Hose Project

[JDHarding]

So I've decided to try getting into making my own hookah hoses and maybe make a business out of it if things pan out right. I've taken apart a dozen of the popular hoses and found they're all faulty in one way or another, and most are either leaky or non-washable. So I'm on a quest to put together the perfect hose and maybe some day produce them for sale. Currently this is just a DIY project.

First thing I'm looking for is, of course, hose material. I'm thinking about going with corrugated tubing, just because it's the most flexible and still light weight. Latex was at one time an option, but some people are alergic to latex, and latex is very heavy compared to other options. It can also kink and ruin hookah sessions. So it's out.

Corrugated medical hosing seemed like a good idea, but most of them have special sections in the tubing for cutting and hooking up to machines. So that stuff is out too. I want a nice perfectly corrugated hose from one end to the other.

So that's where the project is currently at. The right hose material is tough to find, with it having to be non-toxic and durable. I'm thinking corrugated fish pond tubing is the best option. It's non-toxic, otherwise it'd kill the fish, it's durable for outdoor use, and it's properly priced for making hoses with.

Next is the handle. I'm thinking PVC pipe. I hate stepping on a dropped hose to have the handle smash to bits, or dropping it and having it crack. PVC is the toughest stuff available, it's heavy, and it's usually non-toxic, otherwise we couldn't run drinking water through the stuff.

Finally are the mouth and hose port pieces. I have no idea where to get bulk amounts of these. I guess I could buy the mouth pieces from hookah shops or something, but the hose port piece is a tough thing to find. Any ideas? Buying cheap hookah hoses and taking them apart just for the hose port piece is kind of silly.

There's also the wrapping material to make the handle look pretty. I already decided on some form of heat-shrink tubing to cover the hose material in various colors, but the handle wrap needs to be nylon rope or something similar. And it needs to be available in many colors and maybe with sparkly versions for that bling look.

Also, I'm thinking about using adhesive heat shrink tubing on the connections so they're very leak and water proof. Not sure about toxicity, though.

Finally, I'm thinking about adding swiveling ball-end tubing to the handle part so the handle can swivel at all angles without kinking the hose, making it easier to puff from. Maybe a swiveling ball-end on the hose port part too so it can move around without kinking there too, and make hookah-pipe tipping a thing of the past.

Anyway, this is what I have so far. Comments and ideas are welcome.

[ezxen]

i think the swivel is a nice idea as for handle wrpping it should comfortable and soft

[Coleman]

you seem like a very creative and handy person hope all your efforts go well and hope everything comes out how you want it. Only other thing i can really say is trial an error haha. good luck

[JDHarding]

I've found the tubing. The fish pond tubing is actually the best option. Tough, non-toxic, flexible, and corrugated! Only comes in black, though, so I need to use heat shrink to cover it in colors. Found a heat shrink tube place to get bulk shrink from.

PVC pipes can come from the hardware store.

Mouth piece and hose port is still a problem. No place to get bulk amounts of those from.

[JDHarding]

Check this out..

[url="http://www.sparkline.com/index.php/2-wires-led-rope-round-duralight-30ft-spool-120v-blue.html"]http://www.sparkline.com/index.php/2-wires-led-rope-round-duralight-30ft-spool-120v-blue.html[/url]

What if I put LED lighting rope into the handle with a little battery pack to light it up with. Wouldn't that be cool?

[Coleman]

They are kind of expensive and im not even 100% sure if im right but you could always do crown hookah mouth tips. but they can be a bit expensive I think....

[dizzbizz]

Here are ideas for wrapping the handle.
[url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/32161-nammor-rebuild/"]http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/32161-nammor-rebuild/[/url]

I wanted to make a hose like this but never got around to it.

[ih303]

Interesting you should bring this up right now because I'm on a similar venture.

As far as tubing goes, the word you're looking for is "convoluted" as opposed to "corrugated". And from what I can tell, the material you're after is FEP (Flourinated Ethylene Propylene). I've unwrapped dozens of old Razans, Narbish's, Nammors, & Grands and found that they all use very similar if not this exact kind of tubing.

Check out this [url="http://www.texloc.com/"]site[/url].

