My First Km, Some Questions

[squidget]

So I got my first KM hookah and it arrived yesterday from HookahJohn. (thanks john!) I got:
http://www.hookahjohn.com/Khalil-Maamoon-Kamanja-Star-HC002.htm

One thing I noticed is that the stem is not flush with the vase. Is this normal? Are the rubber seals there easily replaceable? It seems a bit wobbly because I cannot get it to fit tightly into the vase.

Also, the vase is huge and awesome however the neck is narrower then other vases so the large diffuser does not fit.

Some pics
[IMG]http://imgur.com/2vNcn.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://imgur.com/ibkgi.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://imgur.com/Y28nu.jpg[/IMG]

Has anyone shaved some of the rubber down to get it in there a bit more? Any issues? Tonight I plan to have my inaugural smoke. Some AF Cafe Latte to break it in.

[SweetNut]

mine does the same thing... as you take it apart and clean it ... every time you put it back together, it gets a little easier..... but just to make sure... test the seal

[HsK BATES]

that thing is so fk'in gorgeous. but yes you can try to rub away some excess rubber to get it to fit more snugly or you could take the grommet(gasket) off and use a wet paper towel wrapped around.

[joytron]

wow the stem and vase were made for each other, definitely a great buy.

[ryno]

I had to sand mine down some too. Just do that and make sure its wet when you put it in, should slide right in.

[F16WarBird]

A dab of vegetable oil on the gasket as lube should seat and seal it.

[TexasHookah]

One of the biggest problems we have with KMs is the base grommet not fitting right. 50% of the KM hookahs we get we have to adjust before shipping out. Make sure not to rub off too much because over time the rubber does get looser as you keeping using the hookah and taking off the stem and putting it back on. As stated above if you wet the rubber first it will also help to get it to fit onto the base right.

[squidget]

Thanks for the info all. I guess I do not need to sand but just to keep using it so it wears down naturally. I used a bit of vegetable oil(as suggested) to get it in and it was a tight fit. Worked really well. Sadly, after my session, I could not get the stem out again. I had to wait for my BF to come over so we can pull together.

Some other notables:
It was the coolest smoke I ever had! Holy crap! And it stayed cool even after the ice melted and I was in my second session. I've never had a base so large before, I guess that must have something to do with it.

[Skoozle]

I have one that came with a very tight gasket and I used vegie oil untill recently to put it together. I had to hold the base against the ground with my feet and pull the stem with both hands to take it apart. I worked up a sweat a few times taking it apart.

I had always planned to take some sandpaper to it but never did due to lazyness.

It is looser now and I can put it together with just water on the gasket now and it is not too bad to take apart.

Stick with it and it will break in eventually.

[redjako]

[quote name='HsK BATES' date='06 June 2010 - 04:03 PM' timestamp='1275861818' post='470876']
that thing is so fk'in gorgeous. but yes you can try to rub away some excess rubber to get it to fit more snugly or you could take the grommet(gasket) off and use a wet paper towel wrapped around.
[/quote]

The silly uber-thick rubber grommets in KM's and AF solids are retarded. I've nearly busted the stem yanking them out.

Shave it down via sand paper, then always use some excess shisha to lube up the grommet, it will come out fine.

Mya's have better grommets.