Next take the same end of your paintbrush and push through the center of the stem-end (at the mouthpiece). If possible, get a friend to hold the pipe steady while you push the paintbrush all the way through until you see the end of the paintbrush penetrate the area of the bowl where the previous hole was made. Be sure to push the paintbrush through as straight as possible so that it doesn’t get too close to the edges of the stem or puncture the surface of the clay. The longer your stem is, the likelier it is to become “warped” during this process. This is fine, as long as the brush is able to make its way from the mouthpiece to the hole in the bowl, to allow for smoke to escape.