Long time reader, first time poster in toking tools, and unfortunately not because of a brand new piece. Not to bad vibe this post out or anything, because the chip that my bong sustained is purely cosmetic. I'm not really complaining, but here's what happened. I own a 24" Medicali beaker bottom bong w/ Rasta label. It's an incredibly basic tube, but still definitely a solid piece. Anyways, I was getting ready to rip my bong with some friends but when I pulled it out I realized there was stale bong water still in it from my last sesh (I formula 420 it regularly don't worry it's not that grimy). I had to pour it out because the water would definitely make the smoke taste bad. I removed the k-clip, and tried gently twisting the stem to loosen it and then pull it out. It wouldn't budge. I tried with a little more effort- still to no avail. I couldn't figure out why it was so darn hard to get out. I checked to see if resin had become wedged in the space and hardened- nothing. The connection was as clear as the day I bought it. I was very hesitant to put much force on it. I just couldn't bear to see my baby like that, you know? The downstem I am using is the basic Medicali stem- about a 1/2 inch clearance over the joint to the lip of the stem. I am using this out of necessity following an episode by manic depressive friend in which he broke my roor diffuser . Aside from all of that, I couldn't think of another way. I thought about using pliers to get some sort of leverage between the joint and the lip and kind of "open" the pliers to get the stem out, but I was afraid after the friction broke I'd lose control of the pliers and shatter something. I ended up pulling it out much harder than I ever would have liked to, and only recieving a minor cosmetic chip on the lip of the joint (no branching cracks, nothing). I even saved the stem. My worry is though that this could happen again. Has anyone else had this kind of experience? Is there anything I can do to avoid it or if not avoid then find a solution for it when it happens? PLEASE HELP I'M LIVING IN FEAR and I'm way high.
next time put some iso around the joint both on the outside and inside of the bong. itll slip right out
Any substitutes for iso? All I have is formula 420 currently and it has the salt in there and shit.. haha Also, I was thinking, do you think that chilling the glass could work? would that like make the molecules constrict enough to give me some wiggle room?
just always have some tissue on hand and make sure the female and male pieces are always very dry before you put them together. the joint locks because of water caught in there.
if you have a torch you chould flame the joint and evaporate the water. a bic might work. freezing would be recommended against because if there's water in there, it could freeze and expand, breaking your joint.