A New Hash Pipe
Within every craft is an art and a science, just ask Strottle Gang. The artist plays with the physical and chemical forces that turn raw materials into new creations. Every decision made along the way is reflected in the result, and perhaps no craft demonstrates this more than glassblowing. In addition to making pieces beautiful to the eye, glass artists need to consider weight distribution, ergonomics, and fluid dynamics, balancing all to yield a vessel that hits just right. With just five years at the torch under his belt, Oregon-based Many Moons Glass has found his balance making some of the most innovative hash pipes of the modern age.
If I Had a Hammer
Many Moons, born Mike Ybarra, grew up in a cannabis-growing household, so hash was always in the orbit. Even with its ubiquity, he says there wasn’t a consistent way to consume it, and that traditional three-hole pipes hadn’t kept pace with advancements in hash to fit the needs of new-school heads. Early in 2022, after rediscovering an old three-hole in his collection, Ybarra says “the light turned on”, and he took on the challenge of bridging this evolutionary gap in the glass world, debuting a prototype of his Hash Hammer design in June 2022.
The Hash Hammer resembled a typical hammer-style dry pipe, but with a deeply recessed chamber replacing the shallow bowl. Air intake holes halfway up the chamber allow for greater hot wand tech efficiency as a chunk of hash is churned like butter and bubbles against the chamber walls. As Ybarra refined the design into a more elongated, somewhat gothic shape, the welded chamber became a removable insert and accompanying wands received a maria to create a carb-capping effect when the wand is fully plunged into the chamber. “The removable chamber was essential to have a fresh session every time,” says Ybarra, having adapted the concept of a rig and removable banger to suit more solid material.
Lock, Stock and Barrel
Hot on the hammer’s heels, Ybarra launched the Hashlock, a highly modular standing Sherlock that kicked the door of possibility off its hinges. Usable with or without water, early Hashlocks came with two inserts - one with holes halfway for hash-mashing, the other with holes at the bottom to set a banger on and use as a downstem for a standard dabbing experience. Ybarra added this option to enhance the piece’s versatility and create a “Swiss army pipe”, though hash never left his focus. “Quartz buckets still reign supreme if you’re trying to glob, but full-spectrum hash in particular really shines with this new tech,” the artist says.
As the form and function of these models evolved, gorgeous iterations surfaced featuring more technical elements of glassblowing such as encalmo, marble attachment, and Ybarra’s signature “chaos fume” pattern. Then came the biggest leap forward yet: the V3 Hashlock, complete with an all-quartz insert called the Terp Chakra and a corded electric heating wand (a ceramic soldering iron cleverly modified with a fitted quartz sleeve) known as the Terp Iron.
V3 'Til Infinity
Choose your Hashventure
The V3 features a 14mm fixed downstem that shields the Terp Chakra from water and accommodates a range of bangers and inserts, enabling smooth, shredding function regardless of vaporization method. The Terp Chakra presents its own set of options, with a slide handle at the rim that allows users to hold and torch the insert directly before delivering a dab on the tip of the wand. Alternatively, users can drop material into the Terp Chakra and hit it with a hot wand or go torchless and use the Terp Iron for continuous and controlled heating.
Using the Terp Iron effectively takes practice and dialing in, literally, as the Celsius-reading temperature dial requires fine adjustment and some mental conversion for Fahrenheit-accustomed users. But oh, how satisfying it is to reach the sweet spot, which varies depending on the material being melted. The 225℃ setting was plenty for the 3-4* grams I picked up from Ice Kream Hash Co., freeing the resin from the trichome residue with minimal charring on the sleeve. At this temperature, which takes about 45-60 seconds to reach from activation, 0.1g servings lasted no fewer than three good rips apiece. For higher-grade melts, 250℃ was more efficient, and dry-textured rosin demanded no less than 300℃ on the dial to avoid waste.
Ironing Out the Kinks
Admittedly, I chazzed my Terp Iron sleeve in my first few uses, due partially to stoned confusion about the temperature conversion, but it didn’t seem to negatively impact the taste of subsequent hits that much. Still, Ybarra recommends keeping a supply of fresh sleeves on hand. At $5 per, he says they should wind up more economical to replace than cans of butane. For someone who appreciates puzzles, customization, and experimentation, the V3 Hashlock is an absolute gem that offers superb functionality and no shortage of intrigue, not to mention feels great in the hand. That said, a few aspects of the set as a whole could still be improved.
Namely, the fitting of the Terp Iron sleeve to the Terp Chakra could stand to be tightened to match the air restriction of the original models of Hashlocks and hammers. Also, the V3’s forward-leaning angle, which Ybarra says was intended to direct water toward the front of the rig rather than the mouthpiece, makes the piece front-heavy when supporting a banger and cap, so careful handling is a must when using it for traditional dabbing. Finally, the short cord length of the Terp Iron impedes practicality if an outlet isn’t within arm’s reach, and the iron itself is ostensibly made from fairly cheap materials.
On the upside, I particularly liked the impression of marine life given by the blue dichroic glass in the right light, as well as the resemblance the rear marbles bore to a trio of trichomes ranging in ripeness. Plus, the black line between the blue and fumed sections conveniently serves as an ideal water fill line. “I’d love to make a longer Terp Chakra chamber so you can throw in more rosin, and extend the tip of the Terp Iron to go with that chamber,” says Ybarra, describing the updates on his agenda. “The next important phase of development for the Terp Iron is to get a 3D-printed case and a longer cord.”
No matter which way I configured the V3 Hashlock, I got an effortlessly sustained draw and unmuddled flavor, including pairing it with an Hormiga Glass 3-hole bowl. As for Ybarra’s own use case preferences, he says, “personally, I like to use the Terp Iron with some bubble hash, temple balls, or full melt. The glass rod works best with rosin. Brick hash takes a little longer to melt but once you get it going and the heat is conducted to the quartz Terp Chakra chamber, you have yourself a nice sesh going!”
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