what is a chillum?

The chillum is a traditional Indian pipe, used for divination purposes since ancient times. Chillum pipe is traditionally smoked with resinous extract of the plant or pollen. There are also some yoga practices which use chillum pipes without combustion and as a breathing exercise.
Hand crafted
The chillum pipes in this site are processed entirely by hand without use of molds, lathe, cores of wood or other gimmicks. That’s why they are always unique craft and never geometrical shape. Are derived from a single piece of clay shaped by rolling on a clean and smooth glass.
This ensures the compactness, durability and robustness in the event of a fall. In addition, the inside is excavated from the block at a later time when the chillum pipes is no longer soft, but solid and consistency of leather.
Finally, each piece is cooked professionally at a temperature above one thousand degrees, from a laboratory ceramists experts.
Shape
The extent of the exterior and its thickness are chosen according to characteristics that each use and portability.
The cooker interior is of conical shape, without dips and curves. This serves to allow a direct flow of the smoke.
Moreover, the polished cooker iterior is made to facilitate cleaning after use.
The stone that is placed inside serves to retain the impurities and the ash during inhalation, and has a shape of a truncated pyramid hexagonal or square. Depending on the tube-stone combination you have perfect inhalation and the desired cooling.
Measurements
The 5 measures that characterize a chillum pipe are:
Length: as the length also increases the mixing and cooling of the smoke. Let’s start with a length of 10 cm up to half a meter. Obviously you would prefer a small chillum if you want to bring along, and a larger one to keep home.
Width of cooker: cooker is where combustion occurs. If the diameter is very wide, the mix will burn faster than if the diameter is narrower.
Length of stone: a long stone makes inhalation fresher but less abundant, a short stone makes inhalation abundant but more warm.
Depth of the cooker: is given by the presence of the stone. If the stone is large, the lower is the depth of the cooker. We always remember that an ideal cooker will have this proportion: depth equal wide, up to depth equal one and a half the width. Different proportions usually give unexpected shutdown of the mixture.
Width of the mouthpiece : the mouthpiece allows smoke inhalation, and must allow a uniform amount of smoke.
Use
For smoking and for good hygiene, the mouthpiece should never touch the smoker’s lips, better smoke from the hand. The mouthpiece can be wound in a cotton gauze (replaces Indian saffi).
Aromatic grass and petals: choose a chillum with the the stone to a depth of about one and half times the width, and a medium mouthpiece. The length of the stone must be proportionate to the length of chillum pipes. We do not recommend a stone that draws too much or too short.
Grass or pollen: choose a medium chillum with the stone at a depth of one to one and half times the width, and a medium mouthpiece. Use long or medium-sized stones.
Compressed pollen and resin: choose a medium to small chillum with the stone to a depth equal to the width, and a small mouthpiece. Use long or medium-sized stones.
Cleaning
The chillum must be emptied by tapping gently on the wood vertically, not blow in and do not beat him to the ground.
Must always be kept clean and possibly the person wearing it, only the wearer authorizing others to do the last shot, and clean it. This rule prevents breakage and negligence, and you can make it last a lifetime.
Better not wipe it with paper, with water or by boiling: it becomes smelly.
Use a wooden stick wrapped in soft cotton T-shirt or cotton gauze.
If the chillum pipes has reached the end (stinking) you can make a second firing and have it back new.