Aluminum?

[Saravyn]

Alright, so my brother and I have been designing a pretty tricked out hookah. We are going to build the hookah from scratch and we need to gather some materials for the stem, hose adapters, and the section that connects to the base. (I mention the last piece because we want to go with a screw-on system)

Is aluminum safe for this? I read a lot about brass, copper, and steel. Copper seems to be debated on a lot whether or not the heat can affect the end-user, so for cautions sake, I'm going to avoid it. Brass has both copper and zinc in it, and zinc has its fair share of issues. Steel is good as long as it is not galvanized correct? That is my second option, but I don't know the cost comparison between aluminum and steel.

Also, in relation to materials for the stem, how hot does the top of the stem get? How hot is the smoke generally travelling through the stem?
Of course the answers are broad, but an estimate for both the average and natural quick lites would be great if anyone has

Thanks in advance folks

[guyt]

Don't use aluminum because it expands very fast with heat, and it doesn't need to be that hot.

As for brass don't worry about it, Copper is bad, Zinc is bad, but together they stabilize each other. If you do choose brass use brass that is used for kitchenware and not for plumbing. That way it is much much much cleaner.

If you want steel use surgical grade. that thing won't rust, deteriorate or react with the smoke. Its more expensive but it's your health at stake.

Safest option is steel. You can plate the outside with other metals but the core should be steel.

[Saravyn]

Money isn't really an issue, it's just me being cheap. I was thinking of doing something with both steel and aluminum after reading this.

The bowl can attach to a steel stem. The steel stem will run through an ice chamber and then use an adapter to hook up to an aluminum stem. The aluminum will run down to the base. This way, I get the cheaper metal for the majority of the stem, while, theoretically, avoiding the warping issues on it caused by heat.

Do you think this will work? Will the ice cool the smoke and steel stem piece enough for the aluminum to be unaffected?

I am hoping it will, but I will go with steel if the alu won't cut it.

[guyt]

That should probably be enough to avoid serious warping, Just make sure you get an alloy that will not rust, because the stem is partially submerged, you don't want to smoke rust.