How to Use Bongs? Learn to Smoke A Bong With These Easy Steps

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How to use bongs

A bong is a pipe used to smoke weed or marijuana, but it does not work like your typical pipe. Instead of allowing you to inhale all the smoke produced by the weed, it uses water to reduce the smoke and filter it. In other words, it makes the weed easier and healthier to smoke, creating a more enjoyable experience. The working mechanism is not rocket science; it is pretty simple. As you draw the smoke out while smoking, it flows through a chamber with water.

The passage of the smoke over the water causes it to bubble; as it does so, the water filters fine particles from it and reduces the smoke’s temperature. So, the smoke comes out cleaner and less hot than the typical smoke from a joint or pipe. This physics is not far-fetched as it is clear that smoke passing over wetness can become less harmful. Fewer toxic substances in smoke pass through water or any wet surface as the wetness pulls harmful contaminants from it, leaving only the beneficial ones.

You will find that the useful substances in marijuana, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinoid (CBD), remain intact in the smoke. The water does not reduce the feel, flavor, or taste of the marijuana strain you smoke.

How To Use A Bong? Requirements 

Before you use a bong, there are a few things to gather to make the most of it. 

  • The best marijuana strain you can find. Ensure it is pure and the type you enjoy.
  • Water
  • A clean bong
  • A hemp wick or lighter
  • A grinder, but this last one is optional, especially if you already have ground weed

Additionally, you may want to clean the bong after using it, so consider bringing cleaning equipment such as a cleaning agent, plugs for the bong holes, and small waste bags that seal at the top. These make removing the waste easier and immediately cleaning the bong without postponing it faster.

How To Hit A Bong? – Instructions 

Marijuana has various uses, and smoking is just one way of consuming it. There are other ways of experiencing the feel and pleasure of using marijuana without endangering your health in the long run. If you are a long-time user, you can testify that joints may not be as pleasurable as vaping or using a bing, although it is usually easier to employ. However, you can always get a bong, learn to use it, and diversify your marijuana usage.

Step 1: Prepare the Bong

So, the first step in learning how to use a bong is to prepare it. That means inspecting the bowl to ensure it is clean and inserting the downstem if it is not attached. A downstem is a long and thin piece of glass that inserts into the side of a bong or water pipe. It serves to connect the bong’s bowl and body. Some bongs may come with an attached downstem, but you must learn how to detach it for cleaning purposes.

Step 2: Add Water

Next, pour water into the bong. The water should go through the top, from where you inhale the smoke. It flows down and settles in the water chamber. Do not scrimp on the water; ensure it is enough to submerge the bottom of the downstem.  Once the water completely submerges the bottom of the downstem, you can stop adding water; you do not need more. This is where you may want to insert an ice catcher if you use one while smoking using a bong. Otherwise, you are good to go, especially if you are unsure what an ice catcher is.

Step 3: Grind the Marijuana

Most marijuana users do not bother investing in a weed grinder; they simply break the weed nugs with their fingers. While this may be quick and easy, it may not give a consistent result. So, you may find you still have clumps while trying to put the marijuana in the bong. The same is true with scissors, although the results may vary. Therefore, consider getting a grinder for the weed; it increases its potency and provides a better flavor. You mustn’t overstuff the grinder per time if you want a uniform blend. Weed grinders are typically small and can only take a certain amount of marijuana at a time. It may not take too long to grind all the weed you need, so patiently insert small amounts of the nugs into the grinding chamber. Cover the chamber and twist the chamber back and forth until you have a consistent result.

Step 4: Fill the Bowl

Scoop the marijuana out of the grinder and put a small amount into the bong’s bowl. Push it until it is completely inside the bowl; you can use your finger or any other suitable object. Do not be forceful when tamping the weed down in the bowl to avoid damaging it.  It is also crucial that you do not overfill the bowl; otherwise, you may have trouble inhaling the smoke from the bowl through the water chamber. Gently insert the bowl into the downstem when you have enough weed in it to smoke.

