How To Clean A Glass Pipe

It is important to keep your pipe clean if you want to keep it working its best and if you want to get the best smoke you can possibly get out of it. Also, if you want to keep your pipe in great shape for a long time, you need to clean it on a regular basis. The following items will be needed in order to clean your pipe:

• Ziploc bag (bigger than your pipe, obviously)
• Water
• Salt or Rock Salt (coarser grain)
• Alcohol
• Pipe cleaners
• Q-tips

1. The first thing that you are going to want to do is to fill up your Ziploc bag with alcohol. Once you have filled the Ziploc bag with the required amount of water, you then need to add some salt to the Ziploc bag. Once the alcohol and salt have been added to the bag, you need to shake the bag a small amount to make sure that the salt is mixed in with the alcohol.
2. Now you are going to want to pour a small amount of salt in the stem of your pipe. You must take care not to put too much salt into the pipe because you need to make sure that you are able to pour the rubbing alcohol into the pipe. You also then want to pour a small amount of salt into the bowl of the pipe as well.
3. Now you are going to want to put the pipe inside the bag of alcohol and salt that you have already combined together. Once the pipe is inside the bag, you need to close the Ziploc bag. Once you are sure the Ziploc bag is tightly closed, you need to shake the bag for approximately 30 to 45 seconds. The longer you shake, the cleaner it should be (within reason).
4. As a last step to clean your pipe, you are going to want to take the pipe out of the Ziploc bag and scrub the pipe with your pipe cleaners or Q-tips. You only need to do this is you see any type of residue on the pipe.

Once you have completed all of the above steps in order to clean the pipe, your pipe is now ready to be used again. It is always best to clean your pipe after every use to make sure that you are going to get the best smoke as possible out of your pipe.

Of course, it's not totally necessary. But bi-weekly or monthly cleanings will ensure that things don't get too stained that future cleanings become difficult.

Preventative Maintenance

If you want your pipe to last a long time, you are going to want to make sure to have preventative maintenance on the pipe. The best thing that you can do for your pipe is to keep it clean.

If you wait to clean your pipe until it is bad need of cleaning, it is going to be very hard to get it completely clean, if at all possible to clean. There are some cleaning products that you are going to be able to find to clean your pipes but as long as you clean your pipe after each use or before it gets heavily dirty, you are not even going to need these types of products.

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/how-to-clean-a-glass-pipe

Why Choose An Online Headshop

One of the main reasons you should choose an online headshop is because no matter how you look at it, online shops simply have the best selection to choose from. You are not going to find anywhere near the wide range of selection in any smoke shop that you visit as you will get from an online head shop like ThickAssGlass.com.

Besides the wide range selection of products, an online headshop is also going to offer much better prices than you will find any at smoke shop you go into. And especially at TAG, where American made glass rules the day, you can be guaranteed that you are getting solid, strong glass products.

Plain and simple, you get a large selection, better prices and quality products with an online headshop. Tough to hate on that.

Wide Selection

The absolute massive difference you get when you buy with an online headshop is the selection. You are not going to find a brick and mortar smoke shop that is going to offer you as much of a wide range of water pipes and accessories as an online headshop. Some of the types of products you are going to find from an online headship are:

• Scientific glass: TAG's selection is literally massive
• Heady glass: big variety of artists that you cannot find in smoke shops
• Acrylic smokeware: quality craftsmanship only
• Glass and Oil accessories: large selection to choose from
• Vaporizers: trusted brands only

Better Prices

You are going to find lower prices from an online headshop compared smoke shops but this does not mean that the products are cheaply made. And although many other online head shops do offer cheaply made, Chinese-manufactured products, that is definitely not Thick Ass Glass. Nope, this is high quality, US blown glass with the kind of craftsmanship you should expect.

Superior Customer Service

When you go with an online headshop, you are going to get superior customer service unlike you are going to find in many smoke stores. Online pipe manufacturers like TAG have representatives that know the products and will help you when you need it most.

Having a knowledgeable staff is critical to operating to an online headshop and that knowledge is going to pay off for you. Let's face it: many of your local retail shops are going to lack in quality staff, and that can often make for a big waste of time.

Many times, the staff at smoke shops is not going to be able to serve you best because they are just not very knowledgeable in everything that the shop can offer you. What's more, they may not often be able to answer even basic questions that you may have.

