How to Build a Bong

What am I Breathing? A Bongsmith's Guide to Safe Construction

This article has been written for educational purposes only and is not intended to promote or suggest drug usage. The author does not claim responsibilty for readers acting on their own accord.

All right fools, I'm getting sick of the lack of attention payed to home-made paraphanalia so its time for some handy bong building tips for all you bongsmiths so feel free to add any info. Remember you shouldnt have to breath in anything more toxic than your smoke. Harm reduction, not discrimination!

Section .01: Materials

1. Choose wisely and dont be impatient. Building bongs is like building puzzles; not all pieces fit.

2. NO TOXIC SHIT! Do not use any thing that gives off a strong scent/odor even if it is more pleasant than the taste of the smoke and make sure all parts have been cleaned. Also NEVER EVER use: PVC, polyurethane, copper, brass, tin, lead, pewter, iron, unannodized aluminum (pop cans, foil, anything that hasn't been annodized), cheap plastics (drink containers, etc), metal with any type of coating (galvanized, painted,chromium etc), and probably even wood and some minerals in stone. All these react poorly to pyrolisis (burning shit) and will have you inhaling more carcinogens than need be.

3. Adhesives: Most store-bought adhesives are highly toxic when it comes to smoking so if you must use some use something with a high boiling point like silicon latex. Also, dont have ANY adhesive connecting/in/on/near the bowl, stem, or smoke chamber. Use this shit in moderation and make sure its dry before you start toking. No tapes,gums, or waxes either.

4.Smoke Chambers: or the body of the bong should be made out of some unrusting material like glass, stainless steel, titanium, ceramics, stone/marble*,annodized aluminum*, bamboo*, and acryllic plastics. There are probably other materials that can be used but these have had a long track record and are the most likely to be more safe than others.

5. Down-stem and bowl assembly: These pieces are the most important as they come in contact with the most heat. For bowls the best materials tend to be stainless steel, annodized aluminum*,and glass. This also goes to the out-stems. You shouldnt use anything that can rust since iron oxide is poisnous. Stainless steel sockets work well but be sure that they are in fact stainless and not just coated.

6. Out-Stem and mouth piece assembly: This is an area where heat reactions dont normally occure so using unannodized aluminum, some adhesives, some rubbers/plastics is probably (Use at your own risk) acceptable. Yet its best just to be safe and avoid all possibly hazardous materials. I have found flexible tubing vinyl is with a doubt one of the best (high boiling point).

7. Lids and Stoppers: These are key pieces for any home-made bong and should be made out of a safe material. In the past i have had great success with the black rubber stoppers found in labs and vinyl tubing. It would probably be a bad idea to use a lid/stopper that had any type of coating such as that found on most food container lids.

8. Miscallaneous Shit:

Clays/Ceramics - there are many different clays that can be used as adhesives, lids, decoration, etc. Fimo clay is great for decorations and other parts which arent exposed to heat but be sure to cook all clays properly.

Vinyl Tubing - This stuff is great because you can use it for just about anything where heat isnt a problem. Use water when attaching so when it dries there is a vaccuum seal.

Resonators - These are chambers which are filled with material and allowed contact with smoke in order to collect resin and thus improve the shit. If you must put a resonator on your bong then make sure it is connected to the out-stem and not to the in-stem or bowl since direct smoke will cause it the grass to over heat and vaporize all the thc. Be careful of splash.

In Stem Tips and Tricks - to better break up those bubbles (diffuse) and more efficiently cool the smoke consider cutting/drilling holes in the bottom of the stem. This can have a profound effect on the quality of your bong. Also, having something blocking off the main hole (something nontoxic and nonrusting, i.e: screens) will keep all the smoke from exiting through one hole and will also collect unsmoked chunks of weed for later use.

Bowl Lids - have you ever taken a hit and cleared your piece only to see a massive musheroom cloud arising from your bowl? Cap that shit! Capping a bowl will save hits and will keep anything from falling out. Use a prism, coin, something pretty and heat resistant, be creative.

