Contributed by: Burramys Parvus Credit to: Locutus
Editor’s note: We do not recommend pipes or bongs made of plastic or metal; they may release toxic vapours when heated.
Aluminum cans, plastic fittings, plastic pop cans, etc are very common but should be considered dangerous to use as materials for DIY smoking gear.
Aluminum cans are coated in graphics externally, and have a plastic internal layer to protect the aluminum from acidic pop inside. Plastic bottles can emit toxic vapours even at lower temperatures.
Please do not use these types of homemade pipes, even with a screen cone piece in place!
Glass is inert and is the best material to construct pipes.
Have you got weed and a lighter, but nothing to smoke out of? Or you just want to let your creativity flow? Here are some of the devices that are easy to make and use.
BEFORE YOU READ THIS FAQ:
I may refer to ‘cone’ or ‘bowl’ pieces. It depends which part of the globe you are from, but they are more-or-less the same thing. To make one of these (if you don’t have one) you can use aluminum foil by folding it into the shape of a cone and poking some holes. This can also be done by cutting a section of an aluminum can and rolling it up into the shape of a cone. You will need to use your imagination for this one! Also note that as these are NOT proper pieces, they should only be used on rare occasions, as plastics/metals used in these materials can be harmful to your health.
- Water Bong
You will need:
A piece of hose
A plastic ‘coke’ style bottle
A bowl (You can improvise and use tin-foil or part of an aluminum can, use your imagination)
STEP 1
Melt a hole in the side of the bottle using your lighter, about half way up the bottle. Make it small, as you can always make it larger if you need to. While the plastic is still hot, jam a length of hose (8 inches works well) through the hole, so that the end of the hose sits in the base of the bottle. The plastic should melt around the hose, making it airtight. If not, you may need to get another bottle and try again, or seal it with something (Glue gun, stick tack, even bubble gum).
STEP 2
The ‘cone/bowl’ piece that you will put your weed in can be bought from a marijuana related head shop, but if you don’t have one with you we will need to make one.
With tinfoil- At the end of the hose, make an inverted cone shape and stick this on the top end of the hose. Make sure there is a small hole at the bottom (roughly 1mm in diameter). This ‘cone’ will hold your weed while you light it and draw it in.
With a can: Cut a small piece of aluminum from the can, and fold it into a cone shape. Place it upside-down in the end of the hose. This is (as above) where you will put your weed.
STEP 3
Fill the bottom of the bottle 2 inches deep with some sort of liquid, preferably water, as this will filter the smoke.
STEP 4
While lighting the bowl suck on the mouthpiece part of the bottle. The smoke will be pulled from the cone-piece, through the hose, it will then be filtered through the water and will end up in your lungs.
NOTE: Some people like to add a ‘carb’. This is a hole few inches above the water level. It is less than 1cm in diameter and can be made by holding a lighter close until a hole melts open. This is used to quickly clear the smoke contents of the bottle. This is not important, but most bong-users like to use one.
You can also make a removable slide (in this case just by pulling the bowl out) to act as a carb. This is the case with many glass bongs.
This was made out of glass, which I do not recommend. It is not easy to do, it’s just much easier to make it out of a plastic bottle.
Image contributed by: Locutus
2) Gravity Bong
You will need:
A plastic bottle with lid
A body of water (A swimming pool, a pond or a bucket of water will work fine)
A bowl/joint
STEP 1
Cut the bottom base off the bottle off.
STEP 2
Remove the lid from the bottle, and place your piece in the top so it sits nicely. If it is too small, you may want to make a hole in the top of the lid, and sit the piece in that. The more airtight, the better.
STEP 3
Submerge the bottle upright in the water, only leaving the very top of the bottle above the water level.
STEP 4
Place your weed in the bowl and hold a lighter to it. Slowly raise the bottle out of the water, creating a vacuum inside the bottle, drawing the smoke into it. Do not lift the bottle completely out of the water!
ALTERNATIVELY: You can just drill a small hole in the lid of the bottle and wedge a joint/blunt into it. Do not place anything (bowl or joint) in the lid BEFORE submerging in the water; otherwise it will be blasted off somewhere (probably the water, hence losing your weed).
STEP 5
Remove the piece from the top of the bottle, and suck the smoke out while slowly pushing the bottle back into the water. This will force all the smoke into your lungs.
NOTE: Do not leave the smoke in the bottle too long, or it will go stale, cause you to cough excessively and taste horrible.
Also, be sure not to suck up any water on the down; it is a definite gag!
Image contributed by: Locutus
3) Waterfall Bong You will need: A plastic bottle A bowl/joint
STEP 1
This design is very similar to the gravity bong, but is more portable. Firstly, cut a small hole (or burn one with your lighter) in the base of the bottle. Make sure that this hole can be completely and easily covered with one of your fingers. This needs to be watertight. Find the point where the hole can only just be covered but your finger, but still remain watertight, as the bigger the hole, the better (you will play with this later on).
STEP 2
Fill the bottle with water, while covering the hole with your finger. If you have chewing gum or sticky-tack, use that to cover the hole as an extra hand will come in use in just a moment.
STEP 3
With the lid of the bottle still removed; place your bowl/joint over the mouthpiece (making it as air tight as possible). Pack the bowl if you haven’t already done so.
