Bong 101
 

Look what I have!
Bought mail order, for a specific occasion. But it comes without instructions. Advice needed.

I was advised to buy iy because I'm not a smoker and no longer have any regular interaction with smoking dope. But even in my mis-spent youth I never used such an item, so I'm completely back to basics here!

I assume I light the item and insert it into the metal tube? But how much? And does it matter what type? And how much water do I put in?

The canny Dwellar will know exactly who I am, but bear with me and pretend. If you want to use the Anonymous handle too I'll completely understand.

1) Fill bottom of bong with either warm water or ice and water. Opinions differ on which is better. fill until bowl tube is about 2/3 covered, but well below the little hole on the side. Do not overfill or you will be inhaling bong water, which is nasty.

2) Place clean, but not too finely powdered smoking material into bowl. Do not overpack or overfill. Medium tightly packed is optimal. It isn't advisable to put cylindrically rolled material into the bowl as the main purpose of a bong is to cut down on the amount consumed in one or two inhalation cycles, both conserving the material and increasing it's efficacy.

3) Exhale completely. Place mouth over top open end of bong with lips *inside* the opening.

4) Ignite substance with butane lighter (matches are okay, zippos are bad, m'kay?) and slowly, steadily inhale smoke into your lungs until lungs are filled. You may wish to draw the smoke up to the top of the tube, then exhale quickly to ensure your lungs are completely empty, before actually taking the smoke into your lungs.

5) Remove flame source from substance. Hold breath.

6) Exhale smoke after you've held it as long as possible. If nothing comes out, you've done an excellent job.

7) Fall over sideways and laugh.

8) Repeat until substance is completely burned to ash, and the plug sucks through into the bong. Be careful, this is when the greatest risk of bong water inhalation occurs.

NOTE: Little hole on side is to be covered while drawing. Releasing finger from covering this hole while coming to the end of your inhalation "shotguns", or deeply slams, the last of the smoke into your lungs due to the bypassing of the bowl. As with all things, practice, practice, practice!

Thanks Elspode.
But when you say "bowl"...
Do you mean where the water is?

Also it looks like I ignite the substance after I out it in. Where do I hold the lighter? Outside the bong I guess?

Sorry if it all seems obvious.
This really is Bong 101.

The bowl is the metal tube protruding from the plastic, you place the smoking material there.

Oh man, what memories!!! :D

If you remember what happened you were doing it wrong. :)

Small point: depending on what you're burning and how much it breaks down on crumbling; it's worth putting a small pipe gauze in the bowl, just to stop loose material getting into the water (and being wasted!).

Ah! There is a metal gauze a little way into the pipe. I take it this is what forms the "bowl" then, as per Tora's post. I see how the material can be lit now.

Thanks all, any further obvious tips would be appreciated - they will not be obvious to me.

Don't know bout others, but I seem to recall i got the worst drymouth from bongs. Have a drink handy :P

some things can go badly = never exhale into the bong directly or you will launch burning embers into the air and bong water onto the desk or floor = you will at some point get too much smoke and you may cough without warning = the trick is to get enough that you might cough but not cough violently = it is worth it in any case because if you do cough violently you will wind up high as fuck = as elspode said, practice

you cannot overdose on this stuff = it is a very safe drug as drugs go

* Dump and change the water after every session--it's nasty.
* Don't draw in a huge breath at first--be cautious until you get the hang of it, because it will really make you cough if you take too much

Haggis!
Sue, there should be warning labels on that gizmo. If you like menthol, put a little peppermint schnapps into the water.


'Spode, why no Zippo?

none of you mentioned to keep your finger over the "shotgun" (that hole on the side). . . . You all are really either a bunch of stoners who forgot or seriously messing with anon. Poor guy will be drawing air right through the shotgun, the material will never ignite and SERIOUS frustration will follow.

ETA: If you use a Zippo you will get the taste of fuel in your lungs - it takes months to get out and its nasty.


Please note that "for the record" I have never built, seen or used one.

but it's a point worth emphasizing. Keep a finger on the hole until almost the end of the draw, then remove.