handgefertigte Pfeifen aus Tirol

With careful cleaning and handling, your pipe will accompany you for decades – headwind for the age of fast moving consumer goods! A few tips & basic rules:

 

• despite the smoking paste, smoke the first few fillings very carefully, slowly and if possible to the end (forms a protective layer of charcoal for the wood)

• never smoke a pipe too hot 

• it is better to let the pipe go out and relight it than to smoke it to hard/hot

• the pipe should never become uncomfortably warm in your hand, then allow it to cool down briefly

• clean it after each use! (see below)

• never disassemble the pipe when it is hot - otherwise it can break

• only as much tobacco as will be smoked 

• do not smoke in strong winds or in the rain - can cause irreparable damage

• do not store in direct sunlight - leads to warping of the wood/stem

• the charcoal crust in the pipe bowl is important to protect the wood from excessive heat, the guide value here is 1–2 mm. Too thick a layer of charcoal can lead to tension in the wood and thus cause cracks - only use a suitable tool (no sharp knife blade!) and scrape it out carefully, ask a specialist if this is the case!

 

Cleaning after each use:

• set aside briefly after the embers have gone out, allow to cool, gently stir the rest of the tobacco in the pipe bowl to absorb residual moisture and preserve the neutral taste, empty (do not knock against hard objects!), allow to cool completely for at least 30 minutes

• disassemble the pipe: twist the mouthpiece off the pipe bowl with a gentle clockwise turn and screw it back on again the same way (always screw it back together completely, never let it stick out!)

• change filter (if present) after each smoking (never leave residual moisture in the pipe!)

• pipe cleaner one or two times through the smoke channel of the mouthpiece and filter hole, another one through the smoke channel of the pipe and the spigot hole, don't forget the corners of the bite slit!

• After every tenth use, use a alcohol-based pipe cleaner to clean flue and stem (until no more color changes can be seen on the cleaner), dry clean afterwards - caution: do not use alcohol on the outside to avoid damaging the surface finish

• as required: paste or cleaning cloths from specialist shops for the pipe bowl

• never clean with pressure, otherwise there is a risk of breakage of the mouthpieces - the cleaner should go back and forth easily

• only use suitable tools for the entire cleaning

• The pipe needs a break after each use so that any residual moisture can escape - this is particularly important with wooden mouthpieces. Smoke each pipe only once a day, leave it to rest for 24 hours, never pack it airtight, never leave pipe cleaners in the pipe so that the pipe can breathe! (So, better buy several pipe so you can smoke all day! :D)

 

Wood is a natural material that is sensitive to moisture - residual moisture is your pipe's worst enemy. Make sure not to expose the wooden mouthpieces in particular, but also all other materials, not to large temperature and humidity fluctuations in order to preserve the bend and not loosen the plug connection. A slight reduction in flex over the years is normal. Never use force!

 

Enjoy your ruetz pipe for many years to come!