A homemade pipe is not every stoner's dream pipe. But once in a while, you might need to get a fix, and you don't have a pipe. Although you have to get creative, a homemade pipe could prove to be very handy.
Homemade pipes, although frowned upon, are not all that bad. They are particularly handy for smokers who love everything natural. You just need to know how to make one and, most importantly, the materials you should stay away from when making a homemade pipe.
General Tips to Follow When Making Homemade Pipes
Before jumping in on how to make a pipe and the different types of smoking pipes you can make, you should be aware of some ground rules you should follow when making a pipe.
Keep clear of plastic bowls
Plastic is easily accessible. When you look around, plastic might be the most accessible material you can find. It makes sense that you would prefer to use it to make your smoking pipe. But, you should stay away from plastic bowls. Plastic is not heat resistant and will melt. Also, plastic emits toxic fumes when subjected to heat. Although you can use a plastic container to hold the smoke, the bowl should always be non-plastic.
Select food items carefully
One thing about homemade pipes is that most of them are made from fruits and vegetables. However, take time to ensure the fruit or vegetable you choose is not rotten, clumsy, or wrinkled. It should be sturdy and have a ripe body. Mushy food items will collapse and destroy your entire experience.
Screening
A screen is essential in every pipe. It will keep the gunk and ash away from the smoke, ruining the experience. Always consider having a screen in your pipe whenever possible. The screen can be metallic, glass, quartz, or brass. The choice is yours.
How to Make a Homemade Pipe
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Fruits and vegetable pipe
As alluded to earlier, fruits and vegetables are the most preferred items when making a pipe at home. They are easy to work with and once you understand how to make one, you get the added benefit of using all-natural media and a natural fruity taste with your smoke.
You can use bananas, bell paper, potatoes, strawberries, apples, or even cucumbers. Apples are the most preferable because they have great taste and are readily available. Let's use an apple for this demonstration, but the principle is the same as the other fruits.
Make sure the apple is ripe. It should be strong enough to take the smoke and heat. Poke a pencil from the top where the stem is right through to the middle. You shouldn't take the pencil through to the bottom end of the apple.
Make a second hole perpendicular to the first using the same pencil. The two holes should meet at the centre of the apple, making an 'L' inside the apple. Blow through one of the holes to make sure they are interconnected.
Make the third hole from the opposite side of the second hole. This one, too, should meet at the centre of the apple where the two other holes have met. The third hole acts as the rush. It should be in a place where you can reach it with your finger while taking a hit.
Carve out a bowl at the top of the pipe where you made your first hole using a knife. Now you have a bowl, mouthpiece and airflow. Clear out everything before packing the bowl and you take your first hit.
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Pen-pipe
This is also called a one-hitter. It's perfect when you want a quick hit and don't have any fruits or vegetables in the house.
- Take a pen. Make sure the pen has a metal cap at the nip that is also easily disassembled. Remove the back part and the front nip of the pen and take out the Ink refill.
- Place a nip on the empty tube. It should be opposite the way it would normally fit on the pen, so it makes a perfect 'V.'
- Fill it with cannabis and light it up. Inhale from the backside of the pen. The small hole on the body of the pen acts as the air hole.
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Steam roller
Steam rollers deliver huge and intense hits. If you don’t have the glass steam roller, you can make one at home.
- Take an empty toilet paper roll. You can also use a kitchen towel roll if you have one. Basically, what you need is anything cylindrical. Make a hole with a pin or screwdriver about a quarter way from one end. This is where you will place the bowl.
- For the bowl, use aluminium foil. Mould it into a conical shape. Use a safety pin to poke tiny holes in the bowl.
- Place the aluminium foil inside the hole you created earlier.
- Use Sellotape or blue-tack to seal the hole. Load the bowl and you’re ready to smoke.
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Metal pipe
This is not the most impressive or convenient method. But when you have nothing else around you, it could come in handy. This method might require some creativity to make a basic metal pipe. But the beauty of it is, once you have the pipe, it will always be with you.
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Candy Pipe
You can imagine the kind of flavour you can get from a candy pipe. It is perfect for seasoned cannabis users looking for an extra kick.
- Unwrap starbursts and arrange them together to make a rectangle. You can make the pipe as long as you want the pipe to be.
- Stack some more candy at one end of the rectangle.
- Take a pen or any other poking device and poke a hole from the bowl part to the rectangle part, but stop halfway through.
- Carve a proper conical-shaped bowl.
- For the mouthpiece, take a pencil and make a hole from the opposite side of the rectangle to meet the hole you’ve just made for the bowl.
- Pack your bowl, and you're ready to take a hit.
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Soda can pipe
This is another handy and convenient way to make a pipe at home. It also happens to be quite common.
- You will need a simple can and a sharp object like a knife. You can also use keys.
- Make a hole on the side of the can near the end. This will serve as the bowl. The hole should be cleanly cut.
- Indent the can around the hole to make a bowl for packing the herb.
- Make another hole on the side of the can for the mouthpiece. This should also be smooth, so it doesn't cut your mouth. Fill the bowl and light it.
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Ice block pipe
This is not the easiest to make, but if you can pull it off, the experience is out of this world. You get cooled-down smoke.
- You will need a knife and a block of ice.
- Make holes for the mouthpiece and the bowl.
- You should have the coolest 'literally' homemade pipe.
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Bamboo pipe
Bamboo has a close place among smokers. The earliest pipes and bongs were made out of bamboo.
- Find a thin piece f bamboo
- Cut it, leaving one end covered by the wood membrane, and the other end should be cleanly cut off.
- Drill a hole on the membrane end and use the wood to make a hole.
- Make a hole on the clean end which the mouthpiece.
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Baguette pipe
This is a weird homemade pipe. It's not the fanciest, but it works.
- Drill a hole on one point end of the baguette for the mouthpiece.
- Drill a hole on the other end for the bowl.
- Use a metal or aluminium bowl since you can’t pack the herbs directly into the baguette and you’re ready to go.
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Pringles pipe
Don't throw the packaging away after finishing your Pringles. You can use it to make a nice homemade pipe. All you have to do is drill a hole where you will attach the bowl. It is the same as the steam roller pipe. Only that you don’t have to cover one end with your hand while taking hits.