ALTERNATIVELY: You can just drill a small hole in the lid of the bottle and wedge a joint/blunt into it. Do not place anything (bowl or joint) in the lid BEFORE submerging in the water; otherwise it will be blasted off somewhere (probably the water, hence losing your weed).
STEP 4
Hold a lighter to the weed or light the joint and take your finger off the hole. You will notice, as the water runs out, the smoke is drawn into the bottle, displacing the water. The larger the hole, the faster the smoke is drawn into it and vice-versa. Play with this, as you will find the perfect hole size for your situation.
NOTE: This can be messy, do this outside, or over a sink/bucket.
This picture shows a waterfall bong with a joint fitted in the lid. For this to be a gravity bong, the bottom would be cut off at about 2 inches up. Otherwise, it is totally similar.
Image contributed by: Stoner133
4) Joint
You will need:
These are useful as most shops will sell them, and they are not hard to carry around discretely. There is an FAQ on them in the archives, follow the link below to check it out.
CLICK HERE!
5) Apple Pipe
Contributed by: disgyzdfrmdaskyz
Submitted: July 12th, 2004
Everything is good about the apple pipe. They’re cheap (under a dollar for a couple at the store), easy to make, smokes VERY WELL along with a cool, smooth, appley taste (yup!), and they conserve weed because you are forced to pack little bowls rather then a joint.
Items needed:
– Apple. I prefer a nicely shaped apple that can stand up on its own without falling over. That?s unless you like holes burnt in your carpet.
– A pen…best is the cheap Bic ones. Any pen is fine just as long as it doesn?t have a pocket-clip-thing. If there is no pen around, you can use anything that?s shaped like one, just as long as the sides are parallel.
– If you don?t use a pen with the ink thing on the inside you will need a nail or something of that size.
Step1:
The trickiest part about making the pipe is pulling off the stem on top. The trick is to pull out the entire stem. Do this by gripping it as close to the base of the stem as possible. You DONT want to rip half the stem off, or your pipe is already ruined. Its not hard, just give it a twist before/while you are pulling.
Step2:
Use the pen to penetrate a hole HORIZONTALLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH the middle of the apple. Make sure it lines up with the hole on top where the stem was.
Pull out the pen and then penetrate the apple again with the opposite side of the pen…this will push out all the gunk in the middle of the apple. What I do after is blow out any seeds or extra crap inside the apple (you dont wanna be smoking seeds, or choking on them).
Step3:
Take out the inside of the pen, the ink cartridge. Use that smaller diameter cartridge to poke another hole, this time VERTICALLY, HALF WAY THROUGH the apple. This is your toke hole.
Push down until it meets up with the horizontal fat hole. Its real important to make sure you DON?T make a fat hole or your weed will suck through when your are toking. After that, once again, I blow out any extra gunk…Its all really important to make sure all the holes are nice n clean so the airflow between them are not clogged up…You don?t want a pipe that takes all your strength just to pull in some smoke.
BOOM! theres your apple pipe. Put your marijuana in the bowl on top. Use one hole as a clearhole/carb and suck from the other. The pipe will last a whole day until its starts to go brown n rot. Best thing about the apple pipe is YOU CAN EAT THE EVIDENCE!
Image contributed by: Locutus
Not depicted as written
6) Paper Roll Pipe
You will need:
A paper role (paper towel, toilet paper, wrapping paper tube)
I recommend using a bowl for this, as it isn’t nice to smoke cardboard
STEP 1
Make a small hole about 2 inches from one of the ends. This hole will be where your weed will be burned. You can place a bowl in this hole, or make a slightly larger hole and place some aluminum foil over it, and poke a couple of holes into the center of the foil.
STEP 2
Press the opposite end firmly on your mouth, with the other hand on the ‘weed’ end of the roll. Your hand should make an airtight seal over the roll, while pressing the roll firmly to your face.
STEP 3
Place the weed in the bowl, or sprinkle it over the aluminum foil sheet. You can also make a hole the size of a blunt/joint to use it with.
STEP 4
Light the weed, and suck on the end that is in your mouth. Toke as needed.
NOTE: Make sure you don’t set the cardboard on fire, as it’s not good to be inhaling burnt cardboard!
Image contributed by: C. Eastwoods Cigar
7) Vaporizer
Design by: TentacleGuy
Text by: Burramys Parvus
Image contributed by: TentacleGuy
Vaporizing is the healthiest way to smoke marijuana. So how can you build your own vaporizer for your own personal use?
You will need:
A thin glass test-tube (a hampster water feeder is ideal, or those small test tube gifts found in gas-stations)
mouthpiece (such as a straw)
a rubber stopper for the tube
a piercing (hollow) needle (the rubber tends to
The design of the vaporizer is easily seen in the picture. The hollow needle allows air to enter the test tube as air is drawn out.
Smoking tips:
Chop your weed very finely, and place a small amount in the bottom of the tube. The weed should be very thin across the inner surface of the glass.
Use a lighter (a butane lighter does a better job due to its higher heat) to evenly heat the base of the tube (where the thin layer of weed is) until you see white steam rising from the top of the tube. Suck this away, inhale deeply and hold for about 4-5 seconds. This is the (almost pure) THC.
Dark smoke is leaf material burning - discontinue toking! There is very little THC remaining anyways. Reload the tube with fresh MJ.
Image contributed by: Locutus
Alternatively, you can read the FAQ for constructing a slightly more complex homemade vaporizer. CLICK HERE!
Image contributed by: Gizzmo
