Ganja Guides

Mason Jar Bong How-To

mason jar filled with water

If there’s one thing a stoner is, it’s ingenious. Whether it’s fashioning a bong out of a bottle or MacGyvering a pipe out of an apple, you can count on a stoner to figure out a way to craft a good hit out of the materials on hand. So, naturally, stoners have also found the perfect way to upcycle a staple in most of our homes, leading to the creation of the mason jar bong.

Photo: Unsplash

Making a Mason Jar Bong from Materials at Home Depot

Crafting your very own mason jar bong is as easy as a trip to the hardware store. It should only cost you about $10, as long as you have your own power drill. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

  • 1 quart mason jar with lid
  • Vinyl tubing (for the downstem and mouthpiece)
  • Scissors (to cut the tubing)
  • Socket
  • Brass hose adapter
  • Power drill and drill bit (to make the holes)

*The drill bit should be roughly the same size as the tubing and the hose adapter.

How to Make a Bong out of a Mason Jar Step-by-Step

Once you have everything you need, making the bong shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes. The benefits of this particular style which likens to a hookah, is that the long tube will further cool smoke before it reaches your lips. 

  1. Make two holes – Use your drill and drill bits to make two holes into the lid of the mason jar, the second about twice as large as the first. 
  2. Feed the vinyl tubing through and cut – Once you’ve cleaned out the shavings, feed the tubing into the smaller of the two holes. The tubing should reach the bottom of the mason jar. Make the cut about ½ inch above the lid. 
  3. Fit the hose adapter – Screw the hose adapter into the larger of the two holes. 
  4. Make the mouthpiece – Next, you’ll need to make the mouthpiece which will be an 8 inch piece of tubing. 
  5. Attach the socket – Add water and attach the socket to the tubing. 
  6. Smoke a bowl – Pack your bowl, light and you’re ready to go. 

Using a Mason Jar Bong Kit

You can also go with a mason jar bong kit if you prefer to have a more polished setup and skip the trip to Home Depot.

  1. Create the bowl and mouthpiece holes – Get a mason jar lid and put it on a block of wood. Using a ⅞ hole punch, hammer a hole through the top a few millimeters away from the edge. This will be the hole for the bowl and downstem. Punch a second hole through for the mouthpiece.
  2. Fit grommets – Fit your ⅝ inch grommets with 1/16th rim width to the holes. 
  3. Insert the downstem and adapter – Before you pop in the adapter and downstem into each hole respectively, make sure to lather the grommets with a lubricant like olive oil or dish soap.
  4. Insert bowl and mouthpiece – Slide the bong bowl into the downstem and the mouthpiece into the adapter and you’ve got yourself your very own mason jar bong!

Work Hard, Play Harder

There are few things quite as satisfying as enjoying the fruit of your labor. The mason jar bong is relatively simple to make, but the reward is a hit like no other. It’s a hit that you fashioned with your own hands from items found around the house and your garage workshop.

And it’s something you can use over and over again, unlike a water bottle bong or apple pipe. Now, not only do you have a gorgeous new bong but a minimalist yet crafty work of art to show off at the next smoke sesh. So if you’re feeling crafty, DIY-ing your very own mason jar bong!