Bong

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A bong or water pipe is a device that is usually used for smoking cannabis [1], but sometimes other herbs as well, such as salvia divinorum, tobacco, and substances such as methamphetamine or cocaine. Because many countries have laws against owning drug paraphernalia, a bong being sold openly, such as at a head shop, is likely advertised as for tobacco use only, but this can vary according to location. Smoking from a bong is somewhat different to smoking from a pipe or joint (spliff). Most bongs are designed to either cool the smoke before it enters the operator's lungs, or to build up a large buffer of smoke which the user inhales quickly, or both. The word bong derives from the Thai word baung [2] (บ้อง) which refers to a cut off section of bamboo.

Bongs can vary greatly in their shape, materials, styles, colors, and sizes. Commonly constructed from acrylic, ceramic, or glass, bongs can also be fabricated from materials as diverse as pykrete or even from household objects or empty water bottles. Some people even make bongs out of fruits and vegetables and discard (or consume) them after use. Many bongs are regarded for their style, distinct vivid colors, or customizations such as stickers, and become a personalized signature of that particular bong owner. Some people even name their bongs. These names occasionally reflect pot culture or a distinction of said bong.


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Variety

Offshoots from the simple bong concept do exist. These devices either bubble the smoke through water to cool it or have very large chambers. Some of the devices are designed to allow slower and more controlled draw through the bowl which causes the smoke to be much denser.


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Slide & Carburetor Bongs

The two most common types of water bong pipes are a sliding shaft and carburetion hole. The slide shaft bong is slightly more complicated but allows the vacuum to be released directly under the water, giving a more complete inhalation, but being a little hard to pull through, especially if the down pipe is narrow. Carburation hole bongs are easy to construct so are more often used in home-made versions. The lower the carb hole is placed the better the "hit", as no smoke will be left in the chamber.

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Ice Bong

One of the most common variety of bong is the ice bong which are a sub variety of slide or carburetor bongs. These are typically made of glass or acrylic like this one to the left. Ice is placed in a twist or ice trap in the neck. This has the effect of cooling the smoke when the user comes to inhaling. These bongs are typically bright colours and are popular due to the durability, ease of use and controlability. They usually have carb holes on the opposite side to the bowl or slightly to the left or right of that position. These typically have larger chambers than other bong varieties.

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Bubbler

A bubbler is a small bong that can be operated with only one hand (aside from having to provide an ignition source). In these devices the stem is internal and the bowl is at the very top. A majority of the bong is enclosed with only a hole in the side to act as the carb and the hole the smoke will exit on its way to the operator. These operate very much like a pipe since their internal chamber is so small but they have identical parts to a common bong. They are more pleasant to smoke out of than a regular pipe, because the smoke is cooled through the water.

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Vaporizer-Bong

A Vaporizer-Bong, or "Vapo-Bong," is the use of a Vapor Brothers box type vaporizer and a bong, connected via a special glass attachment. The vaporizer glass piece connects through a hose into the bong, which is often a glass RooR type. The vapor goes through the tube, filters through the water, and may pass through a layer of ice - creating an ice-cold vaporized hit of herbal material. The impact on health has not been evaluated at this time, but the taste of the herbal material is cited as being similar to the smell. Users state that there is no lung irritation, and compare the feeling to a nice iced coffee.

The first known glass attachments between a bong and vaporizer were created in Venice, California.

The science of a vapo-bong is similar to a hookah. Instead of a piece of coal placed on top, slowly heating the herbal material, an electric powered vaporizer (i.e. Vaporbrothers) is used. Instead of the herbal vapor going down through a chamber, it's filtered through the waterpipe (i.e RooR).

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Popper

A popper, also called a shotty, is made out of a plastic bottle and is similar to a bong but lacks the bowl. The bottle should be made from a firm and rigid bottle, so as not to buckle from the force of 'shooting' the shotty. A good example is a soft drinks bottle or bottle that used to contain carbonated drinks, as these have to be stronger than water bottles to maintain their shape under pressure. A small hole is burnt in the bottle about one quarter of the way up. A pipe is pushed into this hole at a downward angle while still warm, ensuring an airtight fit as the molten plastic cools around the pipe. It is due to the plastic container that this method is not recommended. Not only is the plastic unhygienic after use but also the plastic releases dangerous chemicals, particularly if used more than once. The pipe used can be made from materials such as metal wind chimes, tubular aerials and bong pipes with the bowl unscrewed. A shotty is performed in much the same way as a bong, except a rush-hole is not required, as when it is "shot" or smoked the mixture in the pipe falls into the water, allowing air to enter quickly. One way people do this is by cutting 1cm off a cigarette and putting it in sideways into the piece then packing cannabis on top by stamping the piece into a cannabis covered flat surface. One could also take a flattened piece of tobacco and maneuver it into the top of the tube; again, the cannabis is added on top. When the user smokes a popper they light the cannabis and breathe slowly then when the cigarette underneath begins to burn they inhale as hard as they can create a "pop". This gives the user a quick high as the nicotine reduces the oxygen in the brain substantially. Typically the effects lead to a very short lived but strong high, but this is caused by the oxygen loss, not from the cannabis. Due to the nicotine in this method, users often find smoking in this way highly addictive and can lead to habit forming behavior as with any nicotine based smoking methods.

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Gravity bong

Gravity bongs (also known as Bucket bongs, "buckets", sinkers, pails, torpedoes, depth-charges, or "weed haloofanators") do not necessarily filter the smoke through water but instead use water to generate a slow and constant vacuum in the chamber. This offers the same benefit of delivering a concentrated charge of smoke to the user but are much more effective at making the smoke denser, hence, more chemicals can be absorbed. In fact these devices are known for inducing huge coughing fits in their users and can be very unpleasant to use. Interestingly two distinct designs can be known as gravity bongs and some people using that term may only be familiar with one design.

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See also

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External links and references

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