What do you prefer?

Copper as when I tried stainless steel it gave a metallic taste. Copper also doesn't oxidize... Copper chore boy scrubbers are available at ebay.

Or walgreens/dollar stores in the U.S, but I'm assuming you're elsewhere tele

Thanks a lot. Ill have to go pick up a copper scrubber now, the only reason i picked stainless is because it has a finer consistency.

Yeah, forgot to mention "at ebay if you can't get them locally"...

got a copper one (ribbon shaped!) a while back but when it's burned under a torch lighter a thin layer forms on the surface and it becomes VERY flimsy and shitty!!! is there only a special brand to buy?

http://www.jce.divched.o.../MAIN/REDOXCU/PAGE1.HTM

so many people say to use copper, although i have always found copper to oxidize rapidly. look at pennies, old water pipes, statue of liberty, etc.

we were always told not to smoke out of copper pipes. im just not sure the real health risk (if any)

Just make sure to smoke with hydrogen and i guess you will be fine


Well, stainless steel will not oxidize.

Though I respect you and your views very much here Tele, I have to politely disagree with you. Copper will deffinetly oxidize. Just take a penny for instance. If left long enough in humid enough air it will turn green from oxidation. The caps on the roof of the parliament buildings where I live are the same. They buff them up shiny once every year or two and within a couple months they are bright green with oxidization again. I can only imagine that if left alone without being used, a copper screen on a pipe would be no different.

C_S

[/quote]Well, stainless steel will not oxidize.[/quote]

Depends on how much Chromium content is in the steel and how hot you get it. You can make stainless oxidize if you get it hot enough.

I took that oxidation part from "Won't rust of splinter" text written on the chore boy copper scrubber package. Are they wrong then?

The stainless steel used in pot scrubbers is of a very low grade, and it will oxidize when exposed to the direct heat of a torch lighter, releasing potentially toxic metal particles, including chromium.

Copper is much safer. When exposed to extreme heat, it will also oxidize. This is why it should always be heated gently. Under normal conditions of use in a GVG, little to no oxidation will take place. My copper disc remains bright and shiny after multiple uses.

true, mine is also still bright and shiny and since I started using it I never had to replace it for a new one. So I guess those two boxes of chore boy I have will last for eternity

Gotta love it!

for some reason I thought that heating it with a torch lighter after an iso bath would burn any chemical left... but I guess it has to be heated gently then.

ISO or acetone bath will remove any residue chemicals, no need to heat it.

right, thanks tele :-)

.....so like stated above, use little heat as possible.

melting point chromium ---(wiki)-- 2180 K, 1907 °C, 3465 °F --boiling point higher




chromium oxide is apparently what gives stainless steel its properties (ability to resist corrosion). when it is shaved down thin, however these properties may change.....?

im still not convinced either way.

Its like steel last forever. I think its doesn't burn as clean. As if its not such a good conductor, ya know? With copper i can hear it crackle and it almost burns instantly. Its easier to dose but the steel pipe, the steel machine pipe, that lasts days and days, Its a magic purse. And I always wanted one of those. Ive seen smoke rise after multiple hits but the copper is perhaps a more costly fare and steeper. I dont know. No real conclusions here. I guess I like to save time loading and just each time I breathe know that there's a little cloud of smoke in there. Somehow. Gets dirtier though, chases the glass more. Runs from the flame a little. I dont mind that, personally.