Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Hey guys, it's been a while. Aaaanyway, here's the deal.I love my KM Tri-Metal. I've used it a lot. Problem is, it's huge. People pull on it, things fall, carpet fibers melt, tears flow, etc. I also love my Mya QT. It's stable, it pulls easily, it's portable, etc. However, it doesn't have the quality stem that the KM has (unpolished, constantly oxidizing steel on the inside) and therefore requires obsessive cleaning. Is there such a thing as a small hookah (~12") that has the kind of easy to clean, rust resistant core that KM hookahs have? Please, share your wisdom.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Side question: The "small" Nammor hose should be just as good as the regular one, but without the insanely long handle, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inino Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 pretty much the only hookahs that are good around 12 inches are the myas. now if you want to go up a little higher to mid 20s you can find a bunch of MZs and the nour. check out hookahcompany.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (Glottis2 @ Feb 14 2009, 09:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I also love my Mya QT. It's stable, it pulls easily, it's portable, etc. However, it doesn't have the quality stem that the KM has (unpolished, constantly oxidizing steel on the inside) and therefore requires obsessive cleaning.Seriously?First off it's Brass/Chrome plated. I have never experienced what you describe. I can smoke of any of my Mya's All week, fill up the sink with Dawn and hot water, use my brushes and hand dry what I can and let air dry. No Problems ever.Smoking on my QT now for what I count at 10 days straight. Opened her up nothing like you describe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Just dawned on me... Get a glass cutter and cut off the top part of the QT base, and hacksaw the KM stem dawn...BAM!DIY that bad boy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDHarding Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Huh.. sounds like your QT might be a cheap chinese knock-off. I thought Mya always used quality metal, or at least a method so it doesn't rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) I got it from Hookah Kings, which I believe to be reputable. Every Mya hookah I've seen seems to get the same problems eventually. Keep in mind that my hookah is relatively old (over 2 years). I would be enlightened to know if I've been living a lie and I secretly have a knockoff.Mya logo, with bonus unavoidable self-portraitInside of the main part of the stem, where the metal is rough. It's slightly more brownish than this in real life.Inside the top of the stem, where the bowl would attach. This is what it looks like after intense scrubbing and whatnot. As you can see it's a bad color, and I think this is where the taste gets a little off. I want to just order another stem from Mya, but their website contact form is broken and I'm not available when their store is open (I'm on pacific time, they are on the opposite side of the US). Edited February 15, 2009 by Glottis2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (Stuie @ Feb 14 2009, 11:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Just dawned on me...Get a glass cutter and cut off the top part of the QT base, and hacksaw the KM stem dawn...BAM!DIY that bad boy!Excellent, then I'll have the best of both worlds. Or maybe just sharts of glass and several injuries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechAnt Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 The pictures you posted are that of raw brass. That means it's cast as opposed to milled solid brass or welded brass sheets.The oxidation you refer to is just that, brass oxidizes in a way that it doesn't break down unlike steel. Steel's oxidation is destructive, aka rust.Therefore, you are actually better off with the QT than the KM stems Take a look at the 23" Nour. I have a picture heavy review in the review section you can check out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersubby Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 My QT gets like that sometimes i just put some dawn down the stem and scrub it really well and let it soak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElijahSing Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Its all about the Mya Bambino.. That would be the perfect hookah for you. =] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (MechAnt @ Feb 15 2009, 12:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The pictures you posted are that of raw brass. That means it's cast as opposed to milled solid brass or welded brass sheets.The oxidation you refer to is just that, brass oxidizes in a way that it doesn't break down unlike steel. Steel's oxidation is destructive, aka rust.Therefore, you are actually better off with the QT than the KM stems Take a look at the 23" Nour. I have a picture heavy review in the review section you can check out.Well, I guess I would prefer something that oxidizes really slowly or not at all to something that oxidizes non-destructively, since I'm of the potentially superstitious opinion that it's causing the stem to stink. Any recommendations on what chemicals I can use to remove the oxidation layer (that can then be safely removed)?As for the Nour, looks like a great pipe. I had one similar to it a long time ago, my first hookah actually. Unfortunately it looks like hookahcompany stopped carrying it. How much did you pay for it?QUOTE (ElijahSing @ Feb 15 2009, 02:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Its all about the Mya Bambino.. That would be the perfect hookah for you. =]Yeah, that's a neat hookah. I convinced my roommate to buy one a while ago and he likes it (although we use my hookahs a lot more). The stem part is basically the same as the QT, material-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippo_Master Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) If you don't want oxidization you are pretty much out of luck. Stainless Steel = Rust; Brass = Vertigris. So in that regard, I would stick with brass because it is sturdier, heavier, and doesn't look like a cheap hooker (sorry MZ fanboys). Brass is used in all the best pipes. Stainless Steel is used as a cheaper alternative to Brass. I guess Honestly you could go with ALuminum, like the Econo Myas have, I don't think that rusts, it's just very cheap looking and flimsy. And I don't mean tin, i mean aluminum. There is tin in some KM models on the inside of the flange at the bottom of the downstem, it rusts after 1 use, yuck - I tear mine out.All upper class Mya models are brass, coated with a very thick non-rusting metallic alloy - they may be chromed, but I would say more along the line sof nickel.. maybe