Coloured Phunnel & Bowls

[staygone]

Smoking lead could very well be better than smoking modern shisha, we don't know any better so why worry now?

-QM

[tweek]

just buy a glass phunnel.. they are cooler anyways <-- Todays my 21st

[Heelie]

All it takes is someone throwing out the idea and all of a sudden we are in a panic.

[newjacksm]

All it takes is someone throwing out the idea and all of a sudden we are in a panic.

True but I always wondered about my half glazed tangiers bowl.

[staygone]

just buy a glass phunnel.. they are cooler anyways <-- Todays my 21st

Had my 21st 2 days ago, congrats.

Ideas always make people more aware. When the chinese funnel came out, I remember some folk freaking out about how they could have gotten a fake.

-QM Edited October 28, 2008 by QuiltedMaple

[dafunk5446]

well I sure freakin hope they aren't

[barrenwizard]

lol are you fucking serious man? First off the clay lady you talked to doesn't know what the hell she's talking about if she doesn't realize that you can paint and glaze an object. If it was "made into it" the whole bowl would be colored not just the outside.

then, why didn't you just post a link rather than a long explanation as to why lead is bad for us?

http://greenforestpottery-art.com/index.html
Here's the link, don't worry guys, I'm not here to create a panic, just trying to create awareness. Simple as that. Though I did notice she does aply Glazing to bowls and tea pot. Hmmm, okay guys, you can turn off your panic button now.

[mushrat]

lol are you fucking serious man? First off the clay lady you talked to doesn't know what the hell she's talking about if she doesn't realize that you can paint and glaze an object. If it was "made into it" the whole bowl would be colored not just the outside.

then, why didn't you just post a link rather than a long explanation as to why lead is bad for us?

http://greenforestpottery-art.com/index.html
Here's the link, don't worry guys, I'm not here to create a panic, just trying to create awareness. Simple as that. Though I did notice she does aply Glazing to bowls and tea pot. Hmmm, okay guys, you can turn off your panic button now.

[mdl]

All it takes is someone throwing out the idea and all of a sudden we are in a panic.

word. fear mongering.

[drabin]

its what america is currently running on... fear...

[liquidglass]

lol are you fucking serious man? First off the clay lady you talked to doesn't know what the hell she's talking about if she doesn't realize that you can paint and glaze an object. If it was "made into it" the whole bowl would be colored not just the outside.

then, why didn't you just post a link rather than a long explanation as to why lead is bad for us?

http://greenforestpottery-art.com/index.html
Here's the link, don't worry guys, I'm not here to create a panic, just trying to create awareness. Simple as that. Though I did notice she does aply Glazing to bowls and tea pot. Hmmm, okay guys, you can turn off your panic button now.

Trust me if my panic button got pushed Russia would have exploded. I just think her ignorance is astounding. You need to think rationally before you "create awareness" if any of his bowls had lead in them you would never hear from Eric again.

Little late on linky there bud.


I suggest this thread be locked and possibly deleted. All it would take is a few newbies who found the forum through google to start spreading news about lead bowls.

[rigor]

This can be put to rest. This info is from Eric at Tangiers himself, in another recent thread

Hello friends;

We have not changed the basic design of the phunnels in awhile. The phunnel height shrunk down a little (since they are handmade) and then I made the guy make them a little taller. Other than that, its the same.

All the clay and glazes we use for Tangiers Phunnels are certified non-toxic (and dishwasher safe...if the spirit ever moves you) including lead free. All the glazes we use are boron-based slip glazes rather than lead-based...

[Sonthert]

All Tangiers bowls are made of non-toxic materials. The glazes are certified food-safe, which means they should not pose a hazard to us in clay form.

