Salutations HillaryClinton,
I still need to get use to the heat...
I didn't/couldn't, in the end i managed to break both of my genuine VG duck-style mouthpieces (while rotating) and i was never really satisfied with those anyway. Instead i'm now relying on a PVC-wrapped/modified HA mouthpiece (for balloons): it protects even in a minimum path configuration (with no tubing at all) - though i always prefer having at least some length of PVC tubing present between this massive heat-isolating mouthpiece setup and my VG Classic wood stem.
Here's my current modded version:
N. B.: The large greasy yellow section catches most particles while cannabic vapor cools down.
Eye-contact has been of great help to me since the start, perhaps you can attempt to evaluate this training method too! Even the shorter tube shall prove convenient to your lips, IMHO!...
I much prefer using a piece of white HA teflon straw for the wood/PVC interface but i recall it's not too difficult to slip a section of 5/16" (I.D.) 7/16" (O.D.) PVC tube directly over the original VG Classic duck-style mouthpiece (once heated in boiling water), euh... Oh, the middle junction, i almost forgot: it's working great for side-lightning where a person may as well happen to be left-handed... That articulated joint of mine provides versatily in shaping which can match a consumer's need better. I suppose i could settle for 1 single, correctly reworked (...) tube but i find the little mechanical joint served me well; a short piece of 3/16" (I.D.) 5/16" (O.D.) PVC tube will do fine by the way.
Now, about what's been changed inside. Well, it could be a pair of "foamy-rocks" created after splitting the original piece in halves, so that some glass heat-deflector can "unfocuss" radiated heat, whatever, within the heat-exchanger. Actually there's also a bit of metallic support but i'd rather not depend on it, ideally, as this may be one reason why i found necessary to adopt a somewhat particular habit: i pre-heat (blue-torch) my sphere with assistance from an HA aquarium pump and secondary VG Classic base-stem, once the front-rock has turned red-hot i finally install my sphere normally, as illustrated above...
The aroma/taste features of my herbs are revealed by this "2-Stones" modded VG Classic pipe in a way that defies most competition i would think. The modded pipe compares so well with my newly acquired Arizer V-Tower table unit it's not too clear if i should modify my signature, to swap Plan-A and Plan-B around!...
So... M'yeah, it's that good!!