How to Clean a Pipe Screen
A dirty pipe screen may waste good tobacco in your bowl. A clogged pipe screen is quite annoying, especially when you want to smoke right away. To avoid these circumstances, here are some easy but effective ways to clean your pipe screen.
Start by removing the screen with a tweezers. Do this over an unclogged sink. If the sink is also dirty, clean it first, so that the dirt will not be added to your screen.
Then inspect the screen. Check if it is still worth saving and using. One way to do this is to look for holes or damage on the screen. Are the holes too big already, or are the screens worn out?
Gently rock and shake the screen back and forth between your thumb and forefingers. Blow on the screen; if you judge that it is already clean, then you are done.
However, be sure to really check its integrity. Your cleaning efforts will be wasted if, in the end, you discover it is still dirty. Continue cleaning the screen if you find it dirty still.
Hold with the tweezers again, if you intend repeating the process. This time, burn the screen over the sink using a match or lighter. When it catches fire, extinguish your lighter and let it almost burn the screen out.
Within a few seconds, cool the screen and then take it from the tweezers while holding each end between your forefingers and thumbs.
Rock the screens again a few times so that ashes can be dislodged. Blow on it when done. Finally, inspect it to see if it is worth using again.