Finally, and it has to be said: nobody likes a pushy salesman. And if you've ever been to some smoke shops (although not all, of course), you know that sometimes the sales pitch can get a little, to incredibly aggressive. Like cell-phone plan salesman aggressive. It can make the whole experience a huge downer.

24/7 Shopping

There is nothing lamer than not being able to find a retail smoke shop open when you need one to be open. With an online headshop, you can shop whenever the time is best for you. You can order your products and the items will be shipped out to you, sometimes within the next day.

Quality Materials

When you go with an online headshop, you get the assurance that you are getting quality products, as you are not always going to find when you purchase items from your local smoke shops.

There are many brands that online head shops are going to stay away from because they only offer quality materials and products. You are also not going to find cheap plastic material in the products you find from a shop like ThickAssGlass.com.

If quality matters to you (and it should, because you're here!), you definitely are going to want to go with an online head shop and to not waste your time with a local smoke shop.

Get what you want! Not what a sales dude wants you to buy!

 

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/online-headshop

Choosing The Best Herb Grinder

A grinder in one of the best investments a smoker can make. Grinders are going to speed up and simplify the process of separating dry herbs. Grinders are also going to make it easier for you to conserve your herbs when they are finely ground up.

When you do all of this by hand, perhaps with the classic "small scissors and shot glass technique", pollen and other plant matter is going to stick to your fingers, which in turn will reduce potency.

When herbs are ground up, they can be packed tightly into a bowl. Using herbs this way, helps you to conserve your stash. 

Grinders do need a small amount of maintenance and cleaning in order to prevent them from getting clogged up. Depending on the quality, i.e. steel vs. aluminum vs. plastic, this cleaning can be quite simple.

Variety of Sizes

Grinders come in many different sizes ranging from 1.5” in diameter to 3” and above. In most cases, unless you're grinding a couple of pounds, the size of the grinder does not factor into the overall functionality.

The function of the grinder is going to depend on what amount of herbs you would like to grind up at one time. There are some grinders that are going to come equipped with features, such as vibration functions. Any features you find on grinders are there to improve your overall experience. They do, however, sometimes come with a price.

Choosing the Best Grinder

Smokers choose to buy grinders because of the many benefits they give them. Grinders are used strictly with dry herbs. Dry herbs must be separated to allow for better combustion and this is what a grinder is going to do for you. 

Many times, smokers will pick herbs apart instead of fully grinding them up. This, as mentioned, is not always a good idea. When you grind up the herbs, you can sprinkle the herbs into your bowl and it will give you the full potency that you are looking for.

The grinder also helps you to pack the herbs in tighter which will give you better control over how fast your bowl will burn. Thick Ass Glass has a solid grinder here:

https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/grinders

Styles

• The multi-piece grinder is the most common style that you are going to find. The multi-piece grinder has many different pieces that connect to one another in order to create a separate area for grinding and a separate area for storing the herbs you have ground up. Many people really like the multi-piece grinders because of the extra storage space that it gives them.
• The Tobacco Chopper grinders have an automated style of grinding. These grinders are going to grind herbs with the simple process of you pressing a button.
• Shredder card grinders are grinders that are similar to a cheese grater. These grinders are for people that are on the go and need a quick grind of their herbs.

Brands

You are going to find a wide variety of different brands of grinders. You will also find different brands with different quality of grinders. A popular feature to look for in different brands is ones that have extra storage spaces inside the grinders.

Pieces and Pollen Catchers

Some of your grinders that come with multiple pieces are going to have a separate chamber with a thin metal net that is going to catch only the tiniest of pollen.  This pollen is especially important to smokers because it is very potent. The multi-piece grinders are going to come with 2 to 5 pieces. The more pieces that the grinder has, the more flecks you are going to be able to cultivate. 

Many people will put a coin in the main storage section of a grinder in order to help to push pollen down into the catch area of the grinder. It's a little trick of the trade that you may want to consider.

 

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/best-herb-grinder

Ash Catchers FAQ: Keep Pipes Clean, Add Diffusion

What They Are

Ash catchers are portable attachments can be added to or removed from water pipes. The key focus of an ash catcher is to help you to keep your favorite water pipe clean by keeping herb ash and residue out of the main chamber. They can ensure that you're not continually cleaning your beautiful glass piece.

