Custom Made Industrial Hookah

Since their invention in the 1500s, Hookahs have always been a way for craftsmen to show off skills by creating ornate, elaborate, and functional pieces of art. This still holds true today, as easily seen above. Found on the Hookah subreddit, this pipe was pieced together by recycling an old vodka bottle, as well decorating and re-purposing a number of plumbing items. Some finishing touches such as LEDs and gears to the base, as well as a set of turn-valves to the hose plugs give this hookah a very distinctive look.

As always, we at Hackaday do not recommend or promote smoking, no matter what goes into the bowl of the hookah. However, whether you smoke or not, the final product is worth appreciating. Be sure to check out the higher resolution pictures after the break.

44 thoughts on “Custom Made Industrial Hookah

  1. You might want to check in to what the gland seals on those valves are packed with, they can react chemically to different substances. So while they may be safe for tap water which is particularly stable, that may not be the case for hookah smoke.

    Its pretty though.

  2. @Pete:
    Trolololol
    The construx tire has no hard edges, but the gear on the hookah actually does. (Read: the thread of the construx tire is rounded but the “thread” of the gear is flat)

  3. I think HnD should consider pre-employment drug screening as this type of stuff is becoming the norm. I can find this on high times if I was interested in smoking my brain away thanks.

  4. I’m with Ajoakim on this one-hookah are traditionally used for tobacco. You go to the middle east, and you’ll see hookah pipes set up in all kinds of establishments, it’s the norm there. It’s just part of the culture.

    I myself am an AVID hookah user, and appreciate the look of this one. Granted, I’m more a fan of the traditional Egyptian styled, but that’s just me.

    I would like to know where the purge is…?

  5. i would have added a chiller, defuser and ash ketcher but it is a real peace of art

    @Chewy1993i started smoking when i was 12 and i never hacked while smoking XD

    i now switched to electronic cigges :3 …. no tar, no smoke just flavor, water and nicotine :3

  6. @xhewy1993 but this is semanticbitching.com then you think?
    And you are not even right, this was made from old vodka bottles and has LED and what not, it’s a hacked together waterpipe.

  7. Of course is has to do with hacking. Once you’ve got a hookah, you can hack it into something else, like an electrolysis chamber or something! Not sure if wood gas would be a possibility, but if it is, the pyrolysis and smoke would help keep with the original aesthetic, if not it’s purpose. I guess an electrolysis system could be used to make an oxygen bar, though?

    Kind of disappointing that the link only goes to a pair of images, though. It’d be nice to at least have some pictures of the assembly process. Where did you get the third one for the title picture?

  8. I would suggest to anyone making any smoking apparatus to avoid using copper, PVC, lead (lead based solder) or pewter, silicone, galvanized steel or pressure treated wood. Each of these releases toxic chemicals when encountering heat.

  9. I have to say, I like the concept of this idea. The metal and glass combination is well thought out. The only thing I’m disappointed in is the execution of the idea. The workmanship is shoddy at best, the large resolution pictures prove that. I don’t know whether it’s welding or glue that holds the base on the bottom, but it looks messy either way. I would say this is better as a first run prototype example of what’s possible.

  10. What a bummer. It’s one thing if this was built from precision CNC milled parts and was the result of some intricate design process. This is a guy who bought some pipe fittings at Home Depot, slapped them together, and spray painted it gold. Oh I’m sorry, there’s also some crap glued to it.

  11. “I would suggest to anyone making any smoking apparatus to avoid using copper, PVC, lead (lead based solder) or pewter, silicone, galvanized steel or pressure treated wood. Each of these releases toxic chemicals when encountering heat.”

    I don’t agree with all of this statement. PVC, when burned releases chlorine gas. pressure treated wood, galvanized steel and lead are also no good. But copper or brass (assuming it is truly lead free – not the 0.5% which is called
    lead free”) and silicone (which can take 400 degrees F all day long without problems) don’t give off toxic chemicals.

    Now, cheap silicone caulk or peroxide cured silicone can give off nasty stuff when BURNED at 900F+ but platinum cured silicone can take 400 – 600F all day long without releasing anything.

    Pure pewter will melt. Many pewter alloys contain lead or antimony though – so you have to watch out for that.

  12. @CutThroughStuffGuy
    you dont use the PVC as the bowl you use PVC as the tube
    i find glass to be the best for bowls and a glass bowl can be made with a torch and a light bulb
    punch out the bottom pull the filament out … remove the white powder with salt (fill 1/4th salt and shake) than heat up the top of the bulb until glowing red than push it inward until its concave (or suck on the other end if you can take the heat) than reheat and puke a small hole in it with a small eyeglass screwdriver
    you can get fancy with a screw base on the bowl

    another common method is take a short 1/4th inch copper tube and stick a bolt driver head on it than push in a standard pipe screen

    personally i find smoking threw copper painful as it leaves a copper taste

  13. Our culture does not embrace smoking in any other form than the cigarette. the hookah is immediatly associated with illigal marajuana use and/ or Arab cultures, be it in a peacefull or hatefull way.

    i too agree that this is not quite Hackaday material. Perhaps Craftaday.

  14. CutThroughStuffGuy: Copper forms cupric oxide on its surface when exposed to moisture and/or heat. It’s a toxic dust that will cause severe lung problems. Brass should be fine though.

    Silicone may or may not be a wise choice, there are a number of different formulations. Some are designed to take upwards of 600 degrees, but others will give off gasses at 200. I like to remind people that your lighter gets over 2500 degrees.

    PS: PVC releases a lot more than just chlorine gas, but all sorts of stuff including DEHP, BPA, Hydrocloric acid, etc. It doesn’t even need to get very hot to offgas, so people who claim it’s fine so long as it’s not near the bowl are dangerously ignorant.

  15. Brass contains copper though. And almost always some lead. In general, I would suggest avoiding copper too.

    Addition cured (platinum) cured silicone is fine up to about 700F or so for a while – 900F for short bursts. Any other kind, like single cure caulk (moisture cure) or peroxide (tin) cured silicone would not be fine. Silicone will eventually break down and burn above 900F (or lower if it has a ton of fillers in it).

    Stay the hell away from PVC at any elevated temperature. You are right it gives off all kinds of nasty stuff. I don’t cut it on my laser cutter for this very reason. BPA in PVC though? I thought the decomposition products of hard unplasticized PVC did not include BPA – but epoxy or polycarbonate would. Same for DEHP and other phthalates – how often are those added to rigid PVC? PVC releases hydrochloric acid when burned as well. Nasty stuff.

    Glass works very well as a material to be heated. Prone to stress fracturing due to thermal gradients though but other than that it is fairly inert.

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