anyone mind giving some advice?

[YooHoo JiMbOb III]

hey all wassup im fairly new to hookahs and was wondering if anyone could give a lil advice on best way to set them up

like how much shisha should I put in the bowl?

should the shisha and tinfoil touch at all?

does the size of the hookah matter at all for smoking?

how much water should I put in?

I cant seem to get the real nice smooth and thick smoke that ive had when smoking with others, any recommendations?

about how many holes do u poke into your bowl what do u use to poke the holes with i have a small bowl btw...until i can ge a phunnel since everyone says they are the shit

ok ok i know im asking a grip load of question but this is my last one....how the hell do i get the tobacco to stop burning??

any help on any of this would be awsome
thanks

[YooHoo JiMbOb III]

ohh yeah one more thing laziness aside which coals work better? fast lighting or natural
like which give the best overall smoke

[EvansLight]

Welcome to the forums

First off, as for general set up, check this out:
http://hookahforum.com/el-setup-guide-t540...etup+guide.html

Its an older guide, but just a good one for basic hookah set up how i do it. Theres really no right or wrong way to do it, its whatever works best for you, but that should give you a good start

Now to actually answer your specific questions

like how much shisha should I put in the bowl?  

Thats diffrent for each person, and also some bowls have a certain amount they need to work properly. Most say fill it up to around the top of the bowl, keeping it fluffy, not packed down tight. if you read my guide you will see i do it diffrently, as i said to each his own, as long as it works

should the shisha and tinfoil touch at all?

Most people, myself included, find that having it touch gives a better smoke, and a better flavour. But, it requires a different amount of heat, and a bit more experience in coal management. If you can get it going good, i personally prefer it.

does the size of the hookah matter at all for smoking?

Nope. As long as theres enough room for the smoke in the base, your more or less fine. Some find shorter hookahs to be harsher, maybe because theres less room between the stem and the base, but ive had no problems with hookahs as short as a qt. As for tall ones, i have 2 36" ones, rather large hookahs, and they work better than most others ive had

how much water should I put in?

Most say around half an inch to an inch and a half. Usually when you get a new hookah, you try a couple different water levels till you find one that works.

I cant seem to get the real nice smooth and thick smoke that ive had when smoking with others, any recommendations?

First problem could be your setup. If theres an air leak, air could be getting in which could cause loss of flavour. It also could be that your burning your tobacco. More heat usually means more smoke, but too much and your just burning things. Need more info, like the hookah you have, tobacco your using, and coals and amount of coals to give you a better answer

about how many holes do u poke into your bowl   what do u use to poke the holes with   i have a small bowl btw...until i can ge a phunnel since everyone says they are the shit

I use whatever i can find i just poke some holes, random and all over the place. Many people have a set pattern they go by, but i personally dont have one. Just find what works best for you

ok ok  i know im asking a grip  load of question but this is my last one....how the hell do i get the tobacco to stop burning??

If it starts burning, on some tobaccos thats the end of it. Just stop and start over. But for most, just take the coals off, and let it sit. It should stop burning on its own. if its windy, then the wind can keep it going, so alot of my friends put ash trays on top the bowls, and they find that works well.

ohh yeah one more thing   laziness aside   which coals work better? fast lighting  or natural      
like which give the best overall smoke

I personally prefer quick lights. But i do admit, natural coals are better. But the most common favorite is the in between, the Japanese coals. Canary Golden coals are the most prefered of the japanese. Most say quick lighting on the box, but they are just like naturals in that it takes a nice constant flame and time to get them going. Both Jap. and Natural last longer, and burn if i remeber right at a lower temp than quicklights. but as i said i prefer 3k for ease of use. if you got a butane torch, or an easy way to lite them, then some Canary Golden Coals are a must, or some Nour Fingers

Hope that answers all your questions

[mushrat]

Good advice...

Me on the othe rhand, I dont usually fill the entire bowl because I often doent want to smoke that long, so i do 12 to 2/3 full and use a screen so I dont have to deal with sagging foil in the air spcae.

I Don't generally let my scren touch my shisha.

I use finger coals that I heat with a hotplate burner at home or a torch at friends. Quicklites are just plain nasty to me, though I have experimented with them to be fair.

That water level he mentioned is from the bottom of the down pipe..not in the vase all together.

Don't even wanna get into hole patternes... :roll:

Hope that helps...

[YooHoo JiMbOb III]

ohhhh you asked about my hookah its some ghetto brand i bought when drunk at a hookah lounge after a month of use its starting to rust so i really need to get a new one

once i get more money im going to buy a better one online but this will probably sometime afte x-mas cause my wallet is tight right now