What's a
Water Pipe?
Water pipes are made in many different sizes and design. On top of each pipe
you'll find a bowl in which you can place your favourite smoking blend. When
lit, the smoke is drawn through water before reaching your mouth and lungs.
The water has an important filter effect. A large part of carcinogens like tar
are filtered by the water. In addition, the water cools the hot smoke and the
protecting mucous membrane of the lungs will be less harmed.
Water pipes find their origin in the Ottoman Empire : once a world power with
a high level of civilisation. Water pipes where called `Narquile' then. Turkey
is all that remained of this impressive empire. Water pipes are still very popular
in the Middle East. Water pipes in these regions are used to smoke special kinds
of tobacco, like honey and apple tobacco. Smoking and sharing a water pipe amongst
friends can be seen as a sign of friendship and trust.
When smoking your favourite smoking blend with a water pipe you don't use tobacco.
Just the pure herb will do. By not using tobacco you will only get pure herbal
elements in your lungs creating a feeling that is more intensive and clear.
Tobacco has a contrary effect. A combination of these two makes you dull and
tired sooner. You need to smoke more to feel good. This is sheer an effect of
the addition of tobacco. The water in the pipe filter's a great deal of the
tar and other carcinogens from the herbs, making the smoke even more pure.
What's a
Bong?
A bong is a sealed chamber half-full with water. A pipe with a bowl on the end
goes into the chamber under water level. Another pipe with a mouthpiece on the
end enters the chamber and stays above water level. You put tobacco in the bowl,
light it and suck on the mouthpiece. This will lower the air pressure in the
chamber, causing air to travel from the bowl, through the water, into the chamber
and into your lungs. As the smoke enters the chamber through the water the smoke
cools down and a large part of carcinogens like tar are filtered by the water.
When you remove your thumb from the hole, the smoke shoots straight up into
your lungs, so beware!
It is thought that the bong is older then the original water pipe and is actually
the predecessor of its Ottoman family member. The theory states that thousands
of years ago Asian explorers took their smoking systems with them on their long
travels and left their bongs at Ottoman trading places.
When smoking your favourite smoking blend with a water pipe you shouldn't use
tobacco. This way you'll only get pure herbal ingredients in your lungs creating
a feeling that is intensive and clear. The water in the bong filters toxins
like tar from the herbs. A bong seems similar to a water pipe but the feeling
you get from it is different. With a water pipe one slowly draws the smoke through
a hose and water. Using a bong the smoke will pass the water very quickly and
shoots right up into your lungs. You'll feel it right away, where the effect
of a water pipe is more relaxed.
What's a
Smoking Pipe?
A large variety of pipes is widely available in shops or by mail order. When
using a pipe it's possible to smoke a combination with tobacco or to just smoke
your favorite smoking blend pure. Place a small amount on a wire mesh or screen
in the head of the pipe and light it whilst dragging on the other end.
Our modern smoking pipe is copied from traditional smoking pipes of Indian tribes.
They considered their pipe as a connection between heaven and earth. Pipes were
also used in Asia, Africa and India. The Aztecs used a hollow piece of reed
to smoke with. From the 15th century onwards, the pipe has flourished in Europe.
Nowadays, pipes are made of nearly all sorts of material like glass, stone,
metal, wood and bamboo. Each of these materials has it's own pro's and con's.
The consumer mostly chooses the model that they like best or which is easiest
to clean.
Using a water pipe or a bong ensures you that the feeling you'll get is very
pure as you don't need to use tobacco and the smoke is filtered by water. However,
you won't always have the time nor the place to use a bong or a water pipe.
Smoking Pipes are great for their ease of use and portability. Beware of the
fact that using extra tobacco will make you feel dull and tired sooner. Instead
of feeling more energy you'll feel tired. Some amongst us like this, but if
you don't: do not combine!
What's color
changing glass?
A glass product that needs extra attention is Color Changing Glass. The name
speaks for itself, by adding special supplements this glass gets the most beautiful
colors and besides changes color and can be made in very beautiful shapes, it
also has the quality of being very hard and only really breaks if one drops
it on a hard surface. Nowadays, other products besides the smoking pipe are
available. Many glass blowers make real works of art which are very expensive
to purchase. Because these objects are now looked upon as art, a collectors
market is starting to develop in which the design of certain artists can increase
in value.
Frequently Asked Questions about Color Changing Glass Pieces
Why is glass
better than other materials?
Glass doesn't burn, sweat, give a flavor, or impart any impurities into the
smoke. It can be cleaned completely. Glass is naturally attractive and alluring
to the eye, it is also more versatile in how it can be shaped and colored than
perhaps any other medium. The translucency of glass I believe has always appealed
to people in a kind of magical way. Especially so in pipes as it lets a smoker
see the smoke, and, more importantly, stale smoke, one can then blow the stale
smoke out of the pipe before taking a hit. Stale smoke tastes like raunch from
hell, and will make you gag and hack in the most unpleasant of ways. The vast
majority of smokers I know (well over 90% of them) would rather smoke out of
glass than any other kind of pipe.
