Quizit Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) Hi there, I've been contemplating having my KM Saffron Stem powder coated or dipped in some exquisite color. The stem is comprised of copper, brass (I think) and aluminum; therefore it will not melt during the baking process. I've narrowed my color selection down to three choices: powder coated candy teal (cheapest), burnt titanium (middle ground) and 24K gold dipped (most expensive). As far as accessories such as bowls, bases and hoses, I have various things in mind. Needless to say, the whole hookah will flow. What I'd like to know is if someone has done this before (had this done, I should say). A Google search brought up some dude having his stem powder coated, but no actual pictures. Also, how durable would these finishes be? Lastly, what finish should I select? Candy teal is an amazing color, but a bit "plain" in comparison to my other choices. Burnt titanium is beautiful, and is my first choice. Finally, 24K gold retains the whole "saffron" appeal, as saffron is gold-colored after all. I would probably be going with these guys: [url="http://dippedparts.com/"]http://dippedparts.com/[/url] They primarily work with auto parts, but I'm sure they'd make an exception. Check out their stuff, burnt titanium seems to be their speciality, and it just looks awesome. Edited March 2, 2012 by Quizit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Sorry, I know double posting is frowned upon, but I'm not able to edit my original post again. Anyway, would Mya release/check valves work with my KM Stem? Their design is a bit nicer: http://www.hookah-shisha.com/p-4065-mya-hookah-check-valve-part.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Its your hookah but i think that would pretty tacky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 That's pretty slick. I don't know the process of applying the Burnt Titanium but it might be cool if you mask some of the stem to let the original finish show through. Make sure the process isn't hot enough to melt any soldier holding your stem together. Do you have a pic of your stem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 Here's how it sits currently: [IMG]http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx26/ChAoS-FaCtiOn/0302121735.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gramps Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Speaking of temperatue, are hookah stems soldered or brazed? Basically the same except brazing is at much higher temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 This will be interesting..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='gramps' timestamp='1330737027' post='541207'] Speaking of temperatue, are hookah stems soldered or brazed? Basically the same except brazing is at much higher temps. [/quote] Technically welded. At least mine appears to be. There's spot welds throughout the stem. As far as the finish goes, I'll keep you guys posted. I've emailed the guys I may be having do my coating. It'll still be while until I pull the trigger on something. My birthday is the 24th, so I can justify spending money on something purely cosmetic then. Right now I'm just doing some preliminary research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Looking at it, I wouldn't mask it after all and do the whole thing in burnt titanium. Gold wouldn't change the look much for the amount of money you would spend.. you could just polish it up real good and get a nice gold colored shine. That is a really nice pipe without coating it. If it were me, I would do a specialty coating on a less attractive pipe. If you don't mind me asking, how much do these coatings cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) ^ Don't really know. Waiting on a reply from those guys. A local shop that my friend works at will powder coat wheels for $100 a pop, depending on color. Unfortunately, they can't do fancy finishes such as burnt titanium, black nickel, black chrome, or anything like that. Apparently some special machine is needed. If I take the candy teal route, I'll have my buddy's shop powder coat it. I'm still thinking about that burnt titanium. I'm hoping the price isn't completely ridiculous. Something under $150 would be nice. Edited March 3, 2012 by Quizit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Wait for Stuie to chime in- He did this to a Mya shank for his girl's birth. It's your hookah. If you want to powdercoat or whatever, then I say go for it. Some may think it's tacky, but it will be your own. I'm all for making things different and unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) +1 on making it unique. Lots of folks around here are nuts about rare stems and rare bases, but when you look at them all, you end up seeing the same rare stems and bases over and over again. I know there are little details about them that are different, but I'm not really detail oriented when it comes to that stuff. You will have a one of a kind pipe. EDIT: You should powder coat the cat. Edited March 3, 2012 by Skoozle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzbizz Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I think this is a good idea, but what my hesitation would be is that after the dip, the stem wont have the details it has now because it seems to me the coating will kind of fill small engravings or etchings on the hookah. I love that stem and i wouldnt want it to lose any detail. I'd go with the 24k gold though. thats pretty fucking slick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 Thanks for the input guys And the kitty is pretty chill, his name is Hampton. Whenever I toke-up, I give him a line of catnip that he rolls in. We both look forward to our smoke sessions. Anybody know about the Mya release valve fitting on a KH hookah? I know it's only $4, but that's 50g of shisha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epoch Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='Quizit' timestamp='1330750913' post='541237'] Thanks for the input guys And the kitty is pretty chill, his name is Hampton. Whenever I toke-up, I give him a line of catnip that he rolls in. We both look forward to our smoke sessions. [u][b]Anybody know about the Mya release valve fitting on a KH hookah? I know it's only $4, but that's 50g of shisha[/b][/u] [/quote] Nope, they don't fit on my KM. Time for my $0.02: any color besides "metal" would look awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='Quizit' timestamp='1330750913' post='541237'] Thanks for the input guys And the kitty is pretty chill, his name is Hampton. Whenever I [i]toke-up[/i], I give him a line of catnip that he rolls in. We both look forward to our smoke sessions. Anybody know about the Mya release valve fitting on a KH hookah? I know it's only $4, but that's 50g of shisha [/quote] Here is my Mya release valve on my KM. It doesn't trhead all the way down but it does thread on. Be careful about how you word things, you wouldn't want to violate any rules. [IMG]http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/Skoozle_photos/Hookah/2012-03-03_01-12-36_244.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_lunchb0x Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I thought about powder coating... sorta. Would never afford it but still thought about pipes and styles. I would probably do something like a km pharonie or og tri black powder coat everything but the gold/brass/copper colored parts. Or a Km signature in the 24k gold would be interesting. This would set ur hookah apart to say the least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I've got a KM ice thats not much to look at. Powder coating would go a long way for that stem. Or maybe I'll just take a rattle can to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang67n Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 [quote name='dizzbizz' timestamp='1330749921' post='541234'] I think this is a good idea, but what my hesitation would be is that after the dip, the stem wont have the details it has now because it seems to me the coating will kind of fill small engravings or etchings on the hookah. I love that stem and i wouldnt want it to lose any detail. I'd go with the 24k gold though. thats pretty fucking slick [/quote] The dips are SUPER thin material. Usually the piece being dipped is electrically charged, and the first couple stages of dip are just simple solvents to clean off any oils and grime. the following dips are again super thin, and chemically change the exterior properties of the material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 ^ I've heard of that, too. That basically ruled out the 24K gold proposition, but I don't think burnt titanium is a "dip". If truth be told it is, powder coated candy teal is still amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I have a friend who pink powder coated his wife's .45. He may have done an AR15 as well for her... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavo21 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 i've been thinking about Rhinolinging one of our km pear hookahs i would be swett lol but idk if its worth it, its just a spray on so maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Well, powder-coating something will improve its resistance towards corrosion. Plus, it just looks cool. In the automotive world, many things are powder-coated or anodized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizit Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 UPDATE: I've decided on a color. It [i]will [/i]be powder-coated "anodized" purple. Here's an example: http://www.jdmgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ImageFromDB.jpeg Real anodization requires a very narrow range of aluminum for it to be effective. However, you can powder-coat the [i]exact [/i]same color, just without the benefits of anodizing. The benefits are basically the same as powder-coating; there's heat resistance, corrosion resistance and it still looks nice. But yeah, I'll be updating this thread with pictures when I get this done (which will be in a few weeks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_lunchb0x Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 if u don't mind let us know how much it cost you...just for future references Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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