There's five colors of clay, thats true, but we use glazes that are sealed, glass coatings on the clay. Metallic salts are added to the glass of the glaze to give them color. Now, if you wanted unglazed heads (Like buying a an unpainted car), you could use Mason stains to color the clay any color you wanted to. There's roughly 20 food-safe salts they use to color clay or glaze and another couple of dozen that aren't safe (and we don't use, of course). In China, they do use them. Frequently slip glazes in other countries have lead in (since the slip glaze needs a lower temperature of melting). In the US we use Boron-based slip glazes. Really, the amount of lead in a clay or glaze is going to be insignificant in terms of health, I should think, but I'm no medicometrist. I've even seen Uranium glazes (Which is NOT food safe...since it is radioactive).

Barium makes an iridescent green color. Cobalt makes a royal blue color. As some examples.

Everything is toxic in the wrong amounts. Each of us, every day, has a finite lead consumption and we don't die. Small amounts of something are often harmless. Copper is poisonous, but in small amounts, its a nutrient we need. Selenium, too. Phosphorus as well. Sodium we need for the functioning of our nerves and muscles, too much and it becomes toxic, too. Oxygen in too small amounts, of course, causes asphyxiation, too much oxygen, on the other hand is also toxic, since the atmosphere we breath in is 68% inert nitrogen. If we stopped consuming things because they might be dangerous or toxic, you'd have to stop breathing too.

[Skunkle]

Brand new hookah owner here, just bought (and am waiting for) my first. Been reading, but I really should respond to this... I did pottery for a few years, and the discussions of unsafe glazes did come up since I often bought small bottles of odd colors to use in my little projects. Both CLAY and CERAMIC bowls I see in shops and online stores are glazed.

The most common GLAZES containing lead are bright reds and some flame oranges. These are not considered food-safe. Glaze is a glass-like surface, so it isn't colored clay, and most hookah bowls I've seen are glazed clay. Glaze comes out shiny and glossy. Clay itself comes in white, rust red, gray black, blue etc. but, if unglazed, is matte-finished. Glaze finishes smooth, glassy and reflective. UNDERGLAZE is painted on and fired at a lower temperature, ending in a dull finish that is usually covered by clear glaze fired at a higher one, and it is possible that some of these colors are underglases with clear glaze over. But generally, colored glaze will get thinner at edges, so leaving lighter edges/corners. Underglaze color with clear glaze over won't, but it's often a less vivid/saturated color. And clear glaze should keep any possibly-unsafe underglazes, if there are any, from reaching out into your smoking, as glaze is literally a melted glass finish.

I can't say what Chinese manufacturers might or might not use, but the lead scares involved mainly lead paint, which comes in all colors. And they use it sometimes because it's cheap, and they're cutting costs. Clay OR ceramic bowls that are just painted?? You'll be able to tell, they won't be glossy - but further, the paint on the inside will broil and blister under heat after a use or two. If anyone encounters painted bowls, I'd be shocked - now THAT'S going cheap.

I don't see barium glazes much. Cobalt, yes, in dark blue. Since I cannot be sure which glazes are "safe" for smoking, black is a likely safe choice, but if you're really worried... Grab the phone book, find a local pottery/potters' supply shop, bring your bowls down there and ask them. They should be able to tell you what colors are safe.

I'm looking at Hookah Kings' bowls page right now: Anything clay is listed as such, the rest here are ceramic, all are glazed. Nottice there are no red bowls - the only red/orange colors are rusty shades in many bowls, and the "colored ceramic bowls" - in these, we see black, dark blue, pale blue, light orange, mint green, light green, tea green and pale yellow. The dark blue shown is, by my guess, not cobalt*, which is a brilliant, rich dark blue. None of these greens look like uranium green to me, but you could ask about the lighter two - uranium green* is usually a glowy chartreuse. The orange here is too pale to be lead orange, but if you're really concerned, again, ask about the orange. These look safe to me. Also, ask about the reddish-pink glaze on a CLAY bowl such as I see at Hookah Kings, but I doubt these are lead either. Looks like these manufacturers are all playing it safe, knowing full well that people will be SMOKING from these things!

