BigBen Pipe cleaners

They can be used for many applications. The main one being: removing moisture and residue form smoking pipes. A pipe cleaner is small and bendable. It is made of two lengths of wire, called the core, twisted together trapping short lengths of fiber between them, called the pile. Pipe cleaners are usually made two at a time, as the inner wires of each pipe cleaner have the yarn wrapped around them, making a coil, the outer wires trap the wraps of yarn, which are then cut, making the tufts. Chenille yarn is made in much the same way, which is why craft pipe cleaners are often called "chenille stems". Chenille is the French word for ‘caterpillar’, whose fur the yarn, and the pipe cleaners, are supposed to resemble.

The average pipe cleaner is 15 - 17 cm long. This makes it long enough to reach any place in the stem of your pipe. And next to that: it makes it long enough to use it for any application needed to make your life easer. (Tip: wind a pipe cleaner around bottlenecks to catch drips, no stains anymore!)

To spot the difference between the values of pipes it's helpful to know the age of the wood used, its grain pattern and the wood's overall "finish". Most wooden pipes are made of a very hard wood called briar. Pipes made of old briarwood are lighter and more porous than the ones made by younger briarwood. Briar pipes can be finished in three different ways: smooth, sandblast or carved, or rusticated. The grain pattern, which can be seen on the pipe, is simply an aesthetic preference and does not affect the quality.

The remarkable patterns possible in briar do make every pipe one-of-a-kind. The intricate lines in the grain were put in place over many years in a difficult climate. We are excited to offer you the chance to own a stunning piece of art that truly took a lifetime to create. The immense time necessary for briarwood growth, the effort to harvest it, its natural beauty, and the careful craftsmanship are the variables that make Gubbels Pipes exceptional and of indefinable value.