The last time we talked about polishing your hookahs we went over cleaning with Bar Keeper’s Friend, but now I would like to show you my favorite technique and it involves no chemicals at all. I know that some people are very concerned about “chemicals” killing them with a pillow in their sleep or something like that, but I just want to reduce the chances of a soapy smoke right after a cleaning. That is why my perfect solution is the MicroMesh Polishing Pads.
These are a polishing system that is like sand paper, but it starts at 1500 grit and goes all the way to 12000 grit. For comparison, the sandpaper that many people use to finish fine woodwork is around 200-600 grit. These pads will give your metal hookahs a true mirror finish that will shine and gleam like no other, but only if you use them properly.
The process is fairly simple with only the pads in hand and a little bit of water. Start with the 1500 to remove any patina or tarnish that may be on your hookah and make sure to scrub every surface. This will produce a nice, bright and slightly dull shine. That’s because it has left behind very fine scratches that are barely perceptible to the human eye but scatter light and make it more diffuse.
Get ready for a forearm workout because now it is time to scrub the entire hookah again with the next pad, which is 1800 grit. This will polish out the scratches from the 1500 grit and leave behind even smaller scratches. The secret is in the stepped approach. If you immediately jumped to the 12000 grit you would only be polishing the area between large scratches and doing nothing for the real problem. It is tedious, but I can promise that going through all of the steps will be worth it.
If you make it to the end without your arm falling off you should be rewarded with the shiniest mirrored hookah you’re ever going to see. I only do this once in a while and usually for a special reason, but I catch myself just staring at my rig rather than smoking whenever I actually take the time. The pads are a little expensive and it does take a long time to complete, so I don’t see this catching on as the newest hookah fad. That being said, if you have the extra cash or are like me and have a set of MicroMesh for woodwork, try it out and tell me how amazing your hookahs look.
I want to see pictures!