How to Make a Pipe from Things You Have at Home

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Create your own pipe at home with things you already have
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Got something to smoke and nothing to smoke it in? You've come to the right place! It might be possible for you to run out to your local convenience store or vape store and find something more conventional. But if you can't do that for whatever reason, there are plenty of smoking pipes you can make with everyday objects that are probably lying around your house.

Making a DIY Pipe

  1. Rinse out an empty water bottle and throw away the cap.
  2. Poke a hole in the side of the bottle close to the top.
  3. Mold a bowl out of aluminum foil and place it in the hole.
  4. Poke holes in the bottom of the bowl with a needle.
  5. Pack the bowl with ground shake.
  6. Light the bowl and inhale from the mouth of the bottle.
Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Making a Fruit Pipe

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  1. Apples tend to be a favorite because they're the right density and readily available. If you don't have a fresh apple sitting around the house, you can usually pick one up pretty cheap at a nearby convenience store. [1]
    • Away from home? Many hotels have fresh fruit available for free in their lobbies, including apples.
    • If you feel like getting creative, there are plenty of fruits and vegetables that can be converted into a pipe the same way—you might try butternut squash, cantaloupe, eggplant, or a pear.
    • Choose a super fresh, juicy apple if you want to taste some of the sweetness of the apple as you smoke. [2]
  2. The size of this will depend on how much you want to try to pack into a single bowl, but you usually don't need it to be very big. Keep the size of your fruit in mind as well. You can use pretty much any sharp object to cut into the top if you need to hollow it out some more.
    • If you're able to twist the stem of an apple all the way off, you might find that you don't need to cut into the top at all—the natural depression provides enough space for you to pack enough to smoke.
    • If you're able to leave the skin on your fruit or vegetable, you can pack a bowl without needing aluminum foil. Otherwise, the juice of the fruit will dampen your stash and make it hard to light.
  3. A skewer, metal straw, or even a disposable ink pen (just take out the ink first) will work to poke a hole from one side of the apple to the other. Hollow objects such as pens or straws work best because they also capture the debris that's removed from the apple so you don't have to clean up behind yourself later to get a good, clean smoke. [3]
  4. Starting from the top, where you've carved out a spot for your bowl to be, cut another hole straight down until you meet up with the cross-channel you already created. At this point, you're almost done! [4]
  5. You shouldn't have any problem with the hole that goes from one side to the other because you would've pushed the debris all the way through. But there might still be some chunks left from the other channel down from the top. Make sure you can feel your breath coming through both the carb and the hole for the bowl. [5]
  6. If you didn't dig out the top of the fruit or vegetable you used so the peel is still mostly intact, this might not be necessary. If you do line the bowl, poke a hole in the aluminum foil at the bottom that matches the hole you made in your "pipe." [6]
    • Make sure the fruit or vegetable you're using isn't coming into contact with the stuff you're smoking. If your smoking material gets wet, you'll have a hard time lighting it.
    • You can also make a small mouthpiece with aluminum foil to fit into the mouth hole—just tear off a small piece and roll it into a skinny tube. It'll help catch some of the ash and debris when you smoke for a cleaner hit. [7]
  7. Take whatever you've got to smoke and fill the bowl you carved out in the top of your piece of fruit. To smoke, light your bowl while you inhale from the mouthpiece. Keep your thumb over the hole on the side to draw the smoke in, then release your thumb to clear the "chamber" inside the fruit. [8]
Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Rolling a Found Paper Cigarette

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  1. Use the blank pages, usually found at the front and back of a book, first. If there aren't any of those, use pages with as little ink as possible just in case the ink is harmful. [9]
    • A Bible is an easy choice if you happen to be traveling, since most hotel rooms have a free copy of the Bible in them.
    • It doesn't have to be a book! Other types of thin paper work too—and some even work better. For example, if you have access to a cigarette, all you have to do is empty out the tobacco and use that.
    • Thicker paper can work in a pinch, but generally speaking, you want your paper to be as thin as possible so that you're burning less paper and your cigarette burns smoothly and cleanly.
  2. Grind the leaves that you want to smoke. Cigarettes are typically filled with very finely ground material so that they'll smoke cleanly and smoothly. If you don't have a grinder handy, try to break it up as small as you can with your fingers. [10]
    • Make sure you de-stem, if necessary—stems can poke through the paper. Get rid of any seeds as well, which could pop when lit.
    • This also gives you an idea of how much paper you'll need to roll this up so you can smoke it.
  3. If you want your paper to be about the same size as a standard rolling paper, make it about 2 in (5.1 cm) long and about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide. Changing the width of the paper affects how wide your resulting handmade cigarette will be. [11]
    • Be careful not to make it too thick, or it might be difficult for the paper to hold up as you smoke it. You also want to be mindful of how much you have to fill it with.
  4. Tap the shake out into an even line down the length of your paper. Adjust it so that there's room to twist off both ends of the paper when you've rolled it. [12]
    • Arrange it as evenly as possible. If there's a bulge, your cigarette won't smoke evenly.
  5. Roll the cigarette between your index fingers and your thumbs, with one hand holding each end of the cigarette. Roll the shake down until the front edge of your paper can only go around the shake once. Tuck the front edge in and then continue rolling until you have a tight, even cigarette shape. [13]
    • Keep your fingertips in the ends so that your shake doesn't fall out while you're rolling and sealing the cigarette.
  6. Just very lightly tap the top edge of the paper to the tip of your tongue. Your saliva will act as a glue to seal the cigarette so that it holds together while you smoke it. [14]
    • Be careful not to get the paper too wet, or your cigarette might smoke unevenly or even go out.
    • When it's sealed, twist the ends to close the cigarette entirely so you don't have to hold your fingers in the ends anymore.
  7. Inhale slowly as you light the tip of the paper. Continue to inhale slowly to keep the cigarette from burning down unevenly or too quickly. Keep in mind that unlike other types of pipes, a cigarette will typically stay lit and continue burning, even if you're not hitting it. [15]
Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Turning a Pen into a Pipe