How is glass
colored? How does it change colors?
Small pieces of metal (usually silver and/or gold) are held in the flame of
the torch until vaporized (often called 'fuming'). The glass is rotated in this
vapor stream until a fine layer of the vaporized metal is visible on the surface
of the glass. After this, clear glass is applied (often in 'dots' and 'lines')
to 'encase' the vaporized metal in between layers of glass. There are many techniques
and methods of applying the fumes and clear glass making a myriad of different
colors, and endless types of patterns that one can come up with. The colors
produced with fumed metals are best when they are translucent, vibrant, and
reflective. As the pipe darkens with use, the colors (many barely visible) become
darker and much more conspicuous, thus causing the appearance of 'color change'
(the glass doesn't really change colors though).
Should I
use a screen with my glass?
To screen, or not to screen... In a word: no. Most people who use glass pipes
these days have chosen to forgo the whole screen rigmarole. Although I have
heard rumors that screens have a toxic coating you should burn off, I haven't
validated that. For myself, I just find them too much of a hassle to mess
with as they get clogged so easily. I use to not be able to stand 'sucking
crap' down, burning bits in the back of my throat and all that, but, I have
since become adept at avoiding this by learning when to suck hard, and when
not to. Also if I do eat a bit of ash occasionally, I just swallow it. I discovered
that the distastefulness of this was largely psychological for me, and I've
even found that partially burned material doesn't taste that bad after all.
On the other hand, I hate trying to hit a bowl through anything clogged, especially
when you have to pull out most or all of the bowl just to get enough air flow
for decent combustion, and nothing is more aggravating than trying to dig
an air passageway through a bowl with a poker, and, not being successful,
having to pull most or all of the bowl out just to clean the screen (and of
course by the time you get the bowl loaded back up, you've somehow lost half
of it). Others will swear by screens, and seem to require them with the same
intensity that I require food and water. Screens may be best used if you only
have shake to smoke. But to each their own...
How do I
Fix my Broken Pipe?
The answer to this is that it depends.
It depends on whether you know someone locally with the skill and willingness
to fix it, and on how bad the break is. A clean break can often be easily repaired,
while obviously if it's smashed to smithereens, forget it. How bad is too bad?
Fixing broken glass really is almost an art in itself, that being said, if you
can conceive in any way that it might possibly be able to be fixed, it probably
could be. I have seen blowers work what I called 'miracles' with broken pieces
I would have just laughed at and chucked. It really depends on the blower, and
quite possibly what kind of mood he is in at the time ;-)
How are
the Pipes made Hollow?
These are often the thoughts of someone being exposed to 'hand blown' glass
pipes for the first time. For starters, the raw glass is available in both
rods and tubes of varying sizes. Pieces of this tubing are rotated in the
flame of a torch, and heated until the glass is pliable (think of a sugar-daddy
on a hot day, or honey at about room temp). Once the glass is in this semi-liquid
state, it can be manipulated with various tools, gravity, and by blowing into
the hot tube. Patterns are added by applying colored rod, and/or encasing
fumed on metals (mostly gold and silver) with layers of clear glass. I realize
this description raises many more questions than it answers, but the process
is really too involved for me to go into more detail here.
What is
a Glass Lathe?
A glass lathe is a machine that spins glass so that the worker doesn't have
to do it with her hands. This allows larger pieces to be worked much more easily.
There are other types of lathes, including ones for working metal and wood.
What is the difference between lathe & hand work?
Lathe work tends to be larger pieces that would be too cumbersome to do by
hand. There are also many techniques that can be performed by hand, but not
on the lathe. We even make some pieces partially on the lathe, and then take
them off the lathe for working by hand.
What exactly
is 'inside-out' work?
Most glass pipes have a color pattern of some kind on the outside surface of
the glass (which is often encased in one or more layers of externally added
glass). So called 'inside-out' work usually refers to glass that has the color
patterns on the inside surface of the glass. Putting the work on the inside
looks much more attractive and here's why: the entire color pattern is magnified
by the thick layer of glass between the outer surface of the glass and the pattern.
Also, as the inside work melts flush with the inner surface of the pipe, the
color patterns 'sink' into the glass causing beautiful 3 dimensional structures
to appear deep inside the glass - a look that's impossible to achieve with just
outside work. Working on the inside is much more difficult and time consuming
for the blower, making pieces done this way much more expensive than their outside
worked counterparts.
What is
a kiln, and why does glass need to be fired?
A kiln is a kind of high temperature oven most often used to fire harden ceramics.