*Cobalt and Uranium have both also been used in stained glass type neon sign tubing, though no longer, and I'm guessing the same is generally true in glazes: the old richer 'cobalt blue' tubing has been replaced by the darker so-called 'bromo blue', and uranium or 'airplane green' is a brilliant, eye-popping yellow-green replaced (not very well) by 'lime green' tubing. With other uses now common for cobalt and uranium, neither is used in glass production any longer, and I doubt much, if any, goes into glazes either, though cobalt is the more likely of the two to actually be available. I also doubt you'll find the barium glazes on these.

Sorry for the long post... First post here.

[Skunkle]

P.S. to the above post: Hookahshisha.com sells a 'large ceramic bowl' which comes in, among other colors, bright red. I'd be wary of this. I don't know any bright red glazes that don't contain lead. But I could very well be totally wrong here.

[Zinite]

Brand new hookah owner here, just bought (and am waiting for) my first. Been reading, but I really should respond to this... I did pottery for a few years, and the discussions of unsafe glazes did come up since I often bought small bottles of odd colors to use in my little projects. Both CLAY and CERAMIC bowls I see in shops and online stores are glazed.

The most common GLAZES containing lead are bright reds and some flame oranges. These are not considered food-safe. Glaze is a glass-like surface, so it isn't colored clay, and most hookah bowls I've seen are glazed clay. Glaze comes out shiny and glossy. Clay itself comes in white, rust red, gray black, blue etc. but, if unglazed, is matte-finished. Glaze finishes smooth, glassy and reflective. UNDERGLAZE is painted on and fired at a lower temperature, ending in a dull finish that is usually covered by clear glaze fired at a higher one, and it is possible that some of these colors are underglases with clear glaze over. But generally, colored glaze will get thinner at edges, so leaving lighter edges/corners. Underglaze color with clear glaze over won't, but it's often a less vivid/saturated color. And clear glaze should keep any possibly-unsafe underglazes, if there are any, from reaching out into your smoking, as glaze is literally a melted glass finish.

I can't say what Chinese manufacturers might or might not use, but the lead scares involved mainly lead paint, which comes in all colors. And they use it sometimes because it's cheap, and they're cutting costs. Clay OR ceramic bowls that are just painted?? You'll be able to tell, they won't be glossy - but further, the paint on the inside will broil and blister under heat after a use or two. If anyone encounters painted bowls, I'd be shocked - now THAT'S going cheap.

I don't see barium glazes much. Cobalt, yes, in dark blue. Since I cannot be sure which glazes are "safe" for smoking, black is a likely safe choice, but if you're really worried... Grab the phone book, find a local pottery/potters' supply shop, bring your bowls down there and ask them. They should be able to tell you what colors are safe.

I'm looking at Hookah Kings' bowls page right now: Anything clay is listed as such, the rest here are ceramic, all are glazed. Nottice there are no red bowls - the only red/orange colors are rusty shades in many bowls, and the "colored ceramic bowls" - in these, we see black, dark blue, pale blue, light orange, mint green, light green, tea green and pale yellow. The dark blue shown is, by my guess, not cobalt*, which is a brilliant, rich dark blue. None of these greens look like uranium green to me, but you could ask about the lighter two - uranium green* is usually a glowy chartreuse. The orange here is too pale to be lead orange, but if you're really concerned, again, ask about the orange. These look safe to me. Also, ask about the reddish-pink glaze on a CLAY bowl such as I see at Hookah Kings, but I doubt these are lead either. Looks like these manufacturers are all playing it safe, knowing full well that people will be SMOKING from these things!

*Cobalt and Uranium have both also been used in stained glass type neon sign tubing, though no longer, and I'm guessing the same is generally true in glazes: the old richer 'cobalt blue' tubing has been replaced by the darker so-called 'bromo blue', and uranium or 'airplane green' is a brilliant, eye-popping yellow-green replaced (not very well) by 'lime green' tubing. With other uses now common for cobalt and uranium, neither is used in glass production any longer, and I doubt much, if any, goes into glazes either, though cobalt is the more likely of the two to actually be available. I also doubt you'll find the barium glazes on these.

Sorry for the long post... First post here.

Thank you for the informative post. You and Sonthert pretty much laid this to rest.