PBW & the Chemistry of Clean
- Thread starter t-dub
- Start date
Quetzalcoatl
DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
My 1lb tub is still quite full... probably another 2-3 years' worth of cleaning.
blankrider
Well-Known Member
OK so I just broke down and ordered some pbw since everyone keeps swearing it is the best way to clean my glass.
Someone please tell me the best way to get all my old combustion pieces clean. I'm talking like new clean. Where even a vapor snob wouldn't turn up their nose to my smoked in pipes.
Someone please tell me the best way to get all my old combustion pieces clean. I'm talking like new clean. Where even a vapor snob wouldn't turn up their nose to my smoked in pipes.
t-dub
Vapor Sloth
Dirty combustion pieces may take multiple extended soaks to clean, but come clean they will. PBW was designed to help brewers clean brew kettles, among other things. Have you ever burned a batch of wort? Whats left on the bottom is very hard to remove. Don't be afraid to run a cleaning brush in there if you can to help get problem areas.
ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
I am a flavor snob.
OK the fact I use Titanium for Dabbing sometimes doesn't count.
My glass pieces are very clean.
I use RO water to rinse.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Rinse
PWB
Rinse
Citrus Juice (lemons from my neighbors garden this time of year, limes from my tree this Fall, Grapefruit next winter) Whatever you can get citrus.
Rinse
Dry
Wipe down
Now it's worthy to use!
PWB makes it sparkle!
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pigfoot
Dabs are vapor too!
Just start with warm ISO. It dissolves resin. May need to shake a bit (be careful). When you have it 95% clean, go to the PBW. It will do the rest, and keep it squeaky clean.
How do you guys handle distilled water? Apparently my water is hard enough it's leaving my pieces foggy when they dry after multiple PBW rinses.
Here's the process I see in my mind for using distilled water, please correct if I'm wrong:
1) Rinse piece with HOT tap water from the faucet
2) Heat distilled water to near boiling
3) Add 1/2 teaspoon of PBW to piece and add HOT distilled water
4) Give piece a quick shake to mix ingredients.
5) Let sit for 5 minutes or so until water clears
6) Empty and rinse with hot tap water.
My question is step 6 - do I need to rinse with hot distilled water or is hot tap water fine at this stage in the process?
Here's the process I see in my mind for using distilled water, please correct if I'm wrong:
1) Rinse piece with HOT tap water from the faucet
2) Heat distilled water to near boiling
3) Add 1/2 teaspoon of PBW to piece and add HOT distilled water
4) Give piece a quick shake to mix ingredients.
5) Let sit for 5 minutes or so until water clears
6) Empty and rinse with hot tap water.
My question is step 6 - do I need to rinse with hot distilled water or is hot tap water fine at this stage in the process?
pigfoot
Dabs are vapor too!
All I can say is my water is full of minerals, and if I let a piece dry normally it's impossible to be free of spots/deposits. All I do with a dirty piece is rinse, add PBW & hot (tap) water, cork, agitate, and let sit till clear. Just a rinse with plain old tap water, and good to go. There's something in the stuff that provides a "sheeting" action - like on the commercials
and prevents spots.
Does the distilled water after cleaning need to be hot as well?
Tweak
T\/\/34|<
I don't think so. I've never heard of anybody warming there distilled up.
You can always remove any excess moisture using a dry vac.
I was getting the white film too so I stopped using PBW so often, only when my piece is really soiled.
pigfoot
Dabs are vapor too!
I never used distilled, just plain old tap water for everything, even rinses. Glass comes out sparkling clean with no spots. Not arguing with anyone, just sharing my results.
Edit: I fill with RO (reverse osmosis) water in the piece when I use it.
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Roger D
Vapor Wizard
I too was breaking my back trying to use the best water ever but I have been from distilling demineralized water to bottled water and more recently I just use tap water.
It does is inferior in therms of water purity but after you add the cranberry there is no huge taste difference. Because of the convenience and the lower cost, it allows me to change it more often. I don't have to use that little funnel anymore, I just clean or refresh the piece with my little hose and pour water in the same move. I prefer to keep the bottled water to drink it myself.
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Enchantre
Oil Painter
Nope... I use room-temp for rinsing. I also use distilled for refilling the HT, as well, with a couple of drops of cranberry extract, and 1 drop of Iosol Iodine.
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ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
You inspire me to clean my dirty pieces!
I break stuff all the time.
Good thing I buy 5 at a time!
Our tap water here in CALIFORNIA is very high in TDS.
I have a RO system for watering my plants and general drinking. I clean every thing with it. Tap water in Southern California? I won't take the chance. Now in other areas it might not be an issue? Tap might be just fine!
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syrupy
Authorized Buyer
Ordered and payed for!
8 pounds of PBW!
(Not ALL for me. Sharing with a few friends of mine. We are dividing it equally between 3 of us)
Even still, that's a lot. Catching a good touch of GAS might help you get through it quicker.
How come when I add up your invoice, I get a different total?
Enchantre
Oil Painter
Exchange rate?Even still, that's a lot. Catching a good touch of GAS might help you get through it quicker.
How come when I add up your invoice, I get a different total?
*just kidding, I didn't do the math. Just being a smartass for the value-added tax.
Frederick McGuire
Aggressively Loungey
Looks to me like the "tax total" is included in the subtotal above it, so if you add the subtotal, shipping and to you'll get a different figure to the cart, but if you just add the subtotal and the shipping it all matches up.
Reflections
Well-Known Member
I have a mini cheap bubbler that i recently used and forgot to empty it after 4 days with rez block in it...when i remembered it cause i had company and stuffed in cabinet..it looked gross so emptied it and filled with 70 percent iso for 3 days..stil not clean,,It has all these black spider webby looking things on bottom..just bought some 90 percent iso...what if that doesnt remove it? anything else besides buying this pbw?