My usual pre-propane torch methods involved a little water to dissolve it, then just pour it out into your special drying shot glass (which is just a shot glass). I would cycle through four pipes, so there was usually always liquid in there. If you need to, you can always drink it.
BUT, the one that sounded most clever, but that I never bothered to try (cause really, there ain't much in a single pipe stem--it'll flake rather than keep building), was to put your (dry) pipe in the freezer for a little while (like twenty minutes I think). Then, just blow sharply down the stem. Shit "should" flake right into your bowl.
Like I said, never tried it.
If you do want to use some pointy- or stick-like object to physically scour the stem, try the plastic ink tube in a cheap ball point pen. You might want to heat-crimp it closed first.