Hookah Hacks: From Homemade Hookah Bowls to Diffusers
We're back with our second installment in the Hookah Hacks series. Last time out we gave you 6 great tips and tricks to improve the quality of your hookah sessions or save a session when it seemed destined for disaster. In this installment we've got 6 more hacks that can improve your next session or, at the very least, make a hookah session possible when all hope seems lost. Enjoy!
Replace a Broken Hookah Bowl with a Fruit BowlYou can't smoke a hookah without a hookah bowl, but if your go-to bowl is broken you can hack together an awesome substitute bowl from a piece of fruit! Lots of different fruits will work as a bowl, but in our experience you will get the best results with a firm fleshed fruit like an apple or pear, or a fruit with a thick outer skin/rind like an orange. If you want to go really big with it, try a small melon, or pineapple. Check out our 7 step guide (with pictures) to learn how to make a perfect fruit bowl each and every time. |
Replace a Broken Hookah Base with a Fruit BaseMuch like our last tip, this one allows you to smoke a hookah without a traditional glass base by using a piece of fruit instead. For this job you want something that is large and sturdy. In our experiences your best bets are a pineapple, pumpkin, or large melon like a watermelon or cantaloupe. It's a fairly simple process. Level off the bottom of the fruit (making sure to not puncture the flesh too much, so that your fruit base is stable and won't tip over. Next you want to cut the top off of your fruit/gourd. Once the top is off, hollow out the inside of the fruit, making sure that you do not puncture the outer skin of the base. Finally, cut a small hole in the top which you can insert your hookah stem into. Add the right amount of water (or fruit juice) to your base, then place the stem/top back on and get to smoking! If you are having trouble getting a good seal, try using damp paper towels to create a seal. Check out our watermelon hookah tutorial for a demonstration of this technique. |
How To Find The Leak In Your Leaky Hookah Hose
If you have ever tried to find and fix the leak in a tire before, this tip might be familiar to you. To identify a leak in your hookah hose (this hack is for washable hoses only) add a bit of dish soap to a bucket or tray of water and then submerge your hose in the water, making sure that the hose gets covered in a thin layer of the soap. After that, place your thumb over one end of the hose and gently blow into the other. You should see little soap bubbles form where your leak is. Mark those locations, then after you have washed the soap off of your hose and let it dry, fix those leaks with a bit of electrical tape. It may look a bit janky, but it should allow you to get a few more smokes out of it before you need to buy a new hookah hose.
How To Make A Soda Straw Hookah DiffuserThis DIY hookah hack is very simple and is something that you can easily experiment with at home to find what works best for you. A hookah diffuser helps break your big smoke bubbles down into lots of tiny bubbles when the smoke travels through the water in the base of your hookah. To make your own DIY diffuser, simply grab a few straws (we recommend experimenting with different sizes) and stick them into the bottom opening of your hookah's downstem. Depending on the size/type of hookah you are using, you may need as few as two straws or as many as ten or more. Once they are firmly in place, cut the straws so that they extend out of your downstem by a half inch or so. Once in place, smoke your hookah like normal. You will likely experience a slightly more restricted draw (which is normal with any diffuser) but you should get diffused smoke in no time. |
How To Fix Those Sticky Purge Valve Bearings
If the purge valve on your hookah isn't working properly, the bearing inside is probably stuck. This happens over time due to the buildup of residue and/or interaction with water in the purge valve. To avoid this, we recommend coating your metal bearings in a very small amount of oil after every couple of sessions. This will lubricate the bearing and reduce or eliminate the sticking that can occur over time. Another great option is to replace the metal bearings with a plastic airsoft style BB. If you use a plastic BB and the oil trick, you will almost never have to deal with a sticky bearing again.
How To Turn An Egyptian Bowl Into A Phunnel Style BowlThis is a hookah hack we saw recently on reddit. We liked it so much, we thought we'd share it with all of you. For this hack, you will need some foil and a bowl or hose grommet (depends on the size/depth of your bowl). It works great with a fruit bowl as well. First things first, place a bowl/hose grommet in the center of your empty bowl. Next, get a large sheet of foil and cover the bowl and grommet. Press the foil down into the bowl, you are essentially making a mold of the bowl and grommet. The grommet will be removed when you smoke, but it will help you form that phunnel style spire. Once the mold is done, gently remove it from your bowl, remove the grommet, and poke a large hole in the top of the spire. Re-insert your foil into the bowl and then load your shisha as normal. Now wrap your bowl in foil as you normally would, poke your holes, add your coals, and enjoy a phunnel bowl-like smoking experience! |
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