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Bongs are one of the cleanest and most fun ways to smoke marijuana flower. Unfortunately, many of the best bongs on the market are as expensive as they are fragile, which is why it’s so great that making a homemade bong is actually a pretty easy process. If you’re considering making a homemade bong, here is everything you need to know about the process and what’s needed to make it work.

The Basics of How to Make a Homemade Bong

If you’re already an expert maker of makeshift bongs, you may want to skip down to our list of Top 25 Homemade Bongs.

Otherwise, here’s the basic breakdown of how to make a bong.

You’ll need materials to make the following pieces of the homemade bong:

Each piece of the DIY bong is best constructed of certain materials while other materials should be completely avoided. It’s likely that you’ll need a handful or more of things lying around the house, not just one or two.

Let’s take a more detailed look:

The Chamber

This is the main part of the makeshift bong, and there are many different things you can use to construct it, especially the following:

Hole for Downstem Hole

Make a hole near the bottom of the chamber you’ve chosen from above. Ideally, it should be around 2 inches (5cm) away. The hole itself should be between 1/8 inch (3mm) and ¼ inch (6mm) in diameter.

The hole is where the smoke will enter the chamber from the bowl and stem. So, it needs to be sealed tightly with sealant or tape.
The tighter the hole is around the stem, the better, so this will be the first real test of your skills!

Tube for Downstem

Whichever material you use, place it in the hole from above that you’ve just created. Common materials include:

Regardless of your choice, insert it in at a positive angle so that you won’t wet your weed and ruin the sesh.

Make It Air Tight!

To get the effect you want from your homemade bong, this is crucial. Smoke will exit the bong in the wrong place and ruin the effect if the hole for the tube isn’t sealed tightly enough. If your sealant isn’t effective, or you don’t have any, use gum or tape or even glue.

So, how do you know if it’s sufficiently airtight? Put it to the test: put your hand near or over the seal and blow through the mouthpiece. Do you feel air? If yes, it’s not tight. You may need to attach a rubber grommet to seal it better.

Add The Bowl

At the end/top of the tube, add the bowl. If you have an extra glass bowl, that will definitely work.

If not, a homemade bowl will be necessary. Attach rolling papers or even tin foil, though we don’t recommend it because of the toxic fumes that are given off. So choose a safe material for your bowl before inhaling.

Add Water

Fill your makeshift bong chamber with water until the tube is underwater by at least an inch. It’s a delicate balance, though, as too much water suffocates the weed. Also, if you fill it up more than one inch, it reduces the amount of smoke in the chamber when you inhale.

Either way, you don’t get the effects you’re looking for.

Don't Forget The Carb

This is also called the clearing hole, and it should be bored with a pen or paper clip about halfway (or slightly lower) down the chamber of your homemade bong. However, don’t make it too low or water will spill out whenever you take a hit.

This hole prevents too much smoke in the chamber, as, without the carb, there’s not enough oxygen for the toke to be effective. However, if it’s too high, too much oxygen gets in and dilutes the effects you’re looking for.

Take It For A Test Toke

The best part of homemade bong construction: the toke test.

So, load up your favorite strain in the bowl, cover the carb with your finger – and let ‘er rip!

Enjoy the Effects

Need more be said? Uncover the carb during your long, hard toke – and then exhale

Concerns and Worries

Tokers are known for their sense of adventure and carefree spirit, but if you’re a medical patient or if you’re concerned about the welfare of your smoke buddies, nearby pets, and more – heed some of the following cautions:

    • A plastic straw is not a good replacement for a pipe – it’s too weak and the plastic gives off harmful fumes
    • Aluminum foil is not a good idea for a bowl – as with plastic, aluminum gives off harmful vapors when being burned – it’s known to hurt your throat and damage lungs and sometimes worse
    • Avoid fruits that are juicy or mushy, except in a dire pinch.
        • Oranges and kiwis may be too juicy to get the proper toking efficiency
      • Bananas are too mushy in consistency and don’t always react well to flame
  • Avoid tape and similar types of adhesives when possible because of the harmful vapors they can put out when heated

If You Seem to Find Yourself

Frequently Making DIY Bongs,

Here Are Some Basics

To Keep around the House

To prevent stress from a bong mishap, especially if you it seems to happen frequently during your seshes, why not keep a few basics around the house? You’ll always be prepared and be ready for anything.

For example, once you finish a ballpoint pen (or it gets low on ink), keep it around. This will ensure you always have enough tube materials lying around. You can even share with your BFFs.

Aluminum foil, despite the risks, is handy for connecting pieces of the homemade device. However, as we mentioned above, do your best not to use foil as a bowl.

Toothpicks are great for constructing a screen, especially on a fruit bong.

Seasonal fruit – watermelons, cantaloupes, and melons in the summer and pumpkin or large Asian pears in fall and winter – are always good to carry in the fridge, just in case. Year-round staples include carrots, bell peppers, and apples – keep all three handy for makeshift bongs in addition to their health benefits.

