charcoal

[logan91]

one thing im confused about, i read charcoal information on www.hookahculture.com

charcoal like 3 kings are called quick lights, these are round
charcoal, does anyone break these apart? or you just lay two down, from
all the lounges iv been to im used to the long ones (i guess called
finger coals) they lay them like a triangle on the foil.

can i also use hotplates to heat  quick lights up?

with quick lights do you wait until it is white all over before using
it or is this only with the other type of charcoal "natural"?

are bbq charcoal considered natural charcoal ? thanks


in terms of health, is natural better or quick lights?

[jmexx]

I'm not sure about he health thing but you normally lay one quicklight down, smoke for half an hour, burn another and put it on etc. I normally use a total of three coals per session. You can start them on a hot plate but the whole point is all you have to do is give it some fire, it'll light up, wait until it gets RED hot rather then white and ashy, then put it ontop and begin. You could break them apart and add more depending on your heat management but normally one coal is more then enough. If you place two at the same time or even a coal and a half, you risk having burnt tobacco.Jon

[ahwahoo2006]

DO NOT use BBQ charcoal ever for smoking hookah.  It is not made
to be used indoors and produces a lot of carbon monoxide.  YOU
WILL DIE from smoking with it.

[jmexx]

Haha, wow. Well there it is bud.Hey, this is post 300 WOOT!Jon

[yashman19]

Yeah, people will use hotplates to light up natural coals ie. finger
coals. Quicklights are specailly made with a coating of some lighting
agent or another, so all you need is a bic lighter, hold the flame to
the coal for a few seconds, and it should catch fire quickly.



As for health, naturals tend to be a bit healthier, seeing as how they
don't have that added chemical lighting agent crap that are on the
quicklights, and for the most part naturals don't give off much of a
taste. You should be fine with any coal, just as long as you light it,
and wait for the entire coal to be fully lit before smoking. I've
noticed that even when using nat coals, if you don't wait for them to
get fully lit, they can give off a nasty odor. And if you start pulling
on the hookah, your gunna get that bad smell in your bowl and your
session might taste like crap for a bit.



As for BBQ coals, like mentioned above, just stay away from them...
Harsh chemicals ohoy! Although, my friend who ran out of coals a while
back lit some bbq coals, let them burn for a while, ashed them and then
used them for his hookah and said it was fine...But to me its not worth
loosing brain cells over..

[Sonthert]

It depends on the lighting agent on the charcoal. The trick is that carbon (charcoal) when burned at "sea-level" produces a large amount of Carbon monoxide. We would like to produce Carbon Dioxide, which requires more oxygen or a hotter temperature. We can accomplish this by adding accelerants which are found under the chemistry heading of "Oxidizing agents". All chemicals that are polyvalent anions (nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, sulfates), having tons of bound oxygen, will serve to force the equilibrium towards continuing to Carbon Dioxide. Japanese fast lights use these chemicals in conjunction with either a weak "Thermite" reaction or a simple burning aluminum reaction to light them. All of these reactions are relatively non-toxic. Chinese imitators use sulfur-impregnated charcoal...this creates a sink for the oxygen, likely producing even more carbon monoxide (and a bad smell). The biggest problem in "quick-light" charcoals are the glues and binders they use to stick back into the mold of the form that we all know them as. These also burn poorly and likely produce more carbon monoxide unless they are counterba;anced by accelerants. It is also possible to use "oils" or even "light" hydrocarbons to increase the ability of the charcoal to burn. Light hydrocarbons (volatile, turning to vapor) are also known as lighter fluid and evoporates, so it needs to be applied directly before use. The oils can be impregnated in the charcoal, which aren't as bad-a$$ and flammable as the volatile, light hydrocarbons, but they help some. Of course, oils and volatile hydrocarbons are extrodinarily bad to inhale. Causes dain bramage. I think that Japanese coals or natural coals are the safest (Japenese, by a slight lead), the extra glue and filler make other coals less desirable. Like everyone else said, stay away from BBQ coals...organics in these classes cause nerve and brain damage, like inhaling airplane glue.