Airtight-ness - While it is always a good thing to have an airtight piece, if you can manage to get enough air to dilute but not too much to loose suction then your hits will be excellent. Although proper carbing achieves the same effects.

Drilling glass - mason bits are said to work if you cant afford the diamond ones. If you dont have any of that than start with a very small bit and drill very very slowly. I've been able to drill through but its really tricky and not worth breaking a kick-ass bottle. Also, dont let the bit get too hot as this will remove the temper and render your bit useless. So take a trip to the hardware store and look for glass bits as the are certainly worth it.

Screens - if you have a bowl that needs a screen and you have no screen there is the option of using aluminum foil but it is most definately not safe (ions). Airator screens used in plumbing work nicely as they are thick and stainless(MAKE SURE YOU GET THE NONCOATED STAINLESS STEEL ONES). Essentially what you need in this situation is something heat proof. I've used jem stones in the past but this can be dangerous as rocks tend to explode in high heat situations.

Water levels - I personally feel that water levels are a matter of personal preference and lung control; i.e, more h20= cooler and therefore less to breathe and more smoke dilution. But if you dont want to bother just fill your piece to the point where the smoke still has bite but not so hot that you cant tuff on it. Individual bongs have individual levels so practice with your piece.

Coolants - The primary coolant used in all bongs is water but there have been reports of people using other liquids for this action. It would seem that since the smoke is being filtered by the liquid one would not want something that may react upon contact, I.E: giving off scents, tastes, etc.

Scraping - Eventually ever user will come to a point when they have no material to use but find that there is a layer of black tar in their piece. This tar (AKA resin) can be removed from the piece and consumed for satisfaction. On the flipside this shit is completely carcinogenic and no doubt contains >5% thc. But the real problem occures during scraping when foreign material (i.e: bits of your pipe or scraping tool get in the resin. So to scrape safely, heat your piece gently to warm the resin thus rendering it more managable and only use stainless steel tools such as razor blades (no drill bits as they are manufactured using carcinogenic materials). If you have a glass piece try dipping it in hot water before hand to soften it up. If you have a metal piece(i.e. the ones you might find in a smoke shop) then dont scrape with tools because you WILL get shards of metal in your smoke and it removes any protective coating. If the resin is too wet, try wrapping it in a jay paper and squeezing it dry. Finally, always wash your hands and work surface before handling resin. If you dont want to scrape than try the hot water method.

Metals - Now I'm sure everyone has seen one of those cheap metal pieces (the ones that screw together). BEWARE! These are made from brass and brass consists of a mix of copper, lead, tin, and other unsafe metals. Dont use these for extended smoke sessions and never try to scrape them. Never use soft metals like copper, brass, soft alluminum, or tin. These all release highly carcinogenic ions when heated.

***NOTE(s)***
* Annodized means that the aluminum has been given a protective coating for use in smoking devices so dont scrape/scratch it. Also stone and wood are probably heat-sensitive and therefore should be avoided.

So thats my two cents on the subject. Remember bong building is an art so take your time and dont be impatient. Dont be stupid and use cheap/unsafe materials and think everything is fine just because you dont taste anything and dont ever pass an unsafe piece to your buddy. I've read about a lot of stupid people doing this shit so WISE UP! The last thing a smoker needs to be doing is inhaling more toxins than normal. Be smart, not dead. All comments/corrections welcome.

For Us Cocoa astros and the donKey flUx!

This is A good thred, i'm tired of seeing people that say "They just don't care" like my friends, when we have nothing one of them even will use plastic fr A bowl..I mean COME ON that's fucking gross man it makes the smoke taste like ass and you lungs hurt, when I try to lecture him he say "He doesnt care..."

if you can't find papers or a bong use a fuckin apple!
but all in all bongs are way easy to make

lol... why do u have a disclaimer... ? u think a cop is going to come hunt some small time stoner down.. I doubt it.... They have bigger fish to fry. Like hitting kids.

word, its one thing to subject yourself to stupid shit but to suggest it to others is wrong. The only thing i want people to do is stop being so damn careless. If you have anything to contribute please do.