Bong

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For the county in Liberia, see Bong County

A bong or water pipe is a device that is usually used for smoking cannabis , 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 from 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 (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 usually reflect pot culture or a distinction of said bong.

Operation

Principles

File:Bong diagram.png

Diagram of a bong in operation.

One inhales with his or her mouth sealed against the large opening at the top of the chamber. Sucking the air out of the bong reduces the air pressure in the chamber of the bong above the water level in the bottom of the bong. To equalize the pressure, the atmosphere pushes air through the bong's "bowl" - where the combustible matter is placed and lit whilst inhaling - pulling the smoke down through the stem. The smoke then bubbles through the water, into the chamber and into the users' mouth and lungs. This bubbling action leads to a characteristic noise. For example, if you 'bubble' a glass of milk with a drinking straw, by placing the straw beneath the surface of the milk and blowing, you are demonstrating the same physics, except that you are assuming the role of the atmosphere and not the bong user.

The water helps filter out some of the undesirable substances found in smoke, such as tar, and many other carcinogens as these are water soluble. It also helps cool the smoke down before it enters the lungs, allowing for a smoother and deeper inhalation. Some bongs are designed with twists or traps for ice in the neck (see picture to the left). Some people have experimented by replacing the water with fruit juice or alcoholic spirits, though this is not recommended as these liquids can trap the THC in the smoke. Some people, however, have a preference of using steaming water, if their bong can withstand the heat of the water.

Many bongs have a small hole; a carburetor or carb (also called a shotty (from 'shotgun'); choke; or rush (hole)). This is simply a valve that the user places his finger over when inhaling allowing the chamber to fill up with smoke. If the user releses the carb then he or she is no longer having to pull the smoke through the downpipe and water so it is easier or more relaxing to smoke. Some bong users allow fresh air to rush rapidly in through the hole. The fresh air mixes with the smoke and forces the smoke into the users lungs more rapidly than just normal inhaling would do. Smoking a lung full of smoke is known as a hit. Often, bongs are smoked in two hits; first a "lit hit" when smoke is allowed to full the chamber, then, after a short break, the "chamber hit," when the user inhales smoke. Some people don't allow a break and smoke all at once.

In other bongs, the bowl-piece is removable. This piece is then called a 'slide','pull', or 'suicide carb', and is similar to the carb in function. When the slide is removed, fresh air instead of smoke bubbles through, and acts to clear the chamber. An audio recording of a bong with a slide style carb being used is available (see media help).

Description

File:Red Bong-(mod).jpg

A typical bong is made of few components (numbers on the picture correspond to the descriptions below):

A mouthpiece, this is where the user's mouth is placed, sealing out air through that hole. Doing this renders the bong airtight (providing there is an airtight seal around the stem (there should be!) and, if a carburetor hole is present, it is also covered. When "airtight" it has but one small source of air, the small bowl where the substance is placed.
A chamber, where smoke collects. When the desired amount of smoke is accumulated, the 'carb' hole is released, allowing air/smoke to suddenly shoot down the users lungs (the user should be inhaling throughout, from the moment the substance is lit). The height and width of the chamber can vary and this naturally changes the volume. If all the smoke isn't removed from the bong in a single hit, the user can exhale and take another hit.
A base, holds the water and is usually wider than the chamber so it can stand up without tipping (see the consequences of a spillage). Some models have removable bases. The bottom end of the "stem" ends up in the base.
A stem (a.k.a. chamber, downpipe). This is a tube which has one end in (but not touching the sides or bottom of) the base and the other end sticking out the side with the bowl at the end of it. The stem also collects resin over time which can clog the stem, and reduce the air flow through the water.
A bowl (a.k.a. conepiece,chillum) is usually a removable cup or cone shaped container made of metal, glass, or ceramic, where the substance is packed and ignited. In some designs, such as glass, the bowl is not removable (i.e. part of the stem), whereas in others a screw-on system means other bowl-heads (such as six-shooter bowls) can be placed on. The bowl forms a seal around the stem so that the only inlet of air is through the bowl. Over time burnt residue will collect on parts of the bowl.

