If you’re a frequent cannabis consumer, odds are you’ve found yourself fiending for some flower but sans a smoking device. Cue the homemade pipe or bong.
The most famous of this breed include the apple pipe and water bottle gravity bong, but the scope of what’s possible is limited only by imagination – and luckily, cannabis consumers are creative folks. Some devices are artistic masterworks, while others barely get the job done, but in the sage words of one Leafly follower on Facebook, “If it works, it ain’t stupid.”
Below, we’ve gathered a few tips and hacks from the Leafly community – let them guide you in your homemade smoking device endeavors.
- Sturdy produce and plastic containers are good bets. Hall-of-famers include apples, carrots, bell peppers, and water bottles. They work well because they hold their shape during the construction and consumption processes; carrots, for example, are sturdy enough to carve a bowl into to create a steamroller. And a bonus of an apple pipe is that you can eat the outside of the apple afterward to cure cottonmouth.
- Gather as many supplies as possible. Constructing a homemade smoking device can take a few tries (particularly if you’ve already indulged). Lacking inspiration? Get seasonal! Think pumpkin bongs in the fall, watermelon bongs in the summer – the sky’s the limit.
- Certain materials are always handy. A pen with the ink removed is great for making holes in fruit pieces and/or to use as a downstem. Aluminum foil is convenient for connecting disparate elements of your homemade device; just don’t use it as the bowl piece, since heat from your lighter can cause oxidation and the release of harmful chemicals. Toothpicks can create a makeshift screen on a fruit pipe.
- Steer clear of juicy or mushy produce. What bananas, oranges and the like offer in flavor, they lack in cleanliness, particularly if you’re passing the piece around a smoke circle. Keep in mind how things like bananas will react to the heat from your lighter, too (spoiler alert: they’re gonna get brown). That said, small fruits such as strawberries work well as bowl pieces or as personal one-hitters.
- If you’re going to cheat, use a pre-fabricated bowl. This piece is the handiest if you’re going to include a pre-made element in your smoking device. When inserting a bowl piece (pre-fabricated or not) into a plastic bottle, melt the bottle with your lighter before poking the hole – this can help create an airtight seal with the downstem.
- Things might get messy. If you’re in a real pinch, gum (with all the sugar chewed out of it) can be a godsend. Sticky peanut butter can also work as a temporary seal in pieces that aren’t airtight; same goes for soft, sticky candy, like Airheads or Starbursts. Steer clear of using unnatural adhesives like tape near the bowl piece; some varieties can release chemicals when heated.
- Don’t forget the air filter. Wrap a dryer sheet over the end of a toilet paper tube and secure with a rubber band, then exhale smoke through it to mask any odors and keep your sesh discreet.
