stupidsongs2

Totally, brass is a very soft metal, you could prbly punch holes in it if you really wanted. Threading wouldn't work terrible well on my stem, it a little too thin, and a believe made of stainless steel, so a dye would be very hard to use on it. True, the tobacco will get you one day, but why hasten it by adding other chemicals? It's like driving without your seatbelt on, you CAN be safer, why not? QUOTE (hday @ Jul 21 2008, 10:16 PM) Who needs a drill press? A table vise, plumbers wrench, even pliers are good enough to hold it while drilling, if you are careful. It is nice that you'd offer them to people that wanted them though. Also, you oughta thread it on to your stem. EDIT: Gah, and again with this hookah will kill you shit. Yes, it will. From lung cancer and emphysema, probably caused from 3 hour tobacco smoking sessions. A little plastic from a cut up ping pong ball isn't going to hurt you. Fuck, you could probably smoke the thing and it wouldn't kill you. We all expose ourselves to chemicals anyway. Does anyone wear a respirator when cleaning the bathroom with bleach? Not me, and I'm not dead. Do we eat off plastic plates that have been in the dishwasher in scolding hot water? I'm not saying you're capitalizing on fears of death, I just wish that more people would post cool hookahs they've made and less conversation about what's bad for you. Unless you've got some sort of study that has helpful information on smoking through copper or plastic, I don't want to hear about it.

QUOTE (SimplexCoda @ Jul 21 2008, 10:30 PM) QUOTE (stupidsongs2 @ Jul 21 2008, 10:09 PM) QUOTE (SimplexCoda @ Jul 21 2008, 09:13 PM) QUOTE (stupidsongs2 @ Jul 21 2008, 08:42 PM) Prelude: For some bizarre reason, people have the philosophy that because a diffuser is submerged in water, it can be made of of materials that otherwise would not be able to be heated. This philosophy is dangerous and is shortening your life. If the material was submerged 100% of the time, it would be safe, however, fundamentally when you inhale, part of the diffuser is not submerged and is exposed to a level of heat that may release chemicals. There is a lot we don't know about plastics, why take the risk? </end rant> Ya so I dont know how short your down stem is, but mine is long enough to where its not going to be warm at all, in any sense of the word. Since plastic doesnt just release chemicals for the fun of it, it will be ok. Since they make plastic plates and eating untinsles i think it will be ok to have it on the bottom of stem that has no heat in the area, I think it should be ok. Also if you expose any of the diffuser when you take a hit then you dont have enough water in the base. Sweet nightly news-style scare tactics to try to sell it though. Have you measured the temperature on the outlet of the downstem? How do you know it doesn't get hot in the middle of a heavy draw? Many plastics do release chemicals just for the fun of it, and the issue is that people are using things are that not even remotely close to food safe when making diffusers. Also, try finding some plastic cups that'll accept hot drinks, most plastics just do not tolerate heat well. Every day we are finding out that plastic is not as safe as we once thought, just Google the Nalgene scare. The diffuser is exposed to the heat because when you draw on it, it forces the water out from the inside, filling the chamber with hot air. The outlet for your pipe could be 20 feet underwater and this would still happen. I'm not trying to scare anyone, I'm trying to help people stop unintentionally poisoning themselves. But hey, no one is forcing you to listen, I'd just rather have my refined petrochemicals in my gas tank instead of my lungs. Well, im not trying to be jacked about it. I mean its your way of making a few extra bucks, thats all good. All im saying that if the downstem is more than 10 inches, the smoke will cool to some decent degree before it gets there. I have been drinking hot coffee out of plastic cups for years when i go camping, im doin just fine. Thats all im sayin. I mean ya, it looks pretty sweet since its all brass and skrews on and stuff, im just sayin that i doubt that the plastic that is used in the normal diffuser is as harmful as you feel that they are. Thats all im tryin to get at. Aw, sorry man, i didn't mean to come off like that. The little brass bits i use are about $3.50 each, this really is like a community service kinda thing, i wouldn't try and profit off safety. There would prbly be no problem with high temp plastics, a good rule of thumb would be if it's microwave safe, it shouldn't be too bad, as the plastic could at least withstand boiling water. Anyway, it really depends on personal preference and one's own level of risk taking, debate helps others make informed decisions, and there is nothing wrong with strong options colliding.

QUOTE (SimplexCoda @ Jul 21 2008, 09:13 PM) QUOTE (stupidsongs2 @ Jul 21 2008, 08:42 PM) Prelude: For some bizarre reason, people have the philosophy that because a diffuser is submerged in water, it can be made of of materials that otherwise would not be able to be heated. This philosophy is dangerous and is shortening your life. If the material was submerged 100% of the time, it would be safe, however, fundamentally when you inhale, part of the diffuser is not submerged and is exposed to a level of heat that may release chemicals. There is a lot we don't know about plastics, why take the risk? </end rant> Ya so I dont know how short your down stem is, but mine is long enough to where its not going to be warm at all, in any sense of the word. Since plastic doesnt just release chemicals for the fun of it, it will be ok. Since they make plastic plates and eating untinsles i think it will be ok to have it on the bottom of stem that has no heat in the area, I think it should be ok. Also if you expose any of the diffuser when you take a hit then you dont have enough water in the base. Sweet nightly news-style scare tactics to try to sell it though. Have you measured the temperature on the outlet of the downstem? How do you know it doesn't get hot in the middle of a heavy draw? Many plastics do release chemicals just for the fun of it, and the issue is that people are using things are that not even remotely close to food safe when making diffusers. Also, try finding some plastic cups that'll accept hot drinks, most plastics just do not tolerate heat well. Every day we are finding out that plastic is not as safe as we once thought, just Google the Nalgene scare. The diffuser is exposed to the heat because when you draw on it, it forces the water out from the inside, filling the chamber with hot air. The outlet for your pipe could be 20 feet underwater and this would still happen. I'm not trying to scare anyone, I'm trying to help people stop unintentionally poisoning themselves. But hey, no one is forcing you to listen, I'd just rather have my refined petrochemicals in my gas tank instead of my lungs.

