What’s the Story Behind Color Changing Glass Pipes in Scottsdale, AZ?

You’re at your local smoke shop when something catches your eye: it’s a glass pipe that changes color. It’s a pretty piece, and you’re fascinated, but there’s a lot you probably don’t know about it. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s an explanation of how color changing glass pipes in Scottsdale, AZ work and why they change color.

A brief history

Color changing glass pipes (also called chameleon glass) are not all that difficult to find these days. However, this wasn’t a common thing until the 1980s. Back then, glassblowing artisan Bob Snodgrass stumbled upon the discovery that coating a glass pipe with gold or silver fumes caused the pipe material to change color. This led to a major move by the glassblowing industry.

What makes the color

Silver, gold or a silver and gold combo is what makes the color in a color changing pipe:

• Silver: A glass pipe fumed with silver gives you blue and purple hues. This type of art must be done properly to get the perfect amount of silver fuming to create the sought-after color change. A pipe that’s too heavy on the silver fuming will not change color—instead, it’ll be a milky white.
• Gold: A glass pipe fumed with gold gives you pinks and oranges. A lighter fume gives you a lighter pink, while a heavier fume produces a more orange color. On the other hand, if fumes are extra heavy, the glass will turn to gold (the glass must be fumed with silver first to get the gold color).
• Silver and gold: A glass pipe fumed with the right combination of both silver and gold changes to an amazing green color.

How this pipe works

First, a metal alloy is vaporized to create a fume, at which point the glass pipe is rotated until a layer of the vaporized metal becomes visible on its surface. Another layer of glass is then added to encase the metal between the two layers. The metal alloy inside of the glass contains lightly colored ions that make the pipe appear to change color. After some time, resin builds up behind the thin layer of ions that creates a dark background. This is what makes the ions’ colors much more visible.

Clean your pipe and the ions go back to being nearly invisible. A new round of smoking will start the color changing process over for you to enjoy.

Not all glass pipes are color changing

Finding a color changing glass pipe requires you to know how to identify it. Regular brand-new glass will have an extremely clean, transparent appearance. A color changing piece, however, will appear slightly translucent or foggy. Most color changing glass pieces will have a blue, yellow or pink tint.

If you are looking for a shop that offers a selection of color changing glass pipes in Scottsdale, AZ, look no further than Coughing Canary. Call or visit us today to check out what we have in stock. We look forward to helping you find the right piece for your needs.

Categorised in: Glass Pipes

This post was written by Writer