Additional optional parts

A carb (a.k.a. choke, shotty, shotgun, rush hole, or release), common in bongs without a removable bowl, is often a hole in the wall of the chamber. As the user fills the chamber with smoke, the carb is covered with a finger or removable seal to make the chamber airtight. When smoke is inhaled through the mouthpiece and the carb is uncovered, air enters through the carb and pushes the smoke out through the mouthpiece. This extra hole is not usually present in a bong with a removable bowl, as removing the bowl allows air to flow in to displace the smoke, eliminating the need for a carb. Carbs are seen less and less in bongs these days, as blown glass bongs with slider bowls are becoming more popular.
One or more additional chambers can be attached to a bong to multiply the filtration, for a smoother intake of smoke. Such an apparatus may be referred to as a double bubbler or percolator (perc). The additional chambers can either be external to the bong and fit into it as a normal slide would, or they may be built into the bong where the chambers are stacked on top of each other. These also serve to catch any ash coming through the stem, helping keep one base of water fresher longer, and can take many different forms.
A diffuser is a cap with small holes in it, fitted over the lower end of the stem to make the smoke-filled bubbles smaller. This serves to cool and filter the smoke more, but they can become clogged easily.
An ice catcher, usually present as an indentation in the chamber, serves to hold ice in the chamber of the bong. This ice will further cool the smoke which some users find to be more pleasurable.
An ash catcher, also commonly called a double perculation bowlpiece. It is a bowl piece that bubbles and connects into the stem. Keeps the main part of the bong clean.

Motivations

The characteristics of the bong enable the material to be smoked in ways not possible with a simple pipe or spliff. Because the chambers on most bongs are 2 to 3 inches in diameter the temperature of the air moving through the chamber is reduced. Depending on the length of the bong a considerable amount of smoke can be built up in this way. On the larger bongs, about 4 ft (1.2 m) tall, the operator must stop drawing on the bong when the smoke reaches their lips. At this point the operator must inhale deeply, open the carb, and use the entire contents of their lungs to clear the chamber of the charge of smoke. This high concentration of smoke in the lungs enables the operator to transfer much higher quantities of the chemicals in the smoke into their lungs but also tends to waste large amounts of the smoke. The longer the operator can hold the hit in, the more chemicals the operator will extract from it, but this becomes more difficult as the smoke gets more dense and the volume increases. Individuals in the Cannabis culture who can hold in a monster hit are typically held in high regard, or seen as long time/experienced smokers.

Bubbling the smoke through water also serves to cool down the smoke, which is typically very hot, and to trap some of the heavier and more water-soluble particulate matter, keeping it from entering the smoker's lungs. Most smokers believe that bongs are healthier than other smoking devices; however, a 2000 NORML-MAPS study found that "waterpipes filter out more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect" . The analysis used smoke from NIDA-supplied marijuana drawn through a smoking machine adjusted to mimic the puff length of marijuana smokers. The apparatus, comparing smoke from a standard bong, a small portable device with a folding pipestem, a battery-operated model with a motorized paddle to thoroughly mix the smoke in the water, and two different types of vaporizers, found that the unfiltered joint outperformed all devices except the vaporizers, with a ratio of about 1 part cannabinoids to 13 parts tar.

However, MAPS also conducted a review of some of the scientific work that has been done regarding the effects of water filtration on the composition and effects of marijuana and tobacco smoke. It found that when alveolar macrophages, an important component in the lungs immune system, were exposed to unfiltered smoke there was a marked reduction in the macrophages ability to fight bacteria, whereas there was no such reduction in those exposed to water filtered smoke. It also found that there is substantial epidemiological evidence among tobacco smokers that those who smoke through water-pipes, as opposed to cigarettes, cigars and regular pipes, have lower incidences of carcinoma. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from marijuana smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area. Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas dispersion frits would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water contact area." This seems to suggest that from a harm minimisation perspective bongs may quite well be the best option, regardless of the small amounts of cannabinoids lost through condensation (note: THC has a very low solubility in water).

Bong water

Used bong water is a notoriously disgusting fluid. In many movies and even in company of others stories are told of bong water's ability to stain anything and make it smell awful. Bong water ranges from clear when it is fresh, to a slightly used green, yellow or brown tint, which will get worse as the water is used more. A practice of some bong users is to turn the bowl around backwards and suck the remaining ash and unburned material down the stem into the water when the bowl is empty. While this is convenient it rapidly degrades the quality of the bong water. If this is done bong water can go from dark green or grey, to black, and will usually have chunks of dark unburned material floating around. As the quality of the water degrades so does the taste of the smoke. Over a long enough time the bong will develop a distinct unpleasant odor and the smoke drawn through it will acquire that taste as well. Bong water is extremely unpleasant to ingest. Drinking bong water will produce minimal psychoactive effect, since THC and other cannabinoids are minimally soluble in water. It is possible to use alcohol-based liquids as bong water. Even though THC and other cannabinoids are alcohol-soluble, such a small area of the smoke (i.e. the surface of the bubbles) comes into contact with the bong water that it is negligible. This includes using mouthwash, liquor, beer and anything else with alcohol. Using alcohol can be potentially dangerous due to the fact that alcohol is flammable.