In glass, it is used to remove the stress that occurs to pieces as they are
being made, and to prevent stress from occurring as the piece cools (this
process is known as 'annealing'). We have seen unfired pieces spontaneously
crack, and even explode for no apparent reason. Properly annealed pieces on
the other hand are surprisingly strong, and we have seen many of them bounce
off of concrete (4 ft drop) again and again, with no detectable damage (not
that you should try this with your glass, even fully annealed pieces can break
on the concrete).
What points
determine a pipes overall quality?
There are several main points to look for when determining the quality of glass:
1. No cracks! When buying a piece of glass, check it carefully for cracks.
Hold it up to the light, and rotate slowly while meticulously examining for
cracks. Any pipe that has a crack you can consider virtually worthless, as it
will almost surely break there at some point in the not-so-distant future.
2. Thickness consistency. While thicker glass is stronger, and generally
better, it is of more importance that glass be evenly thick (NOT overly thick
on one side, and thin on the other). To understand why this is so important,
you have to understand a little bit about how glass stresses as it cools. You
can imagine that glass, like other materials, expands whenheated, and contracts
when cooled. When two areas of the same piece of glass have different thicknesses,
a stress occurs between the areas, as they cool with different contraction rates.
(This is because the thicker part retains more heat, thus contracting at a slower
rate) This stress diminishes the structural strength of the glass causing it
to crack and break more easily upon impact. This stress can be seen using a
device called a polariscope. Firing a piece at 1040 degrees, and allowing it
to cool slowly and evenly in the kiln (known as 'annealing'), helps eliminate
this stress.
3. Structurally sound shape. Beware if your pipe is stretched out, blown
out too thin, or narrow in any one spot. Can you visualize where the pipe would
break if it fell on a hard surface (obvious weak spots)? As a general rule,
convex shapes are sounder than concave shapes. Round is strong. You can take
a perfectly round (Pyrex) glass marble, and repeatedly (and forcefully) bounce
it off the concrete with no detectable damage. This is because the round shape
of the marble is so structurally sound. If you took that marble, heated and
stretched it out to a thin rod, you would find that it no longer bounces, but
instead breaks. This is an exaggerated example, but it makes an important point:
shape matters. Does the pipe you're viewing look like it has an overall stout
shape, like it could withstand some impact, or does it have a more fragile appearance?
4. Flow. All the glass should 'flow' together, that is, you shouldn't
be able to detect any seams or texture on the pipe by running your fingers across
it, it should feel perfectly smooth everywhere.
5. Seals or 'welds'. If your pipe or bubbler is a 'two piece' (meaning
that two pieces have been fused together), examine where the pieces come together
(called a 'seal'). Seals are one of the more difficult operations facing a glassblower,
with much opportunity for error. Look closely at the seal, is it smooth? Do
you notice any thickness inconsistency or 'ripples' on the inside of the seal?
These are tell-tale signs of a poorly done seal. If the seal is done well, it
will not be easy to see where the two pieces actually come together, and you
will have to pay close attention to where the color pattern breaks in order
to see it.
6. Marbles, decorations. Any marbles or other added glass decorations
need to be fully melted in with the rest of the pipe. Look at the seams where
the marbles connect to the pipe. Are they consistent looking, or are there 'breaks'
in the continuity of the seam? The seams themselves should not be pronounced,
but instead should flow 'seamlessly' into the rest of the glass. The more of
a seam there is between the marble and the pipe, the more likely it is to break
off or cause a crack. Also, in general, a marbles widest point should be where
it connects to the pipe. Marbles that 'get wider as they go' (like an upside-down
pyramid or cone) tend to break off easily.
7. Aesthetics. Does the placement of the carb allow you to hold it comfortably
in your hand? Does it stand up stable without spilling a loaded bowl? Is the
carb large and placed well enough to allow the smoke to clear efficiently? How
big is the bowl hole? It should ideally be between 1.5 and 2.5 mm. Anything
smaller clogs too frequently, anything larger pulls the chunks into the pipe
before full combustion. If it's a bubbler, do you end up with stinky-water on
your carb finger?
These are just general guidelines that I recommend. If you see an artful piece
that seems to violate these principles, don't necessarily knock it. For instance,
marbles violate the principle of thickness consistency, as the glass gets
thicker where the marbles are, yet there are many marbles that are worth having
on a pipe because of the beauty they add. Almost all rules have an appropriate
time to be broken, so keep and open mind, using common sense and your best
judgment (all things considered) when making decisions.
What is
the difference between Blassblowing & Lampworking?