In many cases, they feature different kinds of percolators to help diffuse and filter your smoke before it hits the main chamber and percolator of your pipe.  The following three items will help you decide what kind of ash catcher to purchase.

• Joint size and angle
• Joint gender
• Type Of Perc

 

Joint Angles

Ash catchers come in four different standard glass joint angles:

• 45-degree ash catcher – 90 degree joint
• 45-degree ash catcher – 45-degree joint
• 90-degree ash catcher – 45-degree joint
• 90-degree ash catcher – 90-degree joint

 

Joint Sizes

While there are certainly custom sizes, your main ash catcher sizes are 10mm, 14mm and 18mm.

 

What Ash Catchers Are Used For

Ash catchers come in all shapes and sizes and feature all sorts of percolators. The core idea behind ash catchers is very simple. An ash catcher is going to act as a removable barrier and an extra layer of diffusion for your water pipe. Without the use of an ash catcher, the ashes would fall into your piece. With the use of an ash catcher, the ashes are going to fall into the ash catcher.

After you are finished smoking, you can simple remove the ash catcher from your pipe. Cleaning an ash catcher is quite easy, and can be done extremely quickly.

 

Talking Percolators

There are different percolators that are going to further diffuse your smoke, making each hit that you smoke much smoother. This is a serious advantage for people who use perc-less water pipes.

Ash catchers, with the use of adapters, may also provide a change in joint size or gender, can have the addition of a reclaimer for your concentrates and can act as a sidecar. In fact, with the proper adapter setup, it can drop down when using a nail as it makes sure your piece is not going to be exposed as much to the heat from your torch.

Before you pick out your ash catcher, it is super critical to consider the joint size of the piece you want to put it on. You should also consider the type of bowl or nail you plan to put on it. As for percolators and other add-ons, it is really up to you. You simply choose your favorite type of percolator, slap it on your piece and you are on your way to real enjoyment.

 

Cleanliness and The Negatives Of An Ash Catcher

An ash catcher can work wonders for your piece. Ash catchers are inexpensive and will deliver an extra level of filtration. They also help to keep bongs and pipes cleaner and easier to maintain.

If there is one single downside, it is that you should also remember that the percolator within the catcher will need to be cleaned as well. As a result, we would not recommend using a fritted disc ash catcher for smoking herbs. This form of perc can be very tough to clean.

This is why we always suggest people who purchase fritted disc water pipes also purchase an ash catcher.

A second, and decidedly smaller negative is that an ash catcher may cause additional drag, which basically means it can increase the amount of suction necessary to get your smoke from the bowl to the mouthpiece of your pipe. Fortunately for most people, the amount of drag most ash catchers add is practically negligible, and can't really be felt anyway.

 

Standard Clear Glass Ash Catcher with Honeycomb Percolator

If you are looking for a good ash catcher that is cheaper in price, you should go with the Standard Clear Glass Ash Catcher with Honeycomb Percolator like this one: https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/ash-catchers-1/products/interior-honeycomb-ashcatcher-18mm

This ash catcher doubles the filtering power of any water pipe. Water and smoke will pass through the disc before going through the regular water chamber. This is a pretty standard ash catcher, but also features a water recycler for concentrate users. It's a winner in anyone's book!

 

8 Arm Tree Ash Catcher

Another killer ash catcher is TAG's 8 arm tree ash catcher, as seen here. This is a very low priced catcher, and pretty fantastic when added to any pipe. The diffusion is remarkable, and makes a huge difference.

 

An Excellent Investment

Ash catchers are a worthwhile investment for anyone who enjoys smoking no matter if you smoke everyday or just on special occasions. If you own a nice glass water pipe, consider it an investment. People who know smoking know that they should never go without a decent ash catcher.

There is nothing out there that will lessen your pipe maintenance more than an Ash Catcher. If you don't have one, get one today!

 

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/ash-catchers-faq-keep-pipes-clean-add-diffusion

What Do Water Pipe Percolators Do?

If you're looking into a waterpipe that goes beyond the simple straight-tube or beaker style, you are probably looking at water pipe percolators. Water pipe percolators, according to wikipedia, are an "additional sub chamber within the shaft of a water pipe that provides in-line smoke interaction via heat exchange and dissolution". These are the two key reasons why percolators are so valuable to the water pipe user.