Good pos;, there are far, far too many dirty hookahs out there that are just breeding infection.

hookah-shisha.com is awesome. And it's technically "Keeping Austin Weird"

The coals with the silver stuff on them make me sick too. It might be all in my head, but who knows.

Prelude: For some bizarre reason, people have the philosophy that because a diffuser is submerged in water, it can be made of of materials that otherwise would not be able to be heated. This philosophy is dangerous and is shortening your life. If the material was submerged 100% of the time, it would be safe, however, fundamentally when you inhale, part of the diffuser is not submerged and is exposed to a level of heat that may release chemicals. There is a lot we don't know about plastics, why take the risk? </end rant> ---- The hardest part of this was finding a material that satisfied the part of my rant earlier. Excessive aluminum has been found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, so I'm staying clear of that. High levels of copper have been shown to lower testosterone levels, so that's out too. Brass is the only thing that I could find that would not corrode, has a long history of safe use, and is easily obtainable in screw-on form. I drilled 1 hole in each side, and 3 on the bottom with my press using a 1/8” bit for hardened steel, sanded it down, and bent the sides of my downsteam so it would fit more snugly. It works wonderful, smooths out the draw from the hookah, and is easily removable for cleaning. Happy Smoking - Jonathan

Short: I'm trying to make a honey based shisha. Help me out with some links. Long: Traditional shisha is made with honey; however, almost all commercial shisha is made with a blend of molasses and glycerol. It also seems that for some reason, most of the people that make their own shisha try to mimic these commercial production methods. The reason the producers use it is very simple, glycerol is considerably cheaper than honey (it is a waste by-product of bio-fuel production, for every liter of diesel, there is 100ml of glycerol produced), however, when thinned slightly with molasses, it has virtually the same characteristics as honey at a fraction of the cost. It seems like using glycerol and molasses for shisha would be like using corn syrup and palm oil for homemade cookies, it'd work, but the traditional way will work much better on a small scale. I've read that you must soak the tobacco before mixing with with the honey to wash away all of the foul flavors of production, but I do not know what ratios I should use, or how to flavor the shisha effectively. In the past, when a flavor has been weak, I would add a few drops of extract to the water of the hookah, and that would result in a very pleasant flavor that was strong regardless of the quality of the smoke. Any ideas?

Al Waha Gum I got about 150g of gum flavor when I bought my hookah second hand, the package was already open when I got it. Smell - Smells like gum *shrug* Cut - Very even cut, easy to handle and load. Smoke - Plumes of smoke Buzz - If you're looking for a massive buzz then look no further! Al-Waha has sent two of my friends on two separate occasions running to worship the porcelain god because the buzz was so strong. Flavor - Wonderful flavor, strong enough to smoke on it's own, but if add a drop or two of peppermint extract into the bowl, it tastes just like peppermint gum! The best (worst for me) part of Al-waha is the buzz, I’m a non-smoker, and sometimes the buzz is just too strong and I need to stop for 10/15 min so I don’t get sick. Overall: 9/10, a quality product for a wonderful price.

Wern't the Type 1 engines built with toxic materials?

QUOTE (ahwahoo2006 @ Jul 3 2007, 01:33 PM) Why wouldn't you just buy a hookah screen or just use aluminum foil? A) Because this is the "make stuff yourself" forum Poking holes in the aluminum foil is a bitch, especially if your drunk (usually when I use my hookah) C) Using new aluminum foil every time you smoke is surely detrimental to your heath unless you braise it before using.

QUOTE (Johnny_D @ Jul 3 2007, 02:51 AM) Steel (food) cans contain a very thin layer of aluminum to prevent rust. This is why I never buy dented tins. It is entirly possible for the alum layer to crack and possibly have rust inside the tin. Also why Super markets sell dented tins cheap and quick! Having said all that, why not just buy a screen for smoking. Smiley's does a most righteous glass screen! JD Edit :- Added to say that this may only apply to the UK I've read that the cans have thin layers of tin, which seems to be the most non-toxic metal in existence... To can foods, they need to heat it up inside the can to make sure all the bacteria inside is dead, so if that doesn’t release any chemicals, I can’t imagine a coal would be much worse.

What have you guys fabricated screens out of? I made one out of the side a aluminum can that I punched prbly like 30 little holes in it with a sewing machine. Right now I'm using one made out of the bottom of a steel can that I punched holes in with a nail. I'm kinda worried a little about the steel, I brazed it with lighters before using it to get off any and all coating they could of put on it to protect the food, but I'm not sure how safe it is in the long run. Any thoughts?