Step 5: Begin Smoking

Now, you are set to smoke your marijuana using a bong. All you have to do is to light it; get your lighter or hemp wick and light up a corner of the bong’s bowl. As you do this, put your mouth on the top of the bong, called the mouthpiece, place your lips inside the mouthpiece and take a few deep breaths.  The key word here is gentle; there is no need to be aggressive with the pull of air. Inhale slowly to facilitate lighting the bong without drawing too much smoke into your lungs. Smoke should move from the bowl into the downstem as you pull air, and it should start to bubble as it passes through the water in the chamber.

Step 6: Clear the Chamber

You should be ready to take a hit once the chamber fills with smoke. However, you must clear it first before doing so. While drawing air with your lungs, gently remove the bowl from the downstem. This opens the air for natural airflow to move through the bong, helping to push more smoke faster up and out into your lungs. Remember to keep the drags gentle, not aggressive, to avoid injury to yourself. 

Step 7: Clean the Bowl and Downstem

It is easy for bongs to get dirty, primarily because of the resins in marijuana. Therefore, it is important to clean the bong immediately after every usage. Empty the bowl and ensure you remove every trace of ash in it. This is where the small plastic bags that seal at the top become handy.  Remove the bowl from the bong and put it in one of these bags. Add some cleaning agent to the bag, but it must be designed to clean glass smoking equipment, such as bongs. Alternatively, use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and coarse salt for cleaning purposes. Add water and shake the bag while rubbing the bowl with your finger.  If you are using rubbing alcohol and salt, the alcohol should loosen the resin sticking to the bowl while the salt exfoliates it for a cleaner result. Keep doing this until the bowl is clean. Afterward, remove it from the bag, rinse it under running water, and ensure you air-dry it before storage.  Repeat the cleaning process if necessary. Do the same for the downstem; consider using the same alcohol and salt solution you used to clean the bowl if it is not excessively dirty. Otherwise, mix another in the bag and drop the downstem in it for cleaning. Remember to rinse it thoroughly under clean running water and air-dry it.

Step 8: Wash the Bong

Next, it is time to clean the bong. Once the bowl and downstem are clean and kept aside, empty the bong of water. Prepare a cleaning agent; it may be a specific agent for bongs or use a solution of rubbing alcohol and coarse salt as with the downstem and bowl. Pour the cleaning solution into the bong and use the provided stoppers to close the holes on its sides.  Shake the bong firmly so that the cleaning solution can loosen the resin sticking to the bong; it works best if you use salt and alcohol. Do not aggressively shake it or try to rub it clean. Simply allow the cleaning solution to do its job. When it is clean enough and no substance sticks, pour out the solution and thoroughly rinse it with lots of clean cold or hot water. Read this guide if you want to buy the best bongs on the market this year.

Bong Parts 

Different parts come together to form a bing. These parts have individually unique purposes, but they make a bong useful when put together. While it is a simple tool, its mechanism can produce maximum results if correctly used. You must know the parts of a bong to understand how it works. First is the tube. It is the long part through which the smoke flows out of the bong and into your mouth. You can call it the smoke chamber. It consists of the mouthpiece, over which you put your mouth to inhale the smoke. The tube is the part you hold and connects to the lower areas. Next is the bowl. The bowl is a small funnel-like piece where the marijuana goes after breaking it into smaller pieces. The bowl size depends on the bong; some are much smaller than others. It may help to grind the weed before feeding it into the bowl for better results.

Typically, you can remove the bowl for easier maintenance. There is also the down stem, which is shaped like a cylinder and allows the smoke to move from the bowl to the water chamber for filtering. Like the bowl, you can detach the down stem from the bong for cleaning.

The bong also consists of a carburetor or carb hole.  It is simply a small hole that provides clean air when the smoke moves in the bong. It helps push the smoke out faster and clears the bong of smoke over time. You can cover the hole with a finger or use a stopper while lighting the weed. Not every bong has a carb hole; some use the bowl for this purpose. Lastly, a bong has a base, which is usually the water chamber.

