All This Searching About Metals Etc. Is Making Me Crazy

[mattarios2]

OK so I noticed at the tip top of my hookah pipe right where the hookah bowl sits, is starting to turn brown, but when you look inside the hookah the rest seems to look OK. Now it looks like the inside is copper, I have the rotater hookah from hookah company that has the ice chamber in the top. Now i know copper does not rust, so that must mean that brown that is being created will soon turn to green and become completely oxidized (terrible to smoke copper when oxidizing, correct?) So what is the general concensus on this? I have never felt sick or nauseaus or anything when smoking my hookah, I use fantasia tobacco (my personal fav) and i used to use instant lights but now I use natural coals because I want to try and lower the amount of carbon monoxide. Can anyone give me insight? Should I buy a new top half ? It is ok? Not ok? How to get the copper to stop from continuing and spreading the oxidization process?

And lastly, what are the metal screens made out of? I feel that when researchers say you take in heavy metals when smoking hookah's, that this could be b/c of the metal screen, but I have no idea what kind of metal it is.

Thank you all for your insights, I appreciate it,

oh and btw I did look on the forums for info and what not, just felt like most threads turned into stupid arguements b/c people couldn't handle the truth, or thought they were right, or w/e.

Thanks again,


John

[Canon]

its fine, my glyph does the same thing your hookah does, as long as you do a good job cleaning the stem (use a brush) then your good. i use my personal brush i made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=totmiVLs0n8 that works well

as far as the screens go.. why would a company make a screen out of a dangerous metal? i believe they are made of aluminum. but dont quote me on that.

[Ralleac]

Keep in mind that stainless steel can permanently discolor when exposed to heat. It's known to happen in grills, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happened at the top of a hookah where the heated clay bowl sits.

If it is copper, you should be fine as long as you're keeping it clean.

I've read studies that say waterpipe smoking can lead to heavy metal exposure, but the same studies suggest that one session of hookah smoking exposes people to the equivalent of 2-12 cigarettes in nicotine and up to 100-200 cigarettes as far as smoke goes. It's hard to say how valid they are because they aren't cited very well and aren't nearly as extensive as the research available regarding cigarettes. Edited February 2, 2008 by Ralleac

[mattarios2]

its fine, my glyph does the same thing your hookah does, as long as you do a good job cleaning the stem (use a brush) then your good. i use my personal brush i made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=totmiVLs0n8 that works well

as far as the screens go.. why would a company make a screen out of a dangerous metal? i believe they are made of aluminum. but dont quote me on that.

So yours turns brown as well? I tried using baking soda ( was told that will help stop oxidization ) And i saw bubbling and what not on the brown area. How can we be so sure that this brown substance being formed (what I think is oxidization, if anyone can chime in that would be great) is ok?

[mattarios2]

Keep in mind that stainless steel can permanently discolor when exposed to heat. It's known to happen in grills, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happened at the top of a hookah where the heated clay bowl sits.

If it is copper, you should be fine as long as you're keeping it clean.

I wash it roughly 1-2 times a week. I just get creeped out thinking that I am inhaling particles of copper, etc. I was considering buying a new top piece made out of something safer. I mean when I look through the tube it seems to be shiny, but the top of it and actually the bottom tip of it seem to look brown.

[ZenSilk]

most hookahs aren't true stainless steel though. Stainless steel is a darker shade of grey, not shiny. Shiny means coated (either in nickel, crome..etc.).

Like alot of Mya Stems. The are made of Brass, and Chrome plated(coated). Very tough.

[Canon]

its fine, my glyph does the same thing your hookah does, as long as you do a good job cleaning the stem (use a brush) then your good. i use my personal brush i made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=totmiVLs0n8 that works well

as far as the screens go.. why would a company make a screen out of a dangerous metal? i believe they are made of aluminum. but dont quote me on that.

So yours turns brown as well? I tried using baking soda ( was told that will help stop oxidization ) And i saw bubbling and what not on the brown area. How can we be so sure that this brown substance being formed (what I think is oxidization, if anyone can chime in that would be great) is ok?

no if i leave it for too long it has some green stuff come out when i clean it.

[mattarios2]

most hookahs aren't true stainless steel though. Stainless steel is a darker shade of grey, not shiny. Shiny means coated (either in nickel, crome..etc.).

Like alot of Mya Stems. The are made of Brass, and Chrome plated(coated). Very tough.

So the brown forming is ok? Isn't ok? I wish I knew if it was brown (which would mean copper) or shiny (some other metal) when I first bought it. On hookah company's website it says the inner tubing and shaft is made of copper. So what do you think I am safe and freaking out? Or what is happening here?

