Base pipe: a glass pipe with a round chamber
This is one of the simplest designs around: a straight glass tube that widens into a round chamber at the end, with a small hole in the top of the bulb. The whole piece runs roughly 13 to 14 cm and is made of clear glass, with no colour or decoration. The glass is thick enough to take the heat of a lighter while staying light in the hand.
That shape makes the pipe versatile. Used with herbs, you pull the flame into the chamber through the hole and draw the smoke down the tube. Used with oils or extracts, you place a small amount in the bulb and heat the glass from underneath, so the vapour gathers in the chamber before you take it. For the second method a jet lighter with a focused flame works far better than an ordinary one.
Use and things to watch
Heat the glass calmly and in one spot at a time rather than in short fierce bursts across the whole bulb. Glass expands as it warms, and sudden temperature swings are the main reason pipes like this crack. For the same reason, never rinse a warm pipe under cold water. Let it cool down first. Keep your fingers clear of the bulb while you work, because the glass gets hot quickly at the heated spot.
Cleaning
Since the glass is transparent, you can see exactly when a clean is due. Residue dissolves in isopropyl alcohol with a pinch of coarse salt: shake it, let it sit, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. Let the pipe dry completely before you use it again. At Avalon Magic Plants the headshop also carries bamboo pipes, grinders, screens and cleaning brushes.
