My Lungs Are Still Being Ripped To Streds

[sportsfan6216]

well i guess i have to superload my small phunnel. nextime, there will be tons of pics so u can all see what i am doing and how i can fix it! but imo. i pack a superload already. its hard to pack anymore. i did the foil test as well. and maybe it is the weather. PS: i leave my shish in the trunk of my car. if my wife knew i was sneaking out once a week to smoke, she would kill me. Shes been pretty grumpy as of late :X

You should leave it at your buddies place..... it needs to be stored where you plan to smoke it..... though if its sealed i don't know that it is a huge issue..... i would still give it a try just storing it at your buddies for a week, having him open it and stir it like once a day or so.

[Canon]

start with less coals and a windcover, when it starts smoking take the windcover off. that should help the lung problem

[dizzbizz]

Well I'm no pro but this is just my insight. I too bought 750g of tangiers and acclimated it with the 4/20 rule. I attempted to smoke some tonight and it was delightful. I used to always get that "tickle" and sometimes it made my stomach hurt so much I had to call it quits on a bowl not even half done.
Tonight I watched Hookah John and Eric's packing video. I scooped a bunch in, did the depression rule, and poked a ton of pin sized holes excluding the middle hole. I then cut two coconut coals(ShishaCo.) in half so I used a total of 4 halves for one bowl instead of two full w/ a windcover or 3 alone. It smoked great with minimal to zero "tickle" and irritation. Maybe you should try it out. I didn't read the whole thread so maybe I missed something. Just this is whats working for me and maybe it'll work for you too. Good luck. Edited October 28, 2009 by dizzbizz

[Sonthert]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

[ih303]

I've noticed sometimes when I smoke I get the tickle at the beginning of the session but it clears out in about 15min.

Not to complicate things or contradict anyone, but if you have juice coming out of the holes, I'd actually say you're OVER-packing your bowl. I've noticed on all wet brands that if you have a buildup of juices at the foil, you'll get severe scorching. Hence, you might get anything from a mild tickling to a throat-shredding burning sensation on the pulls.

IMO, juice shouldn't come out unless you're either a) severly overpacking or using very wet tobacco (like the last of a 250g container). So, try going a little looser. As Eric explained to me, the foil test is helps to determine pack density. Once you feel you're at the point where any more pressing would result in "squishing" the shisha over the sides or what not, stop. The foil should be roughly the disctance of the thickness of two quarters from the rim of the bowl. Like Dafunk said, there's no "one way" to do this. Just experiment until you get it right.

Just my $0.02. In the words of David Byrne, "I could be wrong, I could be right."

[frost91]

start with less coals and a windcover, when it starts smoking take the windcover off. that should help the lung problem

that sounds like a great idea and im gonna try it as soon as i can. never thought of that one! thanks man

[frost91]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

so am i overpacking or underpacking? its so hard to know, cuz i try to squish as much shish inside, but i keep in mind the two quarter rule. but im pretty sure its packed densly. can it be overpacking?

[Arcane]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

so am i overpacking or underpacking? its so hard to know, cuz i try to squish as much shish inside, but i keep in mind the two quarter rule. but im pretty sure its packed densly. can it be overpacking?

where's the pics? post them and we'll let you know....

[joytron]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

so am i overpacking or underpacking? its so hard to know, cuz i try to squish as much shish inside, but i keep in mind the two quarter rule. but im pretty sure its packed densly. can it be overpacking?

where's the pics? post them and we'll let you know....

hurry up and post a video already! and while you are at it make it a real one.

[fillup]

Yea, how many coals do you put on the bowl and how do you acclimate it? Could be a heat / acclimination issue

[ilikemyusername]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

so am i overpacking or underpacking? its so hard to know, cuz i try to squish as much shish inside, but i keep in mind the two quarter rule. but im pretty sure its packed densly. can it be overpacking?

where's the pics? post them and we'll let you know....

hurry up and post a video already! and while you are at it make it a real one.

seconded.

[evilded777]

The number and the size of the holes balance the amount of coals and the airflow in a standard bowl (the emptier the bowl, the less the airflow). If you are underheating or overheating a properly packed bowl it will be obvious. I think packing is the issue here, keep doing the coal and the holes the way you are for now. We can address those later.

so am i overpacking or underpacking? its so hard to know, cuz i try to squish as much shish inside, but i keep in mind the two quarter rule. but im pretty sure its packed densly. can it be overpacking?

I'm gonna lean towards the overpack, here. Squishy, for me, is not good. And as someone said above, if you are getting juices bubbling out through the foil... not so good. I don't even like to see juices leaking down the side of the bowl.

Experiment. As someone else said, there is no "one true way", there's what works for you.