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  1. Pens that are made completely from plastic will melt from the heat if you attempt to smoke from them. The metal tip gives you a heat-resistant surface for your bowl so you can turn the pen into a pipe . [16]
  2. Unscrew the tip and remove the cap on the end of the pen. Get the ink chamber and spring, which you can go ahead and throw away if you don't plan on using the pen again. [17]
    • If the pen doesn't have an end that pops off, you might have to find something to cut the end of the pen off. You need the end to be completely open.
  3. Put the narrow end of the metal tip into one end of the barrel of the pen. Push it in as far as possible to create a seal between the pen barrel and the metal tip. [18]
    • Because of the way the pen is made, the tip might not stay securely.
    • If you want a tighter seal, use a lighter to melt the plastic at the end of the barrel slightly so it will conform to the size of the tip.
  4. Fill the bowl with whatever you've got to smoke. Keep in mind this is typically only enough for one or two hits. Tap it in carefully so you don't break the seal between the pen barrel and the tip. [19]
    • You typically don't want a super fine grind with this kind of pipe or you might suck it through the opening when you smoke it.
  5. At this point, the pen smokes just like any pipe. Put your mouth around the other end of the pen and inhale as you light the bowl. Keep in mind that depending on the seal and how tight you packed your bowl, you might have to hold the pen practically vertical to keep everything where it's supposed to be. [20]
Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Crafting a Pipe from a Water Bottle

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  1. Any bottle will work for this, including old water bottles or soda bottles. Generally, a smaller bottle will be easier for you to hit—it takes a lot of lung capacity to clear the chamber of a larger bottle. Rinse out the bottle thoroughly and toss the cap (you won't need it). [21]
    • Smoking out of plastic can be hazardous to your health. Only use this as a last resort if you're in a pinch and have no other options.
  2. You can use a skewer, a cooking thermometer, even a knife—whatever you have handy that can poke through the plastic. This hole is where you'll stick your bowl, so it needs to be a little wide. [22]
    • You can use the barrel of an empty pen to mount your bowl to the bottle. Then, the barrel would go through this hole straight into the bottle.
  3. Take a smaller sheet of aluminum foil and start folding it around until it starts to resemble a small bowl. Leave a little bit of a funnel of aluminum foil in the center of the bowl so you can stick it down into the bottle. Use a sewing needle or similar object to poke at least one tiny hole in the bottom of your bowl so you can inhale the smoke. [23]
    • While this can be handy in a pinch, limit smoking in aluminum foil because it can add dangerous chemicals to the smoke that you inhale.
  4. Pack this pretty tightly with whatever you have to smoke, then gently insert it into the hole you made. If you're using a pen barrel, stick it into the pen barrel instead. [24]
    • If you want to make a bong instead of a dry pipe, you might also fill the bottle about a quarter of the way full of water.
  5. Turn the bottle so that the bowl is facing upward and put your mouth on the lip of the bottle. Light the bowl and inhale slowly to pull the smoke into the chamber. [25]
    • You can remove the bowl when you're done filling the chamber if you want, then inhale the smoke directly from the chamber.
Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Smoking through a Cardboard Tube Pipe

