM..know what I mean...
 
Any alcohol based cleaner (more than 50% alcohol content), or cleaners that include petro-chemical based ingredients (gasoline, diesel fuel, lighter fluid to name a few) will probably wash out the internal fume.
idk man. i get 99% isopropyl alcohol and i use it wit a spoon of salt. any salt dont matter wether course or fine. and i been usin this for lil over year now on all my glass. an i clean all 30 some my glass pieces monthly and never notice any fading of anythin or any change in nothing.

also you mention
Materials needed:
Medium pot
Hot Water
Dish Detergent
Coarse Salt
Tongs/Large spoon
Small nylon brush/ paper clip

from wat i do kow for fact is that salt does not disolve in alcohol hence why using it wit alcohol acts real well as an abrasive. but you ention water. and warm water even.. :confused2: wouldnt warm water disolve salt pretty dang fast?
 
meds4me said:
Oh, as a side note my torch is probaly worth more than youre car "blondeboy". Take some classes before expounding youre wisdom on a subject youre obviously under qualified for. I posted a couple new pendants today and you "Blondeboy" where's youre work ? Just sayin ~
I think the original post was done in good intention and meant for our benefit, even if you disagree with the logic. This seems a little harsh to me. Also seems like you already made your point in the post right before you made this one anyways.

Not trying to start any tension or rub anyone the wrong way. Just my wee little opinion..
 
Sorry if i came off grouchy but I hear thesre "wifes tales " daily.The youth tend to spout wisdom from milkcrates from no prior knowledge of the subject in the real world. I hadn't medicated yet so again sorry for being a bit grouchy. Being a glass blower working with both soft and then boro glass. The knowledge i speak of has been earned the hard way , which has accumulated 14 yrs of "how not to do things".
 
as far as the alcohol it will be fine as long as you burn the vapor out after , just touch it with the lighter if any fumes are in they will burn right off.
 
as far as the alcohol it will be fine as long as you burn the vapor out after , just touch it with the lighter if any fumes are in they will burn right off.
__________________
couldnt ya just rinse wit plain water afterwards an be same thing? thas wat i do anyway..
 

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