Keep in mind, I'm by no means an expert on this kind of material so I could be way off. But I'd really like to figure this out once and for all. I wish Scalli was still around. It seems like I remember him going through all of this and actually getting samples from companies until he found the right stuff. I think I still have his email around somewhere. Maybe I'll hit him up.

[JDHarding]

So I found convoluted tubing. Seems fairly cheap. Looking for bulk spools of it.

I forgot I also need little rubber grommets for inside the ends of the PVC pipe so the mouth piece and tubing fit tightly in the handle. One more thing to buy.

[JDHarding]

About the convoluted tubing.. is there anyone that sells it without the split down the middle? Sheesh.

[Chreees]

I like this how-to... It may be of some help:

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/36824-quick-connect-hookah-hose-how-to/page__p__455660__fromsearch__1#entry455660

[Epoch]

Have someone you know (or yourself) who is artsy and see if they can't cast a mold for the mouthtip and hose port.

[JDHarding]

Cast won't matter. I don't have some sort of plastic molding deal here. Maybe there's a PVC pipe fitting that would work. I know there's hose port parts I could use.

There's also metal tips I can use, but I'm looking for plastic. I also personally don't like metal tips.

[ryno]

I would steer clear of PVC honestly. One way around it is to use bushing fitting and just run the hose through the PVC handle itself. Smoke and PVC dont sit well with me for some reason and then theres the flavor of a PVC pipe.

[Chreees]

The hose handle that delSol_si made me is PVC and I can say it's given me no problems whatsoever.

[Stuie]

I have smoked out of IV's good smokes for me. No issues of taste at all.

[JDHarding]

I have most of the parts now, except for the nylon rope I wanted to wrap the handle in. The mouth tip and hose port are still missing. I'll start looking for suppliers soon. There are mouth tips I can buy from hookah shops, but that'll make these hoses cost more.

[The Jester]

maybe
I dont know about your town...
maybe you can find someone who is crafty with wood who could make the tips and ports
I dont know the word in english, but in my country, those people still exist and are famous for making wooden tables (theyre no myth or anything but its an old job that still exists but is rare) or other wooden thingies
I can imagine someone like that could produce 100 [url="http://www.hookahkings.com/hookah-accessories-2/hose-tips.html"]hookah mouthtips[/url] for 150 bucks easily
imagine
he drills a hole in the middle, simply spins it to shape it with that sharp paper (also dont know the word)
like making pottery
he could make 60 tips in 2 hours for sure
even some old persons who like to work with wood could do something like this, maybe even for free

[JDHarding]

HookahCompany sells hose port tips at $5 each. Ouch. Nammor-style.

They also have a lot of mouth tips, but they're all around $10 each. So that's $15 just for the tips.

These hoses are starting to look like $30 or more hoses. Not a cheap alternative.

But quality hand-crafted is something people like, right?

[JDHarding]

Anyone know what hookah bowl grommets are before they're re-named hookah bowl grommets? I'm thinking it's some sort of pipe grommet. I need a bulk supply of these for sealing the hose inside the handle, and for the mouth piece end to secure inside the handle.

[JDHarding]

Okay, this is getting expensive.

To make a 10 foot hose, here's the prices for materials:

$4 for convoluted polyethylene tubing
$4 for heatshrink to cover and color the tubing with
$2 for grommets
$2 to $4 for a 4 foot PVC pipe to use as handle
$5 for 20 feet of colored nylon double braid rope for wrapping handle
$11 for mouth and hose port tips from Hookah Company
- And however much for rubber wrapping material to clean up where the hose and handle meet
- Plus extra heat shrink with adhesive to leak-proof everything

That's around $30 per hose just to make the damn things! This is not good. Now I see why hoses from outside the states are so crappy for the price.

[JDHarding]

Topic revival!

I wonder if this is worth investigating again. Should I start making hoses?

[Coyote]

I take it you never made the first one? Just do it. Why not?

[Epoch]

Make 'em pretty!

[JDHarding]

Would people actually buy these hoses from me? They'd end up costing $30 to make, and sell for upwards of $50-60 each. Though I'd make sure to make them tough so you never need another hose again.