How To Make A Bong

Updated on April 1, 2021: We’ve all been there – desperately wanting to smoke something but nothing to smoke out of. No bong, no pipe, maybe there aren’t even any rolling papers around. Hopefully you’ve found this article before having a complete and utter meltdown. Smokers Only is always full of solutions, aren’t we?

Well, have no fear. There really is an answer. If you have a few really simple household items lying around, you can very easily make a bong. You’re bound to have one, if at least not a few of the items required to make some of the bongs listed below. In just a few minutes, you’ll have that piece that you’ve been looking for to smoke that very last cone you have. And then you’ll be ready to get on the phone to every dealer in town!  So, how to make a bong?

Do NOT Use Aluminum Foil For a Cone Piece

This is an important disclaimer. There are instructions all over the internet that involve throwing aluminum foil all over homemade bongs. Wrong! If you want to keep your body in good shape, don’t go inhaling the fumes of burning aluminum foil. It’s extremely toxic, and can cause your brain and body a lot of harm.

If you’re really in a bind and desperately want to use a cone piece, there are other ways. You can use chewing gum and press it up into the shape of a cone piece. You can use a piece of metal wire and wrap it around your finger like a spiral – it works great because it holds the weed and it allows some space for air to flow. If you’re really, really desperate, you can take apart a pen and use the silver piece on the top. It makes for a very tiny winy little cone piece, but it certainly does the job. Whatever you do, don’t go wrapping your bottle bongs in aluminum foil.

The Plastic Bottle Bong

Have an empty plastic bottle and a garden hose? That’s literally all you will need to make this homemade bong. It’s the most popular homemade bong, and you’ve probably smoked out of one of these many times before. I’ll be honest – it’s kind of nasty and gets smelly really quick. It isn’t the kind of bong you want to keep around for too long. But when there’s nothing else, this one is easy to put together.

Take the lid off your plastic bottle. With a pen or something sharp, poke a hole about ¾ of the way down. Make it wide enough to fit a 3 inch piece of garden hose. Put the hose in the hole diagonally. On the other side of the bottle, poke a “clearing hole” – this is the one you put your thumb over while you’re smoking. Now, make a cone piece out of chewing gum, or if you have one lying around, put it over the exposed part of the garden hose. Put some water in there – enough to cover the bottom end of the garden hose that is inside the bottle. Voila, you have a bong. In the case you didn’t realize, you’ll smoke through the hole in the top of the bottle!

 

The Apple Pipe

Though not technically a bong, I prefer the apple pipe for many reasons. First, you don’t have to go cutting parts off your parent’s garden hose to use it. Second, it’s completely natural. No chewing gum cone pieces required. And third, the only thing you actually need to make an apple pipe is an apple – and something to poke a hole with.

The easiest way to make the holes required for an apple bong is to empty out a pen and use the hollow plastic chamber that’s left over. It will successfully remove the flesh of the apple in the places you poke, making perfect little tubes for smoking.

Use your hollowed out pen to make a hole from the very top of the apple, going about three quarters of the way down. You do not need to drill the hole all the way through to the bottom. Now, do the exact same thing on the side of the apple so that the two tubes you are creating meet somewhere inside the apple. The hole on the top acts as your cone piece, and you can load weed right there. The hole on the side is where you’re going to smoke from. Now blaze away!

You can use this method with just about any fruit that you have lying around the house.

The Gravity Bong

Even though it has the word “bong” in its name, the gravity bong is in fact most similar to a steamroller. For this kind of bong, you’re going to need a few more things, but if you’re looking to be knocked on your ass I guarantee that you’ll enjoy this one. Gravity bongs are one of the most intense ways to get high. For this you’ll need two plastic bottles, one which is wider than the other. If you’ve only got one plastic bottle, you can use a bucket as the bottom half. You will also need to make a cone piece out of chewing gum if you don’t have a cone piece lying around. You will eventually need to remove this cone piece, so don’t attach it too strongly.

The basic idea behind a gravity bong is you are filling a chamber with smoke, and then inhaling a large cloud of smoke all at once. If you’ve ever used a Volcano vaporizer, it is a similar concept. One thing to watch out for when using a gravity bong is that since the smoke has been sitting in the chamber, it may taste slightly stale and cause you to cough more than usual.

How to Make a Gravity Bong

Cut your water bottle in half. The side where you drink from is going to form the top of your gravity bong, and it is where you are eventually going to put your cone piece. Put some water in a bucket so that the top half of your water bottle can float on it. Now put your cone piece on the top. Put some weed in there. As you are lighting it, slowly draw the bottle out of the water and watch the space fill up with smoke. When you’re ready, remove the cone piece and suck all of the smoke out.

Be careful. If you remove the bottle entirely from the water, then you’re going to lose all the smoke through the bottom. The water will keep it in the bottle. You have to remove the cone piece at just the right moment!

Gravity bongs can be tricky so if you have any trouble, check out the pictures and directions available in this handy guide from weedmaps. Just remember, even though their guide says to use aluminum foil for the bowl piece, DO NOT DO THIS!

Making bongs at home is kind of fun! It’s like a great puzzle for a stoner to solve when they’re in a bit of a pickle. So enjoy making these homemade bongs and finding solutions!