The type of bong determines the base type, but most have a balance so that you can balance the device. The bottom may have the shape of a beaker or vase, and the water chamber is where the bong filters the smoke. Then, it can move up through the water pipe to the mouthpiece. Additionally, you can add ice cubes to the water to help cool the smoke and make it easier while smoking cannabis.

Choosing a Suitable Bong

Now that you know how to use a bong correctly, the next step is to choose one. You must know that there are several types and no two bongs are the same. Not only are the shapes and usage different, but the manufacturing materials also differ. The one you choose may inadvertently affect your bong experience, especially if you are a first-time user.

Straight-tube Bong

This type of bong is easy to use and the most common one. You will find many weed users prefer this bong because of the straightforward process of filling it. It has a straight tube covered at one end with a bowl and downstem.  It does not require too much water because of the size of the water chamber; the base of the stem easily reaches the water. Once you put the marijuana in the bowl and pour a little water into the chamber, you can start smoking.

Round-base Bong

As the name says, this bong looks like a beaker. The base is round and wider than the mouthpiece and tube. The round base that holds the water has a flat bottom and can be more stable than the straight-tube bong. It can also hold more water than the previous one, so you may have more filtering with the weed before smoking. This bong is easy to use because of the simple attached downstem and bowl. These also make it easy to clean and store.

Percolator Bong

You can also call this bong a bubbler bong, consisting of a noticeably wide beaker-like base and long straight tube. A wide part of the tube just below the mouthpiece gives the bong a different shape from the regular ones.  However, the interesting part is it has a percolator that spreads the smoke before it flows over the water and creates bubbles. This process does not interfere with the cooling effect but makes the smoke less hot within a shorter period. The only difference between this bong and others is that you will not see the smoke bubbling in the water.

Waterfall Gravity Bong

This unique type of bong uses the vacuum created when water drains from a container. There are professionally designed waterfall gravity bongs, and you may want to buy one, but you can build one at home if you have the skill set. Get a bottle with a cover and drill a small hole into the cover.  Ensure the hole is big enough to hold a slide. Next, drill another hole into the bottom of the bottle, small enough for a finger to cover. Place a finger on your non-dominant hand over the hole on the bottom and pour water into the bottle. Insert a slide into the hole in the cover and add your marijuana to it. 

Get a lighter and light the weed with your finger still over the bottom hole. While lighting it, slowly remove the finger from the hole. The draining water pulls the smoke into the container, but you must put a finger over the hole again once all the water drains out. Finally, remove the container’s cover and start inhaling the clean smoke.

Carburetor Bong

A carburetor bong has a hole in the middle, between the bottom chamber and the pipe. The exact point of the hole may vary from one to another, but that is the general design of the bong. You plug the hole with a finger when lighting the weed and dragging.  However, once you remove the finger, air rushes into the bong and quickly pushes the smoke out. This process may produce a more intense feeling because the smoke hits your lungs faster and bigger than it does with other bong types. Consequently, many bong users prefer this type more than others.

Beaker Bong

This type of bong has the shape of a beaker, although it has many similarities to the straight-tube type. The primary differences are that it has more balance and can hold more water than the previous type. Otherwise, it is as simple to use; add water and put the weed in the bowl. Then, light it and begin to smoke. The simple design also makes it easy to maintain as there are few chambers to clear and clean after usage.

Multi-chamber Bong

Some call it the recycler bong, and this type has a few similarities to the straight-tube bong. However, it has different chambers serving various purposes. Instead of the straight tube running through and ending in a water chamber, it is separated into two chambers.  A tube connects these two chambers and forms the third one.

That means there are two separate water chambers, and the smoke passes through each one for filtration. As a result, the smoke comes out much cleaner and cooler than what you get from using other bong types. Nevertheless, there is a price; the bong is more expensive because of its complexity. Also, it is much harder to maintain due to the multiple chambers. In other words, this bong is not particularly popular among bong users.

Bucket Gravity Bong

We have explained the water gravity bong, and this type works in about the same way as its cousin. However, you use a bucket filled with water instead of filling the plastic bottle with water. You may want to buy a professionally designed type if you prefer to use this type regularly.