Originally glassblowing was done with small furnaces fired by wood, and the
glass was worked on the end of an iron tube called a 'blowpipe'. This method
of using blowpipe and furnace is traditionally called 'glassblowing', while
'lampworking' came later with the invention of various kinds of 'lamps' that
could melt the glass. They literally use to blow with their breath into the
flame of an oil lamp; that was their torch, or 'lamp'. More sophisticated means
of forcing air were eventually employed, and today (big jump there) lampworkers,
or benchworkers mostly use compressed propane and oxygen which produces a much
hotter flame than a simple gas-air torch. The old (ancient) style of glassblowing,
with the furnace and blowpipe is also still very much in use today.
What's a
Dug Out System?
A Dug Out System is a very small portable smoking instrument. It has the size
of a small flat lighter. This small container has a cavity at one end and a
mouthpiece at the other. You press the cavity into a small container of cleaned,
chopped herbs to fill it and then it is lit like a cigarette and inhaled steadily
until everything is smoked. You only get one inhalation per filling, therefore
this instrument is also called a one-hit. They are perfect for those who like
to smoke just a little at a time.
This American invention is perfect for those who want a few quick puffs. It's
fast and you don't need any tobacco. You can carry it with you all the time
and it gives you the opportunity to smoke without it being noticed. In critical
situations you can even pass it off as a cigarette holder!
What's Cast
Stone?
Cast stone is a material used to make smoking pipes. Because the material
is less hard then stone it is easily shaped in any desired shape. These pipes
are used similar as stone pipes only the shape is different: mainly fantasy
forms like birds, trees or dwarfs.
What's a
Vaporizer?
Vaporisers have a built-in heating element, which heats the your favourite
herbs to a sub-flammable temperature, thus activating and releasing all the
all active chemicals in the Herb of your choice. As you don't burn the plants
only the active/healing chemicals and the etherical oils vaporise. This way
you inhale all the good parts of the herb without the tar and carbon monoxide,
which are hazardous for lungs and health.
The first vaporiser was made in 1995. Soon it proved to be very suitable for
medical use. A lot of effort and research is done to develop a vaporiser that
doesn't burn the herbs and leave an odourless, green-brownish powder after
vaporising. The vaporisers of today offer a method to smoke in a healthy and
tastefully way.
The effect of vaporising is the purest feeling you can imagine. Compared to
water pipes the effect comes on gently but vaporising gives you a sensation
that is more intense and clear. Vaporising is done without tobacco. Using
tobacco makes you feel wasted and makes you tired sooner. Not using tobacco
makes the working of the Vaporizer more pure.
Technology
of Vaporization
Vaporization, or volatilization is a process which releases the essential,
active elements of a substance without burning it. Vaporization implements
a cutting-edge convection technology which releases just enough heat and air
to discharge these vital elements but not enough heat and air to actually
combust the material.
Advanced microchip technology ensures an exact temperature to overheating
or burning the plant substance. This eliminates many of the harmful byproducts
of combustion.
For example - tobacco. When tobacco is smoked, the plant itself is burned.
This burning creates carcinogenic and otherwise toxic substances such as tar
and carbon monoxide.
In contrast, when tobacco is vaporized it will release only its active element,
nicotine, in the form of an inhaleable aerosol.
Vaporization produces NO smoke, little or no tar or other toxic elements.
This is because, unlike combustion, vaporization does not induce substantial
denaturing of the substance. When a substance is "denatured", its
chemical make-up may change when catalyzed by, for example, flame. New compounds
are then created which were not inherent in the plant itself.
One of the greatest assets of vaporization technology is the very fact that
vaporization does not substantially alter the compounds being vaporized and
does not create any elements that were not originally present in the source
material.
Digital Vaporization on an individual level is on the verge of revolutionizing
the smoking cessation industry.
About Cigarette
Paper
A lot of smoking is done with different sorts of pipes but there is another
important smoking aid which can be used: cigarette paper. Smokers who prefer
a cigarette can create the exact cigarette they want with papers of all sizes
and textures. African, Indian, Spanish, Jamaican and American papers are just
the beginning.
Different cultures all around the world used rolled up dried leaves, mainly
palm leaves, corncob leaves or tobacco leaves to smoke with. This custom originated
not only from South and North America but also from Asia and Africa. Real
cigarette paper could only be used after the invention of paper in China,
2 BC. It is known that the Chinese, soon after the invention of paper, started
to use this paper to smoke herbs and tobacco with. From here the custom slowly
spread to Italy and Spain. In Europe, smoking with cigarette paper started
from the 16th century onwards.
A cigarette is usually made of special smoking blends combined with tobacco.
Because of the use of tobacco you'll feel more wasted. If you like a more
intensive and pure feeling, you should not use tobacco in your favourite smoking
blend.
Unhandy beginners or advanced smokers who are too busy to roll a decent cone
shaped cigarette can use the Futurola.This roller is easy to use. Simply fill
the roller with all the ingredients, rotate the roller and...Voila, there
you go! The Futurola comes in handy to roll your cigarette inside out as well.
You'll use less paper and because of that, your spliff will taste better.
