I was puffing away yesterday afternoon (a pleasant occupation!) and I discovered a slightly unpleasant taste. I finished the bowl and cleaned it out.
Turns out I have a crack (2/3 mm wide by 5mm long) up the inside of the pipe, leading from the draw hole. The crack is not on the outside of the pipe, but is fairly shallow on the inside.
Should I use a needle file and file it out? What should I do?
oh no heaven forbid, dont use the Brocoli and cheese thats too good for your health, use the tried and true method of Battery acid and crushed driveway rock, its been around forever and is the only thing to use to fill in that crack!
You could also use pipe mud to fill in the crack. If you're not familiar with pipe mud, it is cigar ash and water mixed to a thick paste. Once applied, let dry for several days prior to smoking. Your pipe will taste cigarry for a few smokes, but I have used it to build up the bottoms on pipes where the draft hole entered too high in the bowl. I have never had to replace it.