Shmyeah! shmyeah! Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Sadly the two hoses on my mya 18 inch hookah died. They'd been pulling well but drawing tons of ash out of them. I decided that they needed to be changed. Last year around this time I made a hookah using an Erlenmeyer flask, some copper pipe and a store bought bowl. The whole thing was black. It looked good, but it smoked like a champion (RIP black hookah). I used black vinyl tubing but the tube was so stiff it'd hardly uncoil! So I decided that I wanted to switch out the actual hosing but keep the wooden ends. So I took the hoses apart. A little FYI, by the way. In case you were ever wondering what the inside of a hose looks like, I can tell you. At the center is a metal spring. Around that is a plastic sleeve. Around that was another plastic sleeve. The whole thing was enclosed with leather. The metal spring was corroded and rusting away. So it was actually rust, not ash . They told me that by putting the vinyl in boiling water I could give it alot more flexibility. They fit onto the 2 10 feet sections of hose perfectly. As long as you measure the end of the hoses you'll be fine. Just be sure to get tubing a little bigger in diameter so it's airtight. The hoses look pretty good. One of the cool things about the clear tubing is that I can see the smoke in them now. Although, with time they'll eventually stain from all the shit in the smoke. They taste pretty gnarly (like vinyl) but I haven't used them yet (just did a test inhale) and I expect the smell to go away after a couple uses. Here they are:[img]http://i.min.us/jb9v9u.JPG[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmyeah! shmyeah! Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 I forgot to add this: does any one know a way to get rid of the plastic aftertaste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezxen Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 [quote name='Shmyeah! shmyeah!' timestamp='1294437115' post='493737'] I forgot to add this: does any one know a way to get rid of the plastic aftertaste? [/quote] takes a while but it fades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynart Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Yea, I've made some of these. They never get that flexible (especially in comparison to a traditional hose) but if the hose is long enough then the slight coiling doesn't matter. The taste went away pretty much after the first bowl, try washing the hose thoroughly with warm water and soap or vinegar or any other safe cleaning agent. I've used mine for about 6 months and it's yet to get dirty to the point that would cause concern, the only noticeable wear is it is slightly yellow near the two ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzbizz Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 A lot of people use lemon juice to get the plastic taste out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmyeah! shmyeah! Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 [quote name='Reynart' timestamp='1294597192' post='493858'] Yea, I've made some of these. They never get that flexible (especially in comparison to a traditional hose) but if the hose is long enough then the slight coiling doesn't matter. The taste went away pretty much after the first bowl, try washing the hose thoroughly with warm water and soap or vinegar or any other safe cleaning agent. I've used mine for about 6 months and it's yet to get dirty to the point that would cause concern, the only noticeable wear is it is slightly yellow near the two ends. [/quote] I thought that too, but here's what I did that gave them as much flexibility (if not more) than my old hookah hoses: I put a huge pot of water on the stove and set it to boil . When bubbles started to form, I turned the heat down a tiny bit and submerged one of the lengths of hose. I held it in for 30 seconds. I used tongs because I didn't want to burn myself. If your sink isn't near the stove, watch out for the hot water that has gotten into the tubing by now. Grab a bowl to catch all the water coming out of the tube. I emptied the water out, and the vinyl was limp and pliable. I took it outside and swung it around like a lasso to clear out the water drops. Repeat for the other length of tube. I just put them in the bath tub overnight. The next morning, they were still really flexible. If you want new hoses, find a way to safely remove your hookah ends and replace it with vinyl. Just make sure the vinyl is able to take reasonable amounts of heat. The hose I'm using now is rated for 70 F (21 C). If you get some that is rated for food service, they are able to take very high amounts of heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damaso87 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 How did you end up attaching the tubing to the handle/stem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agunn1231 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 i made a hose like this with mya hose parts....the taste isnt noticeable when you smoke imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndc Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Vinyl tubing is [u]all[/u] I use for hosing anymore. I'll give what feedback I can from my experiences: [b]Concerning flexibility:[/b] If you go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy it by the foot off the spools, it will be harder and less flexible. If instead you buy pre-cut packaged lengths (more expensive) the tubing is softer and more flexible. [b]Concerning taste: [/b]In my experience all the 'vinyl' taste disappears after initial use. I usually just clean hoses with water, twirl them to get the bulk of the water out, than hang to drip over night. The only extreme cleaning I ever did was to clear out choco-mint flavor from one hose. I tried water and lemon juice which produced better results than just water. In the end I set up a small fountain pump and left tube flowing in the sink at my shop overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angekfire Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 [quote name='Damaso87' timestamp='1297844250' post='498066'] How did you end up attaching the tubing to the handle/stem? [/quote] I am curious as well. Did you use a glue gun, or silicone caulking? Or even epoxy? Or did the tubing just fit perfectly into the existing parts and none of that was needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltimateHookah Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 That's a great idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntieneedscoffee Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 [quote name='Shmyeah! shmyeah!' timestamp='1294436687' post='493732'] So I decided that I wanted to switch out the actual hosing but keep the wooden ends. So I took the hoses apart. A little FYI, by the way. In case you were ever wondering what the inside of a hose looks like, I can tell you. At the center is a metal spring. Around that is a plastic sleeve. Around that was another plastic sleeve. The whole thing was enclosed with leather. The metal spring was corroded and rusting away. So it was actually rust, not ash [/quote] Ugh, yeah. Just found that out for myself a few days ago... It was pretty disgusting. Good to know there's a relatively easy way to replace them with something that won't fall apart like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angekfire Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I switched out a bunch of my hoses a couple days ago to vinyl tubing, but I found it didn't create a tight enough seal, so I am going to have to glue them in place to avoid leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLCP Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Works like a charm doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angekfire Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I tried doing this but I need to use something to hold the hose in place, otherwise it slips off the wood parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellz Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Angekfire, Use the thing in the picture below - I forget what they are called. But it'll definetly make it secure once it is tightened. They come in all sizes - you can find that at any hardware store Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poncho Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 ^^^ called a hose clamp, a zip tie might work bettter though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbalsmoke Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Instead of using the tube clamps and stuff, what i did was i ripped apart my hose and i brought the wooden pieces with me into the hardware store and i tried to fit it in many different tubing sizes untill i got a snugg fit. So everytime i wash it i take off the wooden parts and just wash the hose. I have gotten no hose leaks at all. For me the hose size was a 1/2 inch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellz Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Nah, you can get those hose clamps way tighter than a zip tie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelios Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 To make the tubing more flexible, put it in boiling water for about 30 seconds and start to stretch it out. I usually have my foot on the center of the tubing then use my hands to pull up on both ends. You'll slightly, and I mean slightly, make it thinner but this allows it to be a bit more flexible. Way more manageable than how you got it when you first buy it.[color=#FFFFFF][size=3] T[color=#FFFF99] [/color] [/size][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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