[Ralleac]

most hookahs aren't true stainless steel though. Stainless steel is a darker shade of grey, not shiny. Shiny means coated (either in nickel, crome..etc.).

Like alot of Mya Stems. The are made of Brass, and Chrome plated(coated). Very tough.

Stainless steel can be polished to the point that is shiny. Stainless steel grills, for example, are usually shiny enough that you can almost see yourself in them. After that, their quality is mostly based on the type of stainless steel used and how thick it is.

My brass syrian is coated in chrome, so I'm not saying it isn't coated because I haven't seen it. I've seen videos of the inner part of the stem being welded to the outer shell, which could leave room for two or more metals being used.

[Ralleac]

I wash it roughly 1-2 times a week. I just get creeped out thinking that I am inhaling particles of copper, etc. I was considering buying a new top piece made out of something safer. I mean when I look through the tube it seems to be shiny, but the top of it and actually the bottom tip of it seem to look brown.

Well, like Zen said, it could be coated. My KM has brass exposed near the purge valve, but I've never really worried about it.

The studies I read on heavy metal exposure pointed toward the foil and screens (even attempting to link them to alzheimer's) used to hold the coals more than the actual stem of the hookah. I don't think exposed copper is going to do you any more damage than exposed stainless steel, chrome, brass, or anything else they use to build hookahs.

[ZenSilk]

If your metal turns brown... That's like... not what metals do usually.

It's most likely rust.

If you hookah is Copper, do not smoke out of it. There havn't been any reliable studies relating to long0term health effects of using copper for various tasks, but the general consensus (not in this forum, but in general) is that copper is bad, especially when Oxidized (which means it turns green or off-white/grey). At a highschool here recently, kids were getting contaminated from copper piping used for water. SO i don't think copper should at all be used in hookahs.

Making a Hookah out of Copper, or just the core, would be more expesive then a coated steel and so manufacturers don't usually use it. Just like how brass is becoming more expensive.

Smoking from Copper is most likely dangerous, and oxidizing copper should not be dealt with at all. It does not sound like your hookah is copper though. I htink the metal is being stained by the juices (and burned juices).

[mattarios2]

If your metal turns brown... That's like... not what metals do usually.

It's most likely rust.

If you hookah is Copper, do not smoke out of it. There havn't been any reliable studies relating to long0term health effects of using copper for various tasks, but the general consensus (not in this forum, but in general) is that copper is bad, especially when Oxidized (which means it turns green or off-white/grey). At a highschool here recently, kids were getting contaminated from copper piping used for water. SO i don't think copper should at all be used in hookahs.

Making a Hookah out of Copper, or just the core, would be more expesive then a coated steel and so manufacturers don't usually use it. Just like how brass is becoming more expensive.

Smoking from Copper is most likely dangerous, and oxidizing copper should not be dealt with at all. It does not sound like your hookah is copper though. I htink the metal is being stained by the juices (and burned juices).

Well if you flip through hookahcompany.com some say they are made with copper and some say they are polished steel. I don't know which mine is, is there any way I can do a test to figure out which type of metal it is?

Thanks guys

[ZenSilk]

i don't wanna sound like a jerk, , but rotators tend to be made with very shoddy, unreliable metals. Some are even simply uncoated steel and rust the instant you wash them.

They do say copper, but not copper cored, just copper inserts. In Egyptians there is usually a core (center tube) running down the middle. I have never seen one made from copper, but heard of them.

Copper used in the stems of Egytpians is for aesthetics only.

You bowl stem is probably just rusting or getting stained, like i stated before.

[mattarios2]

i don't wanna sound like a jerk, , but rotators tend to be made with very shoddy, unreliable metals. Some are even simply uncoated steel and rust the instant you wash them.

They do say copper, but not copper cored, just copper inserts. In Egyptians there is usually a core (center tube) running down the middle. I have never seen one made from copper, but heard of them.

Copper used in the stems of Egytpians is for aesthetics only.

You bowl stem is probably just rusting or getting stained, like i stated before.

So there is an outer metal (prob shitty metal, yeah?) Then they insert a copper layer over that shitty metal? I can see that there is an insert inside the tube, if you look at the bottom of the shaft.

What do you mean its used for aesthetics only? To make it look good? Doesn't the smoke pass over the copper tubing rather than the cheaper, crappy metal?

The conclusion? It's ok to use? Not ok to use? I mean I've had this hookah for a couple years now and nothing has broken, it's worked very well, so no complaints here, just don't wanna put my health in more risk than it needs to be.

Thanks for your insight.