Tips To Avoid Breaking Your Bong

No one likes breaking bongs. Whether expensive or not, we tend to become attached to our pieces somehow. Regardless of what you spend on it, some basic procedures and precautions can be taken to ensure you and your glass share a lengthy adventure. Some of these recommendations may seem common sense, but you know what they say about that…

We will look at a few scenarios, ranging from storage and cleaning to general use and transportation, and we hope that some of these recommendations help.

Cleaning Is The Leading Culprit

While cleaning your glass is an essential part of glass ownership (or at least it should be), there is no greater cause of damage to bongs than during the cleaning exercise. Thankfully most of these problems can be eliminated or, at a minimum, reduced with simple steps.

Be Careful With Your Cleaner

Different glass uses different methods of applying colouration, graphics, or branding, and not all methods can withstand the use of isopropyl alcohol. A common problem occurs when one tries to use isopropyl. While isopropyl is not particularly acid, it’s a solvent that dissolves dirt, ash, and, unfortunately, paint. Even some glass colouring methods that don’t use a paint can still be stripped from isopropyl.

We recommend avoiding isopropyl if you’re unsure or potentially running a few small tests with minimal isopropyl if you’re determined.

If you’ve bought glass from us and want to know whether it’s suitable or not for isopropyl, just drop us an email or Instagram message.

Use A Jug

It may be more convenient to throw your bong under the tap in your sink, but sinks often have little margin for error, and you can easily find yourself knocking the base while trying to get water down the mouthpiece or downstem. Using a jug in the shower or the bathtub can reduce this risk – though if using a bathtub, also pay mind to the clearance of your bong to the sides of the tub.

Put Down A Towel

Got a dedicated glass towel? Probably not, but it can be a very useful tool to have. The floor/base of showers or baths is still often the cause of broken pieces, especially downstems, and bowls that slip out the hand. Having a large folded towel under your cleaning location can help you protect your pieces should they slip and prevent resin from getting stuck on your surfaces.

Use Gloves

If you’re working with soapy mixtures, you want to avoid latex gloves, which can often become more slippery than your hands, but they work fine typically with isopropyl methods. Additionally, larger kitchen gloves may make it harder for those with small hands to get a good grip. The added grip from a good pair of gloves can be especially useful when there is a lot of resin build-up around the bowls or downstems. These, again, are very prone to slipping out of one’s hands and breaking. A combination of gloves and towel can go a long way together.

Remove Bowl and Downstem First

Before even emptying your bong, first, remove the bowl and the down stem and place them somewhere safe. Ideally, remove these over your towel or another soft surface, as the bowl or downstem can sometimes stick.

When removing these parts, avoid forcing them. Sometimes resin can build up around the joints causing them to get stuck. I’ve seen countless breaks from individuals trying to force their downstem or bowl loose. Instead, soak your bong with the bowl and downstem in isopropyl alcohol, which can help loosen up the resin. You can also use a heat source to loosen it by melting it a bit. Be careful; too much heat or dramatic temperature changes can easily crack your bong. A hairdryer can be safer than using a torch, for instance.

Stopping Bongs and Rigs From Breaking During Travel

While at home, you have a lot of versatility in where you can place your bong and how secure that location is. Traveling with glass can be a different story. You’re often forced to find a way to transport it that is both inconspicuous but also secure and safe from the potential damage of other items in the car.

Consider A Pelican Case

Pelican cases are the ultimate glass enthusiast companion. They are secure plastic cases with foam inserts that ensure your piece (usually rigs, but some small bongs, too) are well held. Pelican cases aren’t very cheap, but if you’re someone who has a rig or small bong and if you travel a lot, this is an investment that could not only keep your glass safer but also make it more easily transportable.

One or two of our pieces from Praxis Glass come with free pelican cases (stated on product listings)

Disassemble Your Pieces

Remove both your down stem and your bowl or banger before packing, and make sure to individually wrap these in paper towels or, better yet, bubble wrap. In many cases, you’ll be able to wrap them in bubble wrap and then insert them into the neck of your bong for storage while traveling. Alternatively, place them in an area free from compression/weight.

Secure Your Piece

Even if you don’t opt to go with the above recommendations, at a minimum, you should be carrying it in a manner where the piece is secure and also has no objects rolling around it. Something as simply as a cooldrink bottle moving during transit and slamming into an unprotected piece can damage it. Bubble wrap is a common tool for shipping glass from retailers to customers and is still one of the most viable methods for carrying your own piece between destinations without investing in carrying cases.

Preventing Bong Damage While Seshing

Finally, the other area where bong or rig damage is common, is when smoking. While smoking alone tends to be a little safer, when you have friends together and start passing the bong around, that’s where glass can really hit the floor.

Use a Mood Mat

Mood mats are placed on the table to prevent direct glass contact with the surface. They tend to have rubber bases and stick to surfaces to a degree. Using a mood mat can help reduce the odds of your piece sliding on the surface it’s on. It can also prevent direct damage caused by placing the bong or rig onto the surface. They work particularly well if you are using a granite, tile, or glass surface.

Be Careful When Passing

If you’re sharing the glass with other people in a sitting, be careful when passing. It’s not uncommon that one passes the bong before that friend is ready to grab it, or you misjudge the height of the objects between you guys. When passing a bong, consider placing one hand around the base and another around the neck. This not only reduces the risk of it slipping, but if you misjudge your depth perception at all, you’ll end up more likely to bump your hand than your glass.

Hit It, Then Quit It

After you’ve taken a hit, instead of holding onto the bong and waving it around as you catch your breath, put the piece down securely (preferably on a mood mat) after taking your hit. It may not seem like much, but post-rip damage is also fairly common and easily preventable.

If you have any thoughts of your own, perhaps methodologies you’ve started to adopt to keep your glass safe, let us know in the comments. We’re keen to hear others experiences, as all our smoking experiences differ in various ways.