Constructing yours is also possible if you have the skill set. You must submerge the bottle in a water bucket before lighting the weed on the cover. As you light the marijuana, slowly lift the bottle out of the bucket of water. Do this gently and stop before the bottle is completely out of the water. This process creates a vacuum at the top, which draws the smoke into the bottle. As with the water gravity option, the bottle should fill with smoke before you stop. Then, uncap it and inhale the smoke.

Repeat the process as often as you want. There is a last option, which is a homemade bong. We have discussed a few options for making your bong, but there are other materials you can use to fashion a bong. All you need to be is creative; building blocks, candy, and even fruit can become a bong if you are imaginative. You may not want to buy a bong if you are an avid smoker, but you may want to experience different marijuana smoking methods. So, consider building one at home to have that experience.

Manufacturing Materials

It may interest you to know that all bongs are not made of glass. While glass is the most common manufacturing material, some bongs are fashioned from ceramics. Others are made with plastic, metal, and even bamboo. Let us look at each material and how it affects your bong experience.

Glass Bongs

As mentioned, it is the most common manufacturing material for bongs. Most users prefer glass bongs because glass is a material that does not interfere with the taste or flavor of the weed. Other materials may mix with the smoke and reduce its effect, which can happen if you are a regular user.  Also, it is easier to keep an eye on glass for resin buildup than with other materials. Consequently, cleaning the glass bong becomes a regular process because you can see how dirty it is and cannot postpone cleaning it for too long. However, these vital factors make glass bongs pricier than other types. Their high demand is another contributing factor.

Ceramics Bongs

Ceramic bongs are a beauty to behold and dainty to hold. They are also typically heavy and delicate, so they can easily break. That means they may not last and do not travel well. In other words, they are not the first choice for most bong users; only a select few use ceramic bongs and may use them as water pipes. Nevertheless, these bongs are usually excellent and decorative. The reason is that they are made of clay, so manufacturers can mold them into different shapes and make varying sizes. They also come in amazing colors because makers can play with them. So, while they may not be your first choice for a marijuana bong, they may work for some occasions or if you are an occasional smoker.

Plastic Bongs

Plastic is a popular bong material, and you will find many of them. They are likely the next most common material after glass because plastic is strong and lasts long. It does not easily break; dropping a plastic bong or hitting it against a hard surface does not damage it. So, while glass may be the go-to bong type, plastic may serve you better, especially if you are a regular user. Furthermore, plastic bongs are more affordable than glass or ceramic types. Moreover, they are travel-friendly due to their durability; they are not prone to breaking like glass or ceramic bongs. However, you may notice a significant change in the flavor of the smoke with these bongs because plastic can interfere with it. This is probably the reason behind its lack of popularity among smokers.

Metal Bongs

Did you know there are metal bongs? You will find different types if you have never seen or heard of them. A few users prefer it because of its durability; you may not have to replace your bong because it cracks or breaks. The only reason you may have to replace it is if it gets missing or you want an upgrade.  Metal bongs are probably the cheapest type, and while they have their uses, they also have downsides. They may change the flavor of the smoke because metal rusts. Also, they are difficult to maintain because you cannot easily tell when the bong needs cleaning. Constant resin buildup can become a health hazard over time.

Bamboo Bongs

Bamboo bongs are pretty popular because they are strong and come in different shapes, colors, and designs. Handling your bamboo bong right may make it last as long as needed without having to replace it. While it may change the smoke’s flavor over time, the change is only little, and it is nothing compared to other benefits.  They are also quite affordable, although you will find those with other materials such as metal incorporated into them. The more elaborate the bong, the more costly it is, but the same applies to all types.

Conclusion: How To Smoke A Bong?

Bongs are a great way to enjoy smoking weed or other herbs. Furthermore, the variety in types and materials also allows you to find the best fit that fulfills your needs and is within your budget. 

However, you must clean your bong regularly and use it properly to ensure longevity and decrease the risks of any health hazards. This article lets you know all you should know about how to use bongs so that you have a great experience.

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