Reamers

Houtenziel · Sat Oct 27, 2018 6:19 pm

Just got the Castleford reamer in the mail today and gave it a spin(no pun intended) on a few pipes. I think I now understand why a lot of folks end up with a Buttner, Senior, and Castleford set. The Castleford, by design, has a set reaming shape which is great if you have pipes with that exact chamber shape. But.. if you have Grabows which tend to be cylindrical in the first two thirds and then taper in near the bottom, it can gouge the cake pretty badly at the shoulder of the taper.

Legion · Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:17 am

houtenziel wrote: ↑Sat Oct 27, 2018 6:19 pm Just got the Castleford reamer in the mail today and gave it a spin(no pun intended) on a few pipes. I think I now understand why a lot of folks end up with a Buttner, Senior, and Castleford set. The Castleford, by design, has a set reaming shape which is great if you have pipes with that exact chamber shape. But.. if you have Grabows which tend to be cylindrical in the first two thirds and then taper in near the bottom, it can gouge the cake pretty badly at the shoulder of the taper.

Pipe restorers say that they have several types of reamers because no one reamer or reamer kit will suit all bowl shapes.
To have a universal reaming kit like a castleford type, it would need dozens of changeable bits.

avid · Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:54 pm

Ray Mackessy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 23, 2018 7:53 am I use this reamer after every 3 smokes

Wow. When I started was using a small corner of paper towel to wipe the bowl after each smoke, no cake build up at all. Since I stopped that, once in a great while I will scrape a little build-up. I have one of those little handy reamers, but don't anticipate using it any time soon.

Hitzy · Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:51 am

I haven't needed one yet. Not sure why, but I don't really get cake build up. My cleaning isn't overly thorough, usually clean after 1-3 bowls, I use q-tips in the bowl, remove the ash and gunk, and spread the soot around the bowl to coat it.

simplepipes · Sat Nov 10, 2018 4:55 pm

Rolled tubes of sandpaper of various grits . . . too many pipes ruined by inexperienced use of reamers.

-sp

Middle Earth · Sat Nov 10, 2018 7:34 pm

I use a Cook reamer or a rounded knife if necessary. Use a bent pipe cleaner after each smoke. Keeps the cake at a minimum. Avoid reaming if possible.

Bamarick · Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:41 pm

I thought that a somewhat heavy cake was desirable in a pipe. At what point does one need to be reamed? On occasion I use a bit of paper towel or maybe Q-Tips to wipe out the bowl.

Houtenziel · Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:56 pm

Bamarick wrote: ↑Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:41 pm I thought that a somewhat heavy cake was desirable in a pipe. At what point does one need to be reamed? On occasion I use a bit of paper towel or maybe Q-Tips to wipe out the bowl.

It's really up to you what is too much. The guideline I hear tossed around is between the thickness of a dime or nickel. I personally don't like a lot of cake, and just keep the thinnest layer of carbon possible to protect the briar.

Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:19 pm

Bamarick wrote: ↑Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:41 pm I thought that a somewhat heavy cake was desirable in a pipe. At what point does one need to be reamed? On occasion I use a bit of paper towel or maybe Q-Tips to wipe out the bowl.

I aim for "some but not a lot." It is less than the thickness of a dime after reaming.

Longshanks · Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:39 pm

I've used an old Chicago drill press inherited from my grandfather to bore out cakes in some of my estate pipe finds, leaving about a dime's thickness. I know... sounds extreme... but the cake was rock solid and, frankly, I don't know how they ever smoked their last bowl in it! Some of the pipes I got in bulk lots literally had less than a 1/8" opening running from the top of the bowl to the airhole. LOL I really should have taken before pics of them.