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Why Do I Keep Burning Shish


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On my small egyptian, I keep burning the hell out of my Nak and Afzal.

Double layer lightweight foil. 1 1/2 Soex ql's I burn it to hell. 1 1/4 not enough smoke(heat?)
I make sure the baccy doesn't touch the foil.

What else can I try?
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 15 2009, 10:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
On my small egyptian, I keep burning the hell out of my Nak and Afzal.

Double layer lightweight foil. 1 1/2 Soex ql's I burn it to hell. 1 1/4 not enough smoke(heat?)
I make sure the baccy doesn't touch the foil.

What else can I try?


This indicates somethings wrong with your packing technique, it doesnt matter if the tobacco touches the foil, especially not nakhla.
Pack nakhla pretty tight, not tangiers-tight but not far from, alot of big holes, all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, works great for me!
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 15 2009, 09:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
On my small egyptian, I keep burning the hell out of my Nak and Afzal.

Double layer lightweight foil. 1 1/2 Soex ql's I burn it to hell. 1 1/4 not enough smoke(heat?)
I make sure the baccy doesn't touch the foil.

What else can I try?


It doesn't matter if the baccy touches the foil, since your bowl is a small i suggest packing to the brim, and as for coals, split into three half peices and place them on the outer edges for an even heat distribution. What kind of holes do you poke ie size, number?

EDIT: beat me to it!! Edited by the_cool
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1 Get better quicklites.

2 Use one layer of foil with less coal and a wind cover. The second the baccy gets a little toasty take off the wind cover. Place the coals on the outer edge of the bowl as well.

If you dont have a wind cover, make one either by cutting both ends off of a metal coffee tin or wrap extra foil over the top of the bowl. so it sits about 3in over the bowl and goes all the way around. then lay a small piece over this ring and zing! you got a wind cover and protection from the coals going every where if the hookah tips.

-Mike
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Wanted to add more info but you guys are too fast. I've tried packing it tight and sprinkling, same result. 80% of the time i sprinkle though. 3 half coals on the edge works okay for about 10 minutes, then the smoke gets thin and harsh. Not much space for heat management. Maybe a bigger egyptian would help? Holes, ive tried all kinds
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here is how i pack nakhla:

Sprinkle the tobacco into the bowl

Dont stop until the tobacco is about a 0.5cm above the rim of the bowl.

Place foil on the bowl

poke tooth pick sized holes. Start from the center and make circles around the center hole.

If possible get some 3kings quick lights and use 1 to 1.5 coals on the bowl
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Soex quicklites actually quite good for the money... They also don't put out that much heat (i use them for tangiers)

Anyways your problem has to be in your packing... is the tobacco super dry?

If you ask nice I can make a Nak packing video to try to help you out... Just PM me...
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Im not sure if you have confused tight and to the brim. Don't pack it tightly (unless a phunnel) as you will stop air flow, just sprinkle the tobacco to the top. I am assuming the QL's you are using arent too great so im guessin after 10 mins they are spent, so consider adding another half. But more so you should invest in some better coal.
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 15 2009, 01:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
On my small egyptian, I keep burning the hell out of my Nak and Afzal.

Double layer lightweight foil. 1 1/2 Soex ql's I burn it to hell. 1 1/4 not enough smoke(heat?)
I make sure the baccy doesn't touch the foil.

What else can I try?

You're probably just using too much coal. When I smoke Nakhla, I don't smoke it for the clouds, and I won't try to force them by adding more heat. At what point in the session does it start to burn? If it's right off the start I would think you are using too much coal. You might want to try one coal and a windcover. If it starts getting harsh about 10-20 minutes into it, make sure you are ashing the coals and moving them around the bowl every so often so the one area directly under the coal doesn't get burned.

Other than that, make sure you mix up the baccy well before you pack it so the juices are distributed evenly.
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try 3 quarters of the quicklites...add another quarter if needed....

i also, think its something to do with your packing...on my small phunnel, with densely packed nakhla...i'm slam that thing with 4 CH QLs and i get a decent smooth smoke...
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Im also starting to suspect my packing. With my phunnel i get away with 2 40mm coals and no burning. I dunno whats up. With 1 1/2 coals it starts burning 10 minutes in. Any less coals and it doesnt burn at all, but im getting very very thin clouds. My nak is pretty freakin wet
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 16 2009, 03:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Im also starting to suspect my packing. With my phunnel i get away with 2 40mm coals and no burning. I dunno whats up. With 1 1/2 coals it starts burning 10 minutes in. Any less coals and it doesnt burn at all, but im getting very very thin clouds. My nak is pretty freakin wet


nak does take a while to start up...when you use less coals, how long are you giving it to start? if it doesn't get going in 10 minutes, then add another quarter....

or, add 3 quarters and put on a windcover...as soon as 1 pull becomes somewhat smokey flavored...take the windcover off, wait a bit and take a pull...hopefully, but then...the bowl has heated a bit and the smoke should be coming nicely...
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QUOTE (mattarios2 @ Jun 15 2009, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (dizzbizz @ Jun 15 2009, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
when you make holes for your foil put a lot of small holes not big ones. I used to put big ones and the shisha burned really fast and horribly


not always true ... it completely depends on the shisha.

True however it is a big factor. My SB burns despite the small holes, its just heat management.
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I think we're getting there. I had the bowl lasting for at least 30 minutes before the coals died. 3 x 1/4 coals. Packed over the brim and pushed down ever so slightly. Lots of tiny holes and a windcover. Problem now is i couldnt get any flavour from my nak banana. I could smell the flavour when sniffing the hookah, but the smoke tasted like nothing. I had a little flavour when the coals were almost entirely dead, but the smoke was thin as hell
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 17 2009, 04:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think we're getting there. I had the bowl lasting for at least 30 minutes before the coals died. 3 x 1/4 coals. Packed over the brim and pushed down ever so slightly. Lots of tiny holes and a windcover. Problem now is i couldnt get any flavour from my nak banana. I could smell the flavour when sniffing the hookah, but the smoke tasted like nothing. I had a little flavour when the coals were almost entirely dead, but the smoke was thin as hell



its probably your heat management now...sorry man, but it's one of those things where you're just gonna have to keep practicing...

seriously, though...if you can find someone who knows hookah....have them teach you.
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QUOTE (scratchy @ Jun 17 2009, 05:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm pretty sure its not my heat management. Im very careful with my bowls and can make my small phunnel go for ages. The egyptian i either burn or dont get flavour though


you may have your heat management down for your phunnel, but it doesn't seem like you got it down for your egyptian...

i was the same way. when i packed my first bowl, it was with a mnh glass mini and got my heat mgmt down for that bowl. the first time i used a phunnel, i knew it didn't work the same way. and finally, the last bowl i learned on was an egyptian...yep, i know weird. actually, i haven't gotten my egyptian technique down perfect yet...still practicing though....

but, i found that all three require slighty different heat mgmt techniques. Edited by arcane
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Makes sence. What i dont get is that it smokes good until the coals start dying, minimal harshnes as well. I move the coals 1/4 inch every 5 minutes and ash them when needed. Just no flavour. Maybe my banana was a bad batch?
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