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  1. It can be long or short, thick or thin. A paper towel roll will give you bigger hits, while an empty toilet paper roll is smaller and a little easier to manage. [26]
    • If the cardboard is wet or broken, it might not work properly. Make sure it's solid all the way around.
  2. To make the pipe easier to smoke, you can wrap something over the end you're not going to smoke out of. Air will still get through, but not as much. Paper, plastic wrap, or even aluminum will work. You might also need a rubber band to secure the cover over the end. [27]
    • Depending on how long the tube is, you might want to stuff some toilet paper in the bottom to take up some space and make your pipe easier to hit. [28]
    • You can also simply cover the end with one hand and hold the pipe that way while you light it with the other hand. [29]
  3. Use a knife, scissors, or another sharp object to poke a hole a little ways down from the end of the tube that you plan on smoking out of. Depending on how you want your bowl to sit, you might want to make this hole a little bit bigger. [30]
    • If you want your bowl to sit up on the surface of the tube, this can be a relatively small hole. Make a larger hole if you're planning on packing the bowl inside the tube.
  4. Take a piece of aluminum foil and tear it down into a smaller piece that you can fit over the hole you're going to put in the cardboard. You might want to twist or fold it around so that it actually looks like a round bowl that sits above the surface of the cardboard. You can also simply use the aluminum foil to cover the hole with a small depression of foil in the hole where your bowl will sit. [31]
    • If you have a pen that has a metal tip, use the tip instead to create a safer and neater looking bowl (although it probably won't hold as much). [32]
  5. Use something sharp, such as a needle or a cooking thermometer, to poke a hole or two in the aluminum foil. This allows the smoke to travel through so you can inhale it. [33]
    • Be careful not to have holes that are too large or too close together or the bowl will collapse when you pack it and try to smoke it.
  6. Gently fill the bowl and place your mouth over the open end of the tube, then light the bowl. Inhale slowly to pull the smoke through the tube and into your lungs. [34]
    • If you have a bowl that sits up on top of the tube, you can pull it out when you've taken enough of a hit so that you can inhale the smoke that's collected in the tube.

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      Tips

      • Err on the side of a looser pack—you can always pack another bowl! If you overpack, it'll be harder to burn and won't smoke as well.
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      Warnings

      • Smoking through aluminum foil can be harmful to your lungs. These ideas are fine in a pinch, but shouldn't be used regularly.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.westword.com/marijuana/in-defense-of-the-apple-pipe-15165196
      2. ↑ https://goldenleafshop.com/blogs/top-publishings/how-to-make-an-apple-pipe
      3. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-make-apple-pipe
      4. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-make-apple-pipe
      5. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-make-apple-pipe
      6. ↑ https://herb.co/guides/how-to-make-an-apple-pipe
      7. ↑ https://herb.co/guides/how-to-make-an-apple-pipe
      8. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-make-apple-pipe
      9. ↑ https://earthmed.com/blog/rolling-paper-alternatives-for-joints-on-the-fly
      1. ↑ https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-roll-a-joint/
      2. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-roll-joint
      3. ↑ https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-roll-a-joint/
      4. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-roll-joint
      5. ↑ https://www.leafly.com/learn/consume/smoke/how-to-roll-joint
      6. ↑ https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-roll-a-joint/
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/-4NnBU6f4Es?si=w30Wo6BW6DEhRsxZ&t=19
      8. ↑ https://herb.co/guides/how-to-make-a-pipe-out-of-a-pen
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/-4NnBU6f4Es?si=l9bophUTlfOEZyfJ&t=53
      10. ↑ https://herb.co/guides/how-to-make-a-pipe-out-of-a-pen
      11. ↑ https://herb.co/guides/how-to-make-a-pipe-out-of-a-pen
      12. ↑ https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/how-to-make-a-pipe-or-bong-out-of-almost-anything
      13. ↑ https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/how-to-make-a-pipe-or-bong-out-of-almost-anything
      14. ↑ https://www.nuggmd.com/blog/how-to-make-a-water-bottle-bong
      15. ↑ https://www.nuggmd.com/blog/how-to-make-a-water-bottle-bong
      16. ↑ https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/how-to-make-a-pipe-or-bong-out-of-almost-anything
      17. ↑ https://youtu.be/l0zrsX3DGAE?si=sBnaanKXSD-3ikVp&t=13
      18. ↑ https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/how-to-make-weed-pipe
      19. ↑ https://youtu.be/Fub77ajWQf8?si=cHwxO2DyunQHHc3R&t=130
      20. ↑ https://youtu.be/bGb_YBfkwPs?si=zzfgmJp2bou56SFU&t=100
      21. ↑ https://youtu.be/Fub77ajWQf8?si=7YadlVwiaq3QPMP5&t=33
      22. ↑ https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/how-to-make-weed-pipe
      23. ↑ https://youtu.be/Fub77ajWQf8?si=tZHmRkfcei4Q_ClN&t=117
      24. ↑ https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/how-to-make-weed-pipe
      25. ↑ https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/how-to-make-weed-pipe

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you have something to smoke but don’t have a pipe, first select a fresh piece of hard fruit, like an apple or zucchini. Carve a small bowl shape in one side of the fruit using a knife, then poke a hole from the side to the center with a kitchen skewer. After you’ve created the hole, make another one to link the bowl to the hole. You should also blow through the hole to make sure air can pass through it. Once air can flow through the hole, line the bowl area with aluminum foil, which will stop your smoking material from getting wet. Additionally, poke small holes in the foil using a safety pin so the smoke can escape, then pack your smoking material into the bowl. Finally, enjoy your smoke! For tips on how to roll a smoke using a book or smoke with a pen, read on!

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