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What Side Of The Foil Do You Use?


What side of the foil do you use?  

44 members have voted

  1. 1. What side of the Foil do you use?

    • Shinny side up?
    • Shinny side down?
    • Doesn't matter?


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So i postedf or a new guy that, the side of the foil that he uses might be his problem with smoke flavour because it has happend to me and i just put new foil on the other side and was perfect. so heres the poll.
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Straight from Reynolds:
It makes no difference which side of the aluminum foil you use—both sides do the same fine job of cooking, freezing and storing food. The difference in appearance between dull and shiny is due to the foil manufacturing process. In the final rolling step, two layers of foil are passed through the rolling mill at the same time. The side coming in contact with the mill's highly polished steel rollers becomes shiny. The other side, not coming in contact with the heavy rollers, comes out with a dull or matte finish.
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I've always been told shiny side down, with no real explanation as to why. It works fine though, so that's what I do. I highly doubt there would be much of a difference though!
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this is literally one of the most common threads on here. here are some posts I've made on this subject...
[quote name='fineout' timestamp='1271859417' post='464595']
no because heat from a hookah is conductive heat transfer and the reflective properties have nothing to do with convection, only the thermal resistance and thickness have any effect on it.

Q=kA(dx/dT) where q is the heat transfer k is the thermal conductivity dx is the thickness and dT is the change in temperature

[quote name='fineout' date='27 October 2008 - 03:07 AM' timestamp='1225069630' post='305874']
ok just got the definitive answer from my Manufacturing Processes book.
"Aluminum Foil for example, is pack rolled in two layers, so only the top and bottom outer layers have been in contact with the rolls. Note that, one side of the aluminum foil is matte, while the other side is shiny. The foil to foil side has a matte and satiny finish, but the foil to roll side is shiny and bright because it has been in contact under high contact stresses with the polished rolls during rolling."-pg 355 Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, 5th edition. Serope Kalpajian and Steven R schmid.
[/quote]
[/quote] Edited by fineout
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[quote name='gramps' timestamp='1328140857' post='537488']
Straight from Reynolds:
It makes no difference which side of the aluminum foil you use—both sides do the same fine job of cooking, freezing and storing food. The difference in appearance between dull and shiny is due to the foil manufacturing process. In the final rolling step, two layers of foil are passed through the rolling mill at the same time. The side coming in contact with the mill's highly polished steel rollers becomes shiny. The other side, not coming in contact with the heavy rollers, comes out with a dull or matte finish.
[/quote]

This. +1.

That said, I do shiny-side down just for the hell of it I guess.
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Never noticed a difference. However, after being told for ages to do shiny side down, it's now habit. I don't make any effort to use a certain side, but probably 4/5 of my bowls are shiny side down out of reflex.
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It really doens't matter what side you use ~ both sides work absolutely the same regardless (its tin foil not magic). Therere could be other issues that might be going on - bowl packing, heat, everything properly placed on and etc.
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[quote name='Satou' timestamp='1328152782' post='537528']
It really doens't matter what side you use ~ both sides work absolutely the same regardless [u][b](its tin foil not magic)[/b][/u]. Therere could be other issues that might be going on - bowl packing, heat, everything properly placed on and etc.
[/quote]

Couldn't have said it better myself.
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Shiny side down but only because I've always done it that way simply for aesthetics. There are not heat conductivity properties that vary depending on which side I facing down. It's heat, not light.
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Down, because thats just how the ritual goes for me.
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I prefer, when using hookah foils, to put it shiny side down. It reflects more heat downward and helps heat the tobacco a little bit more evenly. Although moving the coals (around the outside perimeter and then to the center towards the end) is still necessary!
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How does a shiny surface matter? The heat the coal emits isnt transfered via light but through the contact between coal and foil. The only way that argument made sense would be if you were heating the bowl with lazors or something, otherwise the difference is at most like a couple %, maybe not even that. I think its just personal preference and what youre used to doing... it shouldnt make any actual difference tho
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