Pipe Cleaner Origin And Art

Smoking a pipe would leave moisture and other residue behind which could eventually clog up the stem.

Cleaning the stem of the pipe was not an easy task until pipe cleaners were invented to take care of this tedious job.

The pipe cleaner is actually nothing else but a type of brush. It consists of two pieces of thin wire which are twisted together with chenille fibers wrapped in between.

They were invented in the early twentieth century by John Harry Stedman and Charles Angel who were both from New York. Later on, they sold their patent rights to the B.J. Long Company who still manufactures them at present.

It is not entirely clear when the pipe cleaners were used for crafts. My guess is that probably occurred right from the start, since people are quite ingenious when it comes to expressing their creativity.

A little imagination goes a long way and pipe cleaners are excellent material for bending and twisting.

It is not hard to connect several together in order to achieve the desired shape or project and they are also very safe for children to work with.

Nowadays, the choice in pipe cleaners is enormous. They come in a wide variety of colors, with or without glitter, wide, small, or even bump chenille.

A pack of pipe cleaners is rather cheap, but they provide tons of fun for young and old!