What is Chameleon Glass?
Glass is a favorite material for many herbal consumers because it enhances the taste by eliminating the competing flavors of paper, metal, wood, and other popular smoking methods. Whether you choose a classic pipe, a hookah, or a bong, you can feel confident knowing that you are not going to be ingesting any harsh chemicals or other undesirable substances that can come with other materials.
If you have been using glass pipes for any amount of time, chances are you have come across a pipe made from chameleon glass at some point in your life. In fact, there is a good chance you have one in your personal smoking arsenal. You can find simple glass bowls, steam rollers, bongs, and many other types of pieces made from this amazing glass.
Color Changing Glass
Many people refer to this type of glass as color-changing rather than chameleon. While the appearance of your piece will change color over time, it is not a chemical reaction. The look of the glass is affected by the lighting and background. The more you smoke, the more the appearance of your pipe changes.
How Does Chameleon Glass Work
Color changing glass was first experimented with in the early 1980 when glass artists started working with gold and silver fuming processes. They soon discovered that if they apply a thin layer of gold or silver, it would look like the glass was changing color when smoking out of these pipes. While the glass itself does not change, you will see a difference in color based on many factors.
Chameleon glass changes appearance over time based on how much you smoke and how much resin builds up in your piece. If you are a heavy smoker, then the appearance of the glass will change more quickly.
Some pieces simply change color and others will have different designs that appear over time, almost like magic.
Chameleon Glass vs Regular Glass:
You can find pipes made out of regular borosilicate glass and chameleon glass. Both types of glass are completely safe to smoke out of and will not emit any harmful chemicals or change the flavor of your preferred dried herb.
Borosilicate glass comes in a wide variety of colors, but the color is not altered by the resin build-up. This type of glass can be used for a wide range of smoking devices, from chillums and regular pipes to bubblers, rigs, and bongs.
Chameleon glass pipes, as we have discussed, changes based on the background. While this type of glass is typically higher quality, you can also find these great color changing pipes in lower quality and more affordable pieces as well. Chameleon glass can also be used for a wide range of smoking tools. Basically, if it is something that can have a build-up of resin, chameleon glass is a material that can be used.
Chameleon Glass Pipes And Bongs
Chameleon glass is very popular amongst smoking enthusiasts because of the cool effects you get to see develop and unfold over time. You can get a variety of pieces made from this type of glass, from simple dry herb vaporizers and pipes to various types of water pipes.
You can find your favorite style of piece made out of chameleon glass, whether you are a lover of steamrollers, chillums, spoon pipes, bubblers, or bongs. One of the great things about chameleon glass is how versatile it is, since any type of piece can be made out of it.
Safe to Smoke With
You do not have to be worried about your health and safety when it comes to smoking out of chameleon glass! Since the material is all-natural and the appearance changes color as the resin builds up and darkens the background, you do not have to worry about any adverse effects from heating up the glass.
How To Choose A Chameleon Glass Pipe
Choosing a chameleon glass pipe ultimately comes down to preference. Since you can find just about any style of pipe made out of this color-changing glass, the possibilities are nearly endless. In fact, there is a good chance that any head shop you enter will have hundreds of options. Shopping online gives you even more options, from pipes that are shaped like flowers and animals to ones that are shaped like cars and shells.
Artistic Styles and More
If you are a lover of more intricate and artistic styles, you are in luck because a great many chameleon pipes are more of an art piece rather than just a pipe. Some are so cool, you may have a hard time bringing yourself to dirty the pipe by smoking out of it. Luckily, all chameleon glass pipes can be cleaned easily.
Unique Hand Blown Pipes
Even if you find multiple pipes that look the same upon first glance, there are going to be differences in all of them since they are hand blown. A great way to choose the pipe you really want is placing it on a dark piece of paper or fabric so you can see how the colors will look once the resin has built up and given the pipe a dark background.
How to Clean Chameleon Glass
One of the great things about chameleon glass is that you can clean it to the point where it looks brand new and you can start the color-changing process over again! In addition to that, it does not require any special cleaning instructions or chemicals. Whether you choose to purchase a pipe cleaning product or you prefer doing an isopropyl and salt soak, cleaning your chameleon glass is a piece of cake.
Many people prefer heating and scraping their pipes to collect the resin that has collected in your piece. While this is a great way to get your pipe fairly clean, if you want it to look like a brand new piece, you will likely need to utilize a cleaning solution of some sort.
To use a cleaning solution to soak your pipe, just follow these easy steps to get your piece truly clean. First, you will simply place your pipe in a dish and fill the dish with enough cleaning solution to completely cover your pipe. Let the pipe soak for several hours or overnight. Once you are finished with the soaking process, rinse your pipe with hot water. If there is any residue remaining, you can use a pipe cleaner to try to scrub it off. Once you have removed all of the resin from your piece, be sure to thoroughly rinse off any remaining cleaning solution and dry your pipe well.
Cool Glass Artists that Use Chameleon Glass
Chameleon glass can be found in nearly any head shop you set foot in, as well as in a variety of online stores. While there are many average glass pipes made out of chameleon glass, you can also find more higher-end USA blow chameleon glass pipes that are true works of art. If you are looking for a piece that will wow your friends at your next sesh, check out the work from these three artists that make show-stopping pieces that are the perfect addition to anyone’s collection.
Cherry Glass
Cherry Glass was founded in 2006 and is a Northern Minnesota based family-owned glassblowing business, comprised of a group of artists that add real insects to their art by electro-forming them in copper and applying them to their glass pieces. They also incorporate stones, crystals, and Brazilian agate into their work, connecting everything with various color patinas. They have several color changing pieces such as their spoon pipe, chillum, and the electro-formed spoon pipe.
Tedrow Glass Pipes
Tedrow Glass is one of the top glass blowing artists in the US. The midwest based artist makes high-quality glass pipes such as the Inside-Out Honeycomb Glass bowl, which is a spoon pipe that has multiple layers of thick glass and changes colors as you smoke from it. Their Sherlock style pipe is another great option for those that like the classic Sherlock style.
Ohio Valley Glass
Another great company that makes beautiful works of art is Ohio Valley Glass. If you are looking for a high-quality piece, their sherlock is a great choice. It even has feet that help it to stand up on its own.
Where to Buy Chameleon Glass
Chameleon glass is very popular so finding a great piece should be pretty easy! Most towns have at least one smoke shop or head shop with a wide variety of chameleon glass pipes to choose from. Many gas stations even sell smoking tools and accessories! If you have been on the hunt for a truly awesome piece of color-changing glass and have not had luck at the local brick and mortar shops in your town, you can shop around online to find the piece of your dreams! Here at vapevetstore.com, we have a wide range of really cool chameleon glass pipes available and we even offer free shipping, so you will not have to worry about any added cost to get your new piece to your home and in your hand!