We take many things for granted in life, us humans, like electricity or GPS technology. As the world progresses, we often lose touch with just how much ingenuity and intelligence were necessary for the breakthroughs and inventions that make our lives so comfortable and simple today. Stoners also take things for granted, for example, the design of the glass bong. A glass bong can be an essential aspect of any cannabis user’s arsenal and makes having a quick session pretty damn simple compared to twisting up a joint. Many beautiful glass pieces are out there, yet hardly anybody understands the hard work and passion required to produce such an item. For the most devoted glassblowers globally, their creations are more than smoking devices to them, but rather pieces of functional art to be welcomed into their customers’ homes. So, how exactly is a glass bong made?
Heat, Lots Of It
The first step to creating anything out of glass is heating. Specifically, 2125 degrees Fahrenheit of it. This makes glass into one big liquid pool, meaning it’s malleable enough to shape it into anything. Obviously, with such high temperatures, this is a job you want to be careful with. Hollowed steel rods, or blowpipes, are used to blow the glass into different shapes literally. By picking up the molten glass on one end of the pipe, a glassblower blows through the rod to make the melted glass bubble into different shapes, and he can adjust it with varying sorts of airflow and airspeed. In general, glass blowers craft the basic form of a bong and perfect the bong’s various sections and parts after the fact. They can make additional adjustments by reheating their basic model, like adding ice catcher notches or implementing unique stem patterns.
Words can’t do justice to the whole process. Still, if you’re interested in this artistry and craftsmanship combination, there are many super interesting videos on the matter on youtube.