My Home Made Hookah

[hockeydudde]

Well its been a while in the making but...

[attachment=1155:Materials.jpg]
[attachment=1157:Stem_assm.jpg]
[attachment=1156:Finished.jpg]

The one of the glass balls on top broke before i even got to use it, so i covered them in rope.
But i think it looks just as good. Edited February 28, 2008 by hockeydudde

[Stinkyfisherman]

not gonna lie, not too bad. one of the best i've seen. great work.

[indian_villager]

Dude that is gorgeous! Parts list and locations of Items please!

[Snoopy1966]

Very sweet indeed. That is a really beautiful Hookah you made. That would be cool for the breakdown of what you used. Where did you find that vase? Is that copper for the stem?? Not a good choice if it is. I would replace ASAP!!!

[ryno]

Very nice man! Probably one of the nicest home-made ones I've seen

[iamscott06]

Nice hookah! That stem looks pretty cool, where did you find something like that?

[hockeydudde]

Thanks for all the compliments. The materials came mostly from home depot and hobby lobby.
The vase was on sale at hobby lobby, but since i have made it i have seen many other cool possibilities at ross and marshals.
The stem is a candle holder form hobby lobby that i drilled a hole through, and then stuck a pipe through it. (yes it is copper. i dont want to offend anyone, but the hot water pipes in most houses are copper and we arn't dead yet...)
The bowl is a crystal candle holder that i drilled a hole through(boy is that a pain).
The hoses are clear tubing form homedepot with cloth coverings, and handles made out of dowel rods. Both the mouth tips and the connections are the little connectors that are made for the clear tubing.
In addition I also used epoxy, and some thermal insulation tape for sealing it. It is actually very air tight. When i was building it that was my biggest concern, but that tape does a very good job of sealing the stem to the base.

[hday]

Very neat. How did you manage to fit it to the vase? Is it just a dense ball of tape? How tight is the seal there? I'm know the shape of the opening is one of the things that turns me away from awesome vases like that.

[Stealth]

I have to agree with most people here, this is one of the nicest home made hookahs Ive seen. Good work.

[hockeydudde]

Very neat. How did you manage to fit it to the vase? Is it just a dense ball of tape? How tight is the seal there? I'm know the shape of the opening is one of the things that turns me away from awesome vases like that.

The tape comes in a roll and it is rather sticky and fairly firm, but still compressable. All i did was wrap it around the pipe enough times so that i have to squish it in there pretty good, and it seals great.

[nichols077]

hey man nice work, looks great. im working on my own. its going to be wooden spun on a lathe.

[Stinkyfisherman]

hey man nice work, looks great. im working on my own. its going to be wooden spun on a lathe.

that would be sweet. its gonna take a long time though to get the wood taste out of the hookah, but very cool idea. do like a cherry stain for the outside.

[VDDZ]

Wow, yeah, that hookah is hot. Very nice.

My concern: Where the &*^% did you get that bowl! Please, please, please tell me that it is decorative. It looks like crystal...lead crystal. If your not 100% sure, buy a lead test kit at HD or Lowes. I was making a crystal bowl, but my tips broke and I never got around to finishing it. I thought about it out of the blue one day, bought a test kit, and thanked God for a week that I never finished it, it was lead crystal.

[Tikhman]

There isn't anything wrong with lead crystal unless you heat it up to an insane temperature. Actually, a lot of the bases are made with lead. And all crystal has lead in it, thats why its different from glass, if I'm not mistaking.

[hockeydudde]

hey man nice work, looks great. im working on my own. its going to be wooden spun on a lathe.

That sounds cool. Are you going to run a pipe up the middle of it or just pull the smoke through the wood?

[nichols077]

hey man nice work, looks great. im working on my own. its going to be wooden spun on a lathe.

That sounds cool. Are you going to run a pipe up the middle of it or just pull the smoke through the wood?

never thought about pulling it straight through the wood. im going to use a downstem because of cleaning reasons. seams like resin would build up easier in the pours of wood. my handles, i guess thats what you call them, wont have any metal running though them, just brass tips i found. Edited February 29, 2008 by nichols077

[nichols077]

hey man nice work, looks great. im working on my own. its going to be wooden spun on a lathe.

that would be sweet. its gonna take a long time though to get the wood taste out of the hookah, but very cool idea. do like a cherry stain for the outside.

im not sure what stain ill be using. my base is a small round blue oil lamp. what ever looks good with it but ill keep cherry in mind.

[jfaltous]

About the use of copper....

It is true that copper is often used in hot water pipes, but that doesn't mean its okay to use it for hookahs... Copper is also found in lots of food products, meats, chocolate, etc. Ingestion of copper in small amounts is usually easily manageable by your stomach, and is in fact required by the body because its critical for energy production in cells. It even assists in nerve conduction, creation of connective tissue, and cardiovascular and immune system functions.

The problem isn't the copper itself, but the amount of copper and the organs its present in. When you inhale the copper, as you would with smoke, then it goes into your lungs and far more easily into your bloodstream, leading to copper toxicity. I don't know how bad using it as a downstem would be, but at the very least make sure you're watching out for symptoms of copper toxicity:

* Anemia
* Burning sensation
* Chills
* Convulsions
* Diarrhea (often bloody and may be blue in color)
* Fever
* Liver failure
* Metallic taste
* Muscular aches
* Nausea
* No urine output
* Pain
* Shock
* Vomiting
* Weakness
* Yellow eyes
* Yellow skin

(symptoms taken from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm)

I personally would play it on the safe side and look for a more proven alternative. That's one hell of a beautiful pipe though

[hockeydudde]

About the use of copper....

