When you purchase a new pipe, the flow of air is clean and smooth.  Over time, however, resin builds up in the bowl and on the inside of the pipe, reducing the flow of air and eventually even clogging the pipe.  When the resing buildup is a little excessive, it's time to clean out your pipe.  This guide shows you how.

Does Your Pipe Look Like This?

If so, it's time you cleaned your pipe!  Read on to find out how.  When you're done, your pipe will be like new.  It will hit a whole lot more easily and look a whole lot cleaner than you ever remember!  I'm always surprised by how clear the glass on the pipe actually is after having been caked with resin for months.  Doing this once every one to three months depending on usage will ensure you always have a clean bowl to smoke from!

You Will Need (See figure 1)

• Plastic Bag (preferably with a zipper seal)
• Rubbing Alcohol (the higher the concentration, the better)
• Salt (optional, for adding abrasion to the shaking) 
• Bent paperclip, or q-tips, etc. (optional, for scraping)

Directions

Begin by filling the bag with enough rubbing alcohol to cover the bowl. (See figure 2)

Next, add enough salt so that some granules remain undissolved, until it is saturated. (see figure 3 and figure 4)

Place the pipe into the bag and seal. (See figure 5)

Shake moderately for between thirty seconds and a minute.  (See figure 6)

Allow the pipe to sit for about ten minutes.  Shake again and wait another ten minutes.  Notice the discoloration of the water and the accumulation of particulate matter.  (See figure 7 and figure 8)

Remove the pipe from the bag and discard the remaining fluid.  Be careful as this fluid smells awful and will stain fabrics.  I have heard of people filtering the remains and smoking them, but have never personally tried it.  I would be careful though, since rubbing alcohol can be flammable.  (See figure 9)

Rince the inside and outside of the pipe thouroughly with lukewarm water.  (See figure 10)

Scrape the remaining resin from the inside of the bowl with the q-tip or paperclip. (See figure 11)

And then you're bowl is as good as new! (Before and After)

Images Used In This Guide

A Note on Boiling Pipes

Some smokers boil their pipes to clean them.  While boiling a pipe does effectively clean a glass pipe, there is significant risk of cracking the pipe.  The rapid temperature change of placing a cold bowl in a boiling pot of water and then removing the hot pipe from the pot can easily cause potential cracks to grow, and serious cracks to form.  Also, the jostling of the bubbles from the boiling can cause the pipe to hit the sides and bottom of the metal pot.  It's a recipe for disaster.  While boiling may be okay for metal pipes, the above method is far safer for cleaning glass pipes.