The anatomy of a conventional bong is *very* simple. It consists of a bowl (and screen), a stem (sometimes optional), a chamber, some liquid, and an opening for the mouth(s).
The crude diagram above shows a generic bong. Water fills the container and stem just up to the carb. The water level should really be at least an inch below the "carb" ("carburetor", I guess) so that when the bong is tilted the water won't leak. The job of the carb is to regulate where the air will be supplied from. If covered, the air (smoke) will come from the bowl; if uncovered, air will rush through the carb and force out the smoke remaining in the chamber.
I won't go through a boring description of every part of a bong--if you don't know, ask someone. The point I want to illustrate is that a bong merely forces the smoke to bubble up through water, thereby filtering it. Every bong works with this principle. I've tried many innovations on the generic bong for different effects. [More later.]
Not all bongs work with this method, however. Gravity bongs work on a different concept, but I've never seen one besides from the one I made with a friend [details later]
Why use Bongs?
Not everyone uses bongs. New smokers may wonder why anyone bothers with bongs, and I know plenty of stoners who *prefer* joints to pipes or bongs.
Those who favor joints will wax romantic about the joys of rolling, of passing around a fatty, and of super-potent roaches. While I will not turn down a joint making its way around a room, I have never rolled one myself. I disdain joints mainly because of their wastefulness. Consider: While the joint is being passed around or stalled, it is still burning, losing precious smoke. If you grow your own buds you may be able to afford such carelessness, but that is a luxury. Most stoners must pay astronomical street prices for what is, in essence, a WEED.
Bongs have a special advantage. A stoner can control the burning by using the flat side of a lighter to extinguish the bowl after taking a hit. [More on this technique later.] The practice of extinguishing the bowl can save a lot of pot in the long run.
Even those who don't habitually extinguish the bowl will still save more buds, considering the size of a bowl compared with a joint. A bowl holds a smaller amount of bud, so the most you can waste is the quantity a bowl will hold. Stalling a joint, though, will use up a much larger portion, depending on the size of the joint.
A bong burns a smaller surface area of bud than a joint does. It's easy to notice that a joint lets loose a steady stream of smoke into the atmosphere when it's being passed around, while a bowl tends to smother the embers underneath ash and unburnt bud. Stoners may notice that a stalled bong will release a very thin stream of smoke compared to a burning joint. Moreover, bongs pull all the smoke into the chamber while joints still waste smoke even while being toked.
Joints are *much* harsher on your lungs. While some joint-rollers will use pre-made filters, or a makeshift filter made from a rolled-up paper, nothing compares with the filtration effect of water. Ed Rosenthal of _High Times_ has noted that water not only cools the smoke, but actually removes harmful impurities as well. [Boiling water is a good choice in a bong, too. More later.] Bongs have this advantage over pipes, which, like joints, pass the unfiltered smoke right into your lungs.
Pipes are a little better than joints since they use a bowl the same way bongs do. The burning is more controlled, and the bud will last longer. Pipes can be made out of materials which cool the smoke a little, but they will never cool it as well as a bong. Some commercial brands feature a "resinator", a small chamber in the pipe's midsection which stores a quantity of bud. As bowls are smoked, the smoke must pass through the resinator, over the bud. A lot of THC-laden resin will be despoited on the cache of bud, and when it is finally taken out and smoked it will make for a mind-blowing hit. I have never seen a resinator on a bong, but it would not be difficult to make a bong with one.
Pipes (including hitters) and joints have the distinct advantage of being very concealable and very portable. Hitters are great in crowds because they are the easiest to pack. Some hitters are even painted to look like cigarettes, so no one knows that YOU are smoking buds, though everyone can smell it!
As far as portability goes, bongs can be made in a variety of sizes. I made myself a portable bong out of a 12-oz. plastic water bottle. It works fine, though the filtration leaves something to be desired. Nevertheless, I prefer it over my corn-cob pipes, which I never use anymore.
Considerations in Bong-Making
When planning a bong, one should aim for specific goals. Should the bong be portable? Fancy? Colorful? Here's a partial list of characteristics which give a bong its individual personality:
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airtightness
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bowl size
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choice of chamber/tube(s)
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compactness/portability
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decoration
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draw
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filtration
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hit size
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transparency
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tube diameter
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user accomodation
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volume
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etc.
How to make a Gravity Bong
The gravity bong was much better. They are very easy to make, are hard to screw up, and give good hits. My friend and I made it entirely out of a one-liter plastic pop bottle, a two-liter plastic pop bottle, electrical tape, and some aluminum foil. After dumping the pop we sliced the neck off the two-liter and sliced the bottom black part off the one- liter (visualize this). The one-liter served as the "top" which fit inside the "bottom" part, the two-liter. We took the plastic bottlecaps and punched several holes in each, put them top-to-top and taped them up (voila--the bowl) (silicone would have made a better seal). We put the foil into one of the bottlecaps and punched a few tiny holes in it (the screen). The concept of a gravity bong is as simple as a conventional bong. The two-liter bottom is filled with water and the one-liter top is inserted inside (both top-up). The cap is filled with bud (of course) and screwed onto the one-liter. The bud is lit and the one-liter is steadily pulled upwards. A vacuum is thus created in the one-liter, drawing in the smoke. The chopped-off bottom of the one-liter must not rise above the water line, or else the vacuum is destroyed and your smoke is lost. Once the one-liter is pulled up as far as possible and is filled with smoke, the bottlecap (bowl) is unscrewed and removed. While still holding the one-liter up (you'll feel a steady pull due to the high pressure of the smoke wanting to escape), wrap your lips around the neck of the one- liter and LET GO! The one-liter will drop into the water, forcing the smoke out and into your lungs. Cool, huh? Try another bowl!
How to make a Waterfall Bong
This is essentially a variant on the gravity. You take a bottle (I use a
2-litre) and drill a small hole (about 3/8") in the bottom, at the lowest
point. Cover this hole with your finger and fill the bottle up. Then, attach a filled bowl to the top (I use the same Coke-bottle lid as the gravity) and light the dope. Uncover the hole out the bottom, and as the water drains out, the smoke will be drawn in. Keep the bowl lit and let the water drain out, and by the time you're done you have a 2-litre bottle full of concentrated smoke. Just suck from the top and uncover the hole at the bottom to hoot. This is also an extremely efficient design, as very little smoke can escape.
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