It is true that copper is often used in hot water pipes, but that doesn't mean its okay to use it for hookahs... Copper is also found in lots of food products, meats, chocolate, etc. Ingestion of copper in small amounts is usually easily manageable by your stomach, and is in fact required by the body because its critical for energy production in cells. It even assists in nerve conduction, creation of connective tissue, and cardiovascular and immune system functions.

The problem isn't the copper itself, but the amount of copper and the organs its present in. When you inhale the copper, as you would with smoke, then it goes into your lungs and far more easily into your bloodstream, leading to copper toxicity. I don't know how bad using it as a downstem would be, but at the very least make sure you're watching out for symptoms of copper toxicity:

* Anemia
* Burning sensation
* Chills
* Convulsions
* Diarrhea (often bloody and may be blue in color)
* Fever
* Liver failure
* Metallic taste
* Muscular aches
* Nausea
* No urine output
* Pain
* Shock
* Vomiting
* Weakness
* Yellow eyes
* Yellow skin

(symptoms taken from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm)

I personally would play it on the safe side and look for a more proven alternative. That's one hell of a beautiful pipe though

I am glad you posted. It makes sense now why copper can be bad. I won't be replacing the tube, because it has so much epoxy that it would take bomb to get it out of there, but i will keep those symptoms in mind. I am also not that worried because several of my friends have hookahs, so we dont actually smoke mine all that often, but again, thanks for actually giving a reason why it is bad, not just telling me that it is.

[Stealth]

About the use of copper....

It is true that copper is often used in hot water pipes, but that doesn't mean its okay to use it for hookahs... Copper is also found in lots of food products, meats, chocolate, etc. Ingestion of copper in small amounts is usually easily manageable by your stomach, and is in fact required by the body because its critical for energy production in cells. It even assists in nerve conduction, creation of connective tissue, and cardiovascular and immune system functions.

The problem isn't the copper itself, but the amount of copper and the organs its present in. When you inhale the copper, as you would with smoke, then it goes into your lungs and far more easily into your bloodstream, leading to copper toxicity. I don't know how bad using it as a downstem would be, but at the very least make sure you're watching out for symptoms of copper toxicity:

* Anemia
* Burning sensation
* Chills
* Convulsions
* Diarrhea (often bloody and may be blue in color)
* Fever
* Liver failure
* Metallic taste
* Muscular aches
* Nausea
* No urine output
* Pain
* Shock
* Vomiting
* Weakness
* Yellow eyes
* Yellow skin

(symptoms taken from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm)

I personally would play it on the safe side and look for a more proven alternative. That's one hell of a beautiful pipe though

I am glad you posted. It makes sense now why copper can be bad. I won't be replacing the tube, because it has so much epoxy that it would take bomb to get it out of there, but i will keep those symptoms in mind. I am also not that worried because several of my friends have hookahs, so we dont actually smoke mine all that often, but again, thanks for actually giving a reason why it is bad, not just telling me that it is.

Theres a whole thread for this, post your information there if you think its good enough. It's all about the same; "I dont know how much copper is you abosorb with a hookah, but it's cirtainly enough to kill you!"

I say you were doing the smart thing and trusting your judgment, thats copper is ok in this application. And your totally right.

[Tikhman]

The worst thing you'll get from copper in a downstem is ugly green gunk from the copper oxide every time you wash your hookah. And you have to wash it after every use and can't leave it in water after you're done smoking. But other then those minor issues, you should be just fine.

[lippstuh]

omg, i'd rather make my own than buy one now... thanks for the inspiration. its beautiful

[IceCreamCakes]

About the use of copper....

It is true that copper is often used in hot water pipes, but that doesn't mean its okay to use it for hookahs... Copper is also found in lots of food products, meats, chocolate, etc. Ingestion of copper in small amounts is usually easily manageable by your stomach, and is in fact required by the body because its critical for energy production in cells. It even assists in nerve conduction, creation of connective tissue, and cardiovascular and immune system functions.

The problem isn't the copper itself, but the amount of copper and the organs its present in. When you inhale the copper, as you would with smoke, then it goes into your lungs and far more easily into your bloodstream, leading to copper toxicity. I don't know how bad using it as a downstem would be, but at the very least make sure you're watching out for symptoms of copper toxicity:

* Anemia
* Burning sensation
* Chills
* Convulsions
* Diarrhea (often bloody and may be blue in color)
* Fever
* Liver failure
* Metallic taste
* Muscular aches
* Nausea
* No urine output
* Pain
* Shock
* Vomiting
* Weakness
* Yellow eyes
* Yellow skin

(symptoms taken from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm)

I personally would play it on the safe side and look for a more proven alternative. That's one hell of a beautiful pipe though

Im jw IF they make pots and pans of copper whats the difference for a stem?

[mj_b90]

Copper cookware usually just has a copper shell with another kind of metal lining.

copper - Copper pans are often coated with another metal that prevents the copper from coming into contact with food....
• avoid uncoated copperware - Don't use badly scratched or uncoated copper cookware to cook or store food.


from: http://www.eartheasy.com/article_healthy_cookware.htm

[RayVer]

Do you have any closeup shots of that bowl? It looks amazing