both..? Who knows. So in reality, a Mya QT is actually better quality then any given KM model.As for chemicals, I would very highly recommend to NOT use any chemicals in your hookah stem. Also, they will strip the brass and oxidation will just come on quicker. Edited February 15, 2009 by Hippo_Master Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKammenzind Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (Hippo_Master @ Feb 15 2009, 12:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I guess Honestly you could go with ALuminum, like the Econo Myas have, I don't think that rusts, it's just very cheap looking and flimsy. And I don't mean tin, i mean aluminum.Aluminum will oxidize pretty quickly too, depending on the particular alloy/finish. Could create some problems with disassembly and/or cleaning difficulties down the line, really no more worry than brass though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippo_Master Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (AKammenzind @ Feb 15 2009, 12:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Hippo_Master @ Feb 15 2009, 12:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I guess Honestly you could go with ALuminum, like the Econo Myas have, I don't think that rusts, it's just very cheap looking and flimsy. And I don't mean tin, i mean aluminum.Aluminum will oxidize pretty quickly too, depending on the particular alloy/finish. Could create some problems with disassembly and/or cleaning difficulties down the line, really no more worry than brass though.Ahh I thought there was something in aluminum that would keep it from rusting! My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 So I can never really return to the days before my QT started heavily oxidizing and didn't have a smell of its own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaltous Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (Glottis2 @ Feb 14 2009, 10:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Side question: The "small" Nammor hose should be just as good as the regular one, but without the insanely long handle, right?I can't speak for the "small" Nammor, as I have not seen/tried it, but if you're looking for something with great flow and a shorter handle, look to the Mya Wide hoses. Good quality hose with great flow, and standard Mya length handle. Unfortunately they're rather plain and don't come with any cloisonne finish, but there's always hose covers and such I've got a nice and tacky pink leopard print hose cover on one of my Mya wides that the ladies always love for some strange reason.PS - the Mya wide is "washable" but unless you can dry it out quickly and efficiently I wouldn't trust it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (jfaltous @ Feb 15 2009, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Glottis2 @ Feb 14 2009, 10:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Side question: The "small" Nammor hose should be just as good as the regular one, but without the insanely long handle, right?I can't speak for the "small" Nammor, as I have not seen/tried it, but if you're looking for something with great flow and a shorter handle, look to the Mya Wide hoses. Good quality hose with great flow, and standard Mya length handle. Unfortunately they're rather plain and don't come with any cloisonne finish, but there's always hose covers and such I've got a nice and tacky pink leopard print hose cover on one of my Mya wides that the ladies always love for some strange reason.PS - the Mya wide is "washable" but unless you can dry it out quickly and efficiently I wouldn't trust it...Thanks, but I've already got a wide Mya hose. I was one of the first people I knew to get one. It's a wonderful hose, but despite my best efforts the metal coils inside have started rusting and I have to spend a couple of minutes smacking it and blowing the particles out before every use. The Nammor hoses interest me because they have zero possibility of this happening, and yet still look like they belong with a hookah (unlike the clear tubing I get from Home Depot that I use occasionally). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyusername Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 QUOTE (Glottis2 @ Feb 15 2009, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>So I can never really return to the days before my QT started heavily oxidizing and didn't have a smell of its own?a very dilute solution of bleach will deodorize it. but too much will fuck it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKammenzind Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 QUOTE (ilikemyusername @ Feb 15 2009, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Glottis2 @ Feb 15 2009, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>So I can never really return to the days before my QT started heavily oxidizing and didn't have a smell of its own?a very dilute solution of bleach will deodorize it. but too much will fuck it up.That should work, you could also try giving it a bath in alka-seltzer, or alcohol, or soap and water... or all three in a row. If that doesn't do it I'm not sure what will really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis2 Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Instead of just scrubbing it with dish soap I tried soaking it it for quite a while, and the smell seems to be gone... for now. I can test to see if the taste is gone once I get over this damn flu. Thanks for the help, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manntis Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 QUOTE (Hippo_Master @ Feb 15 2009, 10:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Ahh I thought there was something in aluminum that would keep it from rusting! My bad. There is. Aluminum.Aluminum, stainless steel, etc. don't rust - they oxidize. Same as the white pulpy flesh of a cut apple turning brown. Copper oxidizes and turns green. Aluminum and stainless steel oxidize almost invisibly.Rust is specifically the oxidation of iron, which corrodes it away - the oxygen creates a slow burning process, which results in the brittle brown substance we call rust.Aluminum and stainless steel however oxidize non-destructively; the outer layer oxidizes (coating it with an oxide of the metal) which creates a barrier that protects the metal underneath. Remove the layer of oxidation and what are you doing? exposing fresh metal. To oxygen. Where it oxidizes. So you're back to square 1, only with less metal than before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyk Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 i wash my mya piccalo and km with dawn and its cleans them up good and dry them off afterwards and after a year no rust at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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