Heat Exchange (Cooling)

To explain, the heat exchange mentioned above comes when the smoke touches that naturally cool water within the water pipe. Smoke is naturally pretty hot, and because of the denseness of the water, it cools extremely quickly.

Meanwhile, "dissolution" is essentially a fancy way of saying that it "breaks the smoke into smaller pieces", allowing water to filter and cool the surface area of that smoke.

A good way of looking at the cooling factors with dissolution might be with ice cubes in a drink. Consider a glass with two large ice cubes: the liquid inside will cool, albeit not very quickly. Crush that ice into many tiny pieces, however, and your liquid will cool much faster.

The key idea in the example above is that by crushing the ice, you just increased its surface area. A good percolator, such as a honeycomb, or even the far more advanced fritted disc, increases the amount of smoke surface area (not by crushing it, but by splitting it up quite a bit), allowing more of it to come in contact with water.

A good percolator also helps to contain the smoke, making it cooler and more even.

Water: The Perfect Smoke Filter

Water is the perfect filter for smoke because much of the "bad components" of smoke are water-soluble. This means that they will typically be absorbed by the water in a pipe.

The "good components" of your smoke, on the other hand, are non-water soluble. So a percolator is an excellent way of getting rid of a lot of the bad of smoking (cough cough), while retaining all of the fun parts.

Talking Drag

One of the minor downsides of percolators is that they can cause drag. This means that the smoke is not as free to move, and may require extra suction in order to continue moving through the smoking device.

So, as an example, a fritted disc, because it has far more holes than a honeycomb, may have more drag. A honeycomb, meanwhile, has more drag than a simple, perc-less pipe, as well.

It is important to note, however, that modern perc designs tend to offer some drag, but it does generally tend to be minor, and in some cases practically non-existent.

If you're interested in a water pipe or oil rig with solid percolation, well, you've come to the right place. Thickassglass.com has always been on the leading edge of percolation technologies, as seen in our collections which include:

Fritted discs: This type of perc bounds thousands of tiny glass fragments together leaving tiny holes in between each fragment. The amount of diffusion on a fritted disc, therefore, is pretty much unbeatable. The smoothness a fritted disc delivers is simply unparalleled.

https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/fritted-discs

Honeycomb: These diffusers are basically a disc with as many as 100 or more holes. Once bubbles are created in the water, the bubbles are forced through the Honeycomb, which then reduces the size of the bubbles, and increases the amount of interaction between smoke and water. These are a solid choice, and are extremely popular.

https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/honeycomb-discs

Showerhead: These percs feature slits or holes in order to increase diffusion and filtration. They offer lesser diffusion, but are still quite effective.

https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/showerhead-percs

Tree: Tree percs offer a great level of diffusion, depending on the number of "arms" they feature. Each of the arms of a tree perc will usually have slits in the side and either a closed or an open bottom. The smaller the slits, the more the diffusion and filtration. The more arms, obviously, the more slits and the more total diffusion.

https://www.thickassglass.com/collections/tree-percs

So is a percolator water pipe for you? Well, if you love the harshness of smoking and that burning feeling at the back of your throat after a huge hit, then, er, no.

On the other hand, if you love smooth, cool smoke every time you use your water pipe, then, yes. You're gonna love your percolator. So will your lungs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/what-do-water-pipe-percolators-do

TAG Blog First Post

Just wanted to pop by and let everyone know that the official Thickassglass.com blog is coming here, so bookmark us now. Over the next weeks and months, we will be writing about water pipes, bubblers, oil rigs and more, along with a variety of information on TAG products in general.

We aim to provide the best smoking related information out there, so stay tuned. We'll be talking everything from grinders to percolators, ashcatchers to recyclers and so much more.

Don't miss out!

source https://www.thickassglass.com/blogs/enlightenment/tag-blog-first-post

Welcome

This, of course, is the new Thickassglass.com Blogspot blog. We're happy to be here, and hope that you enjoy our content. This is our first venture on Blogspot, and we hope to provide the kind of information our readers can truly benefit from.

Feel free to check out our main website at http://www.thickassglass.com/ and thanks for showing up. Believe us when we say there is much more to come in the weeks to come!