Bongs / Water-pipes. Part 1
For many fulltime smokers, bongs are the technique of choice for smoking marijuana. By filtering the smoke thru cold water and ice, even big hits can feel comparatively smooth. First time users could find using a bong quite hard, so this essay introduces the history, construction, and usage of bongs. History The bong is mechanically similar to that of the hookah. it is commonly tough to distinguish in historic documents. The etymology, alternatively, is kind of clear. It originates from the Thai word baung, a cylindrical wooden tube, pipe, or container cut from bamboo. Bongs like the ones we are acquainted with today have likely been used for many years in Laos, Thailand and other nations in Southeast Pacific Rim. So far as its introduction into the West, the 1944 McFarland Thai-English compendium described the word bong to mean “a bamboo water-pipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant. ” across the counterculture movement of the 60’s it speedily gained steam and today is a standard household term for stoners. Construction. The development of bongs varies noticeably in several respects. They can be made from acrylic, ceramic, or most ordinarily glass.
Often , the common features of most bongs are like this ( labeled in the diagram ) :
A. Chamber : This is the enormous portion of the bong where smoke collects.
The chamber often has little lumps close to the bottom called ice-catchers which are built to hold crushed or cubed ice for the purposes of cooling down the smoke.
B. Base : This is the bigger, frequently rounded portion at the base of the bong. The base acts essentially to hold the water thru which the smoke will be filtered. Due to its bigger size, the base also acts to permit the bong to stand by itself.
C. Stem : The stem goes from below the water level in the base out of the bong at an angle such the other end is higher than the water level. The stem holds the bowl and smoke flows thru it into the water.
D. Bowl : This is sometimes a removable cone-shaped container where the blow is placed and ignited. Bowls can be straightforward and plain or as baroque as the remainder of the bong. They can be stuck in place on the stem, but are most frequently removable. Removable bowls are most typically referred to as slides. Some ( sometimes lower quality ) bongs have a carb or choke. The choke operates in a way like that of standard pipes. A seal is manufactured by pressing one’s finger over the choke while smoke is brought into the chamber.
When the finger is removed, air is permitted to enter offering a speeded up inhalation of smoke. In better quality pipes, the bowl is removable, and removing the bowl serves the same purpose, permitting flow of air into the chamber. Use. The employment of a bong can be confusing for marijuana amateurs.
Bongs also alter considerably in their construction, so even regular users can sometime be puzzled by unfamiliar bongs. The general use of a bong should be accepted to avoid humiliation, but if you’re ok with the bunch you selected to smoke with, you shouldn’t be scared to ask for help! If the bong you are using has a choke or carb, step 1 is to cover it with your finger.
