How to Make a Bong

Making a Plastic Bottle Bong

Fill up a plastic bottle ¼ of the way with water. Any kind of plastic bottle will work, but keep in mind that the larger the bottle is, the bigger the bong hits will be. Don’t worry if you don’t have the cap to the bottle—you won’t need it! The water you’re putting in the bottle is what the smoke will filter through when you’re smoking the bong.

Poke a hole just below the neck of the water bottle to make the carb. The carb is the hole you’ll cover with your finger at first and then let go of so you can inhale the smoke in the bottle. Make the hole large enough for air to easily flow through it, but not so big that you won’t be able to cover it with your finger. You can use any sharp tool to make the hole, like a pen, a knife, or a straightened out paperclip. Be careful that you don’t cut yourself or make the hole too big.

Make a second hole slightly above the waterline for the downstem. You’ll put the downstem—the tube with the bowl attached to it—through this hole at an angle so the end inside of the bottle is submerged in the water. Make this hole with the same tool you used to make the first one. Make the hole about the same width as a pen. If it's any smaller, you may have a hard time pushing the downstem through, and if it's any larger, the downstem may be too loose.

Use a highlighter and foil to fashion a downstem for the bong. To make the downstem, empty the contents of a highlighter so you’re left with just the hollow plastic tube. You may need to use scissors or pliers to pull the highlighter apart. Then, tear off a small piece of aluminum foil and wrap it around the wide end of the plastic tube. Press the center of the foil down into the tube to make the bowl and poke tiny holes in it so the smoke can get through. If you already have a downstem, you can use that with your plastic bottle bong instead.

Push the open end of the downstem through the bottom hole you made. Angle the downstem downward so the open end inside of the bottle is submerged in the water. When you’re finished inserting the downstem, the bowl should be angled upward on the outside of the bottle. If you're having trouble fitting the downstem through the hole, make the hole a little bigger and try again. Be careful not to make the hole too big or the downstem will be too loose.

Pack the bowl and try out your new bong. To use your plastic bottle bong, start by covering the carb—the hole you made at the top of the bottle—with your finger. Then, place your mouth on the mouthpiece and light the bowl with a lighter. As you’re lighting the bowl, inhale slowly through your mouth. Once the bottle is full of smoke, take your finger off the carb and breathe the smoke in. If you have the cap to the bottle and you aren’t able to inhale all of the smoke, just put the cap on to trap the leftover smoke inside. Then, when you’re ready for more, take the cap off and breathe in the rest of the smoke.

Building a Gravity Bong

Cover the mouthpiece of a plastic bottle with foil to make a bowl. The bowl is what you'll pack your smoking substance into before you use the gravity bong. Just take the cap off the bottle, cover the mouthpiece with foil, and press it down with your finger so it’s shaped like a bowl. Any kind of plastic bottle will work, but the larger the bottle you use, the bigger the gravity bong hits will be. You’ll need to fit the plastic bottle inside of another plastic container to make the gravity bong, so make sure it isn’t too big.

Poke small holes in the foil so the smoke can travel into the bottle. You can use a toothpick or a sharpened pencil to poke the holes. Just make sure they’re not so big that the contents of the bowl will fall through. A few holes should be enough. You can always add more later if the smoke isn’t pulling through the bowl.

Cut off the bottom 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) of the plastic bottle. This will allow water to get into the bottle later on when you finish assembling the gravity bong. To cut off the bottom of the bottle, carefully pierce it with a knife. Then, use scissors to cut around the bottle until the bottom is completely off. How much you cut off from the bottom doesn’t need to be precise. However, the more you cut off, the smaller the gravity bong hits will be.

Fill a separate plastic container that’s larger than the bottle with water. Any kind of plastic container will work, like a bucket or a plastic bin. You can even use another plastic bottle. Just cut the neck of the bottle off with scissors so the bottle is open at the top. Leave 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) at the top of the container so the water doesn’t overflow.

Press the plastic bottle down into the container of water. Stop when the waterline reaches the neck of the bottle so the bowl doesn’t get wet. At this point, the plastic bottle should be filled with water. If you’re using a shallow container, the bottle may not be completely filled with water, which is OK. Just keep in mind that the gravity bong hits may be smaller.

Load the bowl and test your gravity bong. To use your gravity bong, start by lighting the contents of the bowl. As you’re lighting the bowl, slowly lift up on the plastic bottle so it starts to fill with air. Keep lifting until the bottom of the bottle is nearly out of the water. Then, take off the foil, put your mouth on the mouthpiece, and inhale the smoke. Don’t push down on the bottle after you take the foil off or the smoke inside will escape. If you can’t inhale all of the smoke inside, cover the mouthpiece with your hand until you’re ready to take another hit.