Cleaning

Bongs become quite dirty and smelly after use. Depending on what material a bong is made from it can be cleaned easily without use of often expensive commercially sold bong cleaning kits or solutions. While one shouldn't put a plastic bong in a dishwasher, many other techniques, such as simply scrubbing the interior with a brush will get good results. For heavy resin buildups, ethyl alcohol is the ideal solvent. Ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol, which has been mixed with a bittering agent to render it undrinkable, is sold as 'methylated spirits' or 'denatured alcohol.' Ethanol should not be used to clean acrylic bongs, as it will cause the material to crack. Smoke resin is highly soluble in ethanol, making it an ideal solvent for cleaning glass and ceramic bongs. Warning: ethanol is highly flammable. Avoid sparks or flame while cleaning with ethanol. Rinse the bong well with running water after cleaning with ethanol. A laboratory glassware cleaning brush works well for scrubbing out resin and tar on the inside chamber of a bong. Be aware that 'soft glass' bongs can be scratched by some brushes. A light coating of vegetable oil applied to water contact surfaces in the bong can prevent tars from sticking, making the bong easier to clean. Apply oil to interior surfaces with a paper towel while the bong is completely dry, before filling with liquid. Another highly effective method for cleaning hard to scrub areas is to use a rock salt and ethyl alchohol mix.

Materials

Since the bong is such a simple device it can be constructed out of nearly anything that is at least semi-rigid and can be made airtight. This includes, but is not limited to bamboo, plastic bottles, soda-pop cans, buckets, vases, beer bottles, hollow plastic and ceramic statues, chemistry beakers, snorkels, and many other common items. A clever bubbler can be constructed out of fruit such as apples and potatoes. The simplicity of bong construction has led people to consider constructing bongs with materials as outlandish as Pykrete. Most bongs purchased will be made out of glass (either hand-blown or cast in molds) or clear acrylic tubing. Most of these bongs will include or otherwise utilize glass stems and bowls. However, cheaper bongs (nearly all made out of acrylic) may be designed with metal stems and bowls.

A common home-built bong is made from a bowl and stem purchased either from a head shop or fabricated from supplies around the house or from a hardware store; this could be out of tinfoil and a short length of garden hose for instance. The rest of the design needs nothing more than a knife or scissors, a 20 oz to 1 liter empty plastic bottle, and some duct tape. Just because a bong can be constructed this way does not indicate it is a good idea; to avoid dangerous fumes and chemicals all bowls and stems should be made of glass or metal, and the chambers of the bongs of glass, metal or acrylic.

Using materials such as PVC, plastic, rubber or garden hoses will emit toxic chemicals when heated. Aluminum foil releases toxic chemicals while heated, and its use should be avoided as high aluminum levels have been found in the brains of some patients with neurological diseases. Plastic can release fumes which may induce asthma. Little has been documented on the inhalation of these fumes but the practice should be avoided. Soda cans are widely used, but release aluminum fumes along with paint fumes when heated, which have been shown to cause brain damage. Duct tape may release rubber, metal and aluminum fumes.

It is possible to construct a reasonable bong using a cheap kit and a bottle, but these can be hard to clean. An example is shown above.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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 then 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, creating 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.

Gravity bong

A Gravity bong (also known as Bucket bongs, Buckets, sinkers, torpedoes, depth-charges) does 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. These devices are known for inducing huge coughing fits in their users and can be very unpleasant to use. Gravity bongs come in two distinct designs, and some people using that term may only be familiar with one design.

Another variation of the Gravity Bong is the reverse gravity bong, also known as a "waterfall." A waterfall is made by punching a hole in the bottom of a large container (usually measuring at least one gallon) and by attaching a bowl piece to the top of the container in the place of its lid. Some people may make the bowl out of the lid or a piece of aluminum foil. The container is filled (the hole being covered). Once it is filled the bowl is placed on top, the marijuana is lit, and the water is drained. This creates a vacuum effect and pulls the smoke into the container. Once the water is done draining the smoke is inhaled in through the hole at the bottom.

Coke Can bong

A coke can bong is a relatively easy bong to construct. The user takes an empty aluminum can and punctures a hole in the side. The process takes less than five seconds. When ready to smoke, the smoker puts the marijuana in the puncture hole, lights it, and inhales through the mouth of the can. Though often referred to as a 'bong' this device serves as a pipe, using no water filtration.

There is an on-going debate on the effects of smoking through aluminum and ingesting the burning chemical residue which the cans are treated with. This is generally considered a risky and detrimental method of smoking to more experienced users.

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