While recycling is the best thing for plastic bottles, it’s hard to beat a different version recycling plastic bottles and going “green”: save the bottles for those “no-bong” emergencies.

Even if you don’t have this type of sweet tooth, keeping some sticky, chewy candy such as gum or soft sour candies is strongly suggested. In addition to being chewed while you concentrate on constructing your marijuana masterpiece, a piece of gum or Starburst is also an excellent adhesive for a makeshift bong.

Finally, peanut butter is also great as a sealant.

Now, let’s take a look at some homemade bongs that will have you shaking your head in either wonder or concern.

How To Make A Homemade Bong?

In order to make a homemade bong, your piece needs several parts: a chamber, a downstem, a bowl, and a mouthpiece. The chamber is the main part where the water and smoke percolate before you inhale, and can be made of anything with lots of interior space, like a tube or canister. The downstem is where the air flows once it’s been percolated in the chamber, and can be anything tubular in shape from a pen to a straw. The bowl is where you put your weed and light it up, and the mouthpiece is where you draw from the bong.

Here are some of the most popular types of bongs to make at home.

How To Make A Homemade Water Bong

One of the best water bongs to make at home is a waterfall bong, and all you need is a water bottle to do it. This video has a quick tutorial of how it’s done and how it works.

How To Make A Homemade Hot Rail Bong

You can make a hot rail bong using any household object that’s long and circular, from an empty ballpoint pen to a hot dog, if you’re feeling wild. Make a hole where you want the bowl to be, fill it in with some tin foil, poke a couple holes in the tin foil, and poke a choke in the side if needed.

How To Make A Homemade Bong Bowl

Making a homemade bong bowl is easy if you have aluminum foil on hand. The foil will not melt when you light up your weed, and you can poke tiny holes that will allow for airflow without dropping your weed through them. Foil can also be folded and wrapped around nearly any surface, like a water bottle top, to take the form of your homemade bong. Use your thumb to gently create a bowl shape that will hold your weed.

How To Make A Homemade Water Bottle Bong

You can make a bong out of almost any disposable water bottle. Here’s what you do:

Remove the lid of your water bottle. Tear a piece of aluminum foil and wrap it around your water bottle lid. This will be your bowl. Poke a couple pin holes in the foil to allow for airflow.

Poke another hole on the side of the bottle, around where the label would normally stop. This will be your mouthpiece.

When you are ready to smoke, press the foil into a bowl shape and add your herb to the bowl. Place your mouth on the mouthpiece, light the weed, and inhale as the bottle fills with smoke.

Watch a quick tutorial on how it’s done here.

How To Make A Homemade Gravity Bong

You can make a homemade gravity bong with just a couple items, including a bottle, a bucket (or larger bottle), some water, scissors, and aluminum foil. Thinking about making one? Leafly has a great tutorial on exactly how to make a gravity bong at home.

How To Make A Homemade Glass Bong

You can make a glass bong at home by using any of the methods above, except your devices will have to be made out of glass instead of plastic. You can use a glass bottle, a glass jar, even a Jack Daniels bottle if you’re feeling creative. In order to make a glass bong, you will need a drill instead of scissors or a box cutter. 

How To Make A Cool Homemade Bong?

Make a cool homemade bong using plastic water bottles, glass liquor bottles, or anything else that’s a similar shape and you’re willing to smoke from.

How To Make Homemade Percolator Bong?

Plastic or glass water bottles can also be used to make homemade percolator bongs. There are many ways to do this, and your best resource is to check outthe /r/StonerEngineering Subreddit to see the many ways people have created their own.

How To Make A Homemade Beer Bong?

You can create a homemade beer bong using a piece of tubing, a funnel, and a couple pieces of hardware from your local hardware store. Here’s a tutorial from The Daily Dropout on how to make a beer bong in 7 steps.

Homemade Knockout Bong

One of the coolest gadgets that every homemade bong creator needs as part of their collection is The Knockout, which turns any beer bottle into a beer bong, water bong, or gravity bong. You can read all about how it works on Thrillist’s review of the Knockout.

Best Homemade Bong

Homemade Waterfall Bong

homemade waterfall bong

This waterfall bong is a great way to spend your Saturday night crafting and getting stoned. Click here to read the tutorial.

Homemade Ice Bong

homemade ice bong

Ice bongs are the perfect way to get stoned and stay cool in the summer. Learn exactly how to make one with this tutorial.

Homemade Mini Bong

You can make a mini bong using a smaller device for any of these tutorials. Use a mini water bottle to make a homemade mini bong, or another kind of miniature bottle like in this tutorial.

Homemade Wax Bong

Smoking wax is more effective if you have a rig for wax concentrates. If you don’t have a rig, you can make a homemade wax bong or find another way to incorporate it into your smoking routine. Mary Jane's Diary has a great article that features 5 ways to smoke wax without a rig.

Homemade Wooden Bong

homemade wooden bong

Making your own wooden bong will be difficult unless you have a woodshop or some serious whittling skills. This Grasscity forum member created a homemade wood bong in his shop, so you can model your bong after his.

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