DIY Smoking Devices You Can Make With Household Items

A Little Improvisation Goes a Long Way

There’s a lot of potential lying dormant in your imagination. Just because you don’t have any implements you can use to fire up some flowers doesn’t mean you’re without an option. Quite a variety of household items can be configured into smokable implements.

Here we’ll explore four ways you can put together some DIY smoking items ranging from one-time use to those you might even want to keep around for a while.

Apples are Fine Single-Use “Pipes”

This is an old standby. You take an apple and hollow out a hole in the center with a pencil. The hole you inhale through should be horizontal. At the top of the apple, pick out the stem and use something like a pencil to create another hole that meets the one in the center. An unraveled paperclip can be ideal so you have a smaller hole less likely to eat up flowers incidentally.

You can poke a third hole for a carburetor, or “carb”, on the side; again, you want to make sure the hole goes all the way to the horizontal “pipe” of the apple. If you go all the way through the center of the apple with the first hole, making an upside-down “T” shape, the far end can be the carb. Voila! You’ve got a new pipe.

Apple pipes can be used multiple times, but the strength of the fruit will wane within a few days. Also, it’s not recommended to eat the fruit after using it as a pipe. Really, these pipes are best as single-use options, and with apples you’re not interested in eating.

Repurposing a Soda or Beer Can

Another straightforward option is making any sort of canned beverage a pipe. You’ll want to drain out all the fluid, ideally by drinking it. The mouth-end of the can will be where you inhale from. At the far end, toward the bottom, push a little divot into the soft metal until you’ve got a depression that can serve as a bowl. Use a push pin or paperclip to poke a few holes in the depression.

You’ll want to use a penny or quarter or other similar small blunt object to scrape any paint from the can before you smoke from it, as otherwise the lighter will melt the paint, and you’ll end up inhaling non-cannabis fumes that can be a health issue. You can poke a hole in the center of the can at the bottom for a carb.

A One-Hitter is a Tube, Carb, and Bowl

It’s worth pointing out that the carb is always optional. Essentially, what you do is cover it with a finger so you can “load” the pipe with smoke. When you remove your finger from the little hole, you can inhale a larger hit. Otherwise you’re basically inhaling straight from the flower at the end of the pipe. With a one-hitter, this isn’t as much of an issue. The size of the bowl will be what decides you.

Here’s what making a pen-based one-hitter looks like: First, you want a small cylinder about as big as a pencil. Mechanical pencils, pens, and tire-pressure gauges will work. Basically, clear out the cylindrical portion first. If you’ve got a pen or pencil, take out ink or lead. If you’re using a tire pressure gauge, remove the pressure meter.

With the tire gauge, use needle-nose pliers to pull out the metal work used to interface with a tire. Some of these are a single unit, and you can’t. It will depend on the pressure gauge. The goal is to open up a space where you can put a little flower for burning. If working with a pen or pencil, unscrew the metal end, invert, attach, and perhaps poke a hole for a carb if the bowl holds enough.

You can use a bit of trimmed steel wool to keep the flower from sucking through if necessary—sometimes the pen’s end can’t be inverted. Once finished, it’s possible to use this one-hitter multiple times. Here’s some info on how to properly clean a one-hitter, so it lasts longer.

Building a Pipe from Plumbing Components

Small metal pipes used in plumbing often come with threaded ends that can act as a sort of connect-the-dots cannabis pipe. Little dome-shaped metal lattices around a few dollars per unit in a hardware store, and designed to filter tap water, can be made into bowls. One thing to think about, though; these sorts of pipes have a metallic taste many don’t prefer.

Go With What Works Best for You

Essentially, a pipe consists of a bowl, tube, and carb. The idea is to suspend the flower so you can pull smoke through it without incidentally inhaling any leaves.

Whether you build a pipe from an apple, a soda can, pens, tire pressure gauges, or plumbing components, in a few minutes you can put together something that may last a lot longer than you expected, and is totally free.