Worlds biggest bong construction.

So the other day I was at this yard sale and I saw this vase. I decided to buy it and attempt to turn it into a bong. Its 51 Inches long and is wide at the bottom and skinny at the top. The glass is 3/4 of an Inch thick. Here's some pics.
Im thinking of using a diamond drill bit to drill a hole near the bottom at a slanted angle. I'll run water of the drill while drilling to reduce friction. (I also have an arc welder, could I use that in any way to fuse glass?) Then I plant to use epoxy to create a joint. Im planning on using a 19cm diffuser with a 18.5 joint. DO you have any suggestions/think it will work?

Drilling through glass shouldn't be too hard, there are lots of guides online.

Post pictures when you finish. Will it require another person to light?

I am able to reach where the bowl will be while sitting down so I don't think it will require another person. The only thing I'm having trouble with is creating a glass joint for the diffuser that will be air tight but also removable.

a long bbq lighter should help light the bowl or a propane torch lol

if you fill the chamber and hit it all one shot you better have a chair handy

it looks like its going to be tough to do. it doesnt round off at the base so theres not really a spot you can drill down. your going to have to drill the hole at an angle so your slider will touch the water which is going to be very difficult to drill glass at that angle.
but anythings possible good luck man

Thanks Quicksilver, Im planing on drilling a 1mm hole than a 3mm, 5mm, and so on until the whole is big enough. This method will make it easier to drill. So I did an experiment and found out that it holds 4.8 gallons or 18200 ml. I was also thinking of adding ice notches but I can't really think of a way to do it. Right now, my main priority is figuring how to drill the hole/create a joint for the diffuser.

nomiss said:

Thanks Quicksilver, Im planing on drilling a 1mm hole than a 3mm, 5mm, and so on until the whole is big enough. This method will make it easier to drill. So I did an experiment and found out that it holds 4.8 gallons or 18200 ml. I was also thinking of adding ice notches but I can't really think of a way to do it. Right now, my main priority is figuring how to drill the hole/create a joint for the diffuser.

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you'd be better off grinding through it with a dremel attachment - get a rubber gasket and seat either a pyrex slider or a metal pipe threaded pipe

shagalicious said:

you'd be better off grinding through it with a dremel attachment - get a rubber gasket and seat either a pyrex slider or a metal pipe threaded pipe

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yah, i used to have like this about 4 inch or so threaded pipe inert that you could screw on any metal bowl piece on the end, and i used it for pretty much all of my bongs that i used to make.. worked great too..
as for ice notches, if you get that far, i'd heat up the glass with a nice torch or whatever, and use something to push the glass in once it gets warmed up to the right temps.. again, i'm far from a glass blower and really have no clue what i'm talking about, lol..
maybe you could talk to fdd2black as he blows glass all of the time..

Thanks racerboy, Id give you more rep but I can't. Mabe Fdd2blk's mystical powers will take him here to give me some advice. I feel like i'm over my head on this project because I am not very experienced with bongs and have never worked with glass. Right now im not sure on how to make the hole because I am receiving mixed responses. Anyone else have experience with glass?

i think you're on to something starting out with a smaller sized bit at first and going up till you get to the size that you need.. make sure it's a nice new bit so that you don't f up your bong... maybe get a glass bottle and try it out on that first so that you get an idea of wtf you're doing before attempting anything on the bong for the first time..
i'm not sure if heating up the area to be drilled first would be a good idea or a bad one, lol.. only one way to find out.. maybe go get yourself a few mason jars or maybe you could find a nice glass beer bottle or something along those lines to experiment on first.. yah, that's a good idea, go buy a six pack of some glass beer bottles and screw around on them as much as you want, that way you can make mistakes and learn and not have to worry about screwing up on them.. good idea, glad i thought of it, lol..

for the ice catcher just drill a hole right through the neck then stick something through it and use epoxy to hold it [;ace. cause i dont think just any ordinary torch is going to get glass hot enough to make it workable. but like racerboy said im not a glass expert either

Well I have an arc welder which can cut through 3/4 inch steel so I think I can get the glass hot enough. The question is if heating the glass will cause it to shatter or liquify. I want my bong to look nice so im leaning more twords pinching the neck of it. I just don't really know how to drill through glass at an angle.

rubber grommets.

Thanks, fdd. Im going to use a rubber grommet to seal the hole. In your opinion, what would be the best way for me to drill the hole. Should I heat it up first, use a diamond drill bit, ect.?

nomiss said:

Thanks, fdd. Im going to use a rubber grommet to seal the hole. In your opinion, what would be the best way for me to drill the hole. Should I heat it up first, use a diamond drill bit, ect.?

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i'd use some type of wet bit. i think if you try to heat it it may crack. i'd go cold and wet.

Ok, I'll use a wet bit. I decided to get a 19cm 18.8mm diffuser and a double percolator pre-cooler. I'll post some pics when it's finished.

very cool, glad fdd'ed came in after all, lol.. nothing like some advice from a real pro..

So a couple of days ago I ordered some parts for my bong. I decided to go with an EHLE 18.8 mm 19cm Diffuser. I also decided to get a black leaf double filtration percolator bowl. (should be interesting> For the drilling, I got a set of 8 glass drilling bits which range in size from 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch. I also got a 3/4 inch rubber grommet to seal the diffuser to the bong. Anything else I should get?

yeah, I've done this before. and still use a piece today that i drilled through.

your best bet is going to be a diamond tip bit and a rotary type power tool (dremel) to get the hole started. then i use a sandstone with a flare on it to widen the hole to my specs. all while gently running cold water directly onto the cutting surface. wear eye protection and gloves if you have them, I've broken beer bottles drilling them because they are thin and i would hate for you to cut yourself.

purchase the appropriate rubber grommet. wet your glass stem to lubricate it for easy insertion. and begin smoking

here is a Glass liquor bottle with handle that i picked up at a thrift store for a buck or two, makes a wonderful bong.

and part of an Acrylic bong i had once upon a time that i salvaged, and turned into a Really sweet Steamroller!

i got that grommet at home depot for like a dollar but i had to get the one for glass at a headshop, because of the thickness of the bottle i used.

GL!

So I finally finished the bong. There were a few complications in drilling the hole but it all worked out in the end. I was able to apoxy a 3/4 inch rubber grommet to the hole which made a nice seal. I took it camping last night and tested it out. It comfortably holds two gallons of water and takes approximately 5 people to clear. After just one bowl (approximately 2 grams) all of us were nocked on our asses. Here's some pics of the final product.