The pipes are really cheap and they sell them by the dozen so it's unlikely I'm the only one doing this.
to the best of my recollection, this is true out there in the real world, but i live on a mythical island where common sense is non-sense, and everyday real life is a fairy-tale. we're decades, or even centuries, behind "normal" people.
all my glass pipes were mutated lightbulbs. we island psychonauts have to learn to mcgyver it. geez, you should see my weed vaporizer -- an embossing tool, gatorade jug, some fittings from the hardware store -- most ghetto looking thing you ever saw, but it was cheap, and it works as well or better than plenty of fancy, spendy models.
fortunate it is that altered states of consciousness facilitate creativity!
f&b, i noticed a heat problem at first, when i used a pill bottle, but when i switched to the larger jar, it was big enough to allow enough air to diffuse the heat. the burns were chemical in nature, 'cuz i was being a peevee piggy!
General, i could clean the glass by soaking in the oxygen cleaner i use to clean/sanitize my beer bottles for home brew, then scrubbing with a swab i made from wrapping the end of a bamboo skewer in steel wool. took forever, though, and eventually the heat would weaken the glass and it would just disintegrate.
if i had a left nut, i'd trade it for a decent head shop.