To make them look like footballs, pipe the laces using some royal icing or some marshmallow filling in a pastry bag fitted with a very small straight piping tip. (lilmisscakes.com)
Disguised as regular glass carafes, the containers are necessary because, we are told, «sending water through straight pipes and sharp, right angle bends at high pressure, filtering,... (newscientist.com)
I agree with DucatiKiller that straight pipes by themselves are not to be blamed; if the valves are prone to getting burnt there is clearly another issue going on. (mechanics.stackexchange.com)