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Us Tubes 7mm Joint Freakin Busted Off Spontaneously Wtf?

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Us Tubes 7mm Joint Freakin Busted Off Spontaneously Wtf?

fractal 26 Replies 6,334 Views
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fractal

fractal

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#1
So Yea I have (had) this SICK US Tubes reducer waterpipe with 18.8mm joint and a base that could smash through a board, all crafted in 7mm thick glass. Bought it less than a year ago, maybe 9 months.

And their glass is different than any I have used, it has. . . a feel to it that is almost more "rubbery" of a glass feeling when you run your finger over it. Feels like a pyrex measuring cup - totally indestructable.

UNTIL the other day I put in the water, put it the ice held in place by insanely perfect looking ice pinches, and inserted the downstem.

Heard the fainest sound of glass breaking, almost like someone dropped a wine glass on the other side of a house. "No way." was my thought as I looked down and saw a solid chunk, almost half, of the massive joint had split off. Not cracked, not dropped, not broken. Simply fell apart with no force applied to it beside inserting the downstem.

How can this be possible, I'm still in disbelief. US Tubes are rocking EVERYONE knows that! 7mm, even 9mm glass tubes that are proven to bust through concrete board!

It's impossible to reach them directly, and the retailer doesn't want any part of this. Hopefully someone will see this and others will say theirs broke too because I can't be the only one!
 
#3
Maybe fake Chinese glass, see if the retailer is an authorized reseller. The real us tubes glass would not do that, it is indestructible. Lots of fake glass out there especially fake roor and us tubes.
 
#4
Got it from Fuzion glass, pretty sure they are an authorized retailer. This pipe was SO perfectly done, not a chance it's a fake. I'm so bummed, gonna try and get hold of US Tubes somehow and maybe they will help me out.
 
#5
That sucks. I hate companies with no customer service.
I mean I understand your customer base are stoners, but at least leave them an outlet for complaints.

Best of luck.
Peace
 
#6
ShroomKing said:
That sucks. I hate companies with no customer service.
I mean I understand your customer base are stoners, but at least leave them an outlet for complaints.

Best of luck.
Peace
Click to expand...

Stoners are the best customers!

-lurkin
 
#7
Pics, I have a phone that is 5 years old and literally ZERO point SIX megapixels. Doesn't take the clearest of shots. But as you can see, this is something that should not happen to a US Tubes piece.
Broken glass 1
Broken glass 1
Broken glass 2
Broken glass 3
Broken glass 4
 
#8
0.6mp haha nice, nothing a little superglue and a stainless hose clamp won't fit =X
 
#9
fractal said:
Got it from Fuzion glass, pretty sure they are an authorized retailer. This pipe was SO perfectly done, not a chance it's a fake. I'm so bummed, gonna try and get hold of US Tubes somehow and maybe they will help me out.
Click to expand...


yes they are on that site as a retailer, hopefully they will replace it if it is kinda new. dang. glue it up :) The glass shop near here is not on the list... strange.
 
#10
That looks exactly like what happens when you heat the joint up with a torch. If you ever did that for a stuck joint that is definitely what did it, reheating glass in one place will stress the living shit out of it.

If that wasn't it, then there was definitely a stress fracture in the joint that could have been caused by damn near anything, and with glass that thick it could take a long time for the crack to develop enough to cause a break. I've owned close to 20 tubes and am close friends with glassblowers who repair stuff like this all the time, its definitely not uncommon.
 
#11
were you torching dabs and then put the hot stem in ice water? that may have done it. Try CPR
 
#12
I don't own a torch and never put a torch to the joint, stem, or anything. This pipe was babied, treated with care and never abused. Good theories, but that's not it.

I'm sure the retailer wouldn't want it sent back, seeing as it is nearly impossible to fully clean 100% of the tobacco residue.

Does a US Tubes rep frequent any glass forums. . . . I should find one and post this up there where they'll be more likely to see it.
 
#14
It can be fixed... That is the beauty of borosilicate glass. Trick is finding some close to you who will do it for a fair price...
 
#15
Glass has a crystalline structure once it is set and tempered, I forget the glassblowing terms but when it comes out of the KILN that's it the kiln. . . It is one piece and if it breaks then it compromises the integrity of the glass as a whole. I'm not really interested in "repairing" it because it's not a true fix and the pipe is compromised and is then even easier to shatter or break
 
#16
I know what you're talking about but can't think of the term I wanna say tempered? But I know that's not right. They get the whole tube hot enough so that it is all one piece of glass again.

The way borosilicate works it can be fixed
 
#17
The term is called "annealing"...
To be clear Fractal.... I am a glassblower and the proper way to fix your piece is by putting the whole piece in the kiln, bringing the whole piece to working temps... Make the repair and anneal properly. Thus removing all of the stress that was caused by the crack.
Borosilicate glass was invented for this exact reason..easily repairable scientific apparatus.. we use for pipes these days...
I will say this though... If your piece spontabeously broke.. It was never "properly" annealed.
 
#18
cannabeans said:
The term is called "annealing"...
To be clear Fractal.... I am a glassblower and the proper way to fix your piece is by putting the whole piece in the kiln, bringing the whole piece to working temps... Make the repair and anneal properly. Thus removing all of the stress that was caused by the crack.
Borosilicate glass was invented for this exact reason..easily repairable scientific apparatus.. we use for pipes these days...
I will say this though... If your piece spontabeously broke.. It was never "properly" annealed.
Click to expand...
Thank you! This is how it was explained to me I just did a shitty job at relaying the info lol.
 
#19
I think annealing is what they call it when you make things out of metal.

Thanks for the 411 cannabeans, that makes sense but what about the silkscreened logo how do they remove that before "fixing" a pipe?

I tried sending pics to the US Tubes guy who is emailing with me but my phone cam sucks he wants clearer pictures.

So lame!! I still believe UST makes the highest quality gear but like cannabeans said I think mine was a 1 in 1000 mistake that didn't get done correctly.

And this thread is about my pipe not US Tubes. . . Don't be discouraged from buying one aside from spontaneous breaking lol they are super hefty and also serve as great self-defense weapons.
 
#20
There is some reading on the glass process.

The logo comes back looking like the desert floor how it's all cracked and what not. Don't let that put you off. Please have your tube fixed its really not that big of a deal and you can have that pipe forever.
 
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