SanguineSolitude Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 i just had a brilliant discovery. i was cleaning my room and found a small sperical glass ball exactly the size of a ball bearing. Like the hookahhead i am. I immediately thought 'i wonder if this would fit in place of my rusty sticky ball bearing.' AND IT DOES! i quickly assembled the hookah and sucked in and blew out, and not leaks. It works exactly the same as the metal one. BUT it cant possibly rust. do you have any idea how pumped i am about this? so anyways i have no idea where it came from and no idea where you could get one. But i think if you could find one that would be absolutely perfect. Maybe a craft store or something. I always hate how it seems impossible to find like a surgical steel ball bearing that wont rust. because even the "stainless" ones ive gotten rust rather quickly. but i suppose now i have my solution. Im excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 4, 2006 Author Share Posted June 4, 2006 im certain companies do make glass bearings. i just dont know where one would find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve07 Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 With my ball bearings I like to use a little veggie oil it helps them from becoming sticky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 does that stop it from rusting? seems kinda unpleasant really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonthert Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Its not actually completely rust...its the same greenish black stuff that accumulates in pipes and hoses...insoluble flavoring and material. A glass ball will suffer the same fate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpy Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I just figured out my solution to this little problem I was having...Not screwing the valve all the way down.My ball bearing wasn't clearing out when I'd try to flush the chamber. I assumed it was a "rusty" ball bearing, and had tried cleaning it a few times. I was mistaken however... it was the fact that I had screwed the cap down too tight.This weekend, I rolled it back a few threads and it worked, even with that gunk on it. Could clear it out, with ease...Try it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve07 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 no It dosen't stop the rust but helps it stay lubricated[img]http://hookahforum.com/forum/smileys/smiley2.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 i know the green stuff you refer to tangiers and im able to remove that. but i mean that my bearing is completely covered in rust. plus glass will likely clean more easily than rusty metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakemonster Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I read last year where a guy had luck with airsoft ammo instead of a bearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Perry Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 [quote name='Lakemonster']I read last year where a guy had luck with airsoft ammo instead of a bearing.[/quote]This works very well. I work at a hookah bar in Richmond where once an airsoft pellet starts to develop that nasty crust that builds up after multiple uses, we pop another one in and it works like new. It isn't all that expensive to buy a tube of pellets for your shisha and replace the pellet when the old one starts getting stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpy Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Loosen the value, people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzzT Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I used some airsoft pellets that I got from a friend for my Syrian hookah and it works great! All you have to do is clean them once in a while.You can find all sorts of ballbearings here at Smallparts. They have some exotic ball bearing such as ruby, sapphire, teflon, tungsten carbide, vitron etc.[url="http://www.smallparts.com/products/b/"]Smallparts[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 pimpy the problem is not the bearing getting stuck because of a tight valve. if you take the cover off the bearing is still stuck in there. and with the valve tightened all the way down a loose bearing moves freely. if you cant move the ball bearing even with the valve cover off, loosening it is obviously not the solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 So, youre telling me that if you take the cover off, and you blow into it, the ball wont pop out? Dont believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakemonster Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sure. they'll freeze up into place. I've had to pull out my pocket knife and pop a bearing loose from its seat several times. People with stainless or chrome plated valeves probably have less of a problem with that....all mine are brass with BB's in em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoner Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 heh, most cost effective (CHEAP) method....tin foil! seriously, when i was in college, if i lost my ball bearing, i would make a new one out of tin foil. Very cheap, and probably not that condusive to good smoking, but at least i had a ball. college was sub-human living haha yoner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 believe it pimpy. and ive seen it on other hookahs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 O.K. you win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 there are no winners when the ball bearing wont work. but my new solution is working well so hopefully thats a thing of the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve07 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 That's why when I wash my hookah I lubricate the ball bearing with a little veggie oil so it don't freeze up in the stem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 curse you and your logic steve. i might lube up my glass bearing next time i clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve07 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Sang, let me know how that goes[img]http://hookahforum.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 well so far so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownZero Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 BOO with rusted ball bearings... I need to find a new ball bearing, just realized mine was rusted and had to pry it out last night. ::searches in between couch cusions:: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 get a nonmetal bearing. like a glass bearing or an airsoft pellet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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